A new puppy, my workouts and my weekend
Hello friends! I hope your weekend was just great. Mine was huge, and you’ll see why soon! Today, I’ve got a little weekend recap for you and a look at my most recent week of workouts.
Grilling out on Friday and working on Saturday
My weekend started out with something a little bit different. On Friday night, Dave and I decided to do an impromptu happy hour by our pool, because it was such a beautiful evening, and we wanted some fresh air. After that, we made dinner at home on the grill. (Who are we staying home on a Friday night two weeks-in-a-row? I don’t know, but it’s not so bad, seeing as I have to wake up by 6 a.m. every Saturday to work anyhow.)
His and hers beverages, enjoyed alongside some East Bay breezes and an empty pool.
On Saturday morning, I taught two super-full classes at Orangetheory Fitness. These classes both had wait-lists days in advance, which makes me very happy to see so many people clamoring to get into the Orange Zone and sweat. After teaching, I headed home to fit in a yoga session and shower up before we went out on a special mission …
Growing our family with our first pet
That mission was to meet and pick up a little fuzzball. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Rudy Pitt. He is a three-pound, 12-week-old Maltipoo puppy, who has already stolen our hearts. We knew we wanted a small dog, and boy, he is the perfect one for us.
I am so excited to introduce you to our newest family member, who has messy fur and a whole lot of energy!
Dave and I had been talking about getting a dog ever since we moved to a bigger place outside of the City, and it finally happened this weekend. While Rudy is still a little too young for long walks, he will be an integral part of our lives and lucky enough for us, the Bay Area is very dog-friendly. I’m pretty sure I will quickly become one of those dog-obsessed people, so bear with me. But at least he provides a great model for photos, doesn’t he?
Once we got him home, we spent the afternoon getting acclimated to having Rudy and playing with him non-stop. Then, in the evening, we stayed true to our plan to try new things …
Great food and scene at Kanishka’s Gastropub
After having several poor dining experiences in the Walnut Creek area at first, which slowed down our restaurant explorations a bit, Dave and I have finally been going to the right spots over the last month. In fact, in just a few weeks, I’ll probably be able to create a list of the top restaurants in the East Bay, to follow up my very popular Top 25 restaurants in San Francisco list.
We typically go to Italian, Mexican, California-inspired or Japanese restaurants, but on Saturday, we branched out and hit up an Indian restaurant recommended to us by my coworker at Orangetheory. We went to Kanishka’s Gastropub in downtown Walnut Creek, walked right in and found a seat at the bar. Right away the scene was great, with dark lighting, good decor and a cozy setting.
A look at some of our delicious small-plate neo-Indian food, consumed on the stainless steel bar in Kanishka’s.
We had a roasted beet salad with crostini, garbanzo bean lettuce cups and absolutely delicious lamb sliders. While there was a little spice in everything we ate, we steered clear of the super spicy, knowing that neither of us are very good with it. Also, the bartender was chatty and helpful, letting us sample beverages and guiding our ordering decisions, which added to the night. Overall, Kanishka’s was a wonderful dining experience and one that we would repeat in an instant. Great recommendation!
Game day for the Golden State Warriors
On Sunday, Dave and I both did some chores and work at home before it was game time! Dave left early to work the game, and then I hitched a ride with some friends and we hopped on the BART to make the trek to the arena. I enjoyed every minute of that game as a fan, even though after overtime the Warriors did not come away with the win. Let me tell you, if you’ve never been to a championship professional sporting event, you’ve never heard the volume that we experienced in Oracle Arena. Man it was loud. The energy was great, and I loved it. I’m so excited for the Warriors to be in the Finals, and we’re going to come back strong in Game Three, I know it!
Bad seats, great team! Strength in Numbers at the NBA Finals Game Two at home with some lovely lady friends and thousands of other loyal fans.
A little disappointed with the showing, I rode home with Dave once the game was finished, and we were so ready to get back to see our little furry friend. He needed some serious play-time to unwind before we went to bed, so we did that for a bit and that was pretty much the end of the weekend. A good one! Now, let’s switch gears a bit and get to the fitness …
My weekly workout recap
It’s Monday, so it’s time to look through my last week of workouts, as I do every single week.
