Self-Care: It's a Marathon, not a Sprint

If you were to ask me last month, "How are you?" My response would have been: exhausted, anxious, determined, angry, sad, optimistic, inspired. All of these emotions are related to the current political climate in the U.S., but they're compounded by the energy I get from folks who are speaking up about politics and current events, and figuring out what they can do, and doing it. The election and the start of the new administration have been devastating in some ways, but I don't know any so-called snowflakes who have just collapsed and stopped working or functioning in society. Instead, so many people have realized they have the capacity to make a phone call, sign a petition, and/or show up for a protest or rally. As one of my former classmates was quoted in the NY news:

I am deeply upset at what's happening in my country. I just feel like, with these executive orders, really helpless as a citizen. So it's the least I can do, to show up. Just show up.

In the midst of chaos the new POTUS was creating, this reaction was heartening. My hope for everyone, in participating in and uphold democracy for loved ones and strangers  (while simultaneously working on their careers and relationships and hobbies... you know, living their lives) also remembers their responsibility to take care of themselves.

Self-care is something I have never been an expert on, so sometimes I even have to stop and think: Just take care of yourself. Every couple years or so, I can stop and go on a long, adventurous vacation, but most of the time I have to find everyday practices that help me be mindful in the midst of everything going on. I find that approaching self-care from three sides really helps: physical, mental, and spiritual (which for me is community-focused).

One night I cooked dinner and the warmth and scent in the kitchen relaxed me even before I even ate. I'd realized I'd been getting away from healthy cooking and have been trying to do more meal planning and weekend meal prep. Exercise has been in short spurts the last couple of weeks (the rain also didn't help), but I signed up for some new weekend classes (once with a friend for a bootcamp class they really liked), and it's felt good to sweat some stress out and strengthen my body, bit by bit. And it's felt good to go for a run now that the rain has stopped. Also, it had been months since I got a salon pedicure (hey, winter!), so it felt amazing to sit down in the chair this weekend and have my feet taken care of while I started a new book.

At work, I also got to attend a two-day Search Inside Yourself workshop sponsored by my company, and I felt invigorated and optimistic by the end of it. There were maybe ~60 other folks there from functions all over the company, learning about self-awareness, mindfulness and emotional intelligence. They had a great segment on self-compassion and kindness and how they go a long way to promoting peace, in terms of helping you cultivate your own leadership skills. At another point they brought up Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning (which I had loved reading in college) and discussed how we can stop and process things before we react to something triggering. I found the workshop powerful and something I will have to incorporate into my life long-term, so I may have more to write about it later on.

Elizabeth Spencer winery tasting room

Finally, spending time around loved ones is a big way for me to nurture my spirits. After a couple weeks of rainy weather here in NorCal, a friend texted suggesting we all head up to Napa that weekend, which had a forecast of sun. So on Sunday, over wine, then a picnic, then some beer flights (& a green smoothie for myself), we all caught up and only barely discussed politics. I was also delighted to get a pop-up dinner invite from another friend - showing someone you're thinking of them and want to spend time with them seems like a small gesture but it goes a long way.

picnic grounds @ V Sattui

So that's my self-care approach distilled to three aspects of life. It can't all be done at once, but when I can sprinkle these things into my daily routines, I definitely feel like I'm better off. I'll wrap this up with a quote from a powerful article (an oldie but a goodie): 

"we can improve our lives and the lives of those around us. We can even construct a system that fulfills our founders’ promises and empowers all Americans to pursue happiness." A Formula for Happiness

Resolution

SF MoMA

In a lot of ways 2016 was personally great (loved ones got married, engaged and brought babies into this world; my husband and I both transitioned to new aspects of our jobs; I got involved with a wonderful organization, and I generally got to enjoy another year of good health and fun adventures in California) but I was still happy to see it go. My friend had the brilliant idea of going out with a bang, in the form of a wonderful feast with friends. So on NYE we had a private dining room at a San Francisco restaurant, filled with 9 fantastic people, amazing food and delicious wine. I will always remember that meal and am grateful my friend thought of putting it together.

And now, we're fully in 2017, not just feet wet but hair dunked, body temperature acclimated. There aren't any totally new habits I want to do this year that I didn't start on already- eating healthy, exercising more. All the usual self-care, wellness and fitness habits I know to do but need to actually do. The hosts and guest on my favorite podcast Another Round were discussing the difference between telling people you'll do something (like going to the gym) and actually doing it. Anyway, as I get older, self-care moves to front of mind so that I can be in good shape to take care of other things.

And those other things? Well the 2016 election taught me I can't take democracy for granted. So in 2017 I have to keep learning what's going on, finding ways to make my voice heard and find a way to make an impact where I am. Last summer thanks to a friend's suggestion, I started working with a children's organization in San Francisco; this was meant to help underprivileged kids right in my city, but it has already impacted me immensely. 

I also want to remember to speak up more, in different channels. For a long time I did not put political views on social media; in fact I have had a tenuous relationship with social media and like to think I should just be living IRL. But I'd like to learn how to use tech to advance democracy. This is one article in WSJ that I found suggesting some nonpartisan tools to track government. I also downloaded Countable, an app for tracking government, and am finding it easy to use. I joined the Women's March in San Francisco this weekend - again, thanks to brilliant friends - and resolve to keep the inspiration and energy from the event in my heart going forward, and to continue to turn it into action.

photo from Buzzfeed

And finally on the fun side, I want to do more West Coast exploring this year and am starting to make those plans. I also have loved ones getting married this year so I'll be traveling to celebrate with them (I've got one bridesmaid dress ready and am about to order another one). So among other things, there will be a lot of fun in 2017.

