Tag: motivation

Nat’s fitness secrets to success in 2026
advice · Happy New Year! · new year's resolutions · Sat with Nat

Nat’s fitness secrets to success in 2026

natalieh (she/her)1 Comment

A new year often brings a sense of renewal. I’m not one to make resolutions in January. It is a good time to check in on goals and make adjustments. Steady as she goes!

I’m stacking the deck in my favour for a good 2026 by ensuring each day has movement in it. Daily dog walks, cycling commutes, strength and flexibility. I’m set up for success and have fully ditched “all or nothing” thinking.

Resilience

I’m bracing for bad stuff too. Experience has taught me along with all the great things comes a healthy dose of hard stuff, horrors even.

It’s the complicated gift of middle age, being pulled in many directions without falling apart.

Going through tough stuff has taught me I’m a good hugger. Olympic level hug giver right here. Happy to demonstrate at any moment.

I hold hands at hospital bedsides very well. I stay careful and kind now, even when I’m really upset.

I’m more resilient thanks to my fitness adventures.

So my wisdom to share on this year’s fitness goals is here for you if you need it.

It all counts

Watch didn’t record? Garmin dump your ride? It’s ok if it didn’t end up on Strava. Your body knows you did it. Data is only one measure. You were there. You did it. Go you!

Say it again, it all counts

Barely got to the workout? Had to wrap up early? Needed to lighten the resistance? Take a lighter weight?

AMAZING! You showed up for yourself and invested in your wellbeing. Well done!

You don’t have to like it

There will be days it sucks and you don’t enjoy the workout. You will always feel a sense of accomplishment regardless of how it went.

If a given activity is really chapping your ass switch it up. Ditch the weights and do a cardio dance class. Yoga pissing you off? Take up a martial art. You don’t always have to like it. Way to go!

Confidence comes from trusting yourself

You know when you are sick and need to rest.

You know when you need down time.

You know when you need help staying motivated.

You know who to go to for help.

You know a lot!

Trust yourself!

Plans rarely survive encounters with reality

The beautiful plan will fall apart. That’s ok because you knew it would happen and made flexibility part of the plan. Please, please, please break up with perfection.

My MVP (minimum viable plan) is 60 minutes of movement. Walking, cycling, stretching, dancing in my underwear. It’s adaptable.

Weather is sweet? I’m on my bike.

Back getting tight? Add another walk and do some yoga.

Bike out of commission? Grab some dumbbells.

You get the idea.

Messy is good

Challenge yourself to be a bit of a wreck. Not all moments are instagram moments.

Exploring the edges of your capacity is exciting and helps you grow. It’s not necessary every day but totally required to keep monotony at bay.

Team up to survive

It’s a fitness wasteland out here. Team up in person or virtually with workout partners. You will get more workouts in more often. Harness the power of positive peer pressure.

HAVE FUN

I’m serious. Play disc golf, beach volleyball, snorkel with manatees, whatever makes this year different than last year. Be silly and do stuff. That’s part of fitness too.

That’s it

Thank you for reading this far. I hope you gleaned some gems that you can keep for 2026.

Spoiler, this is the advice I need so I wrote it down. Hopefully I don’t forget!

LETS GO 2026!

Nat is cozy in winter clothes. Michel, forever photographed just behind her and off to the side is looking lovely. They are in front of a brick house with lots of snow on the ground.
A small drawing of a cartoonish gold star with a smiling face Go Team 2026: You Can Pick Something Fun
ADHD · Go Team · goals · habits · motivation · self care

Go Team 2026: You Can Pick Something Fun

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Hey Team!

Here we are in day two of 2026, and I have a reminder for you when it comes to new habits, resolutions, and activities:

YOU CAN PICK SOMETHING FUN.

I know, I know! We get so many messages this time of year about crushing our goals, and about dedication and determination, and about how hard we must work to be better, better, better.

And to that, I say, “Meh.”

If that kind of approach inspires you, then please forge ahead.

BUT

If that kind of talk makes you feel kind of tired and worn out before you even start, then please remember that your new year doesn’t have to be filled with that stuff.

You can choose a fun path that will lead you where you want to go.*

That might mean picking fun or whimsical activities or it might mean being fun and whimsical while doing a more straightforward activity.

If you wanted a fun or whimsical fitness goal, you could try a new dance video every week or you could challenge yourself to find specific items on your walks (kind of like a scavenger hunt.)

