During an election season, it’s easy to stay glued to your phone, getting updates as results roll in, doom-scrolling hot takes, and watching clips of commentators giving their two cents on what’s happening in the country and what it could mean for the days ahead.
If you’re in need of a post-election reset, or just looking for a way to unplug for an hour or so, here are some activities you can do across Southern California to help you take a break.
Morning moisture hovers in the valleys as hikers climb the Billy Goat Trail in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Foothill Ranch, CA on Sunday, July 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workout
As Elle Woods once said “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.” If you’re familiar with “Legally Blonde” you know there’s more to the quote, but let’s focus on that first part. Studies have shown that exercising can help improve your mood, relieve stress and even help you sleep better.
Getting outside and going on a walk or run is certainly one way to get some fresh air and ease your mind. Hikes are another way to not only get in some exercise but also to unplug, take a break from the city and surround yourself with nature.
Related: 8 Orange County hikes to hidden wilderness gems
Another option is a guided workout class, allowing you to focus on the task at hand and take everything one step at a time.
Indoor cycling classes are a popular way to get your body moving through a curated playlist designed by the fitness instructor. SoulCycle has five Southern California locations in Brentwood, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Pasadena and Manhattan Beach. Other local fitness studio chains that offer cycling classes include Cyclebar and Orangetheory Fitness.
HIIT classes, or High Intensity Interval Training classes, are another way to clock out for an hour. Trainingmates class structure rotates participants through various strength and cardio workouts. The chain has become well known for its Aussie instructors, having been featured on Khloe Kardashian’s E! series “Revenge Body.” The studio has 6 Southern California locations in Culver City, Santa Monica, Glendale, Studio City, Redondo Beach and West Hollywood.
Boxing Gloves, designed with palm trees and their logo, hang on display on the walls in the lobby of BoxUnion. (Carolyn Burt, SCNG)
Boxing classes can be a healthy way to help relieve stress, while also growing confidence in self-defense skills. Local boxing studios like Box Union and Rumble Boxing provide classes that split between punching the bag and a strength workout. Both also benefit from the instructor’s ability to curate a music playlist around the class.
Box Union focuses on boxing to the beat of the music, whereas Rumble Boxing is similar to a nightclub with the use of black lights, but in the form of a fitness class. Each studio has multiple Southern California locations.
Box Union has three studios in Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks and West Hollywood. Rumble Boxing has five Southern California locations in West Hollywood, Burbank, Long Beach, Newport Beach and Irvine, as well as two more on the way in Pasadena and Chino.
Cooking Class
Recent studies have shown that cooking can have a positive impact on your mental health. Taking cooking classes is not only a way to build your skills in the kitchen, but also can lead to a new hobby at home. They’re also a class you can take with friends, parents, children or a significant other. And on top of all that, at the end of the class, you have a tasty meal to try.
Related: Love Trader Joe’s? Try these 6 simple fall party recipes
Many kitchen supply stores, such as Sur La Table and Eatly, offer classes. There are also places such as The Gourmandise School in Santa Monica, where the primary function of the space is to offer cooking classes. Claremont Chefs Academy offers classes for both adults and children and this year, they even have a Thanksgiving camp for kids during their Thanksgiving break from school.
Art Class
Who doesn’t love a craft night? Painting can be an emotional release for many. It’s why there’s been a trend of friends putting on a Bob Ross episode and learning to paint one of his classic artworks. It’s also why we’ve seen the rise of paint and sip classes, where you can learn to paint a design while also sipping some vino and snacking on a charcuterie board. Plus, you get to take home a new piece of DIY artwork.
Pottery allows you to be present and focus on what’s in front of you.
And if you’re trying to find a happy medium between pottery and painting, Color Me Mine is another art class you can take. You can paint practical items you use every day like a mug or a bowl as well as fun figurines.
Crumbs & Whiskers Cat Cafe in Los Angeles, Calif. (Carolyn Burt, SCNG)
Spend Time With Animals
Would you believe it if I told you that Los Angeles is home to multiple cat cafes? Crumbs and Whiskers in West Hollywood serves as a foster home for cats where patrons can also adopt the cats after getting to know them. There’s also the Cat Cafe Lounge in West Los Angeles that, in addition to visiting the cat cafe, the lounge also hosts events such as painting classes, sound bath sessions and cat yoga.
Instructor Tanya Edgley with Hello Critter leads a group of people through a round of Goat Yoga at King Harbor Brewery in Redondo Beach, CA on March 10th, 2024. (Photo by Gil Castro-Petres, Contributing Photographer)
Speaking of animal yoga, groups like Laughing Frog Yoga and Hello Critter offer goat yoga sessions in Southern California. The classes are structured like a typical yoga class, but there are cute animals that roam around and potentially hop on your back while you’re in child’s pose.
Fans look on as the Rolling Stones perform at a sold-out SoFi Stadium on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. The Stones will play a second concert at Sofi Stadium on Saturday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Live Entertainment
Southern California is home to some of the most iconic live music venues. Upcoming artists performing across Southern California include Sabrina Carpenter at both the Crypto.com Arena and the Forum, The Avett Brothers at the Greek Theatre and Kiss of Life at the House of Blues in Anaheim. And for those who are fans of live orchestras performing a pop culture soundtrack, “Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert” is coming to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Additionally, there are plenty of live theatre productions coming to town in both national tours and regional productions. Jason Alexander of “Seinfeld” fame is returning to the stage in “Fiddler on the Roof” at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. Green Day’s “American Idiot” is being produced in collaboration with Deaf West Theatre at the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles until Nov. 16.
The Pantages Theatre in Hollywood will be home to the classic film turned Broadway hit “Back to the Future: The Musical” through Dec. 1. Once that show completes its stay in LA, another “popular” show will return to the Pantages from Dec. 4 – Feb. 2. “Wicked” is the musical prequel to what happened in the Land of Oz before Dorothy’s arrival and how an unlikely pair was able to blossom from not understanding one another into a beautiful friendship.
Speaking of “Wicked,” the worldwide phenomenon is hitting the big screen this month as part one of the film hits theaters on Nov. 22. If snacking on popcorn and relaxing in a recliner chair is more your speed when it comes to relaxing, there are plenty of new movies now playing or coming soon to cinemas such as the “bring your tissues” film “We Live in Time;” the sequel to one of Disney’s most beloved films in recent times “Moana 2;” and a variety of new holiday films including “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” and “Red One.”