Workouts & Wellness: a ClassPass Review

one of my favorite stretches

Like many social media sites/apps/other tech innovations, it's almost hard to believe that ClassPass has been around for only a few years. The gym pass subscription service was started in 2013 by a couple genius women who understood that people want the variety available with all these specialty workout classes springing up, but may not want to be tied down to one boutique studio at a time (the post from Ignite Your Health is good to keep in mind). "Wellness" is a booming business now in addition to just being an all around healthy concept for your life.

Last month, there was an awesome promo and I finally took the opportunity to sign up. The deal for the 10-class edition for the Bay Area (normally $115 but $30 for 1 month with the promo) was too good to pass up. To quote a friend's usual joke, "You can't afford not to buy it!"

My recent exercise regimen has been jogging and weekend Pilates, so I used ClassPass to extend this to other types of exercises. Turns out the website is an amazing search engine for gyms, boutique studios and classes - I knew San Francisco was into fitness but on ClassPass I found so many studios I'd never heard of before. The studios and classes I attended were:

• Core 40 - 1 Foundation class
• BodyRok - 1 Sculpt class
• FightFit Training Center - 1 Krav Maga class, women only
• Row Club - 2 classes: RowGa (rowing & yoga) and regular rowing
• Body Chemistry - 1 Pilates class... but I've gone to this studio a lot, so it was out of habit, not exploration
• Rogue & Saint - 1 Board to Ball, cross-training class
• OMpower - 1 TRX class

Now that was only 8 classes, because I went to 2 other classes outside of ClassPass: another Pilates class at Body Chemistry with a friend and also, my very first Soul Cycle class, which I went to with a bunch of friends, including a couple other newbies - endorphin addiction is best shared, after all.

How did I pick the first batch of classes? Since I enjoy "regular" Pilates, I wanted to try Core40 and BodyRok on their megaformers. I'd always wanted to learn rowing, since one machine provides a full body workout. The cross-training class at Rogue & Saint was pretty cool and it had been a while since I last took a TRX class, which I really like. Finally, I chose the Krav Maga class so I could start learning something practical, too. All the classes were fast-paced and challenging, and while I would want to pay more attention to form and technique as I go on, the classes would be good cardio and strength-training sessions.

It wasn't always easy making it to class - but it's just a fact of life now that you really do have to schedule time for yourself and for your workouts, and not just watch celebs work out on Snapchat. It was fun trying out so many places, but since I am also running more often now and have some travel coming up, I put my ClassPass membership on hold for August ($19/mo to hold). At first I was incredulous that I had to pay for the hold, or risk a hefty reactivation fee, but then I realized the $19 "hold" still allows one class for the month. That was reasonable enough for me, although, if and when I do cancel ClassPass, the reactivation fee pretty much deters me from ever coming back. But for now I do plan to come back, and I'll just switch to the 5-class model afterward to accommodate my own non-ClassPass workout plans. Accommodation - another fact of life.

I've written before how I like switching up my workouts, so I think ClassPass can make that easier. I could see myself eventually settling on one or two studios, however, once I find the instructors I like best and the schedules that mesh with mine. I've gone through periods of busyness/laziness when it comes to fitness, but over the past few months I've tried to be more consistent and I've noticed results in my health and energy, so I'm using ClassPass to leverage this momentum. Any class or workout suggestions are most welcome in the comments.

tl:dr: Pros of ClassPass: good search feature; access to a variety of studios; pricing can be good if you're going to utilize it; month-to-month flexibility in changing membership level; ... Cons: limited in how many times you go to one studio each month; frequently being 'new' at studios; learning the styles of new instructors; watch the pricing, beware of the class cancellation and reactivation fees

Original Thought, and Renaming This Blog

Lower Nob Hill

At a yoga session this past weekend, the instructor talked about our brains having no original thought, as well as how difficult it is to completely quiet the mind, even with yoga. Therefore, we could practice being aware of our thoughts and guiding them. After all, no one actually controls your unoriginal thoughts but you. (And also, when going through a challenging yoga practice, my thoughts were completely guided by what my muscles did and didn't want to do.)

Today we have so many platforms to express our thoughts and see what everyone else is thinking about every possible subject. There's so much content to consume, if we let ourselves. Social media can be great, but it also tempts many of us to spout off whatever is on our mind at a given moment, without any further consideration. Is that really the stimulation we want, for ourselves and those around us? For me, the practice of composing a longer post also helps me guide my thoughts and express them more coherently. It makes me slow down and pay attention, to be more mindful of what I send out to the world. Because of course it's also not just about  "me" or even "you" but the world around us.

And that is the overall purpose of my blog, and why I rechristened it this year as "Mindfully Modern." Throughout the content blitzes and hectic schedules, my goal is to remain discerning and to still be able to see the simplicity in life. Enjoy the world today, and reflect on it. Namaste.

Treat Yo'self

Mashable/Getty Images

This weekend I got a haircut, foot & back massage, a Pilates class and a new sweater. :)

It would be nice to say I planned this weekend to be full of self-care but in truth it just came about somewhat organically.

My excuse for not going to the gym is that it’s too crowded in January because of everyone’s New Year’s Resolutions (and the weather is so good in California right now that I could just run outside), but I got the Jawbone UP as a Christmas present and I’ve been wearing it to remind me to stay active. I set the alert to buzz me when I’ve been idle for 45 minutes, and I like tracking how many steps I take each day (10,000 or bust!) and how much deep sleep I got (I already knew this, but I don’t sleep as well when I’ve been drinking). It’s not quite a New Years Resolution for me, but more a commitment to taking care of myself.