If you want to get stronger instead of lifting weights, you could pick items around your house that you’re going to practice lifting.

If you want/have to do ordinary activities and you can’t find a fun version, you can choose fun outfits or accessories, specific music or podcasts, or ask someone fun to keep you company while you get things done.

The main message here is that trying new things, taking on new habits, adding to your fitness or your wellness levels, does not have to be a slog.

I just want you to be kind to yourself, to be good to yourself, and to be able to expand your life in ways that will be satisfying for you, without feeling like the whole thing is a punishment.

Expanding your life may take effort, it may take focus, but it doesn’t have to be awful.

The days of “no pain, no gain” are long behind us.

When it comes to any fitness or wellness goal you might have this year, there is probably a fun way for you to achieve it, or, at the very least a way, to have more fun in the process.**

REMEMBER: Just because something is fun doesn’t mean it’s not working.

So, Team, please be kind to yourselves out there and try to make things a little more fun when you can.

Go Team Us!

Here’s a happy gold star for your efforts today:

A small drawing of a cartoonish gold star with a smiling face

PS – I have been seeing a lot of people using punch cards and bingo cards to keep track of their plans and resolutions this year and that seems like a pretty easy way to add some fun to the process. If drawing isn’t your thing, you could type your plans into blocks in a table/spreadsheet or you could use a site like this one.

*For example, a few years ago, one friend of mine decided to spend the year trying different types of tea and another friend resolved to add more colour to her wardrobe. Now, those aren’t fitness goals, but I could argue that they are wellness goals. And pursuing those goals definitely added more fun to my friends’ lives.

**I get that not every part of every thing can be fun, some tasks and activities just have to be endured, but we don’t have to use that as an organizing principle for every goal.

A drawing of a metallic gold star Go Team 2026: Three Things
ADHD · advice · Go Team · habits · motivation · self care

Go Team 2026: Three Things

Christine Hennebury2 Comments

Hey Team,

Welcome to 2026! Look at you, rocking this new year already!

As you probably know, every January I post daily encouragement posts to help all of us (including me!) find our footing in the new year.

These posts aren’t just cheering you on (but I do a fair bit of that!), they are intended as gentle reminders that it is ok to find things challenging and that doing things in your own time and your own speed is a great way to approach new ideas.

And to get us started, here are three important ideas that will be woven through this month of posts:

1) You’re good. Just as you are. You don’t need to be fixed.

I get really squicked out by the whole ‘New Year. New You!’ and ‘Improve Yourself!’ and ‘Become A New Person’ vibe that permeates this time of year.

I know that most people probably don’t take it as literally as I do (Neurodivergent? Me? Whatever do you mean?) but, to me, it feels like those messages are telling people that they aren’t enough, that there is something wrong with them, that they need to be ‘better.’

I don’t love that for us.

So, instead, I would like you to know that you are GREAT as you are.

Sure, there are things in your life, in your approach, or in your day-to-day that are frustrating, tiring, or unsatisfying, and you may want to shift those things to make your life smoother, more fun, or more interesting but those things aren’t YOU.

There is NOTHING wrong with YOU.

You can expand your life and your routines and your capacity in any way you choose.

If those expansions help you feel good or help you feel more satisfied, forge ahead.

But please, please, please, don’t feel that you NEED to do these things to be good enough.

You are already good enough. You are, in fact, great and anything else you do is just adding to your magnificence.*

2) The daily gold stars are for everyone. You have nothing to prove.

You can approach the new year in whatever way works for you and I will award you gold stars for your efforts.

(Yes, I know that many people only expect gold stars for results but my ADHD and I do not approve of that. We have little or no control over our results, and results take a long time. Our efforts though? We have control over those and they are happening right now. So I like to award gold stars for our efforts – big and small – so we can feel encouraged to keep moving towards the things we want for ourselves.)

If you find the ‘clean slate’ feeling encouraging and helpful, then go right ahead with your goals and plans and activities. Gold stars for you!

If you find all of that a bit overwhelming and you want to move slowly into the new year, the meander along at your own pace. Gold stars for you!

If you are just carrying on with what already works? Gold stars for you!

If you are waiting to figure things out? Gold stars for you!

Gold stars are for effort of any size or shape.

Even the teeniest effort counts AND your effort doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s.

3) You don’t have to have everything figured out to get started.

