Tag: Making Space 2024

advice · cardio · fitness · holiday fitness · holidays · meditation · mindfulness · self care

Making Space 2024: December 10

Christine Hennebury

Hey Space Creators!

For today, I would like to invite you to remove something from your list of December/End of Year tasks.

I can only assume that, like me, you have a few tasks on your tangible or mental lists that you are planning to do if you have time.

I’m hoping that you will consider removing one of them today.

Now, I am NOT suggesting that you remove something you really enjoy and that you are hoping will be able to get done in a spare moment. I think those kinds of joyful things can stay on your list.

Instead, I am talking about those tasks that it would be nice if they got done but you also don’t have a lot invested in them. Or tasks that someone else has pushed off on to you. Or tasks that take more effort than the value they add.

Those kinds of tasks take up mental space and they keep an open loop in our brains and are generally annoying but they aren’t all that important to get done right now.

Try to take a few moments today to evaluate those tasks that are hanging around in the back of your brain or at the bottom of your list and pick one that you are NOT going to do. Something that you can just release entirely.

(If you feel weird about deciding not to do them at all, try scheduling them for sometime in late January and see how your brain feels about that.)

Making that kind of decision in advance will help reduce that ‘gotta do ALL OF THE THINGS” feeling and it will free up some mental space.

Taking that item (or items! Go ahead and pick more if you can) off your list will be a step toward realistic expectations for yourself AND it will remove a little bit of the ‘December deadline’ feeling that we often get caught up in this time of the year.

And not only will current you get some space, future you can also feel good about the decision because when a little window of time opens up for them they won’t feel like they *should* (blech! I hate that word!) be doing that thing.

You will have already made the decision for them and they can do something fun instead. That’s a great gift for future you.

So, with all of that said, let’s have a look at our practice suggestions for Tuesday, December 10:

Today’s movement practice is Express Cardio Routine| 10 Minute At-Home Low Impact Workout from the channel for the SWEAT app – remember that you can just do part of it if 10 minutes is too much for you today.

Still image description: The instructor – a woman with white skin, her brown hair in a ponytail- is wearing a sports bra, shorts, and white sneakers, while doing Mountain Climbers on a blue mat in a studio with light brown laminate flooring, white walls, and plants in the corner. The title of the video is overlaid on the background of the image and the name of the channel is overlaid in white on the bottom left.

And for our meditation today, we have 5 Minutes to Calm Your Overthinking Mind (Guided Meditation) from 5 Minutes by Great Meditation.

Still image is a cartoon drawing of a woman with light brown skin and long black hair in black leggings and a cropped tank top is seated with her legs crossed and her arms bent at the elbows and extended towards her knees. Her hands are lightly curled so her thumb and first finger are almost touching. She looks serene. The title of the video is in the upper right of the image.

If these videos don’t appeal to you or don’t meet your needs at the moment, then please do something else that helps your day (and your brain) feel more spacious.

I just want you to have room for yourself in your day-to-day life.

Wishing you ease, as always.

advice · holiday fitness · holidays · self care

Making Space 2024: December 9

Christine Hennebury

Hey Space Makers!

I hope your Weekend Fun Plan served you well and that you are considering planning some extra fun for next weekend, too.

This week, I’d like you to consider how to manage expectations during the weeks ahead.

I know that it is really tricky to manage other peoples’ expectations and that it is even tricky to manage our own so this isn’t about waving a magic wand and making things instantly easier.

It’s about (shockingly!) making a little space for yourself amidst those expectations.

And, for me, that starts with recognizing that those expectations are there in the first place.

I often find myself feeling tense or stressed about a situation but not quite knowing why I feel that way. Usually, when I dig into the feeling a little I realize that I have either made an extra big deal of it in my head or I have internalized someone else’s expectations for the event and I am trying to live up to them.*

Events, activities, and holidays in December always seem to have extra pressure on them to be perfect and mindful and memorable so unreasonable expectations abound.

The only way I have found to deal with this is to figure out what expectations I have, what expectations other people have, and then to decide which ones I am willing to try and meet. And, of course, I can work to clarify for myself (and for others) which ones I will NOT be meeting – this is often easier said that done, of course.

