Current faves: Moving day, easy breakfasts, TV and workouts
Greetings from moving day! Yesterday, we closed on our house, and today, we will be reunited with all of our belongings during our official move. We’re pretty excited to get settled and officially begin being Charlotte residents. We found an awesome house in the Ballantyne area, south of the city center, and I’ll share some pictures of it soon. It’s totally different from our California house, which is exactly what we were hoping for.
But, let’s talk about this week: This week, I worked, taught classes, did a virtual tour of a potential preschool, had a welcome call for a new Beautycounter team member and friend (hi Nicole!) and did all the potty training with Brady, which means we didn’t get out of the AirBnB all that much to explore.
I mentioned the potty training on Instagram stories last week and had an outpouring of advice and support from you. I truly appreciated it all, as I found potty training to be incredibly frustrating. But we followed the advice from this book, and we’re making good progress now. I’ll get back to that topic one day soon.
Say hello to our potty trainee … 🙂
Now, let’s do some faves …
Current faves
Food
RX A.M. Oats
I had totally forgotten about this one until now (note the Christmas tree in the first picture below for time reference). A couple of months before we moved, I received a care package from RXBar with the brand’s new RX A.M. Oats cups, and let me tell you: I quite enjoyed them.
These are single-serve oats in a little cup, and all you do is add a hot liquid, let them sit, then enjoy. You can also add a cold liquid and put them in the fridge overnight, but I never tried that method. Here are some of my IG stories about these oats …
I thought all the flavors were pretty good, but Apple Cinnamon was my favorite. Instead of water, I added oat milk, a banana and Brazil nuts to most servings for a little extra oomph. I definitely enjoyed them and felt like they filled me up as a decent and super-easy breakfast.
The nutritional content is pretty good, and they have 12 grams of protein. I feel like eating this sort of breakfast is very convenient, but for the long-term, I would only eat them every once in a while, because it’s a lot of waste to have an individual container, if you know what I mean. But for times like I’ve been in, this type of breakfast is exactly what I needed. Worth a grab at the store.
Entertainment
“Designated Survivor” on Netflix
This is one of those series that Dave had to convince me to watch, because I didn’t think I’d be interested, then I was totally pulled in. I had never heard of “Designated Survivor” with Keifer Sutherland before, but apparently it was on ABC for two seasons, before being grabbed up by Netflix, who produced the show’s third and final season. It’s a drama — not even slightly a comedy — and if you read the description, it’s coined a political thriller.
There are a ton of episodes, and the first two seasons are amazing. I will admit the last and shortest season isn’t the best, and the ending leaves a lot of questions. But both Dave and I were totally into this show.
Here’s the basis: There is someone called a “designated survivor” who has to remain at a safe undisclosed separate location when all members of high-ranking government gather in person, so that if there is an accident, that designated person is left to govern.
(Image source: ABC)
Kiefer Sutherland is the low-ranking designated survivor. And he gets thrust into the presidency after a bombing of the capitol building, which killed nearly all of congress and the executive branch.
Everything in the show is so believable, and makes you wonder if crazy things like it happen in real life in politics. And we just happened to be watching the show during the presidential election too, which made it that much more entertaining.
This type of show is not my normal choice, but I really enjoyed it. The episodes are super stressful, and they are 45 minutes long. If you’re into that sort of thing, go for it on Netflix. We need to find a new series now, any suggestions?
Beauty
Last chance deals on some brushes, powders and more
Who doesn’t love a deal? Beautycounter has quite a few big product launches coming up this year, so they are making room by discontinuing some items, like the older lipgloss, the kids’ body wash, makeup brushes, eye masks, liquid eyeliner and more.
These items are super discounted on final sale right now. Shop the Last Chance section here.
Workouts
Weekly workouts
Here’s a look at my workouts from last week …
- Monday: 40-minute BODYPUMP via Les Mills On Demand, 6 p.m.
- Tuesday: Taught 45-minute barre class on Motus, 3 p.m.
- Wednesday: 30-minute full-body weights via Peloton, 6 p.m.
- Thursday: Taught 45-minute barre class on Motus, 3 p.m.
- Friday: 20-minute lower-body weights, 15-minute Pilates via Peloton, 3 p.m.
- Saturday: 40-minute weights circuit at gym, 11 a.m.
- Sunday: Rest day
This past week had something different. I got a guest pass to try a gym. It was my first time back in a real big-box gym in more than 11 months. I had mixed thoughts on it, to tell you the truth (and you can find some of them in this post on Instagram).
I didn’t love working out in a mask, I didn’t love finding that equipment I wanted to use was occupied, and I didn’t love feeling concerned about others around me not wearing their masks properly. But other than that, I did get in a good workout. Here’s what I did …
The rest of the week included variety, so I’m good with it.
Discounts
A Lady Goes West recommended favorite products
I only share what I use and love in my own life, and here are some of the brands I swear by. And when you use my discount codes and links, you support me, so thanks for that …
- Fit Revolution. Get a 14-day trial and 33 percent off your first month of this amazing workout platform (where you can take my classes on demand) with the code ASHLEYPITT3PC1.
- Carbon38. 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 superfood supplements. I’m all about the Organifi Complete Plant-Based protein powder. You can get 15 percent off your order on the Organifi site with the code ALADYGOESWEST.
- Four Sigmatic. These superfood coffees and teas are so good — I especially love the Cacao Chill and Lion’s Mane Latte. Get 15 percent off your order on the site using 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 streaming 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.
- Les Mills Coach program. You can get 15 percent off a 4-, 8- or 12-week guided coaching and accountability program with the code ASHLEY15.
Best reads
A few things from around the web
- Praise for the Clean Deo. Beautycounter’s new clean and refillable deodorant is making so many headlines for good reason. All of my clients who have bought it have loved it, and even celeb Jennifer Garner said it’s the best she’s ever used. Check out this praise. And shop the Clean Deo with me here.
- Podcast with Autumn Calabrese. This was a long, but very informative, podcast interview with popular Beachbody trainer Autumn Calabrese on “The Model Health Show” (which is the first podcast I ever listened to and one of the best there is). The episode covers listening to your gut, eating good food and how your palate can change over time and much more. Really enjoyed it.
Here’s the quote of the week from the Calm app, which I use to do my daily morning guided meditations. I can’t believe I’ve been meditating regularly for two years now …
A Lady Goes West favorite archives
- Additions. This was a random, but fun, one to write … “Five new things I’ve added to my life in the last year that I love.”
- Weights workouts. Here’s a round-up of what my solo weights workouts look like … “Super short resistance workouts you can do in less than 30 minutes.”
Thank you for clicking over to read A Lady Goes West today! Have a wonderful day and weekend, friends! I’ll be checking in from the new house on Instagram, so join me there for a preview. 🙂
Questions of the day
How was your week?
What TV series are you watching right now that you’d recommend?
What do you usually eat for breakfast?
Congrats on the new home! Good luck unpacking and settling in!
Thank you, Alexa! It’s so nice to have a spot to settle, but boy is unpacking exhausting! Hope you are doing well! 🙂
Oh my gosh! So many big things. You are amazing for handling all of them and getting some self care in too. What’s your Peloton username? I just ordered my bike! Can’t believe it. We have 2 kids now & it seems the time to workout is so limited. But I’d love to see the classes you do for recommendations! I don’t know where to start…
Hi India! That’s so great — I hope you love your Peloton. My name is AshleySuzi — and I would HIGHLY recommend choosing beginner classes and going into the programs/collections and following one of the getting started plans to do a mixture of cycling and strength and stretching. You’ll love it!!