Hello, hello, my friends! How are you? How was your week?

My week was a good one, and it was definitely better than the last. Last week, Dave was gone for a week on a work trip in London, and it was a lot with him gone for his longest trip yet. Brady and I managed okay, but during that time, I had a ton of work to do, while doing all the Brady things every day, even through the weekend. We survived, and it sounds silly, but we’re glad Dave is back with us to help out and hang out. This weekend, we don’t have much on the agenda at all, which is a very good thing.

While Dave was gone, Brady and I switched things up a bit and took our lunch to our neighborhood park one day after the gym. And we had fun. Don’t get me wrong, I love hanging with this little creature, but he also has his moments. For instance, he’s been a good sleeper for years, but the second Dave left, all of a sudden he was up before the sunrise every morning calling for me 🙂 …

Time for the faves …

Current faves

Books

“Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years” by Julie Andrews

I’ve read several incredibly enjoyable celebrity memoirs over the last year or so, and so I was excited to pick up this one, “Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years” by Julie Andrews, on a whim from the library.

It’s the second installment of Andrews’ memoirs about her life, co-written by her adult daughter (I didn’t read the first). I have to admit, this book started out so strong, and I was very interested in hearing about Andrews’ upbringing (she does a recap of her childhood in the beginning, in case you didn’t read the first book before grabbing this one).

She didn’t come from money, nor prestige, and she was working hard and supporting her entire family before she was even a teenager. However, Andrews actually shared that one of the major reasons she thinks she made it big is because of her sheer work ethic, which was taught to her by her mother during her days working the vaudeville scene in England. She really overcame some great odds.

(“Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years” by Julie Andrews)

I loved to learn about the behind-the-scenes of shooting classic movies like “Mary Poppins,” but I felt like this book was a lot of facts and stories strung together at times. We saw excerpts from Andrews’ diary, but even those didn’t feel as unfiltered as I wanted. 

I think this book is a lot more buttoned-up than the other celebrity books I’ve read — honest, but not ugly honesty, if that makes any sense. However, I think for Andrews’ time, which was not a time of opening up, she does tell a lot, including about substance-abuse by her family members, inter-family fighting, failed projects and much more. She had a pretty chaotic and busy life, managing residency and homes on different continents, a blended family of five and a show business career. And she did it all with style.

I’m including this book in my faves list, because I actually did enjoy reading it. Andrews is a huge talent, and she had a very long career too. And she certainly is able to drop the names of other big-time stars throughout her story. It was cool to read all about those developments from her viewpoint.

The book concluded when Andrews and her late-husband Blake Edwards were moving to New York to put on a Broadway show, so I’m guessing she’ll start the next memoir where this one left off. I don’t think I’ll read the next one, but I’m glad I read this one.

If you’re a Julie Andrews fan, or a show business fan, this one is a must. It wasn’t my favorite, favorite, but still a good one.

Fashion

A new matching set from Carbon38

You know I love my matching sets, and this one is comfy with a capital C!

I have been loving the Beyond Yoga brand, which I buy from Carbon38, because it is buttery soft and also quite flattering. I’ve worn this set a couple of times, and not only does it look cute, but it also has a unique design v-waist element on the leggings, and it stays put during a tough barre workout. Before the workout …

• Here are the leggings. I’m wearing a medium. They are high-waisted, with a small v-waist detail.
• Here is the top. I’m wearing a small. It’s not a total crop top, and it meets the top of the high-waisted leggings, which I prefer to full tummy exposure.

Even though I do wear black oftentimes to teach my barbell class, I like to wear colors for my other classes and for my personal workouts. And this set makes it easy, because I always know I’ve got a top to go with the bottoms. After the workout …

If you need to switch up your workout gear, I would highly recommend Carbon38 for some different stuff. You can always use my code ASHLEYPITT for 15 percent off your order too (as long as it’s over $100). Also, there’s a sale this weekend, and my promo code always matches the sale, so it will be more off this weekend. And here’s a post I wrote with some of my Carbon38 favorites, if you need a reminder. “The best pieces from Carbon38 and a Carbon38 discount code.”

Little delights

A few fun things …

Music

Do you like to have background music on in your house? I do. While Brady often demands the “Moana” soundtrack, I try to put on chill stuff. I have two current favorite Pandora stations I wanted to share …

• Vitamin String Quartet (recommended to me, and it’s popular songs played with strings)
• Acoustic Covers (popular songs, played with an acoustic guitar)

Do you have a favorite Pandora station? Please share!