Obviously, I know that I am not responsible for other people’s happiness (nor am I in control of their expectations) but I am willing to do part of the work to make an event fun and memorable so it is helpful to know what people expect (and to be clear about my own expectations.)

So, with all of that in mind, I wonder if you can take a few minutes and consider your schedule, your plans, and your commitments for the next few weeks and get some idea of what expectations are in place and which ones you are willing to meet.

For example: If you are expected to bring a dessert to your Aunt’s house for a family supper on the 21st but you have three busy days beforehand, I think it would be easier to let yourself and your family know now that you will be buying a dessert this year. That way, you can close the ‘when will I get around to making that dessert’ loop in your brain and you can avoid the static from your relatives when you show up with a different dessert than they were expecting.

Ok, now that we have done something for future you, let’s consider present you:

For today’s mindfulness practice, I found a 5 Minute Candle Gazing Meditation from Peace of Mind. You may prefer to light a candle ‘in-person’, of course, but the practice is good either way. **

Still image is of a yellow lit candle with a tall flame against a black background.

We have two shoulder mobility routines to choose from today (but I won’t stop you from doing both!). The first one 5 Min. Shoulder Mobility Routine |SOS – Strengthen and Stretch is from Julia Reppel. Since that one doesn’t have any verbal instructions in it – just music and a timer sound to switch movements – so I thought it would be good to find a second video with actual instructions (since some of us – me -) often do better with instructions said aloud. So, I also found this lovely 5 Minute Shoulder Stretch video from Black Yogi Nico Marie with clear verbal instructions for creating ease in your shoulders and upper body.

Feel free to do either, do both, or to do something else entirely.

Please, please, please, be kind to yourself in the process either way.

Wishing you ease today and always.

Still image is of the instructor, a woman with white skin, visible muscles, and red, braided hair who is wearing exercise clothes and looking determined. She has her arms extended out to the sides with her hands closed into fists. Each of her arms is turned slightly so one fist is facing the ceiling and the other is facing the floor. The video title is overlaid on the bottom of the screen.
Still image is of the instructor, a woman with brown skin and shoulder-length, curly hair who has tattoos on her right arm, with a serene expression. She is sitting on a yoga mat in her living room and she is stretching one arm across her body and holding it in place with the other arm. The video title is overlaid on the left side of the screen on white title cards and there are some line drawings that look like a topographical map on the left side as well.

*This is doubly true when the other person’s expectations are unstated. Unstated expectations are slippery things and they are hard to deal with. The only way I have found to deal with this is to state very clearly to that person what the event or activity is going to actually be like so I can help avoid any guilt trips they might want to send me on. If I have been clear it is easier for me to untangle myself from their feelings. Your situation is probably different than mine so I trust that you can find your own best practice here.

**The rest of the video title states that this practice will improve your eyesight. To be clear: I am not making that claim, I just found the video restful.

advice · fitness · holiday fitness · holidays · meditation · mindfulness · motivation · self care

Making Space 2024: December 8

Christine Hennebury4 Comments

Hello, hello!

Welcome to Day 8!

How did things go with your Weekend Fun Plan?

Did you fit it into your day yesterday?

Do you have it planned for today?

Did it have to be rescheduled?

Did you have to change it in any way?

Did you manage to have some fun no matter what?

Personally, I had to shift my WFP a little and do parts of the craft yesterday and then finish it today.

Breaking it into two parts was actually a space-making move for me because I was tired yesterday and didn’t have the focus I needed to do the more detailed parts of the project.

If I had pushed myself to keep going, it wouldn’t have felt like I was creating space, I would have felt rushed and cranky.

And, obviously, those are not the feelings I was going for!

Anyway, I hope your WFP worked out/is working out the way you need/needed it to and that you were kind to yourself in the process.

Actually, I would like you to be kind to yourself in every process but that, in itself, is something that takes a lot of practice!

Speaking of processes and practice, our movement practice for today is a 10 Minute Full Body Pilates Workout with Jessica Valent.

Remember that the key here is to take a few minutes for movement – you can adapt her movements, just do a few, or you can do something else entirely.

You are the boss of you!

Still image description shows the instructor outside on a sunny day, lying on a blue mat in a grassy field surrounded by trees. She is in exercise clothes and she is extending one leg along the ground while the other one is extended toward the sky and she is holding onto the calf of her raised leg. Her face is toward the camera and she’s smiling.

