Hi, friend! How are you? It’s September!

Since we last talked a week ago, our summer has ended, Brady has gone back to school, and it feels like fall is quickly approaching (outside of the 90+ degree heat we’ve been having in Charlotte, of course). I’m still adjusting to our new normal of a full day of school for Brady followed by his activities (tennis, and now his soccer season is back) and my activities (classes and tennis matches/clinics). Our weeks are going to be a blur for the foreseeable future, and that’s got me trying to figure out how to best approach our weekends. We’ll save all of that discussion for another post, but I will say that we’re doing fine in this new era so far, but we don’t have much downtime. 

Speaking of weekends, this weekend, I’m heading off on another girls’ trip (the last couple of years, I’ve gone on one girls’ weekend a year, but this year, I get two, and they just happen to take place two-weeks apart with Charleston just last weekend). This upcoming weekend, I’m going to Holden Beach with my neighborhood ladies to celebrate one of our friend’s birthdays and to hang out at her parent’s beach house. I’ve never spent any time in the North Carolina beaches, and I’m so excited to finally do so, and to do it with these lovely people. This is my last planned getaway for the year (there may be more, and one that I’m really hoping for, but this is the final one officially on the agenda).

Now, let’s get to the current faves of the day …

Current faves

Family

Brady’s first week of kindergarten

Somehow, someway, our baby is growing up!

Last week, Brady started kindergarten. The first thing I’ll report is that Brady is so excited to go to elementary school and he has loved his days at school. He has a full day from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., so it’s definitely an adjustment, and he’s been handling it really well.

But it’s a big change for us all. We’re still getting into the rhythm of when we need to leave for the incredibly long drop-off and pick-up lines. I’m hoping things get a bit easier as we get further into the school year, but at the time of writing this post … well … I’m going to be spending a lot of my day in car lines. I might be bringing my laptop soon, because there’s plenty of time to whip it out and get some work done while I wait.

Dave and I had the chance to go to Brady’s “meet-the-teacher” night before his first full day in his classroom for the year, and I’m so glad we know what it looks like and even where he’ll be sitting. It’s still just so crazy to me that he’s gone all day at a place where I’m not going to be too.

Overall, I know Brady will thrive in elementary school, because he is so ready. But personally, I’m still trying to let my emotions catch up with the reality of him in this new environment, without me. He’s still so little in my eyes, and I’ve had some tears every time I’ve dropped him off and he’s gotten out of the car on his own. He even walks into the school without looking back.

I mean, I want him to be independent, but then I also don’t want him not to need me. I’ve been missing him during the days a lot, while at the same time being glad to have more hours to myself. Oh motherhood. 🙂 

Fitness

Getting into small-group training with GTX

A little new, new in my fitness world.

A good portion of my working time remains devoted to Life Time, that’s for sure, and I’m okay with that. And speaking of Life Time, it felt like time for me to take on something different. I had been thinking about branching out into small-group training programs for a while, and I’m finally doing it.

Over the last month, I went through the online education process and was recently certified to teach a program at Life Time called GTX. I taught my first GTX class this week on Wednesday, and it was so fun. It definitely reminds me of coaching at Orangetheory Fitness, as I lead groups of participants through a workout with a mixture of cardio work on the treadmill and strength work on the floor. 

While I don’t see myself ever getting back into one-on-one personal training like I did at Equinox in San Francisco, I do think small-group training is a great chance for me to work more closely with some of my members and give them more hands-on help than I can in the larger (and much more crowded) group fitness environment.

I’m a little rusty when it comes to coaching two groups at once, but I’m up for the challenge of growing with GTX. And you know what’s cool? I don’t have to do the full workout with my class — I just demonstrate the moves — so this particular program saves my body too. Love that. 

I had a good turn-out for my first class, and I’m excited to see how it progresses every week.

Fun

Labor Day weekend 2023

Last Labor Day weekend, we went to Ohio to see our friends and it was action packed, but this year, we stayed put, and it was low-key, but still nice.

Over the long weekend, I played in a tennis match (we won, which doesn’t happen that often, so that was very exciting), we hosted a little pizza party for some neighborhood friends (which was a super-fun night of dinner, drinks and friendship), we went to the pool (which may have been our last time this season), and we had a lot of family time too (including a visit to Freedom Park on a very hot day). It was a good weekend all around with some work and a lot of play. Here are some scenes from it …

That’s it for the faves. Let’s get to the movement …

Workouts

My workouts from last week

Now it’s time to take a look at my workouts from last week.

I share this recap to show you how I try to get diversity of movement in my week (with a focus on lifting weights), and how I always take a rest day (almost always). But remember, I do a little bit more than the average person, because I’m a group fitness instructor, so you don’t need to compare your movement to mine.

Workouts from the week of 8/21

• Monday: Taught 1-hour barbell class, 9:45 a.m., played 90 minutes of doubles tennis, 11:30 a.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 1-hour barre class, 9:30 a.m., played in 90-minute doubles tennis match, 8 p.m.
• Wednesday: Did 40-minute weight-room workout, 11 a.m., taught 45-minute barre class, 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute combo class, 9:45 a.m., took 90-minute tennis clinic, 11 a.m.
• Friday: Rest day
• Saturday: Rest day
• Sunday: Rest day

Workouts from the week of 8/28

• Monday: Taught 1-hour barbell class, 9:45 a.m., played 90 minutes of doubles tennis, 11:30 a.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 1-hour barre class, 9:30 a.m., played in 90-minute doubles tennis match, 6:30 p.m.
• Wednesday: Did 40-minute weight-room workout, 10 a.m., taught 45-minute barre class, 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute combo class, 9:45 a.m., took 90-minute tennis clinic, 11 a.m.
• Friday: Taught 45-minute barbell class, 11:30 a.m.
• Saturday: Played in 100-minute doubles tennis match, 8:30 a.m.
• Sunday: Rest day

Two good weeks in a row of movement, with weights, tennis and rest days. My once-weekly solo workouts on the fitness floor have been shorter (mostly focused on assisted chin-ups for the upper body and a bigger barbell move for the lower body), but I’ve been doing them, even when I don’t feel like it. And after a few weeks with no rest, I’ve had plenty lately, with more to come this weekend while I’m at the beach.

Best watch of the week

Here’s a video worth sharing with you …

Ballantyne Bowl. For all my Charlotte residents, there’s a new entertainment district being developed near where I live in South Charlotte. In this video for Neighborhood TV, I covered what’s planned for the Ballantyne Bowl.

Quote of the week

Here’s a thought worth sharing with you from Bossbabe on Instagram … 

Blog archives of the week

Let’s look back at two posts worth revisiting …

Charleston highlights. This weekend getaway was so wonderful! Here are some of the things we did in this beautiful Southern city … “Highlights from a girls’ weekend in Charleston, South Carolina.”

Fall is around the corner. Just some healthy-habit reminders for us all to go back to as the seasons start to change … “Four things to focus on this fall.”

That’s the post for today, friend. Have a great day. Thanks for reading A Lady Goes West! I’ll be over on Instagram until we meet back here.

Questions of the day for you

What’s one thing you’re looking forward to in September?

Do you have any life changes or transitions coming up?

How was your summer?