A Lady Goes West

A healthy lifestyle blog by Ashley Pitt

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About

Thank you so much for visiting! I’m Ashley, and A Lady Goes West is a wellness and lifestyle blog about living a great life with no extremes.

My move from Florida to California several years ago is what inspired me to start this blog, which now covers my adventures in fitness, food and fun in Charlotte, North Carolina (I recently moved back east). You can also find me over on Instagram.

I’m a NASM certified personal trainer, group fitness instructor, certified Precision Nutrition coach and writer, who worked much of my professional life in corporate communications, public relations and copywriting before landing where I am today.

You can read more about what I’ve been working on over on my Press page.

CALIA workout wear - by A Lady Goes West - March 2020

On A Lady Goes West, you’ll find real wellness tips with no extremes, quick workouts, pictures of healthy food, my weekly workout recaps, clean beauty routines and inspiration — to add a little more balance to your very busy life.

And because I’m a mom to a toddler boy, you’ll also see a lot of mom-hood and family stuff too.

You can find out more about my pregnancy and my path to getting pregnant too in my ebook, “Fit and Fertile,” which is all about how I healed my hormones.

Who is Ashley Pitt?

I’m just a momma, group fitness instructor and lady who loves working out, food and fun.

In addition to blogging and being a mom, I teach several Les Mills group fitness classes a week, including Les Mills BODYPUMP, BODYATTACK and CXWORX, as well as other programs such as Bootybarre and POP Pilates.

And you can learn more about my fitness journey and experience over on the Fitness page, which includes how I got into the industry and some workout tips.

I also partner with Beautycounter and am passionate about helping people choose safer skincare and makeup for their health. You can read more about that on my Clean Beauty page.

While I lead a pretty healthy life, I always have room for cheesecake, and I’m always down for a glass of cold white wine (or two). Also, I have a handsome husband named Dave, a curly-haired toddler son named Brady and a little white maltipoo named Rudy, and they are the cutest!

All the highlights and reflections of 2019 - by A Lady Goes West

What’s with the blog name?

The name of this blog came about because of that big move across the country. Shortly after getting married, Dave and I relocated from Orlando, Florida to San Francisco, California in the fall of 2012 for his job.

Having been born and raised in Florida, this move required me (us) to leave behind friends and family and all the comforts I’d (we’d) known for so long. But it also gave me a reason to start a blog, which is something I’d wanted to do for a couple of years, and now it has become my full-time job. You can read more about my journey to working for myself here.

What’s this blog about?

This blog is all about my life, but I also try to give you helpful information for yours. I’ll show you pictures of my food, tell you what I’ve been loving lately, offer short workout ideas, and I’ll always answer your comments and questions.

How can you join the fun?

New blog posts are published Tuesdays and Fridays, so check back for those. You can also follow A Lady Goes West on social media here:

  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aladygoeswest/ 
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/apstyle 
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aladygoeswest/
  • Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/aladygoeswest/

For more information not shown on this page, visit the Press or Contact pages.

And, I’d LOVE it if you signed up for my email list to stay in touch. You can do that right here, and you’ll get a free gift just for doing so.

You can also join the A Lady Goes West Friends Facebook group to have some helpful informal discussions every day of the week with other like-minded busy and fit gals.

By the way, I’m so glad you’re here!

ashley bio pic

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!

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Fit & Fertile ebook: How I found my body's fitness from the inside out by overcoming hypothalamic amenorrhea.

Recent Posts

  • Ask-me-anything A Lady Goes West Advice Corner: first edition
  • Current faves: Our new house, new sneakers and workouts
  • Current faves: Moving day, easy breakfasts, TV and workouts
  • Five new things I’ve added to my life in the last year that I love
  • Current faves: The latest on life, a new phone, snow and workouts