I know, some people have their plans for the year all set out and they are ready to dive right in on their schedule right away.

Others have just a vague idea of some things they might want to do this year but the details are sketchy at best. **

And many of us fall somewhere in between those two.

But here’s the thing, you can move towards the future you want either way.

If you have a plan, do the next step in your plan.

If you are just working from a vague idea, then you can do anything and it will help you wrap your mind around your goal.

For example, if you want to get stronger but you don’t know exactly what that means for you yet, then do one leg lift or one arm circle. Sure, it won’t make you instantly stronger but it is a step in that direction and it gives you a little bit of momentum.

Or if you want to have a meditation practice, you can take one long, slow, breath and focus carefully while you do. It won’t give you instant inner peace but it’s not going to do you any harm and it will probably feel pretty good. And, again, you’ll have done SOMETHING that moves you closer to where you want to go.

And really, even the most detailed plan is just doing the same thing – it’s ok to figure things out day by day.

So, Team, there are three key elements to get you started and here is your first gold star.

Please remember that you get a gold star for your efforts no matter what those efforts look like today.

You may have jumped out of bed for a workout, you may have decided to spend a little extra time breathing slowly over your tea this morning, or you may do anything in between or beyond – any of those efforts are about taking good care of yourself and they earn you this gold star.

Go Team Us!

Please be kind to yourself out there.

A drawing of a metallic gold star

*For any readers (like me) who have to immediately react to comments like this with a “You don’t know who is reading this! They may not be great!” or with a bunch of thoughts about why this doesn’t apply to them, consider these two things

1) Great doesn’t mean perfect. When I say that my readers are great, I mean that they have lots of great things about them and that they are fundamentally good people doing the best they can with the resources they have. I firmly believe that most people are pretty damn great but they just don’t realize it.

2)If you think that my comment about *YOU* being great doesn’t really apply then maybe you can consider the possibility that it *might* apply instead of trying to tell yourself that it is a fact. Maybe approach it like this: “What if Christine was right and I am doing better than I realize? How would I do things differently if that was the case?”

** This is where my ‘Planuary’ approach to the year can come in handy.

Lost and crying (in a good way) in cycling class
cycling · fitness · fitness classes · health · holiday fitness · motivation

Lost and crying (in a good way) in cycling class

elan.paulsonLeave a comment

One of my favourite fit feminist humans recently suggested I try the two-week trial membership for Lost Cycle, a Toronto-based woman-owned fitness company that expanded to my city in 2019. She thought I would like it because, as she said, it was “cycling in the dark to really loud rap music.”

I am already a fan of doing stuff to music in the dark, as I did with (Remote) Dark Dancing during the COVID pandemic. Also, the timing seemed good to counter any winter break inactivity. So, in spite of reduced holiday hours and some poor weather outside, I made it to four classes, two at each location.

My black car parked in the empty Lost Cycle lot on a cold, wet, sleet-filled morning.
My black car parked in the empty Lost Cycle lot on a cold, wet, sleet-filled winter break morning.

The Lost Cycle studio ambiance is what might be described as “boutique warehouse,” with minimal windows and the company logo spraypainted on walls but also gratis cold towels and individual shower rooms with complimentary products. The fitness areas have quality equipment: ON the bike classes include clip-in shoes and earplugs, while OFF the bike rooms have infrared heat panels and Lululemon yoga mats. The class leaders were all chatty and friendly on their mics, many showing plenty of body tattoos.

The spin class leader‘s station on an elevated platform, close to a podium to adjust sound and light.
The spin class leader‘s station on an elevated platform, close to a podium to adjust sound and light during class.

And, as mentioned, the classes are held in the dark, with just enough artificial and real candle light to see the mirrors and other people.

Dark spin class, with bikes lined up and towels on them. The photos don’t capture the ambiance created by the range of electronic dance music, pop with heavy beats, and occasional throwbacks.
Dark spin class, with bikes lined up and towels on them. The photo doesn’t capture the ambiance created by the range of electronic dance music and occasional throwbacks.

In class I tried my best to keep up, but made modifications when my knees ached a little. The low lighting and loud music worked to lessen my self-consciousness (being new and only an occasional group fitnesser), though I needed to place myself close to the front to be able to follow instructions. On the mic, leaders were genuinely supportive, reflecting the vibe of the post-it notes on the studio walls: you are enough, you showed up today, you can do this. Other people I have discussed spin with describe being called out during classes. Here, there was none of that.

