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...

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...

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 episod...

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...

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 fam...

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...

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 try Reflect: One idea to consider Connect: 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 eno...

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 hugel...

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 an...

Resources Mentioned in the Show: Bare Minimum Health Plan eBook: https://samanthaholmgren.ca/plan Anti-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-link Show Notes: I’ve noticed a shift in how people do New Year’s Resolutions over the last decade. I...

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...

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...