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The latest on Instagram

I've got to be honest, I'm much more of a writer t I've got to be honest, I'm much more of a writer than an Instagrammer and many times I feel like what I want to share doesn't fit well into a grid. But I'm able to bring much more long-form content to my blog each week. Speaking of that, this week, I debuted a new series called "A Lady Goes West Advice Corner" which has been something I've wanted to put together for a while. In this series, I'm taking totally anonymous questions from YOU and giving you some neutral third-party advice on it all. Here are the questions I addressed in the first advice corner edition:
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-“I became a first-time mom last spring and am currently dealing with all things motherhood. How do I deal with my expectations vs. reality of being a mom?" (such a good one, and I've been there)
-“How do you deal with days when you don't love your body? I think we can all relate to looking in the mirror and being disappointed with what we see?" (this happens to us all)
-“How do you deal with comparing yourself to others on social media and not feeling like everyone is doing things better than you?" (spoiler alert: everyone has their issues that you don't see)
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The answers are long, they come from my heart, and I hope they can provide some value to you! If this is something you're interested in, head over to A Lady Goes West today to check it out, and you can submit a question for the next edition.
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Here's the direct link: https://aladygoeswest.com/ask-me-anything-a-lady-goes-west-advice-corner-first-edition/
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Have a great night, friends! And when in doubt, talk it out.
G.I.V.E.A.W.A.Y!🎉 Who doesn't love a collagen g G.I.V.E.A.W.A.Y!🎉 Who doesn't love a collagen giveaway? As a little thank-you for following, I wanted to do a giveaway of one of my favorite products. I've been using Vital Proteins collagen in my morning tea latte for years, and not only does the collagen creamer add a great taste, but it also supports healthy hair, skin, nails and joints too. Today, I'm giving away not only one canister of collagen creamer, but also a canister of collagen peptides to one lucky winner.
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Here's how to enter:
(1) Like this post.
(2) Follow @aladygoeswest and @vitalproteins.
(3) Leave a comment on this post tagging a friend who wants healthy skin and joints.
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You can leave as many comments as you want, and each one serves as an entry. You can earn an additional entry by sharing this post to your stories and tagging me. This giveaway closes on Saturday, February 27. The winner must live in the U.S. And this giveaway is not associated with Instagram. Good luck, and thanks for being here! 🙂 xoxo
HOME! We closed on and moved into our home in Char HOME! We closed on and moved into our home in Charlotte over the weekend, and we're so excited to get settled in our new neighborhood, city and state after many weeks of transition. In honor of this momentous occasion, I thought it would be fun to look back at the places Dave and I have lived together over the last 12 years. Here's what it has looked like -- and each place has been special for different reasons:
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-2009-2012 in a high-rise condo in downtown Orlando, where we lived when we got married.
-2012-2013 in a one-bedroom apartment in South of Market in San Francisco, which was always freezing no matter the time of day or year.
-2013-2014 in a tiny studio apartment in Nob Hill in San Francisco, which was only 550-square-feet, but we could hear the cable cars out of our always-open windows, so that was cool.
-2014-2017 in a two-bedroom townhouse in Walnut Creek, where we brought home both Rudy and Brady and had many sleepless nights.
-2017-2021 in a house that we owned in Pleasant Hill outside of San Francisco, which was across the street from a Starbucks so we went there way too often.
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And now we're here in Charlotte. It's good to be home! I'd love to know: Where do you call home?
Soulmates. ❤️ Whether you’re loving on other Soulmates. ❤️ Whether you’re loving on others or just yourself today, my little crew is wishing you a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
Good additions! Even though I'm all about simplify Good additions! Even though I'm all about simplifying life, I also like adding more good, if there's room for it. And the last year has given me ample opportunity to make some changes and add a lot of good. Here's my super-random list of things I've added to my life in the last year that I now love:
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-Using oat milk as my milk of choice (it's literally the creamiest, and I can’t go back to others now)
-Choosing to be outside as much as possible (can't believe I stayed indoors so much before, never exploring the beautiful Bay Area and now Charlotte until the last year)
-Teaching and taking virtual fitness classes (I was a gym rat for years, and now I actually love to work out at home with my virtual fitness friends)
-Wearing my Apple watch for notifications so I don't always need to be on my phone and tracking some beneficial metrics (I've only had my watch for about 9 months, and I love to check my heart-rate and close my rings)
-Appreciating the ability to work for myself and giving myself friendlier deadlines (I've been my own boss for several years and used to be so strict with my deadlines, until I realized it was stressing me more than it needed to, so now I say no to a lot of things and only do what works well in my life, without adding too much unnecessary stress)
-Shorter workouts (full-hour workouts are a thing of the past for me)
-Wearing more colors (no more black uniforms every day)
-And more!
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I wrote a whole post about this topic on A Lady Goes West this week if this is of interest to you, and you can head on over and check it out. I'd love to know: What's something (random or not) that you've added to your life in the last year that you now love?
Over the weekend, I stepped foot into a big-box gy Over the weekend, I stepped foot into a big-box gym for the first time in more than 11 months. How did I feel about it? Mixed ... When we left California, gyms were still closed, and once we got to North Carolina, I was so used to not going to the gym, I didn't even think about going. After being here a month, I finally decided to get a guest pass at a gym near me, and I went twice. Here are my thoughts on the experience: 
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At first, I felt so excited to drive up and go in and work out in a big space with a lot of equipment and not be at home. But then reality sank in: Even though masks were required and there were signs everywhere reminding people, about half the folks in the gym had their masks off or had them down around their chin. Ummm, not cool. I get it, working out with a mask on sucks, but rules are rules, folks. I also didn't like that it was busier than I expected, and quite a bit of the equipment I wanted to use was occupied. That never happens at home.
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Overall, I'm glad that those who need to get to the gym are getting the opportunity, but right now, I think I'll go back to sweating safely at home for a little while longer. But at least I got my first locker-room selfie in almost a year. I'd love to know. Have you been back to the gym yet?
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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!

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