Dark group fitness with mats, towels, bands, and handweights placed closely together in a heated room. OFF the bike was a blend of HIIT calisthenics, strength training, and yoga stretches.
Dark group fitness with mats, towels, bands, and handweights placed closely together in a heated room. OFF the bike was a blend of HIIT calisthenics, strength training, and yoga stretches.

Near the end of both ON and OFF the bike classes, there is time to really get “lost”: the lights go off and the music goes up and you just have about 3 to 4 minutes to yourself.

And, during the “lost” times while cycling away or lying on my mat, I found myself in tears or near tears. Now, I am in a particularly vulnerable place right now, due to my recent job loss. While I didn’t check if other participants had felt the same thing, in every class I experienced in the dark a kind of emotional release I didn’t know I needed.

Lost Cycle has tapped into different elements of cycle studio / gym ambiance that makes it feel like fun, luxury, and intensity, all the ingredients for something slightly cultish. Though I was on my way to becoming an initiate, I’m not in a $$ position to keep the membership. At least I am taking the lesson home from Lost Cycle: turn off the lights, pump my mid-life music, and make time for both strength and vulnerability.

Lost Cycle London est 2019 sweater
Lost Cycle London est 2019 sweater
A drawing of a gold star Go Team 2025: Beaming in your direction.
celebration · fitness · Go Team · motivation · self care

Go Team 2025: Beaming in your direction.

Christine Hennebury2 Comments

Hey Team!

So, as you probably know, I will be starting a new round of Go Team posts on January 1 – Go Team 2026!- but this is my very last Go Team post for 2025 and I have a very important message for you:

I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!

I am proud of your efforts.

I am proud of the way you keep picking yourself up.

I’m proud of the way you keep trying.

I’m proud of the things you decided to do.

I’m proud of the the things you decided NOT to do.

I’m proud of the way you poured your energy into certain things and chose NOT to pour it into others.

I’m proud of every time you spoke to yourself kindly or took kind action for yourself.

I’m proud of the times that you noticed when you were being hard on yourself instead of just assuming those harsh messages were the truth. Even if you haven’t been able to adjust your messaging yet, you are on your way!

I’m proud of the times you chose consistency, routine, place-holding, or even phoning-it-in over relentless perfection.

I’m proud of your hard work.

I’m proud of your rest.

I’m proud of everything you accomplished, everything you tried, and even every time things didn’t work out.

Your effort matters.

You matter.

And you are doing the very best you can with the resources you have and that is something to be proud of.

Especially since those resources can vary from day to day.

I’m hoping you will join me in being proud of you but if you can’t quite wrap your mind around that yet, it’s totally ok.

I’m proud enough for both of us.

I see you. I see your efforts – even the effort it takes to let yourself rest – and I am cheering you on.

I’m cheering us all on.

GO TEAM US!

2025 is almost over.

You did what you could this year and you gathered information and experience to prepare for your next steps.

And that’s all that you can ask of yourself.

Here’s the final gold star for 2025 and I offer it to you, beaming with pride at your efforts:

a drawing of a shiny gold star with rounded edges.
A small drawing of a shiny, metallic gold star with rounded edges and trimmed in black. The drawing is on part of an index card so the background is white and I have made a frame of small black dots around the edge. The card is resting against my dark green mousepad that I have propped up on my white desk.
a drawing of the number 27 Making Space 2025: Day 27
fitness · holiday fitness · self care

Making Space 2025: Day 27

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Hello hello!

Look at us at Day 27! Go Team!

I think today is a great time to take a minute to notice how much stuff you DID get gone this month.

Yes, I imagine most of us started the month with huge plans that we had to scale back quite a bit as we went along. And while it would be easy to get all caught up in our regrets and frustrations about the things we put aside, I think it would be waaaaaay more helpful to spend a little time congratulating ourselves on what we did instead of being annoyed about what we didn’t do. *

While we’re at it, let’s also celebrate doing all the tasks that we usually do without thinking about – work tasks, home tasks, family commitments – because this month we were doing them with extra pressure and less time.

(Truth be told, I think we could be celebrating that kind of work on the regular but since most of us don’t usually do that, let’s make a point of celebrating them now.)

