Hello from our new house. It has been an action-packed last week as moved in!

Literally, I only sat down for a total of maybe 30 minutes each day the first two days when we were unpacking and trying to get all of the boxes emptied. The exhaustion was real. But, in the last week, we’ve got just about everything put away. We have a lot of work left to get the house fully set up, and we’re excited about the process.

Because of the madness of the move (and life in general — trying to work, be a mom, potty train and figure everything out in a new city), I missed getting a post up earlier this week (which you know is a rare occurrence). Sorry, folks. I’ll be totally honest and let you know I’ve been struggling over here managing things, which happens. But I’m glad to be back today. I’m working on something good for next week, so look out for that!

Now, let’s do some faves …

Current faves

Life

We’re in our new home in Charlotte!

Obviously, a favorite favorite of the week is our new house! It’s totally different from our California house, and has a lot of extra space for us. During the unpacking process, even though I was tired, I truly enjoyed finding that we had more than enough room for everything, which is a change from before. My favorite rooms of the house so far are the kitchen and the primary bedroom closet.

Over the last eight years of living in the Bay Area, including in two super-tiny city apartments, a townhouse and then a house, I never had a big closet. I shared with Dave everywhere except for our Pleasant Hill house. And there, our closets were so small, everything was smushed together. But not any longer. We have a huge walk-in closet, finally, and it’s a dream. I don’t plan to accumulate too much stuff just because I can, but I do plan to appreciate the space — having lived without it for many years. Getting the closet all situated called for a selfie …

As far as the work we need to do on the house: We’re planning to paint the interior of the house, add a fence behind the house (Rudy needs boundaries) and potentially paint some of the bathroom cabinets — all within the first few months. We also need to get a lot of furniture, because we don’t have nearly enough. 

Funny story: Dave worked four full days off a desk set-up of cardboard moving boxes this week, and it made me think of Tim Gunn’s catchphrase on “Project Runway” — “make it work!” Amen! Nonetheless, after months of uncertainties … we are HOME!

Gear

New Reebok PRIDE sneakers

I hadn’t bought new workout sneakers in over a year. Wow! And that’s unlike me. One of the biggest things I used to tell my BODYATTACK participants (back when I taught live BODYATTACK classes every week — sob sob), is that you need to change out your sneakers much more frequently than you think to avoid wear-and-tear injuries — even when your sneakers look clean.

However, I basically stopped wearing sneakers to work out once I started working out on carpet at home, more than 11 months ago. Then, I wore my older sneakers for outdoor walks and hikes, so I never really felt like I needed new ones until recently.

I shopped all around and ended up with the most beautiful and comfy Reebok PRIDE shoes, shown below …

(Here are my leggings, and here are my shoes in a picture taken in the locker room after trying out a gym that I don’t plan to join. My thoughts on why in this Instagram post.)

These sneakers feel like you are walking on a cloud, yet they provide plenty of support at the same time. Although they are designed as a running shoe, they feel like they’d still be great for cross-training workouts too with some lateral traction. 

I’ve worn these ones a couple times for circuit training indoors, and I love them so much. By the way, my last pair of long-lasting sneakers were Reebok as well, so I trust the brand with my feet.

Also, because I had been in old sneakers for walks for so long, the first time I put my feet in these, I let out a deep breath. Ahhhhh was the actual reaction.

These shoes were out of stock last week, but are available again here. And they will probably sell out again, but you can put your name on the list to be notified when they are back. There are some more solid patterns in this same style too, if that’s more your thing. These shoes are mostly true to size, but perhaps run just a touch big — which I think makes them even more comfortable.

Beauty

Self-care Soirée invite

I’m hosting a virtual self-care party with some Beautycounter friends next Friday evening (February 26 at 7:30pm Eastern and 4:30pm Pacific), and I have a few spots left for some of you to come and join the virtual fun. If you’d like more information on the event (it’s super informal, and all you need to do is show up in your comfortables with your beverage of choice), send me a DM or email, and I’ll share the Zoom link. There will be giveaways! 🙂 

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

Here’s a look at my workouts from last week …

• Monday: 40-minute weights circuit at gym, 6 p.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 45-minute barre class on Motus, 3 p.m.
• Wednesday: 30-minute weights workout via Peloton, 6 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute barre class on Motus, 3 p.m.
• Friday: Rest day
• Saturday: 10-minute yoga stretching via Peloton, 6 p.m.
• Sunday: 20-minute POP Pilates, 11 a.m.

This past week was a lot lighter in the workout department, and I only picked up weights two times. I was physically exhausted during our move-in days, so didn’t expect much in the way of exercise, other than a yoga stretch at the end of one of the days just loosen up.

As I mentioned, I did a free trial of a gym here and was not a big fan of how crowded it was. I went twice, and don’t plan to go back. Here’s the short workout I did during that second visit to the gym …

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 …

• SALE ALERT: Four Sigmatic is having a big winter sale right now through February 22! These superfood coffees and teas are so good — I especially love the Cacao Chill and Lion’s Mane Latte. The brand’s best-sellers are up to 50 percent off right now, and my code, ALADYGOESWEST, gets you an additional 10 percent off your order.
• 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.
• 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 

• Tech/life balance. Can you believe we’re coming up on nearly a year of the pandemic? It’s true. And during this past year, we’re using technology more than ever. This article has some great tips on how you can create healthy boundaries with technology, even if you work from home and use Zoom all day.
• Cycle syncing your food. I think most of us know by now women’s systems go through all sorts of hormonal changes throughout the month. There is science behind which type of workouts you should do depending on where you are in your cycle, and this article shares a few tips on foods you can consider focusing on during each phase of your cycle as well. Interesting stuff.

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 

• Wellness tips for the 30s. Always a good one to go back to … “Five things you should be doing for your life and health in your 30s.”

• Breakfast. This is a delicious make-ahead breakfast I’m due to make again …. “Make this cacao baked oatmeal for a week’s worth of breakfasts.”

Thank you for reading A Lady Goes West today. I hope you have a restful weekend full of things you enjoy. I’ll see you back here on Tuesday for the first edition of a new regular series. 🙂 

Questions of the day

How was your week?

What are you up to this weekend?

What’s your go-to brand of sneakers?