Exercise
Taking a deep breath and rejuvenating my exercise routine--definitely an important part of maintaining a healthy, balanced life! Shortly after we moved here I established a routine at the Y in which I was there four days (pilates while the girls had a Daddy Date Night, two spin classes for cardio, and a yoga class with Handsome). The Handsome started deploying frequently, and it all fell apart. Since I started exercising so much to keep PPD at bay (avoiding meds due to breastfeeding), this was not a great thing for my mental health (no, I'm not depressed, but I could tell I was getting more irritable, anxious, and tired). The issues were frequent travel that kept me away from classes and the fact that the entourage can only stand three visits to the Y per week tops.

My solution to the first problem was to take up running instead of spinning--any trail or street will do, no class required. The catch--I vomit when I overheat. It isn't pretty. The good news is that it's getting better, and the cooling fall weather certainly makes for more pleasant runs! My current goal is to run 2 miles straight. Sounds pitiful compared to Handsome's 10 mile excursions, but that's a big goal for me considering that in the wrong weather I start feeling queasy at about a 1/2 mile.

Handsome provided the solution to the second problem by purchasing a bench and weights and encouraging me to join him in the routine he worked out for himself (using appropriate reps and weights for my abilities, of course. This is a man who routinely maxes out the standards on the military's physical fitness assessment after all). New problem: finding time to do hour-long workouts 3 or 4 times a week. It turns out it was just too daunting to attempt. New solution: I asked Handsome to come up with a new workout plan that involved a small stack of note cards describing various workouts that could be done 15 minutes at a time. Rotating through all the cards will workout every muscle group, and the 15 minute time frame is much more workable with the entourage underfoot and should be enough to give me the mental health boost I need. Now I just need to actually do them.