A Lady Goes West

A healthy lifestyle blog by Ashley Pitt

Home
- Popular Posts
About
Fitness
Food
- What I Ate Wednesday
- Recipes
Clean Beauty
Mom Life
Press
Contact
- Privacy Policy

Latest Post

The best gifts for Mother's Day 2021 by A Lady Goes West

The best gifts for Mother’s Day 2021

April 27, 2021 2 Comments

This post about the best gifts for Mother’s Day 2021 was fun to put together, because I felt like I was your personal shopper when doing it. Yes, Mother’s Day is coming up Sunday, May 9 in the U.S.! Hello, my friends! I hope you had a nice weekend. How are we already into the […]

Recent Posts

Second vaccine by A Lady Goes West

Current faves: Beautycounter sale, sneakers, life and workouts

How to start meditating and why you should start by A Lady Goes West

How to start meditating and why you should start

Enjoying LEAD by A Lady Goes West

Current faves: LEAD conference, “Shameless” and workouts

Popular Posts

The five best Beautycounter products for aging skin and fine lines by A Lady Goes West

The five best Beautycounter products for aging skin and fine lines

The best workouts on Les Mills On Demand by A Lady Goes West

The best workouts on Les Mills On Demand

What I've learned while working with a life coach by A Lady Goes West

What I’ve learned while working with a life coach

More Popular Posts

Hi, I'm Ashley. I'm a mom and fitness instructor living in Charlotte, North Carolina. I love to help you live a balanced life with no extremes, making sure you never skip a rest day. A Lady Goes West is where I share my workouts, simple meals, clean beauty tips and wellness insight with you. Find out more about me and stay awhile!

Connect with me

Search This Blog

Get my ebook

Recent Posts

The best gifts for Mother’s Day 2021
Current faves: Beautycounter sale, sneakers, life and workouts
How to start meditating and why you should start
Current faves: LEAD conference, “Shameless” and workouts
Ask-me-anything A Lady Goes West Advice Corner: second edition

SIGN UP FOR A FREE GIFT

Get a free "How to have a great week of workouts" checklist and action plan when you sign up for the list. Your email address will automatically be added and stored to receive new posts by email and more. See the Privacy Policy for details.

Connect

The latest on Instagram

Hi, friends, I’ve got a tidbit to say. Just so y

Hi, friends, I’ve got a tidbit to say. Just so you know, it’s the little things -- in wellness and in life. In general everyday life, appreciating the little things is so important for your happiness and quality of life. But when it comes to establishing a healthier lifestyle or making changes to your wellness, it’s ALSO the little things! I recently finished the book “Atomic Habits” by @jamesclear and there was a ton of great info in it. But the most simple idea is this: TINY (or atomic) habits or changes lead to big things over time, even if the improvement is minuscule day by day. If you see something in your life you want to improve, take a tiny step in the right direction every day, and one day it’ll lead to a breakthrough. We don’t have to overhaul everything all at once in order to get where we want to go. So if you have something you are working toward, don’t stress yourself with big sweeping plans, instead do one thing slightly better each day and see where it gets you. More water? More steps? More sleep? More veggies? Less screen time? It will add up, if you stick with it. I’ll be over here doing the same. -xoxo, Ashley

I’m officially a Charlotte-Mecklenburg County li

I’m officially a Charlotte-Mecklenburg County library card holder, and I’m pumped about it. I hadn’t browsed in a library in far too long, and I checked out nine books today (maybe a little bit ambitious, but some were for Brady). Before COVID back in California, I used the library a ton — I took Brady to story-time, I set up there to work while he was at preschool, and I always had a rotation of books checked out. It made me read more and branch out too. While there may be many more fun things for a mom to do alone on a Saturday afternoon, I throughly enjoyed this choice today. Hope you had a good one.

