A friend-filled weekend and my workouts

Happy Monday! What a weekend it was, my friends. But man, it went by far too fast. 

Attending a dinner party on Friday evening

On Friday evening, Dave and I went over to a friends’ house for a dinner party. The theme was New Orleans-esque, so we ate spicy jambalaya, gumbo and cornbread, and it was totally delicious. Our hosts for the night made the entrees and dessert, while the rest of us brought beer, wine and appetizers as our contributions.

New Orleans dinner party via A Lady Goes WestFlavorful food and a lovely table to eat it. Now that’s a dinner party.

There were four couples in attendance, so the ladies sat on one side of the table, and the guys on the other. And after dinner, the guys went outside to hang out, while the ladies stayed at the table — so funny how these couple activities always work out. It was a very casual and laid-back evening, which was also very fun. I love this group of friends we have and really enjoy the fact that we constantly have good plans to look forward to with them.

Hosting a blogger meet-up on Saturday afternoon 

On Saturday, I hosted an event for bloggers at Orangetheory Fitness in downtown Walnut Creek, and it turned out even better than I had expected. I want to give you all the photos and details of the day, so we’ll get to the full recap of that event tomorrow. Stay tuned for the whole story, but here’s just a preview.

Enjoying a casual dinner out on Saturday night

On Saturday evening, Dave and I went out for dinner to Salvatore Ristorante, a cute Italian spot in downtown Walnut Creek for our usual weekend carb-fest. We didn’t have a reservation, so we opted to walk up and sit at the bar. We had some mozzarella cheese and bread as an appetizer, then each got our own entrees and split a white chocolate cheesecake for dessert. I was very pleased with our food and would definitely go back.

Dinner at Salvatore Ristorante in Walnut Creek via A Lady Goes WestNot the best lighting for photos, but here’s a look at our tasty appetizers.

When we came home, as we do on Saturday nights, we watched some funny YouTube videos, including Amy Schumer’s recent Saturday Night Live opening monologue, which had me literally “LOL” Good stuff.

Getting things done on a lazy Sunday

On Sunday, Dave and I laid around each working on the computer for much of the morning. Finally, we decided to get some activity, so I hopped on my bike and Dave ran alongside me as we headed to the gym. When we arrived, we each did a 40-minute full-body weights workout, which wasn’t too difficult, but just the right amount of challenge for the day. Perhaps the highlight of Sunday was this …

Rudy in my bike basket via A Lady Goes WestI’m pretty sure this photo needs no caption. I can’t even begin to take this level of cuteness.

In the afternoon, I folded clothes, we went to the grocery store, I had a work conference call and then we made a pizza for dinner (that’s two weeks-in-a-row on Sunday, so perhaps we’re bringing back Pizza Night on the reg?) And that was the weekend!

My recent weekly fitness and workouts recap

Every Monday, I like to take a look at my most recent week of workouts. And this week, I’m doing so as part of a “Week in Review” link-up with Meghan, so let’s get to it …

Weekly workouts via A Lady Goes West(Photo credit to Leah Bentley Photography, 2015.)

Weekly Workouts 

  • Monday: Taught a one-hour BODYATTACK class, foam rolling
  • Tuesday: Did a 40-minute yoga session at home
  • Wednesday: Taught a one-hour BODYPUMP class, foam rolling
  • Thursday: Taught a 45-minute BODYPUMP and a 30-minute core class, foam rolling
  • Friday: Took a one-hour power yoga class
  • Saturday: Did a 20-minute yoga session at home
  • Sunday: Did a 40-minute full-body weights workout

What was good about my week of workouts?

If you check out these recaps each week, you’ll see that I taught a lot less Les Mills group fitness classes this past week, and that was purposeful. I’ve given up few classes here and there to free up my schedule. That being said, I used some of my free days to do yoga and actually did yoga three times, which is huge for me. I also lifted weights three times, did a core workout and just one official cardio session (BODYATTACK). While I didn’t have a full “rest” day, two of the days had nothing but short yoga sessions, which provided plenty of active recovery. Overall, this past week was just right.

What could have been better about my week of workouts?

I’m always striving for a balanced week with equal parts cardio and strength training, but because I’ve cut down on days of intense exercise recently, I’m actually okay with more strength than cardio. If I had to choose one form of exercise to do more of, it would most definitely be resistance and weights. Overall, this past week was fine, so I’ve got no complaints.

That’s all I’ve got for today, my friends. Have a great day!

Track your workouts to stay accountable. #FitFluential #SweatPink #WeeklyWorkouts #fitness Click To Tweet

Questions of the day

What did you do this weekend?

How many “rest” days to you take each week?

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53 Comments

  1. So glad that the dinner party was a success! You had some of my favorite foods–I adore creole style cooking. Sadly, there would have been very little that I would have been actually able to eat, but I would have been sampling like crazy!

  2. A white chocolate cheesecake sounds delicious, Ashley! Can’t wait to hear about this blogger meet-up :)! I usually have 1 full rest day from working out and then a 2nd one which is more of an active recovery e.g. a walk or swim! It seems to be working well for me both in terms of my schedule and overall performance!