All of that work, the regular stuff, and the extra December stuff, matters and it is really important that we notice our own efforts and congratulate ourselves for them.

Obviously, you can notice all of those things just by thinking about them but I can’t help but wonder if it might be useful to actually write down as many things as we can think of just so we can see the length and breadth of that list.

And, seriously, include everything you can think of, including things like washing your hair, getting snow tires on the car, and answering that phone call.

If you did it, it goes on the list!

I, of course, am celebrating you and cheering you on from over here.

And I am offering you this gold star for your efforts:

a drawing of a gold star
A VERY shiny star for your hard work, Team. Go Team Us!

Amidst the list-making and the celebrating, you may still need to make a little space for yourself so here are my suggestions for today:

Here is our movement practice for today:

In the still image for this Exercises for Relaxation – 10 Minute Stress Release Workout from Jessica Valant, the instructor, a woman with lightly tanned skin and long blonde hair, is doing a workout outdoors on a purple mat on a grassy lawn with scrubby trees in the background on a sunny day. She is wearing a dark pink tank top and dark pink leggings and is resting on her left hip with her left leg sort of folded in front of her and her right leg extended behind her. While her lower body is somewhat oriented towards the camera, her upper body is turned towards the right and leaning a little with her arms extended to support herself.

Here is our meditation practice for today:

In the still image for this 5 Min Meditation for Boundaries from Haven Inspired, the instructor, a black woman in a grey shirt with her curly hair pulled away from her face, is on the left side of the image facing towards the right so we can only see her in profile. She is wearing headphones, her eyes are closed, and she has her left hand resting just under her collarbones in what I think of as a self-comforting gesture. She looks peaceful and at ease. The background of the image is dark green at the top and light green at the bottom and there is a black bar with white text listing the title of the video that extends from the right side to just behind her head on the left but doesn’t go all the way to the left side of the image.

*There will be lots of time to use our regrets to help inform our future selves, we’ll get to that in a day or two. Today is about celebrating our victories!

A small drawing of the number 11 Making Space 2025: Day 11
ADHD · fitness · holiday fitness · self care

Making Space 2025: Day 11

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Hey Everyone,

I usually write these posts just a little while before I post them because I really like to comment on whatever arises for me at that point in the day.

However, I am writing this at 11pm on Wednesday night because I will be leading a storytelling workshop just as this is about to go live and I won’t be ale to write in the morning.

So, in the spirit of ‘whatever arises for me at that point in the day’, here’s what feels like a useful idea the night before you read this:

Right now, I’m feeling pretty proud of my ADHD self for this little bit of slightly advanced planning. I’m really glad that my future-self isn’t going to have to stress about fitting this writing into my morning schedule.

So, with that in mind, I invite you to consider something that you have coming up later today, tomorrow, or in a few days.

Is there something today you can do to help future you have an easier time?

Is there a plan you can put in place? A task you can do? A list you can make?

Is there something you often forget that you can do early? Is there something you can prepare or buy?

Please don’t add to today’s stress while trying to do these things but if there is something that feels easy right now and that will help you in the future, it might just be worth doing.

Wishing you ease today, and always.

Go Team Us!

Our movement practice for today:

In the still image for this 10 minute Beginner Yoga for Hips and Shoulders from Yoga with Joelle, the still image shows the instructor lying on their back on a yoga mat in front of a couch. They have the bottoms of their feet together so their knees are stuck out and their arms are extended along the floor overhead. They are wearing flower patterned capri leggings and a dark tank top and they look relaxed.

And here’s our mindfulness practice for today. I know this isn’t our usual type of thing but the idea of listening to music and the waves sounded very mindful and relaxing so let’s give it a whirl.

The still image for this video 5 Minute Timer – Relaxing Music with Ocean Waves from Tick Tock Countdown Timer shows a glass ball in the foreground that is reflexing the beach, ocean waves, and sunset that is in the background. Large white numbers are counting down in the centre of the image.
A drawing of number 11
Image description: a small drawing of the number 11 on half an index card resting on my black computer keyboard. The numbers are pink with blue trim, there are blue polka dots in the background and the image is framed with four blue lines that meet in larger blue dots in each corner.
a drawing of the number 10 on a small card Making Space 2025: Day 10
ADHD · fitness · holiday fitness · meditation · self care

Making Space 2025: Day 10

Christine Hennebury1 Comment

Hey Everyone,

As I move towards the end of the year, I need to (almost constantly!) remind myself that I can do most things a little bit at a time.