(Photo credit to Leah Bentley Photography, 2015.)
Weekly Workouts
- Monday – Taught a one-hour BODYATTACK class, foam rolling
- Tuesday – Took a one-hour Orangetheory class, foam rolling
- Wednesday – Taught a one-hour BODYATTACK class, foam rolling
- Thursday – Took a one-hour Orangetheory class, foam rolling
- Friday – Taught a one-hour BODYATTACK class, did 15 minutes of yoga at home
- Saturday – Did 40 minutes of power yoga with weights at home
- Sunday – Rest day
What was good about my week of workouts?
I was back in business this past week after a couple of weeks with less workouts due to travel to Florida. My high point of the week was pushing myself in Tuesday’s Orangetheory class to sprint at a 9 mile-per-hour pace at 9 percent-incline, which is incredibly tough. Other than that, I got in four sessions of cardio and three sessions of resistance, with a little bit of yoga and a full rest day thrown in. A great balance — although there were definitely five intense days-in-a-row — rounded out with a light day of yoga on Saturday.
What could have been better about my week of workouts?
Heavier weight-training perhaps? I’ve been lifting weights three-times-a-week as best as I can, but I haven’t been in the gym for a solo session in a while. The good news is that as a participant in an Orangetheory class, I get to focus on my own reps, form and weight selection, so it certainly holds me over. Overall, I’m happy with the week, but I’m starting to miss other forms of exercise, like barre and hot yoga. I may need to visit some new studios soon to take care of that!
There you go! Today, I’m teaching at Orangetheory in the morning and then teaching BODYATTACK tonight. I hope you have a wonderful Monday, and don’t forget today is the last day to enter to win a sports bra from Title Nine, so go for it! Oh and by the way, happy birthday to my beautiful and amazingly wonderful Momma!
Questions of the day
How was your weekend?
What is one workout that you want to add to your regular routine?
Do you have any pets?
Rudy is adorable! OMG. That little face! Glad you had a great weekend Ashley 🙂
Thanks, Chrissy! Get ready for too many dog photos coming up heheh! 🙂 Hope you had a nice weekend too, lady!
Congrats on the new family member! Getting Zoe is a decision that changed my life in so many ways for the better–I really needed a companion with how much Alex is/isn’t there. And it was great to have something to care for that could also take care of itself! Puppies are a bit more hands on, so we are waiting for a little bit longer before we get one, but I grew up with dogs, so I can’t wait!
Hi Susie! I feel ya, with a husband who works in the NBA, I also need the companion heheh! So far it’s great to have some company in an empty house just a couple of days in!
Oh and Zoe is a great name for a pet!
Rudy is so adorable! Congrats on the new family member! How did you come up with the name? It’s so cute!
Hi Megan! We thought it was a cute name, and Dave was born in South Bend where Notre Dame is (where RUDY played and was named) hehe, so it seemed like a funny fit. We are LOVING this little guy so far!! Hope you had a nice weekend! 🙂
Oh my gosh! Rudy is so adorable. I just love him! Seems like he’ll be quite a great cuddler 🙂 Sorry to hear about the loss for the Warriors, but maybe they’ll come back in game 3!
Hi Heather! We came home a little upset about the loss of the Warriors last night, but our little cuddler quickly cheer us up hehe! You are right, he is good at it. Hope you had a nice weekend! 🙂
Rudy is absolutely precious! Can’t wait to see lots more of him in upcoming posts and Instagram pictures!
Have a wonderful Monday.
Hi Courtney! As you can imagine, my phone is already full of pictures of him. I don’t want to flood the newsfeed, but it’s inevitable hahah! 🙂 Happy Monday to you!
Rudy is so cute! I saw your pic on Instagram over the weekend, and was looking forward to hearing more. I am sure he will make it to future posts. We hope to get a dog in our future too. I am not sure about the breed yet though. You made a good decision. Have a great week!