And today’s mindfulness practice is a short meditation that National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability in the US created for National Relaxation Day (August 15) a couple of years ago.

Still image is of waves crashing against a rocking shore on a sunny day.

Whether you do these videos or something else entirely, I hope you find space and ease today, and always.

advice · fitness · habits · holiday fitness · holidays · meditation · mindfulness

Making Space 2024: December 7

Christine Hennebury

Sooooo, here we are at Day 7!

Today, I’d like to remind you that little spaces are good.

Sometimes, I write off taking little breaks because I imagine that, if I just keep puttering along, a bigger space will open up and I will be able to REALLY relax.

And sure, that works out sometimes but mostly I find that if I don’t take those little breaks, if I don’t enjoy those little spaces in my schedule, I am too tired to enjoy the big ones that do come along.

So, my space making friends, please, please, please, stop and chat with your friend, write in your journal, do a couple of stretches, savour your cup of tea or coffee, do a two minute drawing.

Those small spaces are good for you.

Yes, it’s still important to seek bigger spaces, longer rest, and more fun, but let’s not dismiss the restorative power of those little spaces.

Please do what you can to take good care of yourself by taking those breaks whenever you find (or make!) them.

Now, onto your Weekend Fun Plan.

I don’t know whether you planned your Weekend Fun for yesterday, today, or tomorrow, but I hope it goes off without a hitch and you have a delightful time.

BUT

What if you get to your time for Weekend Fun and you can’t actually do the thing?

May you’re sick or your kid needs you or you couldn’t get the thing you needed to make it work.

First, let me say that I’m sorry it didn’t work and that it is ok for you to be grumpy about it.

Second, once your initial frustration eases a little, you could try a modified version of your Weekend Fun and see how it feels.

Finally, if your Weekend Fun Plan cannot happen this weekend, please reschedule it.

Yes, I do mean reschedule.

Please don’t just abandon it or put it off until you get around to it.

Pick a different time and plan to do it then.*

I promise it will feel much different than hoping you’ll get to it at some point.

A changed plan is way better than an abandoned one.

And whether you get your Weekend Fun or whether you have to change or reschedule it, I wish you ease and self-kindness in the process.

Now, onto today’s smal spaces –

For our movement practice today, here’s Yes2Next with a Seated Core Workout.

Still image: A senior mother and her middle aged daughter seated in chairs with their legs extended forward. The mother has her arms crossed flat to her chest, the daughter has her arms extended. There is a light coloured rug beneath their chairs.

And here’s our mindfulness practice for today – Minute Meditation to Drop Into the Present Moment from Mindful Moments with Katie.

Still image description: a cartoon depiction of a person sitting cross-legged on a couch with their arms extended overhead. On the left side of the image is an orange blob with the title of the video on it in white. There is a blue background in the image.

Have fun out there! 💚🌟💚

*and if that time doesn’t work, re-reschedule! Your fun is worth the effort.

ADHD · advice · fitness · habits · holiday fitness · holidays · mindfulness · motivation · self care

Making Space 2024: December 6

Christine Hennebury

Hey Space-Makers,

I hope today provides you with a least a little of the Friday! feeling that kids get after a week of school – a sense of change, a little feeling of a break from your routine.

And I hope that your Weekend Fun Plan is going well and that you are looking forward to that fun. 🙂

Your small step for your WFP for today is: gather your stuff.

What do you need in order to do the thing you want to do?

Do you need supplies? A cozy blanket? A notebook? Snacks? Crayons? A Bluetooth speaker?

Once you figure out the things you need, gather them together and put them near where you will use them.

The goal here is to make it even easier for you to follow through on your WFP.

After all, I don’t want you to sit down to colour tomorrow and discover that you can’t find your gold crayon. That could put your whole plan in jeopardy!

So, as much as possible, take care of tomorrow you today and get your stuff in place for your WFP.

Now, on to today’s space-making!

Ok, full disclosure : it’s rainy and windy here in Newfoundland this morning and my power went out an hour ago. I suspect those factors may have influenced my decision to choose a 5 Minute Warm Up Routine video from Fit by Mik and a Mindful Tea Drinking Practice meditation from Little Light Meditations for our practices today.

But no matter why I chose them, these practices can be a great way to create a little space for yourself in your schedule today.

