What if it was easy?

What if it was easy?

Why does even “good” health advice sometimes fall flat? In this episode, Samantha Holmgren explores the messy middle where great advice meets real life — chronic illness, fatigue, and all.She also shares how arthritis changed her relationship with springtime and introduces a fresh question to make your health journey feel lighter: What if it was easier? Listen in for a compassionate, no-pressure perspective on rebuilding habits, making sustainable changes, and giving yourself permission to do less — but do it better. Free ebook! Bare Minimum Health Plan: https://samanthaholmgren.ca/plan This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bareminimumhealth.substack.com [https://bareminimumhealth.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Tapping Into Your Wise Mind

In this episode of the Bare Minimum Health Podcast, we’re diving into the power of the pause — that small moment of awareness that can help you navigate cravings, whether for food or mindless social media scrolling. When you stop, take a breath, and ask yourself, "What do I feel?" you create space for your Wise Mind to step in and guide you to make choices that honor both your emotional needs and logical thoughts. Links Mentioned in the show: * Wise Mind article: https://samanthaholmgren.ca/wise-mind [https://samanthaholmgren.ca/wise-mind] * Anti-Inflammatory Path to Wellness: https://samanthaholmgren.ca/course [https://samanthaholmgren.ca/course] What You’ll Learn: * How a simple pause can help you understand and manage cravings, rather than fighting or giving in to them. * The balance between emotional and rational thinking when it comes to decision-making around food, work, and rest. * How to avoid burnout by tuning into your body’s needs, especially as a spoonie or neurodivergent person. * My personal experience of using the Wise Mind to balance rest and productivity — and how listening to my body has saved me from burnout. Key Takeaways: * A tiny pause can unlock your Wise Mind — the place where emotional intuition and rational thought meet. * Cravings are not just about food. Recognizing physical hunger (before you hit ‘hanger’ mode) is key to emotional regulation. * Moving forward doesn’t always mean pushing through. Sometimes, progress looks like resting. Reflect and Act: * Next time you feel an urge — to eat, to scroll, to push through exhaustion — pause. Breathe. Ask yourself, "What do I feel?" * Notice how your body and mind respond differently, and explore how your Wise Mind can guide your next steps. Behind the Scenes: * How I used the Wise Mind approach in my work life recently, choosing to rest when I needed it and recovering more quickly than if I had pushed through. Question of the Week: * Have you ever felt torn between the need to rest and the pressure to keep going? How can the concept of the Wise Mind help you in these moments? Connect with Me: * Subscribe to Bare Minimum Reset [https://samanthaholmgren.ca/welcome-reset] for more weekly tips on how to manage chronic pain, fatigue, and the ups and downs of life with chronic illness. Until next week, remember: rest and keep moving forward.-Samantha 💜 Thanks for reading Bare Minimum Health Podcast! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. P.s. I’d love to know if there is a style of show notes you like best. Leave a comment if you have opinions! I’ve been experimenting with different ones and trying to decide what is most useful. :) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bareminimumhealth.substack.com [https://bareminimumhealth.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Managing Arthritis Flare-Ups: How to Adapt and Keep Moving Forward

In today’s episode, I’m diving into the realities of living with arthritis and other chronic illnesses—specifically how seasonal changes impact my joints and what I’ve learned about adapting when my body isn’t cooperating. As the seasons shift, my hands become stiff, making it difficult to type. But instead of letting this stop me, I’ve started using dictation as a way to keep working. This episode is all about breaking free from the "all-or-nothing" mindset that often comes with chronic pain and finding ways to keep moving forward, even when things don’t go as planned. In this episode, I’ll talk about: * My experience with arthritis and how it affects my ability to work * The challenge of flare-ups and why seasonal changes can trigger them * How I’m overcoming the "all-or-nothing" mindset we often fall into with chronic illness * Embracing new tools, like dictation, to adapt when things don’t go as expected * Why "If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing badly" has become my new mantra Whether you’re dealing with arthritis, chronic pain, or another condition, this episode will offer some insights into how to keep pushing forward, even when your body says "no." I also share some exciting updates on the Anti-Inflammatory Path to Wellness course and a great resource bundle you won't want to miss! Thanks for listening to the Bare Minimum Health Podcast! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Let’s connect: If you enjoyed this episode or have any questions, I’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts or how you adapt when your body says “no,” but your heart says “yes.” Until next time, adapt and keep moving forward! 💜- Samantha. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bareminimumhealth.substack.com [https://bareminimumhealth.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

How to Build Lasting Movement Habits: Why When You Exercise Matters

Welcome back to The Bare Minimum Health Podcast! 🎙️ This week, we’re diving into a topic that often gets overlooked: the timing of your habits. Sometimes, when you move is just as important as what you do. 💡 In this episode, we’ll talk about experimenting with different times of the day to establish a sustainable movement routine that fits your life. Whether it's early morning, during lunch, or after work, small shifts in timing can lead to lasting changes in your consistency and energy. I’ll also share my personal journey with building a yoga practice while working from home and how changing when I practice helped me break a phone-scrolling habit. 📱➡️🧘‍♀️ Plus, we’ll reflect on how balance in movement is key to avoiding both pain from inactivity and burnout from over-exercising. The movement you enjoy and actually do is always better than chasing the perfect routine. ✨ Key takeaways from this episode: * The exercise you do is better than the "perfect routine" you never stick with. * Experimenting with different times of day can make a huge difference in creating lasting habits. * Movement should feel good! If it doesn’t, it’s time to try something new. If you struggle with perfectionism, I also recommend The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown—it's been a game-changer in my journey. Want more tips like this? Sign up for my PRIME Weekly Wellness [https://samanthaholmgren.ca/plan] newsletter, where I share new insights every Tuesday! 💌 Click the link below to join. 👉 [https://samanthaholmgren.ca/plan]Subscribe to the PRIME Weekly Wellness newsletter [https://samanthaholmgren.ca/plan]Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes on simple, actionable wellness tips to help you feel your best! #MovementMatters #HealthyHabits #MindfulMovement #PRIMEWellness #YogaLife #WellnessJourney #AntiInflammatoryPath #PerfectionismRecovery This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bareminimumhealth.substack.com [https://bareminimumhealth.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Acknowledge the challenge, embrace the strength

Act: Set aside 5 minutes this week to write down one thing that arthritis has taken from you and acknowledge how that makes you feel. Let yourself sit with that emotion—whether it’s frustration, sadness, anger… Afterward, write down one thing, no matter how small, that you’ve done despite arthritis. Maybe it’s a trip you went on, a fitness challenge you tried, or something you’ve done for your family. Maybe it is “just” surviving. Or, if this is too emotionally daunting or challenging, book an appointment to work through this with a therapist. This emotional baggage is worth working through. You are worth working through it to get to the other side. Resources: Get the Bare Minimum Health Plan at https://samanthaholmgren.ca/plan [https://samanthaholmgren.ca/plan] Until next week, acknowledge the challenges and keep moving forward,- Samantha 💜 Thanks for listening to the Bare Minimum Health Podcast! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bareminimumhealth.substack.com [https://bareminimumhealth.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]