Meditate much? (Here's how to start.) I know medit

Meditate much? (Here's how to start.) I know meditation seems so fluffy, but it's actually something with proven benefits that can work for anyone. I've been meditating daily for more than two years, but I wanted to start long before I did -- I just didn't know how to get going. And by the way, if you don't think you have the time to meditate, that probably means you need it in your life more than you know. Also, once you start meditating you may notice a host of improvements in your life, like decreased stress, increased patience and much more (I've even felt more grateful since I started). It's a minimal investment of time, so what have you got to lose if you try it?
.
Here's how I suggest you get started meditating:
1. Download the @headspace app and try guided meditation. There's even a free trial, and they have the best beginner meditations, where they literally tell you exactly what to do. I currently use the @calm and wouldn't suggest it for beginners.
2. Choose the same time each day to meditate, and stick to that same time. And it doesn't have to be in the morning.
3. Keep it short. Even five minutes a day can do the trick.
4. Invest in noise-canceling headphones to level up your audio experience. I have @beatsbydre studio headphones and love them.
5. Tell anyone you live with about your new meditation practice, so they can respect your routine and help keep you accountable.
6. Create a meditation space in your home, and make it comfortable, so you look forward to being in it. Sitting up is best, and a bed, a chair or a couch will do fine.
7. Know that you can't be bad at meditation, and you just have to try. It's like exercise for the mind, so keep showing up!
.
If you want to read more tips on how to start meditating, I wrote a whole post on it this week, and you can find that here: https://aladygoeswest.com/how-to-start-meditating-and-why-you-should-start/
.
I'd love to know. Do you meditate?
.
Have a great weekend, friends. Stay mindful! 🧘🏼‍♀️

But in all seriousness, no shoes in the house. Are

But in all seriousness, no shoes in the house. Are you with me? It’s not just a cleanliness thing, when you leave your shoes at the door when you come home, you’ll also leave all the toxins and bacteria you picked up all day there at the door too. And walking around in bare feet is good for your feet. Maybe I’m in the minority here, but just say no to shoes in the house. 👣😊

How many times have you thought back on what you w

How many times have you thought back on what you were doing this time last year? For me: I do that all the time. While I don’t like to live in the past, I do like to use perspective as a tool for my mindset in the present. And I’m feeling so much growth, change and lessons from a really tough year of challenges with the pandemic and other stuff. Now, when I’m out and about and enjoying somewhat normal things, I have a sense of gratitude that wasn’t there before, based on everything that happened. Have you noticed this too? If not, give it a go, because a lot can change in a year, and I’m hoping some things are better for you now than they were this time last year. Also, swipe through for the photo-bomber, who is always just a step away. It’s the little things, friends.

It’s been 3.5 months since we moved back to the

It’s been 3.5 months since we moved back to the east coast, after our 8-year adventure out west. In the last couple of months, we’ve bought and moved into a house, enrolled Brady in preschool, met some super-nice people, hosted family visitors, and I may have even found my new gym home too, which is so exciting ... The thing is: When we were talking about moving cross-country months ago, it seemed so overwhelming to think of everything we needed to do, and I couldn’t wait to get it all over with. Well, even though life remains busy, so much of the big transition is behind us, and it’s such a good feeling. We still have a lot to learn about our new city, but it’s totally starting to feel like home. Here’s your friendly reminder that if you’re in the midst of overwhelming transitions, remember that eventually you’ll get through the other side. 😍

Load More... Follow on Instagram

As seen on

A Lady Goes West is a personal blog meant for entertainment purposes only and does not serve as a substitute for professional advice from your own doctor, trainer or nutritionist. While I'm a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor, the workouts, food and plans I post are what works for me and may not work for you. Please enjoy these stories and tips from my life, but proceed with caution. Also, know that affiliate links and sponsored posts appear from time-to-time, and I appreciate your support. For more information about how your data is stored, visit my Privacy Policy. Thanks for reading!

Copyright © 2021 Ashley Pitt (A Lady Goes West) · Design by MakeMe{dia}Over