Bare Minimum Health Podcast

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

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* Anti-Inflammatory Path to Wellness: https://samanthaholmgren.ca/courseWhat 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 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

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 mantraWhether 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

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 newsletter, where I share new insights every Tuesday! 💌 Click the link below to join.👉 Subscribe to the PRIME Weekly Wellness newsletterDon'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

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/planUntil 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

Act:Savour your food.Be it a meal or a snack, simple sustenance or indulgent experience, take a moment to give your food and body the attention they deserve. Truly experience what you are eating.Reflect:This is the essence of mindful eating. It doesn’t need to take any extra time — just attention. How does your food look? smell? sound? feel? taste? How does your body before, during, and after eating? What’s your emotional state?Can you dig in and really savour your food?One of the things that I love about this process is that it challenges some deeply held beliefs about eating. Here’s one:“Emotional eating is bad.”Is it really?Eating for emotional reasons is a coping strategy. Food brings us comfort. It gives us energy. Eating can distract us. It is a perfectly legitimate coping strategy and sometimes is the very best thing that you could do.I will always defend emotional eating.Of course, like any coping strategy, there are times when it isn’t the ideal choice, but it can still be the best available choice. The solution isn’t to stop emotionally eating.The solution is to build your toolbox so you have other options.Today, though, just give yourself permission to enjoy your food. 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

Welcome to the first PRIME Weekly Wellness! I am excited to share this new format for the weekly email. I’d love for you to reach out and let me know what you think 🙂Act: One thing to tryReflect: One idea to considerConnect: New resources, behind the scenes peeks on what is coming up next, and stories from life with chronic illness.Act:Try giving yourself some slack. You are dealing with enough already. You do not need to add the weight of expectation — whether your own expectations or the expectations of others.Think:This (seemingly) small action was inspired by an interview I did with Tay Francis. Did you know that there is no academic research using the term “self-sabotage”? There is no evidence to support the concept at all. Tay shares a bit shares a bit more about the origins in the interview.I think the term has become so widely used because it speaks to a feeling that we have all experienced. We feel like we should be able to do it all. We want to do it all. Other people (supposedly) are doing it all. So why can’t I?Why do I end up scrolling on my phone for hours every night instead of working on a side hustle? Why do I eat “junk food” instead of the “healthy” meal plan that I created? Why don’t I do the workouts that I planned, when I know it would be good for me and I feel great when I do it?The fact is that no one is doing everything. There are only 24 hours in a day. If you added up all the time it would take you to sleep, work, eat, workout, meditate, journal, read, spend quality time with friends, going on a date night, cook, spend time on your hobbies… It would take more than 24 hours do to everything in a day, every day.And that’s even before you consider the fact that you have chronic pain and fatigue. It takes more effort for you do to some things, and you need more time for rest and recovery. So once you tack that on, it’s pretty clear:We have set the bar FAR too high.Is it any wonder that we end up paralyzed by the weight of it all?Instead, give yourself some slack. Set the bar at the Bare Minimum. And when you have extra time and energy, embrace it joyfully.For more thoughts about “self-sabotage” read on.https://tayfrancis.substack.com/p/ca9f1b9b-0856-4d41-8a7e-4597177c1bdeConnect:New & Ready NowAs I shared above, you can go read the interview I did with Tay on self-sabotage. It was a fantastic conversation and I think she has captured it well in this written version.Get ExcitedThis week I’m starting work on a updated version of the Bare Minimum Health Plan. Once I edit, update, and expand it, I’ll be making it available as a physical book!Sam’s StoriesIt has been a while since the last podcast. I even took a break from the Weekly Letters emails for longer than I anticipated. I knew I would be taking a little break in July from weekly emails as I was going to be away from the office for a couple of weeks, and then I would need some time to catch back up on everything that inevitably happens when you are away.But then life happened. I had to pause and reflect on where I was putting my focus and energy. In that process, I also was inspired to create this new format for the weekly letters, along with a new name!The name comes from an acronym that I use in my individual coaching and that the Bare Minimum Health Plan ebook is structured around:* Planning* Recovery* Intuition* Movement* EatingPRIME!I also love the acronym because it points towards both towards the foundation (primal) as well as the peak (best quality). This is the duality that I am seeking to embrace when I talk about the Bare Minimum Health Plan. By focusing on the foundation and simplifying — lowering the bar in a way — you end up at a much better place.Until next week, cut yourself some slack and keep moving forward,- Samantha 💜To ensure that you get next week’s PRIME Weekly Wellness, be sure to subscribe! 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

