WELLNESS #1 Physical Health It's hard to stay active when traveling, when staying in a hotel or someone's basement, or when social obligations crowd the schedule. In light of that, the best kinds of workouts are those that can be done anywhere and with just bodyweight. So.  These workouts do not need you to purchase Seconds (the HIIT timer I use). When you click on the link, it should redirect you to the online archive where they 'live'. You do not need to purchase the timer, no worries. Full body workout: This is a mid-length workout (36 minutes), but will work your whole body. Be sure to rehydrate as you'll definitely be sweating by the end of it! You are building compound movements: each of the five sections is repeated 3 times. In each, you do one move for 30 seconds, the second move for 30 seconds, and then both together for 30. http://www.intervaltimer.com/timers/7985798 Abs: a stand-alone ab workout. 10 minutes gets it done. In this one, ‘twisting and jumping’ is jumping on both feet and twisting your hips to the left and to the right, with your shoulders either staying forward or twisting the opposite direction. The point is to get the heart rate up, and keep targeting the core. The first move, Ankle Touch crunch' involves a classic crunch positioning (knees bent, on your back with head and shoulders off the ground) and instead of lifting your chest up towards your knees, you will instead reach your hands down and try to tap your ankles. The closer your ankles are to your butt, the easier it will be. http://www.intervaltimer.com/timers/7984582 I'm a huge fan of Fitnessblender.com and this video is a great mash-up of some of their favorite shorter videos.  https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/hiit-cardio-abs-and-yoga-workout-fun-mashup-with-beginner-intermediate-and-advanced-options Spiritual Health Spirituality is not (necessarily) about being religious so much as your connectedness to those around you. A great way to buoy yourself spiritually is to focus, or be mindful. Being mindful can help you focus on the positive qualities of your time with your extended family and friends. It can also help you to focus on the positives of the experiences you are having, some of which might be overlooked if you focus instead on your on-going discomforts and/or complications.  There are any number of mindfulness exercises you can do; find the one(s) that work best for you. The key is to take a pause, and focus. If none of the exercises in the link below do it for you, no problem. You can make an effort to be more mindful just by taking a few minutes, clearing your mind of negative thoughts or to-do lists, and deliberately focus on what is good going around/on with you. I don't know, your kids are especially well-behaved, you had a great nutrition day, you had a great chat with your in-laws, you found your favorite chocolate-covered treat at Trader Joe's, ... there are any number of positives that happened in your day. Take a few minutes to focus on them, breathe and just be. Remember those PSAs? 'We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring you this breaking news...' Instead of news, we bring you these moments of peace. https://my.happify.com/hd/best-mindfulness-exercise-most-people-dont-know/?et=441c19ed-6416-491f-895b-f2841d5fd7a0 Mental & Emotional Health It's departure time, and even if we are not the ones leaving, we are still affected. Don't spend all of your energy on the needs of others; you need to think about what YOU need too. https://www.healthyexpatparent.com/single-post/2018/06/14/Tis-the-season Social Health I know. You're getting an overload of being social. Paradoxically, one can also feel very much alone when surrounded by people. If changing posts, you are filled with angst about the unknowns; your entire definition of 'home' is changing. If on vacation, it can be really hard for your state-side friends and family to relate to your experiences overseas, exacerbating your feelings of loneliness. Connect with your immediate family, and make yourself available so they know they can come to you with their feelings. While this is not necessarily going to give you the support you need, you will undoubtedly feel positively afterwards. Sometimes feeling useful as a parent can help buoy our feelings, even outside of our parenting world. Be your best, friends
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