Hi, friend! How’s the week going? Mine has been pretty ordinary. Just regular classes, work, tennis and mom stuff, and Dave was gone for a couple days for a work trip too.

Today, I’m going to Brady’s end-of-year class concert, and I look forward to shedding some tears — because as I’ve mentioned, the closing of his preschool career is making me feel a lot of emotions.

This weekend, we have Brady’s last soccer game of the season, and other than that, we’re mostly free. I need to put together a new LifeBarre class for next week though, so as usual, I’ll be spending a lot of time prepping group fitness.

Let’s get to the current faves of the day …

Current faves

Fun

Mother’s Day weekend 2023

My Mother’s Day weekend had some highs and some lows. To be honest, I wasn’t in the greatest mood on Mother’s Day and was super tired from a less-than-great night of sleep. But the beauty of that day was that I spent it with the three most important people to me — Dave, Brady and my mom. It’s not lost on me that in previous years I’ve longed to have us all together, and these days, that’s an easy reality for me. I love that we have my mom around, and I know she loves it too.

On Mother’s Day, we went out to eat at Flower Child in South End (on my list of best Charlotte healthy lunch restaurants), and it was delicious — also I just love the decor in there. Then we walked around Freedom Park in Uptown before heading back to our house to hang out — nothing fancy, just time together.

I also had a lot of work to do that day, which is what I did for most of the afternoon, but that’s okay. Some Mother’s Day highlights included the little gifts Brady made for me at school …

I mean, 60? What is he talking about? But he did get my love for Topo Chico, teaching Barbell and him totally correct. I’m so glad Brady’s teachers helped him and his classmates make these sweet gifts. I loved them! 

Fashion

New spring and summer sundress

A few weeks ago, I placed a big order at Lulu’s (which is where I get a lot of my dresses). And when the big box came, I liked nearly everything. I forced myself to choose some favorites and then I sent the rest back (which was a tough exercise, so I modeled everything in the box for Dave, Brady and my mom, and they helped me rule some things out — Brady’s quite honest with what he likes and doesn’t like — but mostly he’s complimentary).

Then, in a move very unlike me (I usually buy new stuff then save it for weeks before debuting it), I pulled out this red and white daisy sundress right away for a brunch with my girlfriends on Mother’s Day Eve, just one day after deciding to keep it. I’m wearing a small in this dress, and it felt light and comfy, casual and dressy. The dress also comes in other colors.

(Here’s my dress, and I wore it with these wedges.)

And here’s our group of ladies after brunch. We had a wonderful time celebrating an early Mother’s Day and talking about life.

Simple striped tank

My mom and I swung through Old Navy a few weeks ago, and I picked up a couple things for spring and summer. I bought this tank with stripes and the same tank in a solid color, and I can tell I’ll be wearing these tanks all season. Also, they are so affordable at just $13 and $8, respectively. I’m wearing a small in the tank. It’s slightly cropped, but meets the waistband of high-waisted jeans, which is just how I like my tanks.

I wore this casual outfit last weekend (including these new high-waisted cropped wide-leg jeans) to host a couple of friends for a pizza party at our house. And luckily, no pizza sauce made it onto the white jeans. 

(Here’s my tank and here are my jeans.)

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, 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 5/8

• Monday: Taught 1-hour barbell class, 9:45 a.m., played 60 minutes of tennis, 11:30 a.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 1-hour barre class with light weights, 9:30 a.m., took 90-minute tennis clinic, 11 a.m.
• Wednesday: Did 45-minute full-body weights at gym, 9:30 a.m., taught 45-minute barre class with light weights, 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute combo class, 9:45 a.m., took 60-minute tennis clinic, 11:30 a.m.
• Friday: Taught 45-minute barbell class, 11:30 a.m.
• Saturday: (Rest day) Took 75-minute neighborhood walk, 3 p.m.
• Sunday: (Rest day) Took 45-minute neighborhood walk, 10 a.m.

This past week was good and a lot lighter than last week. I taught five classes, did one solo workout, played tennis three times and had two rest days with nothing but walking. I use my weekend walks to review or learn new group fitness material, and I also use them to get some fresh air — a win-win.

Here’s a look at my solo weights workout on the fitness floor …

Best read of the week

Here’s an article worth sharing with you …

The benefits of lifting weights. Are you incorporating lifting weights into your workout routine? If not, why not? This article not only talks about the benefits that you can get from lifting weights (from better sleep to a faster metabolism), but it also talks about the difference between lifting heavier weights for less repetitions or lighter weights for more repetitions. Most of the classes I teach focus on more repetitions with lighter weights (which is muscular endurance), but I’ve been doing less repetitions and heavier weights for my solo workouts. The gist? Both methods bring different benefits. Check out the weight-lifting article here.

Quote of the week

Here’s a thought from Headspace worth sharing with you …

Blog archives of the week

Let’s look back at two posts worth revisiting, including the latest from earlier this week …

Fitness talk. I loved sharing this post with you, and it’s all about a few things I wanted to set straight from my perspective as a group fitness instructor … “Confessions of a fitness professional.”

Summer ready. Summer is coming, are you ready for it? Check out this one … “How to get ready for summer in 60 days.”

Thanks for stopping by to read A Lady Goes West today, friend! Have a great day!

Questions of the day for you

How was your week?

What’s one thing you’re looking forward to this weekend?