TV

When Dave was gone for a week, I got the TV all to myself each night. I caught up on “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” and I also started watching a Netflix series called “Tiny Pretty Things” about a prestigious ballet academy in Chicago. The dancing is absolutely fabulous, and that’s what pulled me in. It’s a very intense show, with the already-mentioned beautiful dancing, some violence and even a murder case. It’s NOT safe for kids, but it was a good one for me to watch without Dave, and I’m going to try to finish it soon. 

Friends and fun

Even though Dave was gone for a week, I got myself a babysitter and went out to dinner for a couple of hours after Brady was asleep last weekend. I went to the RH Rooftop, which is on top of the Restoration Hardware store in the South Park neighborhood, with some lovely ladies from my neighborhood. The place was gorgeous, and if you get a chance to go to one (they are all over), you really should. There were incredible chandeliers at every table, and it was just such a cool scene. And while the scene was cool, what’s even cooler is that the ladies I’ve become friends with are so sweet, and we celebrated one of the gal’s birthdays there. I’m so happy to have found these new friends.

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

This part always needs a disclaimer.

This section of the post is where I share all the workouts I did the previous week. I want to remind you that I do more than the average person, because I’m a group fitness instructor, and it’s part of my job. 

Your personal workout week should work with your lifestyle, be diverse and leave you feeling energized. It doesn’t need to look like mine or anyone else’s. It’s yours.

• Monday: Taught 1-hour full-body barbell workout at Life Time, 9:45 a.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 1-hour barre class with light weights at Life Time, 9:45 a.m.
• Wednesday: 20-minute walk/run on treadmill via Peloton app, 5 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute weights/cardio class at Life Time, 10 a.m.
• Friday: Took 1-hour barre class with light weights at Life Time, 10 a.m.
• Saturday: Took 45-minute full-body barbell workout at Life Time, 9:45 a.m.
• Sunday: Active recovery day (did some light bodyweight practicing), 11 a.m.

This past week of workouts did not have a totally full rest day off, and that’s only because I was behind on preparing for my classes this week with Dave away, and I had to take Brady to the gym on my normal rest day (Sunday) and use the empty group fitness studio to practice. I did have a super-light day on Wednesday with just a short treadmill session, and I did a lot of recovery. But I broke my rest day rule, and I won’t do that this week. Rest matters!

Promo codes

A Lady Goes West favorite products

There are certain brands that I swear by in my own life, and so I like to share them with you. If you choose to try them too, and if you use my links or promo codes, you will be supporting me. Thanks for that!

• Carbon38. I’m always wearing stuff from here, and it’s the coolest activewear around. Get 15 percent off your first two orders of $100 or more using the code ASHLEYPITT. 
• G2G protein bars. I love these tasty and minimal-ingredient protein bars. You can get 15 percent off your order on the G2G Bar site with the code ALADYGOESWEST.
• Organifi supplements. This is my go-to protein powder brand. You can get 15 percent off your order on the Organifi site with the code ALADYGOESWEST.
• Beautycounter. The best safe skincare and makeup. Send me a message, and I’ll share a 20 percent off code for your very first order.
• Les Mills On Demand workouts. My favorite fitness brand. You can do a whole month of workouts during a free 30-day trial by using my special referral link here.

Best reads

A couple of good ones from around the web 

• Cauliflower rice. I eat a lot of cauliflower rice every week. I usually sauté it in the pan with olive oil, sea salt and turmeric, and sometimes mix eggs and other veggies in there. But there are so many other ways you can use cauliflower rice to make more exciting recipes. Check out these dishes all featuring cauliflower rice.
• Finance tips. I’m not one of those super-organized monthly budgeters, but I do have a handle on my money and our money as a family. We also have a financial advisor who helps us out with investing. And even if this isn’t your thing, I think it’s important for everyone to have a general understanding of what you have and the ways to maximize it, spend smartly and save and invest smartly, if you have very little or if you have a lot. There are some great financial planning tips in this post and an accompanying podcast episode if you want to hear more on the topic.

Here’s the thought of the week …

A Lady Goes West favorite archives 

• Group fitness. Life lessons based on years in the studio … “What I’ve learned from teaching group fitness for 12 years.”

• Food. Did you catch this one with some of my current favorite food products? … “Six new food finds I’ve been loving lately.”

Thank you for coming by A Lady Goes West, my friends! I hope you stay hydrated, stay moving and enjoy your day.

Questions of the day

How was your week?

Have you read anything good lately?

What’s your favorite type of background music to listen to?