Thanks to ADHD, my subconscious default is to put things aside – even huge projects – until I have time to finish them all at once. *

Despite the obvious flaws in that approach, if I’m not careful, I can go for ages not working on something because my brain has essentially put it on shelf for later when I have ‘the right kind of time’ to address it.

Even if you don’t get trapped in that kind of ADHD subconscious loop, I am sure that you have projects or tasks that you are trying to find time to work on all at once.

Perhaps it is an end-of-year project for work, maybe it’s cleaning the fridge, or making some phone calls, either way, if you have been consciously or subconsciously parking a task with lots of subtasks within it, this is your official permission to work on it in little bits over time.

It might take you a week to clean the fridge or get that website updated but it is better than having it haunt you from your to do list and never actually getting around to it.

For the record, cleaning my fridge is one of those tasks for me – I am pretty sure there is a jar rebellion underway on the back of the top shelf – and, today, I am going to spend 10 minutes cleaning one part. (This is where you can imagine me saying, in a goofy tone, I am SUCH a good example!)

Approaching things in this way will make some space in a lot of different ways – space in my schedule (since I don’t need a big block of time), space in my head (because the task will have some traction), and literal space in my fridge.

Not bad, hey?

So, whether you are picking a task to do bit by bit, you are planning to do one of the videos below, or you are going to do something else to make a bit of space for yourself, I wish you ease and self-kindness.

Good luck out there!

Here’s our movement video for today:

In the still image from this 10 Minute Muscle Toning Wheelchair Workout from Empowered Para the instructor is featured on the left hand side and the title of the video is on the right. The instructor, who has long brown hair, is sitting in their wheelchair and they are wearing green pants and a black sleeveless shirt. They are smiling and pointing towards the camera and a speech balloon above them says ‘Hey you! Come workout!’

And here’s our meditation:

In the still image for this 5 Minute Meditation for Focus from Great Meditation, the still image shows a pink cartoon brain sitting with its thin black line legs crossed and its thin black line arms at what would be shoulder height on a person. Its eyes are closed and it has a small smile. The background of the image is purplish blue and there are white lines extending outward from the area around the brain – maybe concentration or focus energy? The name of the video is in black text partially above and partially below the brain.

*Longer ADHD explanation:

To be clear, ‘all at once’ doesn’t necessarily mean on one day. My brain acknowledges that some things take longer than that so it seeks a stretch of time – a few days, a week, a month- in which I will be able to work on something repeatedly until it is done. Those stretches of time rarely appear, of course, because life doesn’t work like that. Yet, rather than bringing the project to my mental surface for reconsideration, my brain will just put the project on pause until it can find the right kind of time. I have to put in A LOT of effort to interrupt that default routine.

As you can imagine, this leads to a lot of self-frustration because some larger projects get parked without me realizing it has happened. This parking of projects thing isn’t a conscious decision, it happens on some other level and I have to check in with myself over and over to figure out why some projects have stalled.

When time is tight, like it can be this time of year, my brain tends to want to store any multi-part project away and I run the risk of it becoming late for me to do some important things.

There’s a lot more I could say about this but I just wanted to give this much explanation for now in case it is helpful for someone else!

a small drawing of the number 9 Making Space 2025: Day 9
holiday fitness · self care

Making Space 2025: Day 9

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Hey Everyone,

How are you doing with the whole making space thing?

Have you been able to be a little kinder to yourself amidst the December chaos?

Have you been able to find a little space to do things that reduce your stress, help you have fun, or just give you a little wiggle room?

If you have, that’s terrific! Forge ahead!

If you haven’t been able to do any of that yet, please don’t be hard on yourself about it. This time of year is stacked with tasks and it can be difficult to navigate your way through them without getting stuck.

Sometimes, we all have to just roll along with things for a few days (or longer!) because trying to figure out how to create some breathing room just ends up feeling like more work.

BUT, with that said, if you are finding yourself feeling particularly squeezed and you really want to take a bit of time and space for yourself, I have two ideas for you:

1)Pick a time of day when your work ends

Ok, so to be clear, this is easier said than done but once you wrap your mind around the idea, it can be very helpful.

Now, I am not just talking about your paid work here, I’m talking about all of it – any task that doesn’t involve relaxation and rest.

