Tha Good Good, Week of 7.10.20

Happy end of the week! Here are some things I'd like to share.

Dip I'm obsessing over:
Misha's Kind Foods. When I picture true love, I picture a partner who carries dairy pills at all times to remedy my aching tummy when I overindulge in one of life's finest pleasures: cheese. Misha's cheeses, which advertises its products as "the finest non-dairy spreads on the market today," very much so lives up to its own hype. Whether your stomach is at war with dairy or you just love a good chip / dip situation, I recommend grabbing the nearest pita chip and scooping yourself some LA-based goodness. Try Sari, or knock your socks off with the not-real-lox Lox.  

Fat-burning workout I'm loving:
Quick n' dirty Tabata session. We all know that in *theory* religiously working out and transforming into fitness gods during quarantine sounds fantastic. But we can also acknowledge that the devil on our shoulder (the case of IPAs your roommate just walked in the door with) often calls our name much more loudly than the yoga mat sitting on the kitchen floor. Good news: Tabata workouts are short, can be done in the comfort of your home, and are high impact. Tabata is a type of HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workout involving working out hard for 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds, then repeating for eight or so rounds.

My friend (and Barry's alum) Jodi and I have been doing the following Tabata-inspired workout: jump rope for one min, 10 second rest, plank hold for one min, 10 second rest, jump rope for one min, 10 second rest, lunge with a curl at the bottom for one min, 10 second rest, jump rope for one min, 10 second rest, shoulder press for one min, 10 second rest, jump rope for one min, 10 second rest, suitcase squat for one min, rest for 40 seconds. Repeat everything two more times. Altogether, you're doing three big rounds of eight exercises, jumping rope between each strength movement. Which strength movements you sandwich between jumping rope are totally up to you; choose movements that target the muscle group(s) you want to work on that day. Get more done in a shorter amount of time. 

Don't have a jump rope? Try jumping jacks or high knees.

Face lotion I'm into: 
Atmosphere Protection Cream from OSEA Skincare. This daily, lightweight moisturizer from the plant-based skincare company OSEA hydrates while protecting against air pollutants. As someone with sensitive, redness-prone skin, I connect well with the algae, avocado oil, shea butter, and other soothing ingredients used. Continue protecting your skin from UV rays, but consider protecting your skin from other, unseen evils, too.  

Article that's making me smile:
"From homeless refugee to chess prodigy, 9-year-old dreams of becoming youngest grandmaster," Aishwarya Kumar for ESPN.
"In chess, it doesn't matter if you're black or white; if you attack and defend well, you have an equal chance of winning -- and that's what's so beautiful about it." 

Your moment of zen:
"The very serious function of racism…is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and so you spend 20 years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says that you have no art so you dredge that up. Somebody says that you have no kingdoms and so you dredge that up. None of that is necessary." — Toni Morrison