Hi Lauren! We did a little research beforehand of course, and decided on a smaller dog, because we don’t have a big yard or anything currently. And once we met him, we were SURE it was right. Good luck in your dog search, I will tell you that he has already added so much to our lives in just two days! 🙂 heheh Happy Monday!
Ohh congratulations on the puppy! Enjoy every minute of it! We have a 4 year old Boxer/Bulldog and LET me tell you, he keeps you active!!! You’ll have so much fun and it’s like an added bonus to get in some exercise no matter what, even if it’s a short walk around the block!
We had a pretty good weekend, mixed with prenatal class, a family bbq and two trips to Ikea-ugh..lol…Hope you have a fab week!
Hi Fiona, All I can get out of your comment is two trips to Ikea. You poor thing. I’m guessing you are looking for nursery stuff, so it was important? hahah! And yes, I’m looking forward to taking Rudy on more walks when he is bigger. YAY for pets and being active! Have a great Monday!
Oh my gosh, Rudy is a cutie!!!! 🙂 Congrats on the new addition to the family!
Thank you, Liz! Sooooo loving this little puppy and it’s only been two days. Hope you had a nice weekend! 😉
Oh my gosh RUDY! SO cute. I love smaller dogs – if you can’t tell from my LOVE of my own dog on my blog. I also love the name Rudy. I went to Saint Mary’s right across from ND and am a huge ND fan. I actually was a student manager and painted the football helmets came gold before each game just like Rudy does in the movie.
Hi Sara! That’s awesome! We chose the name Rudy because it was cute, but my hubs was actually born in South Bend, so he has a tie to Notre Dame that way. Right?? 🙂 hhehe LOVE that you painted the helmets like Rudy did. Here’s to a great week, lady! Dog lovers unite!
Hahaha that is awesome! 574 Represent 🙂 (That is SB area code ha)
Rudy is SO adorable!!! Congrats on the new addition- I was just talking to Scott about maybe getting another puppy…he didn’t seem too thrilled 😉
Hi Katie! hahaha More than one dog would be a lot, I’m sure! But boy puppies are so cute! Just keep asking Scott … 🙂
So excited for you to get a dog! We got Selma back in September, and my life has been so much better since then! She’s always there to cheer me up when I’m having a bad day, and is the best dog ever. Rudy is the cutest and I love that name! Congratulations- and I hope you do become a crazy dog mama and send me lots of pictures of Rudy on Snapchat 🙂
Let’s go Dubs!! Excited for Game 3!
Oh Gretchen, Lots of doggie pics are headed your way. And Selma is a cute name for a doggie too. Tough loss last night, but Rudy cheered us up when we got home! 🙂
Congrats on the new puppy!!! Rudy is so adorable and I love that name! 🙂 I have an 11 year old yellow lab and she has brought so much joy to my family. Dogs are the best!!
Hi Melanie! I had no idea how much he would add to our lives in just two days haha! I’m going to become a weirdo dog person now, I can sense it!! heheh! Yay for your lab! 🙂 Happy Monday!
Oh congratulations! My family dog is a 10 year old Maltipoo named Bennett that my sisters and I adore! Jon and I have our own family dog named Lilly who is a big lab mix. I’m so happy for you two. We love having a dog. I hope Rudy has settled in nicely! Happy Monday 🙂
Hi Jenna! Three cheers for Maltipoo puppies! Love them! Rudy is quite energetic, but I can tell he already feels at home hehe! Hope you had a nice weekend! 🙂
Aww yay Rudy!! He’s too cute 🙂 When we got Harvey (our Welsh Corgi), we stopped going out all the time, because we just hate to leave him behind. You should check out the Bob-a-lot, http://www.amazon.com/StarMark-Bob-A-Lot-Interactive-Pet-Large/dp/B001JQLNB4, this is how we feed our dog, and he loves it, it’s a food puzzle, and keeps him from eating too fast– aka, let’s me make my breakfast without being bugged.
