Siesta. I am in full support of siestas.
si·es·ta /sēˈestə/ noun: an afternoon rest or nap, especially one taken during the hottest hours of the day in a hot climate
It ain’t hot outside, but afternoon nap time can bring me from death to life, let me tell ya. Perhaps the sleep experts in this world would vehemently disagree with this, but yesterday I was reminded of the power of a quick one hour snooze. I had a half day of work and was commuting towards the gym, but I was exceptionally tired and knew that my workout would be a wash if I tried to squat heavy like I was planning. With John’s encouragement, I decided to detour home instead to take an afternoon nap and boiiiiii was it worth it.
I know our nation would not be as productive as it is (or is it??) with siestas, but honestly, maybe we would be happier.
I also just need to sleep earlier, so that’s on me.
Moves. Due to the siesta, I did a 45-minute evening YouTube yoga session. Ooooo it was a delight. I had not done yoga in ages, and my back was TALKIN’ to me because of it.
Surgical masks. So this coronavirus. My roommate, a dermatologist from Japan, and I were talking about the wearing of surgical masks as a way to prevent infecting others or becoming infected by others. Not just in hospital settings where it’s required, but in the general public, just out and about.
At Boston University there is a great number of students from Asia (especially China). These students from Asia ~tend~ to be much more comfortable walking around wearing surgical masks, even without a global health emergency at hand. My roommate was asking me if Americans do the same or if it’s considered weird. I told her that it is definitely less common for sick people to wear surgical masks unless they are around vulnerable (i.e., infants) or immunocompromised people. Usually people just quarantine themselves, cover their mouths when they sneeze, and wash their hands more often.
So it’s not “weird,” per se, but it is an observation that people from Asian countries tend to wear them more normally than people who are American-born and raised. My roommate said that surgical masks are very normal to wear on a daily basis in Japan, even for women who just want to cover their makeup-less faces! Just seems to be a cultural difference.
As a healthcare professional to be, I think it should be more normal to wear a mask even with a common cold. I don’t want your germs, and you wouldn’t want mine. I don’t have actual evidence on how effective a mask is, but we use them for droplet precautions in the hospital, so there must be some value to them.
My roommate went on to talk about the use of umbrellas in the sun. Again, people from Asia, as well as older people, ~tend~ to use umbrellas in this way more than people who have always lived in America. But if you saw my roommate’s skin (35 years old and doesn’t look a day over 25), you’d want to use an umbrella in the sun too.
So tell me:
Do you support siestas?
Have you noticed trends in the who/what/where of surgical mask wearing outside of hospital settings?
Do you like yoga? When was the last time you practiced?
Daily Moves and Grooves 