Hi, my friends! This has been quite the week. We’ve had heavy hearts over here, and I’m sure you have too. It’s been strange, as though the daily stuff we focus on is not important right now. Although, yes, we’re still technically under a quarantine (as well as a temporary curfew), here in the Bay Area.

There’s so much going wrong in our world that needs to improve. I am not full of answers, but I am full of hope for change. Perhaps this is the turning point that we all need to do better, to be better and to finally take real action.

Today, I have a modified set of current faves, with resources that should be helpful for us all. As always, I appreciate you being here, and I wish you well …

Current faves

Anti-racism resources

I’ve spent a lot of time this week reading, listening and educating myself on racism and social injustice in our country. I don’t want to say the wrong thing. And I don’t know everything, but I do know that we all need to do better, and we all need to help promote change. I took a good look at my own social media feed and realized it needed more diversity. But of course, there’s much more to it than that.

Here’s what we can do …

• Register to vote and vote for leaders who want change at the local, state and federal level
• Support black-owned businesses in our communities
• Educate ourselves on anti-racism and teach our children how to be anti-racist as well
• Donate to organizations that support anti-racism (some are listed below)

(Graphic from Picsome.ca.)

Here are some resources …

How to make this moment a turning point from Barack Obama

Former President Barack Obama explains how voting, especially in local elections, is what can really bring about change in our world to reform policies. And historically, voter turnout in local elections is really low. This is a great piece to read about why we should care and what we can do. I will admit, I have skipped a few local elections recently, and I’m not going to do that again.

A moving letter from a black mom to white moms

Ending racism starts at home when children are young. As parents, we have to use inclusive language, make sure our children are exposed to all races and help shape an anti-racist new generation. This letter from a black mom to a white mom is moving. We will continue to work on this.

List of children’s books about race and tolerance

We are lucky to have some diverse books to read Brady, thanks to his aunts, who gave us a collection of titles early on. But we can always do better. This is a great list of books for kids that support tolerance and can help start conversations about anti-racism with your kiddos.

30 ways to learn how to be anti-racist

This article is a collection of 30 pieces you can read to further your education on how to be anti-racist, how to better understand what is going on and how to take action. It’s definitely worth sharing with anyone who needs inspiration and insight to get on board.

CNN and Sesame Street Town Hall on Racism

This weekend, CNN and “Sesame Street” are hosting a Town Hall for families to talk address standing up to racism. You can find out more about that free program here, and you can even submit questions head of time.

(Graphic from Oh Happy Dani.)

Here’s where you can consider donating …

I made a donation to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund this week and will be making another donation to another organization soon. Here are a few other organizations to look into and consider …

• Campaign Zero
• NAACP
• Movement for Black Lives
• Color of Change
• Black Futures Lab
• My Brother’s Keeper

I think what really matters is taking sustained action from here on out. This isn’t the one week of the year where we should care about racism. This is something that we should focus on and care about every day moving forward.

Discounts

A few A Lady Goes West recommended products …

Switching gears, I wanted to share some discounts in one place. I post about these often, but have received some questions lately, so here you go …

G2G protein bars. I love these tasty and clean protein bars. You can get 20 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, the RED powder and the GOLD powder. You can get 15 percent off your order on the Organifi site with the code ALADYGOESWEST.

Daily Harvest frozen foods. I’ve loved every single thing I’ve tried from this healthy frozen food delivery service, including the smoothies, flatbreads and bowls. You can get $25 off your first order on the Daily Harvest site with the code ALADYGOESWEST.

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.

Beautycounter. The best clean beauty, makeup and skincare. If you’re a brand new customer to Beautycounter, you can get 10 percent off your order by signing up with your email address here to get a special code. 

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

Here are my workouts from last week …

• Monday: 45-minute cycle, 10 a.m.
• Tuesday: 40-minute Les Mills Strength Training via Les Mills On Demand, 10:30 a.m., 20-minute cycle, 6 p.m.
• Wednesday: 30-minute cycle, 11 a.m., 20-minute core, 6 p.m.
• Thursday: 45-minute-weights circuit, 12 p.m., 20-minute yoga, 6 p.m.
• Friday: 30-minute cycle, 11 a.m.
• Saturday: 30-minute strength, 5 p.m.
• Sunday: Rest day

This week was a lot lighter than the last few weeks for me. My virtual teaching contract is up for now, so I didn’t teach any classes. Most of my workouts were from the Peloton app, with one Les Mills workout thrown in as well. I took a rest day and picked up weights three times, as well as did four rides, which is the most I’ve done yet.

It was a good week for fitness for me, with several sessions of foam rolling interrupted by you know who …

Best reads

A few things from around the web …

• Beat bloat. Bloat much? It happens to us all! I find that sparkling water, eating too quickly and a lot of bread causes bloat for me. But there are plenty of ways to fix it, with certain foods, routines and more. Here are some bloat-beating tips you can incorporate into your life.
• Squat tips. The squat is one of the most common exercises we see in our workouts, but do you know if you’re doing it right? This is a great article with some squatting tips and exercises you can do to improve your form.
• Dancing. If you need to smile, I highly recommend watching NBC’s “World of Dance.” This is the fourth season, and I’ve watched every single episode. I sometimes cry because I’m so moved by the talent.

And here’s the quote of the week from the Calm app, which I use to do my daily morning meditations …

A Lady Goes West favorite archives …

• Clean beauty. I absolutely love being part of this movement for safer products … “All about what it’s like to be a Beautycounter consultant.”

• Fertility. I’m always answering questions from woman about this very issue, so it’s worth sharing this post again … “How I protect my fertility and hormones (life after recovering from hypothalamic amenorrhea part 2).”

Thank you for being here, my friends. I’ll see you on Instagram! Be well! Take care of each other!

P.S. Congrats to Meagan W., who won the Target gift card giveaway from last week.

Questions of the day

What did you learn this week?

What was your best workout of the week?

Do you have any resources or helpful information to add to the anti-racism discussion to share with the group? (We’re going to watch the Netflix documentary, “13th,” this weekend, as it was recommended to us, and I’ll report back.)