Oh my gosh, Jessie! That thing is awesome! We totally will need to get that. And I was JUST saying to Dave, I’ve never calculated how many hours we would be gone until this weekend when having Rudy. Like — oh man– 8 hours to be gone for the NBA Finals game — can we cut that down a bit?? hahah! Get ready for dog pictures galore on A Lady Goes West! And thanks SO much for the cool dog feeding link!
Ahh welcome to the dog owner world! Rudy is adorable! And hey don’t worry about becoming obsessed, I have a golden retriever (not the smallest or most portable dog haha) and I practically take him everywhere with me, except the grocery store! They are hard not to become obsessed with!
Hi Hilary! Yes, you have a beautiful doggie, I’ve seen in your pics! And I’m hoping it’s easy to bring Rudy with us, since he will stay so small hehe. Yay for dog lovers!! Hope you had a nice weekend, lady!
Congrats on becoming parents!! It’s good prep 🙂 We have a cat which is funny because I hate cats. I grew up with a dog but not sure I could handle a dog right now on top of the boys. Cats are easy and can pretty much take care of themselves so it’s not as big a deal, lol. BTW, those lulu pants look amazing on you. I saw them in store and knew I could never pull them off, but you do it well!
Hi Sue! I had cats growing up and they are funny little animals! And yes, already, having a dog is a lot of work! Not sure you need to add that to your list of things to care for hhehe! And thanks for the love, I do enjoy my Lulu pants! Hope you had a nice weekend! 🙂
Aw, yay for a new puppy! Rudy is just adorable! We have two labs and while I don’t love their shedding, I do love them SO much! They are wonderful with Hunter and just so much fun.
Ahhh, very cool that you got to go to the game last night! We had some friends over to watch it. It was definitely an intense game! I bet the arena was crazy.
Did you cut out BODYPUMP now that you’re at OT?
Hi Ashley! The arena was insane, even though we lost, the fans were awesome. I seriously love the Warriors and it means we’ll have a game five at home. They’ll come back! Glad you watched.
As far as BODYPUMP, no, I still have one BODYPUMP class a week, but I had it covered last week so I could go to a Rocksbox event. I’d love to get another BODYPUMP, but I’m just teaching so many classes at this point, I think one will have to do. 🙁
And YAY for doggies! I’m already obsessed heheh! Happy Monday!
Where did you find your puppy!? I have heard Tony LaRussa’s ARF has a great resources for dogs in Walnut Creek.
Hi Alexa! We found him from a family on Craigslist. We looked at ARF and all the rescue sites around the Bay, but none of them had the kind of doggie we were looking for. He is soooo perfect!! 🙂 Are you in the market for a dog??
Sadly, I’m allergic and my current rental doesn’t allow doggies. Good luck with your puppy!
Thanks, Alexa!! 🙂 We couldn’t have pets in our last place either.
What a fun weekend! That game was brutal… I thought I was going to be sick a few times.. I was so nervous! Congrats on the new pup!!
I want to add in more foam rolling! How long do you foam roll every night?
Hi Carrie! I only foam roll for five minutes tops — just hit the major areas that need work. I probably should do it longer, but I think five minutes is enough. And oh man that game last night — tough! But I’m hoping game five ends it with a Warriors win!
You are going to love being a fur-baby mamma! I have two dogs and I am obsessed. Rudy is adorable! Enjoy!
Oh Lindsey, I am already obsessed. Dog-lovers unite! heheh!! Hope you have a wonderful day! Are you sore from your hike? hahah
My ankles were sore the next day! I need some new hiking boots with ankle support (aka an excuse to buy new shoes)!
P.S. The hardest part about having a puppy is the potty training but don’t worry, one day he will just get it!
Have a good one!
Thank you, Lindsay! And yes, get some new hiking boots for sure. You deserve it.
Omg a puppy!!! Yay! So much fun, what a little fur ball! I love those black pants you are wearing btw!!
