Sunday - Beach again

We’ve really taken advantage of the California beaches this summer. Initially due to COVID, as they are a good place for socially distanced recreation. The water in Northern California is freezing (OK, not really, but quite cold). Plus the Coast near San Francisco is often foggy and overcast in the summer. Therefore, these beaches typically don’t receive the crowds seen in Florida or even in Southern California. 

For the last couple of weeks, we’ve also been escaping the smoke at the beach. I’m thankful this has been an option, since the last time the air quality was really bad here due to wildfires, it was even bad on the coast. 

All that said, staying positive has been difficult. I’m working on it because negative thoughts about the current air quality situation really don’t serve me in the short term, since I can’t do too much about it. However, my husband and I are seriously talking about relocating within the next couple of years because these fires will continue. We are hoping to stay with our current employers because we both like our jobs, and perhaps that will be easier now that the pandemic has disrupted previously held beliefs about teleworking. We are still in the very early stages of these discussions, so I have no idea where we will end up. But it’s fun to ponder!

Baby Y had a colicky breakdown yesterday evening, his first in a couple of weeks. Finally got him down after an Ergo walk outside and more Ergo time inside. Today he's been kind of cranky, so I've been carrying him a lot rather than helping him get "higher quality sleep" in his bassinet. Hoping for improvement tomorrow. 

Smoky again

 

Yes, that is a bruise. She fell off her fancy dining chair the other day.

The air quality in the Bay Area was bad most of the day. We managed, even though O also became sick with a cold. I succeeded doing a workout with M in the room this morning - about 5 minutes of spinning (had to stop because she was clinging to the bike), followed by a HIIT workout that I found on Spotify. She did some jumping and tried to imitate my burpees, too. 

In the afternoon, I took M to Sharp Park Beach in Pacifica because the air was fine there. Very windy and beautiful. She ran around, I watched some kiteboarders, and we almost got attacked by a squirrel who wanted our crackers and nuts. Let's hope tonight and tomorrow go OK!

Habits

The bike has come in really handy - COVID, smoke, newborn...

I admit that I’m a fan of self-help books and podcasts. The genre is not everybody’s favorite, and I agree with some of the criticism (and recently finished a book by a self-help skeptic), but I’m still drawn to it. And I do believe that consuming self-help content has brought value to my life. 

Many of the books I’ve read focus on the importance of establishing desirable habits. I’ve developed a number of such habits over the years, but I haven’t really been motivated to track them. 

For some reason during this maternity leave, though, I’ve finally begun some tracking. Maybe it’s because I’m craving some structure and control - since raising a newborn provides neither. I’ve also drawn inspiration from some of my favorite bloggers and their podcasts. Not sure how long I continue this, but for now here are the habits:

• Cardio exercise - at least 20 minutes of running or spinning. This is something I’ve done daily for years, so it’s a very ingrained habit, like brushing teeth. So not sure I really need to track it, but it helps with feeling accomplished. 
• Strength training - BodyFit by Amy 10-minute abs or arms four days a week, 30 push-ups on the other days. I hate doing strength training, so this is definitely one to track. I find that I have to convince myself that strength training is important. Apparently it’s good for bone density, though I don’t understand how that works. And it might help avoid injury. Finally, having a toned body looks better, but I don’t really care about that. All these reasons aren’t particularly exciting to me, which is why I had a hard time incorporating strength training into my routine.
• Meditation - at least 5 minutes. I either just listen to white noise or use this podcast. I’m not a fan of meditation apps, as I believe that they make this more complicated and can be distracting. This one is difficult for me, and I think it’s because I hold a vague belief that meditation is valuable, but I’m not sure what results I’m seeking or how to measure them.
• Blog or journal - I can draft something on my phone while holding Baby Y (like I’m doing right now) and then post it later on the computer. This one is an exciting habit. I love the feeling of having poured what’s on my mind onto the page, of seeing the finished product, and of knowing that I can go back to old posts and entries to remind myself what was happening at a certain point on my life and my family’s lives. 
• Reach out to a friend or a professional connection. This is a daily habit I’ve tried to put in place, but failed in the past. I’m not sure why it’s so difficult for me, but I know that I’m not the only one that finds it challenging. Maybe it’s some sort of social anxiety and a concern that I’m bothering people by reaching out to them? Not sure, but it’s something to explore. 

That’s it for now. So far I’ve tracked for less than a week, but it’s definitely helped me motivate myself to do certain things even if I don’t feel like it. The easiest ones are the cardio, especially running, and the writing. Meditation and reaching out to people are the most difficult. 

Again, I have no idea how I'll continue, maybe because I'm not convinced of the value of tracking. We'll see in a week.