In this plan, you would decide on a few things that feel restful and declare to yourself that at a certain time in the day you will stop anything that feels like work and switch to things that feel restful. (I find this a much better approach than trying to ‘finish’ items on a list – finishing always takes longer than I think it will.)

I usually find it easier to pick a later time in the evening at first. Something like, “After 9:30pm, I will only do yoga, drawing, or watch something specific on TV with Steve.” Then I set an alarm (yep, ADHD never takes a break!) for 9:30 and make the switch from worker bee to rester bee.

Once I am used to the switch, I will often move the time earlier in the evening.

2) Schedule the space you want to make

This is quite similar to the first suggestion but it’s less on/off.

Basically, when I need that downtime but it won’t naturally occur (it hardly ever does!), I schedule a time to do something fun or restful.

So I might pause my work at 10am to do yoga or I might plan to walk the dog at 2pm or I might arrange for a chat with my sister at noon.

Sometimes I feel a bit foolish that I have to do this instead of being able to just be spontaneous with my rest and fun but I do it anyway.

So, Team, whether you are able to take advantage of a resting moment when it arises or you have to plan how to add make space for yourself, I wish you luck and ease.

And, as always, please be kind to yourself as you make your way along.

For our movement practice for today, here’s a video from Yoga with Adriene that I found quite fun. 🙂 (Don’t take the still image too seriously!)

In the still image of this “Stress Buster | 10-Minute Yoga for Instant Stress Relief” from Yoga with Adriene, Adriene is standing on a grey yoga mat in front of a bunch of windows and Benji (her dog) is sleeping on a mat on the floor behind her. She is wearing an 80s aerobics instructor style outfit – hot pink legwarmers and sweatband, black tights and leotard with a pink wide-necked cropped sweater over it. She is also in a classic 80s aerobics photo pose – standing with her hands on her hips and with one one leg raised slightly so her toe (instead of the bottom of her foot) is touching the mat.

And here’s our mindfulness practice for today:

In the still image for this video “Breathing Exercises & Pranayamas | 5 mins Daily Practice to Boost Immunity” from Yogalates with Rashmi the instructor is sitting on a blue yoga mat with their legs crossed and their hands resting on their knees, palms up, with each of their thumbs touching their index finger on the same hand (making a little circle.) The instructor is wearing a pink tshirt and blue-patterned capri leggings, they are smiling and look relaxed. Text referencing the video title is in the upper left part of the image.
a small drawing of the number 8 Making Space 2025: Day 8
cardio · meditation · self care

Making Space 2025: Day 8

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Hey everyone,

For my own amusement, I decided to choose today’s videos by searching ‘8 minute workout’ and ‘8 minute meditation’ to match the fact that today is the 8th.

It’s true that it doesn’t take a lot to amuse me but I consider that a good thing. 😉

In this section of the post, I usually add a little extra idea for your day. This time, I thought of all sorts of fun 8-themed activities for you to try today but eventually decided to offer this suggestion instead:

Today, please try to do just one thing that is for your own amusement. That might mean wearing your favourite hat, listening to a favourite song, dancing in the hallway, adding cinnamon to your hot chocolate, doodling in your notebook, shaping your pancakes like diamonds or sending heart emojis to all of your friends.

It really doesn’t matter what you decide, the important thing is that it is something fun for you* and that it doesn’t necessarily serve any other purpose besides amusing yourself.

As always, I wish you ease and self-kindness as you make your way through today.

Here is your movement practice for today:

Today’s video is from Silver Sneakers and the title ‘8-Minute Full Body Workout’ is shown on a blue overlay on the left side of the still image. On the right side is a slightly blurry photo of person in shorts and a long-sleeved shirt with their hair pinned up and their hands on their hips. They are mid-movement and there is a dark coloured couch and end table to their left.

And here’s your mindfulness practice:

In this ‘8 Minute Meditation You Can Do Anywhere’ from Yoga with Adriene, Adriene is wearing light coloured comfortable clothing and she is sitting somewhat cross-legged on some blankets to elevate her hips. Benji, her dog, is sleeping behind her and there is a window and greenery in the background. She has her eyes closed and her hands are resting on her upper legs. She looks quite peaceful.

* For the record, I am not advocating that you have fun at someone else’s expense nor am I suggesting that you do anything harmful. Just had to get that out there. (Yes, I overthink everything. Even this note.)