Memorial Week

Since I had Memorial Day off from work, I decided to take a couple extra days and go somewhere!

After a few hours in the air (and a great sunrise view of the city),

The City & The Headlands

I was here:

West Bay

I am not going to bore you with stories of lazing around on the beach, reading, or overeating. Instead, let's talk about the ways you can attempt to stay fit while on vacation. I feel a little list coming on!

Beach Running: I tried to go every day, but there were a few obstacles. First, it was HOT and HUMID. I kept going earlier and earlier but once the sun was up (around 6 am) it was pretty much scorching by then. Also, running in sand is hard. According to this article, running in sand is 1.6 times harder than running on solid ground. So I am going to take that to mean that when I ran 2 miles, it was really 3.2. That way it sounds like I really did something! No really though, you supposedly expend 1.6 x more energy. Coupled with the heat, I would say it's closer to 2 times more!

Swimming: It was so nice to go for a few laps in the clear water (see photo above -- that was my lap pool) every morning after my run.

Diving: According to this website, you burn more calories diving than you do walking fast!  It states that I burned about 200 calories in a half of hour! Also, if you are interesting in scuba diving, I wrote a post a while back about my favorite places to go diving.

Sunset walk

Kayaking: Coupled with the swimming, this made me have some tired arms at the end of the day! I always say I am like a T-rex: strong legs, weak arms. I need to work on that!

Walking: Where we stayed was about 2 miles from "town" although we did have plenty of restaurants and bars nearby. We walked to town every day and if we could, we also walked back. This was also on the beach, so I wonder if walking in sand is also 1.6 times harder? I am going to go with Yes.

Carrying Water:  We really take tap water for granted! When you can't drink the water, you spend a lot of time buying and lugging around big bottles of water. I drink so much that I buy it a gallon at a time, and that weighs about 8 lbs, so I got a bit of a workout every time I bought a bottle (and especially if I had to carry it from town)!

Dancing in the Sand: This a great way to burn some calories and to have fun, but it also gives you really sore calves the next day! I suggest the Samba. Along with this song. It will really get your blood pumping. By the way, there is actually a specific dance to this song; you can kind of see it here. It is pretty fun! Las Manos Arriba!

What's your vacation strategy? Do you just give up trying to be active or do you make time somehow? Do you plan vacations around activities or activities around vacations?

Lovely News

I have to be honest with you all. 

I have been hiding something from you. There are a couple of reasons for this. One, I am a doubting Thomas. I don't really believe that something good is going to happen until it actually happens. This is especially true when it is something that I have absolutely no control over. I mean, I doubt no matter what, while at the same time hoping that plans will go through, but still keeping that low expectation in my mind so I won't be disappointed later on. I know that is no way to be, since it limits my getting super excited over anything because there is always a seed of..."will it really happen?" in my mind.

Also, I feel like if I say it out loud and then it doesn't happen, I look like a flake, or like someone who doesn't follow through, even if it wasn't my fault that the thing didn't happen. So I just keep my mouth shut until things are in place. 

I am a planner, so when I know for sure something is happening, I like to do everything I can to make it go smoothly and be perfect, but if there is a chance it won't happen, I am kind of at loose ends, not knowing if I should start buying stuff/moving stuff/working on things/organizing things/making plans or if I should just sit back and wait. Which I am NOT good at.

Anyway, this time the waiting has paid off. Mr Lovely, who recently decided to go back to school, applied for some research projects with different schools around the country and he got accepted for one in Santa Cruz, which is about 60 miles away from San Francisco. The project is for 10 weeks and it starts in a week! I am excited because as you may or may not know, he lives near Boston and we only see each other once in a while, so this will be some much needed time spent together. Also, what better place to spend a summer than on the beach!?

Lighthouse Point Park

We had a heck of a time finding an apartment. We wanted something furnished. Since it is only 10 weeks, it doesn't really makes sense for me to move all my furniture etc down there (my storage is about 200 miles away), load it and unload it, just to load it up and move it back in a couple of months. However, you may be surprised, but apparently we are not the only ones looking for a furnished, short term rental near the beach for the summer.  So we went with plan B, which is to get an unfurnished place. I have the essentials already, like kitchen stuff, linens, some small appliances and bedding. Our next adventure is a trip to the thrift store for (hopefully) a couple of ugly cheap pieces of furniture which we will have Salvation Army pick up at the end of the summer.

Something like THIS maybe? (source)

Or this? (source)

So right now my car is jam packed full of odds and ends. Our move in date is set for June 3. We are ready for a new adventure! Bring it on!

Have you ever been to Santa Cruz? Do you have any tips on buying used furniture?

Beach Trends

As you know, I recently spent some time on the beach, during spring break. So, I am here to tell you what this year's beach trends are going to be, based on what I saw.

{1} The Bandeau Bikini Top: These were EVERYWHERE. Small boobs, big boobs, on men. Okay, that part is not true. But. This was the top du jour! I even saw many a (brave) girl playing paddle ball, corn hole and even...running (yes!) in this top. It's the new sports bra! Personally, I have tried it on before and I think it looks horrible on me. You need to have medium sized boobs to pull this off, in my opinion.

{2} But Without the Matching Bottoms: Now you can keep all your old separates and wear them together, whether they match or not. I especially like it when one is striped and the other is floral. But hey, this is your chance to finally use all those pieces you never thought you would be able to use again!

{3} The Not Annoying at All Whistling Nerf Football: What's more annoying than a bunch of college guys throwing footballs on a crowded beach? College guys throwing footballs that MAKE NOISE. Yes, college guys have found a new way to be annoying. I guess they are smarter than we though.

{4} Sandcastle Shaped Buckets: Is it just me or have toys gotten way better since I was younger? These are awesome. Why didn't they have them when I was a kid? You don't have to shape the castle with your hands anymore, which always results in a castle shaped like a mound? Sweet! I may run to Target and buy some of these for myself right now.

This is what my castle building skill consists of.

This is what I could make if I had those buckets.

source

{5} Stand Up Paddleboards: These were everywhere. Old folks are doing it. Young folks are doing it. Where I was, the ocean was calm enough that you could do it right off the beach. And I can see why. It's a fun, relaxing way to get exercise and as a bonus, you can see into the water really well when you are 5 feet above it, rather than being in a kayak right at the water level.

Photo Credits: {1}, {2}, {3}, {4}, {5},

So get out ye old swimsuits and get ye to Target to buy the new stuff before heading out to the beach this year, lest ye be behind the times. 

What do you think about bandeau tops? How are your sandcastle making skills? What is your favorite on the beach sport to play?