WELLNESS #3 Physical Health Eat well When faced with food choices, it can be overwhelming to know what to pick, what might give you the best nutritional bang for your buck. Although there are a myriad of other factors, one of the best ways to incorporate more naturally occurring nutrients (e.g. phytonutrients, which as those that occur in fruits, veggies, and whole grains) is to choose the most colorful options. Think of filling your plate with a rainbow of colors, and you’ll be upping your healthful intake.  https://www.healthyexpatparent.com/single-post/2015/04/19/Eating-a-rainbow Be active Ready for a sweaty bout of get-your-frustrations-out? This is a great workout from one of my favorite fitness gurus with a fun, sweaty workout for you. Do it once, twice, or even three times, and not only will you be surprised at how fast the time goes by, I bet your stress level will reduce from all of the punching, too. https://youtu.be/-MWwgkbLj0c Exercising in a good thing, we all know that. An argument can also be made for non-exercise activity (NEAT): the more you move, the more calories you burn. It’s a simple mathematical equation. Plus, better for your brain, your emotional and stress levels and for your general happiness. That’s a lot of reasons to go out for a walk. http://www.summertomato.com/how-to-burn-more-calories-without-breaking-a-sweat A couple notes about this workout: it’s called ‘pain in the...’ for a reason. You will definitely be focusing on one part of your body for each block. Remember, with tabata you work for a short period of time, and then have a break. So push yourself as hard as you can, and you will see quicker results.  http://www.intervaltimer.com/timers/7997885 Some workout notes: Stay low in your squat in the first block (heinie) even when tapping to the side or lunging back.  In the second block (core), with the sit-up punch, twist and punch across your core at the top of the sit-up. In the forearm plank hip Tap, twist to each side from your plank, working your obliques. The third block is legs. I ‘powerskipped’ around the room (more entertaining that way) but you can do it in one place, too. The fourth block hits pretty much everything. All of the moves are pretty self-explanatory. The box jump might be confusing: just jump forwards, to the right, to the rear and to the left as though you were drawing a box.  The fifth block is back to the core. The moves should be familiar. Do your best to keep your butt down in the plank.  Spiritual Health Especially if you are traveling, and especially if you are spending time with your extended family (read: constantly having to justify your far-from-family-in-yet-another-foreign-country-that-is-expensive-to-visit), you might be experiencing some doubt and/or exasperation with your lifestyle choices.  In all actuality, it is never a bad thing to check in with your various wellness areas; especially things like spirituality are constantly changing and fluctuating. The more you ‘check-in’, the better you will be at self-determining if things have changed -both for the better or for the worse - and reacting to keep feeling positive.  A couple of key Spiritual Wellness questions to ask yourself: Do my values guide my decisions and action? Am I accepting of the views of others? How do I portray my values to others? Am I able to be positive? How can I be more kind to others? To myself? Don’t expect the answers to these questions to come easily. Don’t expect the answers to always be the same. You had to grow and change and respond to what is around, and in turn, this can both positively and negatively impact your wellness. Mental & Emotional Health The following article is an interesting look at cravings, and how to help yourself to not be controlled by them. Understanding what your body is wanting versus needing, and understanding the circumstances wherein that craving is going to hijack your thoughts will help you become more able at interrupting the process. That said, if you love chocolate, eat chocolate, but try to make it the most healthful version and savor it. So, say, enjoy a square of good dark chocolate rather than three helpings of double-decker caramel brownies. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/want-to-stop-craving-chocolate-here-are-two-options/ Social Health Let me guess: you are fighting more these days with your family, especially your spouse. When you’re off routine, it can be more challenging to stay in your normal good frame of mind, and always play nicely. And say nicely. So, a suggestion might be to deliberately focus on their good points (you did, after all, choose to partner with this person...), let the world know how awesome they are, and to break a sweat together.  https://www.purewow.com/wellness/strengthen-relationship-july Be your best, friends.