  3. OMG! Rudy in that basket <3 I die. I have always wanted to carry a dog in a bike basket… I have big life goals haha 😉 ANYWAYS! It sounds like you had a nice weekend – lotsa fun and relaxation as well. I typically take one rest day per week – Most of the time it is Thursdays based on my how schedule works out. Have a great Monday!

    1. Hahaha LIFE GOALS! That’s funny, Becky. Good work on the rest day. I almost always save mine until Sunday, but that’s been changing lately. 🙂 I think you teach PUMP On Sunday though, so that’s why it’s good you have your during the week.

  4. SO sad that I don’t live in California because that meet up looked like so much fun. You know I would be all over that if it wasn’t across the country! Are you thinking about coming to Pittsburgh soon?! Meetup 2.0 🙂

  5. Salvatores looks so yum…that bread!! And, that DOG!!! I smile about you and Dave lying around on computers on Sunday, story of my bf & my life all weekend 😛 Just takes a little discipline to stop working/doing personal admin and get outside! We watched Froning (Crossfit documentary) instead, but it was a step 😉

    1. Ha! Yes, Jill — GET OFF the computer and do something. It’s so hard sometimes. And I NEVER watch documentaries, but would love to, so thanks for the reminder. Happy Monday, lady!

  6. That dinner party sounds like so much fun! My hubby and I have yet to find friends in our new home town, but we havent exactly looked yet! Im excited to meet some people and have nice dinners like the one you had. And what yummy looking food!
    Oh my gosh and your pup…so cute!

    1. Hi Kat! You’ll find friends! It just takes time. Are you guys doing any intramural sports teams? We definitely would have turned to that after moving to SF had we not found friends in other ways. It’s quite social heheh! 🙂 Happy Monday to you!!

  7. Oh my goodness that picture of Rudy is too cute! I’m sure he loved the bike ride 🙂 It sounds like you guys had a great weekend! I’m looking forward to hearing more about the blogger meet up. That jambalaya looks SO GOOD! Happy Monday, Ashley!

  8. Yay for friend-filled weekends!! I had a good weekend – I had a girls weekend in New Orleans!! Such fun.
    I try to take 1-2 days off each week, but it’s not always successful. I need to be better about not running and doing cross training and at least giving my body a little of a rest.

  9. Rudy in the basket is adorable!
    So cute how he is sitting in there! Looks so content!
    Do you do recipe swaps with your friends? Would love the jambalaya recipe!

  10. Love Rudy in your bike basket…soo cute!

    We had a busy weekend of chores, errands and our friends son was baptised on Sunday so it was filled with friends, food and winnneee…I think I finally found a red wine I love! Also I love the lipstick you’re wearing on your date night ( creepy sounding…lol) I can never pull off a dark lipstick and you do it so well!

    Monday has started off with a bang by trying out the new BodyPump release..whoaaa..I’m gonig to be sore!!!! Today is my wedding anniversary (2 years!) but we are holding off on dinner for a few days so we can get a babysitter 🙂

    Looks like you had an awesome weekend!

    1. Happy Anniversary, Fiona!! 🙂 Yay!! And Dave hates that dark lipstick, but I sure love it hehehe. And BODYPUMP 95 has more than 1,000 reps, so yes, it’s tough. Happy Monday, lady!

  11. What a fun weekend! That jambalaya looks amazing! I’m going to New Orleans this weekend for the first time and I’m psyched to try some authentic food 🙂

    PS – that pic of your pup in the basket is adorable!! Wish Mr. Chow could fit in my bike’s basket 🙂

  12. Looks like a great weekend with a wonderful balance of fitness and fun!
    I got in a 7.5 mile run on Sat and Sun I did 8 miles.
    Sat I took my kids (2 and 4) and this cute 1.1 Mile Walk called the Monster Mile. Proceeds went to charity and the kids got to dress up a week earlier than Halloween.
    Have a great week!

  13. That sounds like such a fun weekend! I love Sunday’s that are slow and easy like that. This weekend I made a trip to Columbus for a 4 mile fun race with my sister and a friend. It was so nice to go home and spend some time with my family, but wow that drive haha

  14. I’m pretty sure I could eat mozzarella and bread all day, every day. So. Much. Carby. Goodness.

    Your pup is absolutely adorable, and you are a workout machine. Are you training for something big?

    Happy Monday, and thanks for linking up.

    1. Hi Meghan! Well, as a group fitness instructor and trainer, I’m always at the gym — so my week of workouts are always pretty heavy. 🙂 And YES to all the carbs. Happy Monday!

  15. I love the New Orleans themed dinner party jambalaya is one of my favs! Your all weekend looked so delicious! As for rest days, I have a really hard time doing nothing, but know it’s good for my body to take it easy every so often. I usually do a yoga video as well once or twice a week. I’m obsessed with Grokker after reading about it on your blog. Have a great week!

    1. Hi Patricia! I typically always like to have a FULL rest day, but light yoga works too. Glad you know the importance of that too! And yes, Grokker has some awesome choices! Good for you!! 🙂

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