Hi Marielle! He is adorbs! And you will be seeing a lot more of him on here hehe. The black pants are Lululemon from a few months ago. I wear them out and about rather than the gym, because they are so nice:)
Yay for the newest (and super cute!) addition to your family!! We have a cat named Penny Lane that we have had for 14 years! She was our first baby 😉
You always have such an inspiring week of workouts to share. I took a BODYPUMP class on Saturday (and today!)- I was so excited when my PT okay-ed it.
Hi Heather! Ahhh Penny Lane is a great name, also movie inspired? haha And Rudy is totally our first baby! So glad you took BODYPUMP this weekend!!! How did it feel? I didn’t get to teach or do my usual PUMP last week and miss it!
Oh my, Rudy is the cutest thing ever!! I just wove whittle puppies. 😉
And that Indian pub looks delicious! You’re giving me do many new restaurants to try!
We watched the game and it was a nail biter. I thought for sure the Warriors would win. Oh well.
Happy Monday!
Oh Sarah, that game was crazy. The stands were so loud. And man — overtime — WOW hehe! I’m glad you watched it! Dave will be in Cleveland for tomorrow’s game! And you have to come meet Rudy soon! 🙂
Congrats on the new puppy! And great week of workouts, as usual:)
Thank you, Lisa! He’s a cutie! Happy Monday to you!
Aw, congrats on your newest family member
Thank you, Sam! He is soo cute! Hope you had a nice weekend, lady! 🙂
Rudy is ADORABLE!! Congrats on the puppy, Ashley 🙂 They are a lot of work but so worth it. Keep the puppy photos coming too, hehe!
Hi Becky, Oh, don’t worry – this blog may go through slight DOG overload. hehheh, I’m glad you won’t be offended! More work than a baby? Or same? This puppy is keeping me quite busy already! haha
Congratulations on the puppy! You will become a puppy obsessed mom very, very soon – trust me! 😉 I’m so excited for you guys and can’t wait to watch your little guy grow up!
Oh, I’m already there on the obsessed level, Claire! heheh! 🙂 Have a great week, and yes, you’ll be seeing plenty of Rudy!
He is the cutest! I definitely hope you will post some updates on him coming into your family. Good luck on the puppy training. Be ready for your phone pictures to become 98% of the puppy. Welcome Rudy!!
Hi Samantha! I think my phone is already filling up with too many doggie pics! heheh! I love it though!! 🙂
Oh my! What a cutie Ruby is! You are going to love having a puppy. Obsess away, cause they are like our children (for people without real humans to care for ;)). My gosh, too cute!
Oh Rudy is already my little baby and he needs a lot of attention hehehe. So glad you are a dog lover too, Rachel! Happy Monday!
Oh my gosh, Rudy is just soooooo cute! 🙂
Now that I’m more settled, I really feel like I would like a dog, I’m just not sure if I’m home enough for one just yet. One day, I hope!
Hi Ange! I’m so glad we finally have a dog and we had to wait for the right time in our lives too, because it wasn’t going to work in our previous San Francisco downtown apartment. Dogs need a lot of attention, but I bet you could make it happen!! Have a fabulous week, lady! 🙂
The one thing I wish I could change about my workouts right now is add more yoga. With studying I had to cut back on a few things for time sake and one of those things sadly was how often I go to yoga.
On the bright side, I start summer break after this week so I’m back on the mat as often as I would like.
Hi Jill! Ditto! I miss hot yoga and want to get more of that into my life, as I’ve only been doing short yoga sessions at home. We can’t get it all done, can we? eheh! Have a great week! 🙂
Just wanted to say congrats about Rudy, what a handsome little guy! I’m sure he’ll be a fun addition to your family, dogs are just the best!
Hi Jackie! Thank you so much! We love him already, and he is adorable!! Have a great night! 🙂
Awww, hooray for Rudy!!!!! He’s an absolute doll!
Thanks, Kelly! We LOVE him. So good to see you last week. Let’s do it again soon:)
YOU GOT A PUPPY!!!!! Congratulations! I cannot WAIT for the day that I can have a dog of my own. What a cute little nugget 🙂 Good luck to you with parenting!
♥ Lisa
Strum Simmer Sip