And if these don’t appeal, please choose some other way to make a little space for yourself.

Wishing you ease, today and always. 💚

Still image: on the left side of the image is the title of the video which is covering a plant which is sitting on the floor in the instructor’s studio space. The instructor is doing a bending side stretch on the right hand side of the image.
Still image description: a photo of tea on a glass cup sits on a table in the light cast from a nearby window. The title of the video is on the upper left.

PS – My power came back on just as I finished writing this. Yay!

ADHD · advice · holiday fitness · holidays · self care

Making Space 2024: December 5

Christine Hennebury

Ok, so I really considered starting this post with ‘Hey Astronauts!’ (you know, because we’re all so interested in space?) but then I changed my mind but then I cracked myself up imaging people either shaking their heads in a ‘Christine gonna Christine’ kind of way or rolling their eyes in a ‘There she goes again!’ kind of way so I decided to reference the idea without actually doing it.

Sort of.

ANYWAY! Let’s carry on.

I hope that you are doing ok with your space-making plans but that you aren’t finding the process too much of a hassle.

After all, I’m not aiming to just add more stuff to your to do list – I’m really hoping to help you find a little ease and a little more room for yourself.

If my suggestions ever feel like more hassle than they are worth please DO SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD. You know yourself and you know what you need, please just be kind to yourself in the process.

Did you get a chance to spend a few moments imagining doing the fun thing you have planned for the weekend? Either way, take another go and enjoying the anticipation today. 🙂

And to help ensure that the Weekend Fun Plan goes well, your small task for today is to figure out what support you need to make the WFP work. Do you need to turn off your phone notifications? Do you need someone to watch your kids? Do you need to create quiet? Do you need company? Do you need accountability?* Do you need to literally clear a space for this fun thing to happen?**

Do whatever you can now to help get those supports in place for your Weekend Fun Plan in advance. I don’t know about you but if I have to organize stuff like this right before I start my WFP, it might feel like way too much hassle. I don’t want that!

So, with that part of our WFP in place, let’s return our thoughts to Thursday, December 5.

For our movement practice today, we are visiting Ask Dr Jo for a Chair Yoga practice. I really like Dr Jo’s signature goofy straightforwardness and I hope you do, too.

Still image: Large text reading Chair Yoga is in white on the left side of the image and Dr Jo is seated on a black chair on the right. She is in profile, facing to the left, and she is wearing a green tshirt and black patterned leggings. Her hands are on her hips.

And this friendly cartoon mediation from Headspace is all about self-care and I really like the message. It fits right in with the idea of making space for yourself – what an odd coincidence that I just happened to pick this, hey? (I really wish you could hear me saying that in a dry tone before I smirk. It’s sarcastic but not in an unfriendly way.)

Still image description: Text reading ‘Meditation for Self-Care’ is in the upper left. and there is a yellow circle with a happy, orange, cartoon square with its eyes closed in the bottom right. The background is dark blue and there are a variety of small shapes in lighter blue scattered around the happy square.

So, my friends, I wish you luck with your space making today and I hope you have some delightful snacks and some good conversations.

And, of course, I am wishing you ease today and every day.

*Yes, it seems silly to need accountability for a plan for fun but sometimes it’s tricky to take that time for fun and asking someone else to make sure we did it can make all the difference.

** For example: My fun thing is making a small gift for someone. In order to actually do that, I’ll need to set up a folding table with a lamp on it so other people’s activities are not an obstacle to my plan. Have a look at the literal space that you plan to use and make sure that you have enough room and that anything annoying or distracting can be moved or covered so you can ignore it.

advice · habits · holiday fitness · holidays · mindfulness

Making Space 2024: December 4

Christine Hennebury

Hey Space Makers!

I hope you can take a few deep breaths and give yourself a little break today.

AND I hope you can take a few minutes to add to your Weekend Fun Plan.

Now that you have selected a small fun thing and picked a time that you are likely to be able to do that small fun thing, I’d like you to make a list of the things you need in order to make that fun small thing happen.

If you plan to have hot chocolate on your front porch, you’ll need hot chocolate, a mug, and probably some warm clothes. (and a front porch, I guess, but hopefully you already have that because building one will be fairly time consuming!)

