Five activities that practice safety during covid.

Here's a list of activities that you can engage in as we all continue to keep social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic and practice safely.

1- The Believe Fitness Studio

The studio (now located in Culver City) has recently re-opened its doors and offering multiple classes again!

Some of them include Aerial Hoop, Arial Anti Gravity Yoga, Pilates, Pole Fitness, and more. The staff takes extra precautions by reducing participants' capacity, cleaning the space, and replacing the material between every session. Everyone has to wear masks during the whole class. I have tried multiple courses at the studio.

Still, my favorite is the Aerial Yoga, given by the sweetest and wonderful teacher Kristen Swain. She will always make you feel comfortable and make it fun!). It's a right mix of stretch, fun adrenaline rush, and it ends with a mini sound bath session!

Head to their website to see the classes schedule and sign up:

believefitnessstudio.com

2- Pottery in the park

StillLifeCeramics now have outdoor classes. Beginner and continuing wheel and hand-building classes are currently available at their outdoor studio in Downtown LA.

The capacity is limited to 8 students. All the stations are far enough to respect the 6ft distance, and it is required to keep your mask on.

I took their "Rosé and Clay" class. The teacher ran through the basics of throwing on the wheel. Do not fear; if you mess up, they will help fix it! Once you are happy with it, you get to choose a color, and they take care of the glazing part. Afterward, we enjoyed a free glass of rosé at the restaurant next door (Rappahannock).

stilllifeceramics.com

3- Paddle Surf or Kayak

My favorite place to paddle surf is in Marina Del Rey on Mother's Beach. You can rent gear at Pro SUP Shop (located in the Jamaica Bay Inn parking lot)

Pro SUP Shop takes precautions by disinfecting equipment between each use and requires that both staff and customers wear masks during check-in and check-out.

Depending on the season, you might see stingrays near the shores and seals hanging out on the dock.

4- Hiking

There is no better way to discover Los Angeles than by hiking!

Make sure to wear the necessary shoes, have sunscreen, have enough water (my trick is to turn back once I only have half of my water left), and of course, have your mask on in case you cross other hikers.

I am still new to L.A, but here are a few spots that I have done so far.

• Los Liones Canyon Trail

• Murphy Ranch Trail

• Runyon canyon trail

• Bluff Creek Trail

Scuba diving in Santa Catalina Island

During my trip to Catalina Island, I got to scuba dive with Catalina Divers Supply. Because you will be paired with an instructor, it was not necessary to have any experience. The first part of the activity consisted to get familiar with the diver's sign language, do's and don'ts, and how the gear works before you head into the water.

After watching the introduction video and doing a paper test, we headed towards the Catalina Casino (by golf cart, of course!). Then, it was time to suit up, get all our scuba accessories on (that air tank was heavier than I thought) and put our knowledge to practice in the water. Once everything was good, we headed 30ft down the water! The water was cold, which was perfect for clarity.

Swimming through the kelp forests and between garibaldi and kelp basses was magical and so relaxing! It felt like time was slowing down. Look how bright and colorful those garibaldi fishes are! One funny thing our instructor Larry told us: do not chase the fishes! "The ocean is their home. You wouldn't want someone to come into your home and start chasing you in your living room!"

Overall, I enjoyed my first scuba diving experience, and I am glad that I got to do it with Larry and Richard. I would definitely recommend Catalina Divers Supply as I plan to go back and get my PADI Scuba Diving Certification next!

If scuba isn't your thing and still wants to explore the sea, you also have the option of renting gear (at a very reasonable price!) and snorkel instead.

A special thank you to Larry, who was our instructor, made us feel at ease. And Richard, who took fantastic shots of us while we were in the water!

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Plongée sous-marine sur l'île de Santa Catalina

Lors de notre voyage sur l'île de Catalina, nous avons pu faire de la plongée avec Catalina Divers Supply. Vue qu'on était jumelés avec un instructeur, il n'était pas nécessaire d'avoir d'expérience. La première partie de l'activité consistait à nous apprendre à se familiariser avec le language de signes du plongeur, ce qu'il faut faire et ne pas faire, et comment fonctionne l'équipement avant de vous mettre à l'eau.

Après avoir regardé la vidéo d'introduction et fait un test papier, nous nous sommes dirigés vers le Casino Catalina (en voiturette de golf, bien sûr!). Ensuite, il était temps d'enfiler notre combinaison de plongée et de s'équiper de nos accessoires (la réservoir d'air semblait plus lourde que j'imaginais!) et tester et pratiquer une dernière fois nos connaissances, et cette fois-ci, dans l'eau! Une fois que tout était nette, nous nous sommes dirigés à 30 pieds sous l'eau! L'eau était froide, ce qui était parfait pour la clarté.

Regardez comme ces poissons garibaldi sont brillants et colorés! Une chose amusante que notre instructeur Larry nous a dit: ne chasse pas les poissons! "L'océan est leur maison. Vous ne voudriez pas que quelqu'un vienne chez vous et commence à vous chasser dans votre salon!"

Dans l'ensemble, j'ai apprécié ma première expérience de plongée sous-marine. Je recommanderais certainement Catalina Divers Supply car je prévois d'y retourner et d'obtenir ma certification PADI Scuba Diving prochainement!

Si la plongée n'est pas votre truc et que vous voulez quand même explorer l'océan, vous avez également la possibilité de louer du matériel / équipement (et ce, à un prix très raisonnable!) Et de faire de la plongée avec un masque et un tuba à la place!

Un gros remerciement à Larry, qui était notre instructeur de plongé et qui nous a mis à l'aise, et à Richard, qui a pris des photos fantastiques de nous pendant que nous étions dans l'eau!

Catalina Divers Supply

catalinadiverssupply.com

310-510-0330

#GucciBeauty Network Studios

Gucci hosted a private party event to launch its new Gucci Lipsticks line and other beauty products.

Some of the new products included: a wide range of lip products such as lipsticks with different finishes such as glitter, matte, metallic, satin, sheer. If lipstick isn't your thing, they have lip balms for a soft color glow.

The Gucci Mascara L'Obscur has a buildable formula that will add volume and length to your eyelashes.

Different rooms were curated to get immersed with every beauty product, including a bar with all Gucci perfumes displayed for testing, a secret photo booth room that you get access by pulling a book out of a library, a room surrounded with mirrors to see yourself in 360 and a mini studio with a photographer.

If you are curious, I own Gucci Bloom, and it smells heavenly: it has a floral scent (jasmine, to be precise) without being too overwhelming. I use it almost every day. My next addition would be the Bloom Profumo di Fiori which came out recently (the one that recently came out, it's the yellow bottle!)

I love that Gucci uses models for their ad campaigns that are different from the "beauty standard" that would usually go.