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Class OverviewHow can you stay healthy when you’re on the road? How can you travel in a more mindful and positive way? How can you truly enjoy yourself? From 3+ years of living as a nomad, here are my discoveries. (Check out the Top 10 Big Ideas from the class below!) Your ProfessorNathan Agin is a modern-day nomad, committed to healthy living and eating. Traveling the world since 2010, with no “home” and only two small bags, he’s healthier now than he’s ever been in his life. How to Be a Healthy, Positive and Mindful TravelerKeeping up with healthy routines on the road isn’t the easiest. But it’s also not impossible! The goal is to develop the necessary tools so that when you encounter the tough situations, you can make things easier on yourself and others. I discovered pretty early on in my travels what it was like to feel good in mind and body, and I wanted to maintain that feeling. Here are the common themes and “rules of the road” that have been quite helpful. The Top 10 Big Ideas1It’s Not F*** My Life— it’s FMP! When you hit the road (or frankly, just leave your house) you have no control over SO many things: the weather, delays, traffic, technology—so work on letting it go. Instead of the very common FML (Fuck My Life), which I think is taking a victim-perspective, I encourage you to choose FMP: Fuck My Plans (which feels pretty empowering to me)! Things not going how you planned? F ‘em! Raining outside, flight cancelled, museum closed—FMP! FMP! FMP! Just do something else! 2Don’t Forget to Pack Commitment and Flexibility If you want to stay healthy when you travel, think about it this way: you have a commitment (what you choose to do to be healthy) and then you have to be flexible with how you are able to practice that commitment. So, let’s say one of your commitments is exercise. Perhaps instead of the 90-minute yoga class you normally do, you are only able to practice for 20 minutes in your room. Excellent! Work on honoring your commitments however you can. Even 50% is better than nothing at all—plus it keeps you from kicking yourself for “falling off the wagon.”3The Four Keys to Being Healthy Here are four things I try to incorporate into as many days as possible: 1.Focus 2.Movement 3.Nutrition 4.Gratitude Notice I don’t tell you exactly HOW to do any of these things—that’s up to you. There are lots of ways to take time for yourself and clear your mind: could be a walk or gardening or tai chi—anything that helps you relax and calm yourself. Next, maybe you hate yoga, but love running. Great—just move your body! For food, create guidelines around what you eat and don’t—whatever works for you. And finally: gratitude. Even if you take just a few minutes and think about 10 things you’re grateful for, you’ll feel better.4If You’re Not Consulted, Eat What’s On the Menu Even when you figure out what you like to eat, chances are there will come a time in someone else’s home when you’ll be faced with a plate full of “what the hell is this!?” Rather than cause unnecessary guilt and stress, just suck it up and eat. Cooking and preparing a meal is a lot of work for some people, and so a tremendous amount of time and energy (and maybe even love!) went into that meal. You don’t have to take the largest serving, and maybe you snack on something later, but be grateful that there’s food in front of you—or jump in the kitchen early and see how you can help out in a way that may allow you to tailor the meal more to your liking.5One Thing to Never Lose You’re very likely going to drop, forget, or misplace a few things on your travels—for your sake, I hope it’s a pen and not your camera or laptop. But here’s something you CAN control whether you lose or not: your patience. Believe me, I used to flip out over some pretty minor stuff. Just like with FMP in Idea #1, things are going to happen that will annoy and frustrate you, but in that moment, take a few breaths and maybe, just maybe, even laugh about it.6Release the Pressure of “Need to Enjoy” Whenever you do something that doesn’t cost a lot of money, there isn’t much “on the line” emotionally—if you enjoy it, great; and if it doesn’t work out, you cut your losses and move on. But typically when we *do* spend a chunk of change on a flight or hotel or spa package, there can often be this deep drive and need to enjoy the hell out of it, because I spent hard-earned money on this and I better get every penny’s worth! Well, what if we could release that feeling? Forget how much you spent—in the moment, that doesn’t matter anymore. Just enjoy the experience—or don’t! 7The Best Way to Find Yourself: Get Lost! With smartphones, I can see how it’s easy to become glued to it for directions, never looking up or paying attention to where you’re going. But I’ve had some great experiences where I just went for a walk and had no idea where I was going, and with no destination in mind. Just take a walk. You might be amazed at what you see and, perhaps, what you think about. Getting out can be a great way to clear your mind and get a fresh perspective. You’ll likely even improve your sense of direction (never a bad thing).8The Trust Dance If you ever need to depend on the kindness of strangers—be it for a bed, a ride, or some food—as you’re walking up to their house or car, it’s easy to get caught up in the mental record player of: “Geez, I hope this person is cool and doesn’t try to kill me.” It’s easy to forget that the OTHER person—as you are walking up—is likely thinking the EXACT SAME THING. Yes, traveling very often means taking a chance. I’ve found that 99% of people are generally pretty nice. The new connection is a bit of a dance, where neither side knows quite how it’ll go, but both need to be willing to jump in and see.9Be Grateful For the Time You Do Have Travel may be about venturing out and seeing awesome places, but that often can mean leaving awesome places (and people) behind. Or maybe, you meet someone when you only have two hours left in that city—not the ideal. I’ve had a few tough goodbyes and quick encounters. Instead of moping about the timing, make the most of it, celebrate it, and be fully present for it. Yes, it may be tough or you may feel lonely afterward. No, I don’t have a miracle fix—sadness is a natural part of life. But guess what? It’s also an indicator that you just had a meaningful experience, and (hopefully) you can comfort yourself with the new memories.10Travel is a State of Mind It’s important to realize that your “role” (even as a traveler) does not define who to be, what to do, or where to go. There are no guidelines you need to follow in your travels. This is your life. So, how are you carving out a traveler’s life, even if you’re not on the move? Are you engaged with the world around you? Are you open to new ideas, new people, and new cultures? Are you learning what else is out there and how you can get involved? Embrace these questions and travel now—however you can!