If you plan to make some cookies, you’ll need ingredients.

If you plan to read a novel, you’ll need to pick one out.

You get the idea.

The process of making the list will probably reveal two things 1) whether your fun idea still feels fun* 2) whether your Weekend Fun Plan is small enough for you to actually do. **

Also, if you can, take a few moments to imagine yourself actually doing your Weekend Fun Plan and think about how you will feel in the process – might as well have a little anticipatory enjoyment, right?

Okay, with your future fun underway, let’s make a little space for our today selves with these videos (or with space-making activities of your own choosing, of course.)

First, we have a Full Body Stretch from Yoga with Adriene for you to try and then we have a Three Minute Guided Meditation from Calm Sage.

And, as always, I wish you ease.

Enjoy!

Still image description: a photo of Adriene doing a seated twist on a yoga mat in her studio and smiling at the camera. White text surrounding her reads ‘FULL BODY STRETCH’
Still image shows early morning sun shining through evergreen trees onto still water and a person sitting on a deck with their arms above their head and their hands meeting in prayer position. Text overlaid on the photo reads ‘3 MINUTE Guided Meditation.‘

*Sometimes we get caught up in something we feel *should* be fun but once we take a closer look we realize that it doesn’t actually appeal to us. If this happens to you, it’s totally ok to pick a whole different small fun thing. For example – Once upon a time, I would have thought that making fancy decorated Xmas cookies sounded like fun but I have since learned that I not only hate rolling out and cutting cookies but I find detailed decorating to be tedious. Once I figured that out, I let go of the idea of doing that sort of thing. Learn from my frustration, my friends! Choose something that is ACTUALLY fun for you.

**Try not to make things too complicated – you are more likely to be able to accomplish something that is fairly low-key.

advice · holiday fitness · holidays · meditation · self care

Making Space 2024: December 3

Christine Hennebury

Hello, hello!

Here we are at Day 3!

How have you been doing with the plan to make some space for yourself over the past two days?

Don’t worry if it has been tricky to find wiggle room – we can just keep practicing. 🙂

Before we get into the exercise and meditation suggestions for today, let’s do another small step on the Weekend Fun Plan.

Yesterday, you picked some small, fun thing that you wanted to do on the weekend.

(You didn’t get a chance to pick something? Well, I’ve got some good news for you – this is not a test and it is not a timed exercise. You can pick something now!)

So, once you have your fun thing picked out, let’s figure out a time when you are most likely to be able to do it.

What is your time like on the weekend? Do you have scheduled activities? Do you have to work around other people and/or other people’s activities? Is your activity time-based? (For example: Making yourself a fancy lunch will usually have to happen at lunch time and walking around to look at holiday lights will usually be more fun after dark.) What kind of energy will you need for your fun thing? (For example: You can journal for a few minutes before bed but that’s not an ideal time to do an intense workout.)

You don’t have to address every possible aspect here, just get a rough idea of the best timing for your fun and make note of it on your calendar/schedule/post-it note/mental map.

Look at us taking care of ourselves in advance! Go Team Us!

Meanwhile, let’s also take care of ourselves today.

Please remember that I am not insisting that you must do these videos – they are just a suggestion to save you the hassle of trying to find videos for yourselves. Please do whatever *you* want to do that will help your day feel a bit more spacious.

First up, we have a video from MadFit called ‘5 MIN MIDDAY ENERGY BOOST (A workout for when you feel like taking a nap)‘ Normally, my strongly pro-nap stance would be against anything that prevents you from taking a nap but I grudgingly admit that naps are not *always* the solution and sometimes some movement can help you feel almost as good as a nap.

still image from the video shows the instructor in exercise clothes with one hand on her hip and one arm stretched overhead, text next to her reads 5 MIN Energy Boost

And our meditation suggestion for today is ‘5 Minute Meditation Music to Focus Your Mind’ from 5 Minutes By Great Meditation. Lately, I have especially enjoyed meditation tracks that are just music and I really liked this one today.

still image from the video shows a person sitting back-on the camera facing the sun rising over a wooded hill in the distance. The person is cross-legged with their forearms resting on the knees and their index fingers are touching their thumbs on each hand, forming a circle. The grass in front of them and the trees to the sides are slightly lit by the sun.