You likely have an intuitive sense that what you eat and do affects your pain, fatigue or other symptoms. But how do you figure out what is going on?I am a big advocate for mindful eating. This attention to the experience of eating can lead you to intuitively understand what foods make you feel good and which don’t work well for you. However, there are times when writing things down can be hugely beneficial.So that’s what we’re going to be talking about today!* 00:58 What is a Food and Symptom Journal * 02:11 Why Should I Track My Food Intake and Symptoms? * 04:31 What is the Best Food and Symptom Journal? * 06:10 What Should I Track? * 08:49 Is it Healthy To Keep a Food Journal? * 10:179 When should you stop tracking? * 12:44 What Food Tracking Apps do Dietitians Recommend? * 14:26 Food and Symptom Journal Example * 15:21 The TL:DR on Food and Symptom JournalsLinks and Resources Mentioned in the ShowArticle on Food and Symptom Journaling: https://samanthaholmgren.ca/food-and-symptom-journal/Get a physical printable: https://samanthaholmgren.ca/product/food-and-symptom-journal/Amazon.Com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/173813783XAmazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/173813783XFinally, if a food and symptom journal isn’t up your alley right now or you are looking for more tools for your toolbox, be sure to get your hands on the Bare Minimum Health Plan eBook! 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

For more support, check out the Bare Minimum Health Plan at https://samanthaholmgren.ca/plan.The pain scale can be one of the most annoying questions you ever get at the doctors office, especially when you have chronic pain. What do those numbers mean when you are NEVER at a zero?Watch and listen along as I share my strategy to use the pain scale to better communicate with my healthcare team and be more consistent with what the numbers mean.For even more support, check out the Anti-Inflammatory Path to Wellness, currently on sale! https://samanthaholmgren.ca/course.You can read more about the pain scale at https://samanthaholmgren.ca/pain-scale.Until next time, bye for now! 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

Resources Mentioned in the Show:Bare Minimum Health Plan eBook: https://samanthaholmgren.ca/planAnti-Inflammatory Path to Wellness course: https://samanthaholmgren.ca/course — Save $160 if you buy before the first module is released!Health is a Weak Link Problem https://samanthaholmgren.ca/weak-linkShow Notes:I’ve noticed a shift in how people do New Year’s Resolutions over the last decade. It seems that now people either have given up on the concept entirely or they have shifted to a more balanced way of reflecting and setting goals.I share my approach for the New Year and my goals and intention for the year. I’d love to hear yours! So leave a comment or follow the link to my website and send me an email.Until next week, bye for now! 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

Don’t forget that you can get the free eBook, the Bare Minimum Health Plan: How to keep the wheels turning when you are exhausted and in pain!When people commonly say that they are trying to be “mindful of their eating,” they are thinking of it as a cognitive process. They are referring to making conscious decisions around food. But that’s not what mindful eating actually is. Mindful eating the embodied experience of eating. Today, we scratch the surface of mindful eating, so be sure to subscribe and leave a comment with your questions or thoughts!Thanks for listening Bare Minimum Health Podcast! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.And if you want to get the full experience of mindful eating, I did a Mindful Eating session, hosted on the Live with Intent YouTube channel:If you know someone who would enjoy or benefit from this podcast, be sure to share it with them! 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

So often, we get overwhelmed by the idea that we need to do ALL. THE. THINGS.Exercise an hour a day. Cook every meal from scratch. Spend time with friends and family. Work a full-time job or more. Start a side hustle. Cultivate hobbies. Read a book every week. Journal every day. Meditate. Take care of children or parents. And don’t forget do go to bed early and get your 8 hours…The expectations are sky-high. For everyone.But then add on top of that a chronic illness, the pain and fatigue… Is it any wonder why we just feel like giving up?But there is a lot that we can do. Small habits that make a huge impact. The Bare Minimum Health Plan.So follow along for more and check the link to get the free eBook: The Bare Minimum Health Plan: how to keep the wheels turning when you are exhausted and in pain.Thanks for listening! Subscribe to get all the updates from the Bare Minimum Health Podcast 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