No matter how much (or how little) space you make for yourself today, I wish you ease and some peace of mind.

Your well-being is at least as important as anything else on your list and you deserve your own attention.

💚

advice · meditation · rest · self care

Making Space 2024: December 2

Christine Hennebury

Hey Team,

As you make your way through the first Monday in December, I have a little challenge for you.

I know, I know, the last thing you want is something else to do BUT this is only tiny and it will totally be worth it.

I would like you to pick a small, fun thing that you like to do that you will be able to do sometime next weekend.

It can be really small – drinking a cup of tea while listening to music, going for a walk, or doing some colouring- or it can be a bit bigger but ideally will take you less than half an hour.

Then, throughout this week, we are going to figure out how to make it easier for you to make space for that task on your weekend.

(Since ADHD makes it challenging for me to break projects into tasks AND tends to make me overthink my free time, I’ll be planning this small, fun thing along with you, of course.)

These small, fun moments are the kinds of things that not only give us a little breathing room but they can also be the things that make us feel seasonal.* idea here is that we will give ourselves a little something to look forward to and we will set ourselves up for success by creating space for it bit by bit as we go along.

As we make some space for future us, we can also make space for the us of today by giving these videos (or another exercise/meditation of your choice) a whirl.

We start with a Christmas-themed dance workout from The Fitness Marshall

Still image shows three people with big smiles in an outdoor setting that has a red and green and snowflake effect overlaid on it. The person in front has his hands at shoulder height, palms towards us and fingers splayed outward. The two people in back on either side have their arms overhead, crossed at the wrists to make themselves into a ‘tree’ shape.

Our meditation today is from Nature Harmony TV and features just the sound of waves and paddling as someone canoes across a body of water. (If you need to pee, go before you start this meditation!)

Still image shows a calm body of water with land and a lighthouse in the distance on a bright but not super-sunny day.

Whether you do these videos, videos of your choosing, or something else entirely, I hope you can make some space for yourself today and I wish you ease 💚

*For example, when I think of good feelings in December my mind often goes to sitting in a specific chair in my living room, with a mug of tea in hand, looking out through our patio door at the lights on the patio rail. That’s not normally something I would think to consciously choose to do but if I don’t DECIDE to do it, I can get so caught up in other tasks that I FORGET to take those few moments.

health · holiday fitness · meditation · mindfulness · yoga

Making Space 2024: December 1

Christine Hennebury

Hey Team,

It’s December 1st and we’re back with the another edition of Making Space, a series of (mostly) short posts designed to encourage you to make a little space for yourself this month.

No matter what you celebrate (or don’t celebrate!), December is one of those months of ambient stress and busy-ness. There are so many posts and articles full of lists and ideas about how to do more, more, more, and so much discussion of finishing things before the end of the year, or getting ‘the most’ out of the rest of 2024, that it is enough to make your head spin.

Now, I am NOT pretending that you aren’t busy.

And I am not going to be doing any vaguely condescending posts about how if you *just* change your attitude then all the hecticness will just melt away.

Instead, I am going to acknowledge that we all have a lot going on at this point in the year AND I am going to invite you to make a little space for yourself in your days.

Each day, I will post a short exercise/physical activity video and a short meditation/mindfulness video that you can do if you WANT to.

If the videos I post don’t appeal to you, I hope that you will still create some space for yourself and pick something *YOU* like to do.

(Taking a nap, texting a friend, drinking a very slow cup of tea, lying on the floor staring at the ceiling – those all count as making space.)

Giving yourself that space is worthwhile and important, even if you have to ditch something else from your to do list.

So, with all of that said, let’s start on the right foot (ha!) with this short video ‘Foot Stretch for Healthy Feet‘ from Yoga with Bird.

A YouTube video of foot yoga – the still image shows a woman sitting on a yoga mat with her legs crossed and she is massaging her left foot with both hands.

And here’s 1 minute of drawing meditation/mindfulness from Tamara Michael. If you don’t have a pen and paper handy, you could draw with your finger or just breath in and out along with her drawing.

A YouTube video of a drawing meditation that shows a person’s hands drawing lines and dots on a white coil-bound sketchpad. They draw a squiggly line downward for breathing in and a series of dots next to that line for breathing out.

I hope you are able to make the space you need in your day.

Wishing you ease today and always. 💚