Hi, my friends! We’re more than 105 days into our Covid-19 quarantine. And everything is pretty much the same around here as it has been. This week saw a lot of family time, trips to the park (play structures are still closed, but the trails are open), bike rides around the neighborhood, home workouts, Peloton rides and working.

For the most exciting and normal thing we’ve done in months, Dave and I are actually getting away to wine country tomorrow for a lunch and tour. Dave’s sister, Gwena, is coming over to watch Brady, which will be awesome for all of us — as we’ve only seen her once since March. Most of Napa and Sonoma have opened up (with modifications for safety), so we’ll see what it’s like. To say I’m excited to wear a dress and drink wine away from my couch is an understatement. 🙂 

Now let’s get into the faves for today …

Current faves

Books 

“Inside Out” by Demi Moore

I devoured this book! I got through this book faster than usual, because it was such an easy read, and I was totally into it. I stayed up WAY past my 10:30pm bed-time on three occasions reading this one too.

A friend recommended this book to me, so I put it on hold at the library and totally forgot about it during quarantine. Then one day a few weeks ago, our library opened up for curbside pick-up appointments, and I got the call that “Inside Out” was ready for me. Woohoo!

(“Inside Out” by Demi Moore.)

Before reading this book, I didn’t know a ton about Demi Moore, other than the fact that she was once married to Bruce Willis and then married to Ashton Kutcher. And of course, that she has been an actress in a few movies I had seen.

So I picked up the book and went for it. And I must say, the writing style was so straightforward and conversational, I felt like Moore was telling me all the intimate details of her life like a friend talking to a friend. 

I’m not going to spoil the story for you, but I will tell you that Demi Moore did not have an easy childhood. She did not have an easy adulthood. And even though she’s had all the money in the world ever since becoming a star, she’s still struggled with body issues, addiction issues and major relationship and family issues. 

This book is a first-person narrative from Moore about her entire life, from childhood to present. She talks about some of the more public drama that we have heard of in the press, and she also talks about a lot of other things we may not have known. A lot of darkness. A bit of lightness.

I feel like she told us all the real stuff in this book, and she opened up to us about a lot of embarrassing and ugly moments she’s not proud of. She was raw. It must have felt cathartic to get it all out there, that’s for sure. Also, Ashton Kutcher cheated on her. But you may have already heard that in the press.

If you want a nonfiction memoir from a celeb, this one’s a good one. I’ve heard good things about Jessica Simpson’s book too, so I have that on hold at the library and hope to get off the waiting list for it soon.

Food

Four Sigmatic supplements and a sale

I’m totally into these special drink mixes!

One of my favorite podcasters introduced me to Four Sigmatic years ago, and I’ve loved everything I’ve tried from the brand since then. Four Sigmatic was founded by a man in Finland. The company focuses on using the most nutrient-dense foods in the world, and putting them into powdered drink mixes that the average person can incorporate into life easily for major benefits.

Now this is going to sound weird, but Four Sigmatic specializes in adaptogenic/medicinal mushrooms (not culinary mushrooms), and they include those in all of their drink mixes. You can’t taste the mushrooms, but you do get their proven mood, mind and health benefits. (BTW: All the funny names below are types of medicinal mushrooms — these are not psychedelic, but medicinal.)

My four favorite products I’ve been using on repeat:

1. Mushroom Cacao with Reishi — to chill. Mix this with warmed-up almond milk at night for a relaxing sleepy beverage. It has the best cacao flavor and mixes up nicely. Reishi helps you to de-stress and un-wind. I’ve been having this every night as a treat.
2. Mushroom Coffee Latte with Lion’s Mane — to think. Mix this with frothed oat milk, hot water and some honey for a seriously delicious homemade latte. There’s caffeine, but only about half of what you’d expect in a cup of coffee. The Lion’s Mane supports thinking and focus, while the Chaga supports immune function. I’ve been having this as a mid-day pick-me-up while I work.
3. Chai Latte with Reishi and Turkey Tail — to chill. Another late afternoon or evening treat to help you relax and stress less. 
4. Golden Latte with Turkey Tail — to defend. Raise your hand if you love a golden latte. If so, you’ll be into this mixture, which pairs well with any alternative milk and some hot water. This one supports your immunity and well-being too.

In fact, I like the Four Sigmatic products so much, I became an ambassador, so I have a special code for you to use, if you want to try them out too.

Also, right now Four Sigmatic is having a big summer sale, which ends on June 28. You can find items for up to 50 percent off. Be sure to use the code ALADYGOESWEST at check-out for an additional discount too, and 15 percent off the regularly priced products.

Education

“13th” documentary on Netflix

In an effort to continue to educate ourselves, Dave and I watched “13th” on Netflix the other day, and let’s just say it was eye opening.

This documentary begins with the end of slavery and ends with present day. Scholars, researchers and activists take us through the history of how people of color have been treated as second-class citizens and put at major disadvantages in the criminal justice system.

I had no idea how stricter offense rules, mandatory sentencing and the privatization of jails were such a problem — one that has led to the biggest prison population in the world in the U.S.

There were a lot of really hard things to watch in this documentary, but they are things that we need to know.

(Image source: Netflix.)

By the way, Netflix has made this documentary FREE to the public right now, so you can stream it here even if you don’t subscribe to Netflix. It’s just over 90 minutes and worth watching from beginning to end.

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

Here are my workouts from last week …

• Monday: 30-minute Les Mills GRIT Strength via Les Mills On Demand, 3 p.m.
• Tuesday: 30-minute cycle, 11 a.m.
• Wednesday: 30-minute full-body weights, 4:30 p.m., 10-minute cycle, 6 p.m.
• Thursday: 45-minute cycle, 3:30 p.m.
  Friday: 45-minute weights circuit, 10:30 a.m.
• Saturday: 90-minute outdoor bootcamp, 8 a.m.
• Sunday: Rest day (10-minute yoga stretch session, 7 p.m.)

This past week of fitness was a good one, because I picked up weights three times, took a rest day and even did a few sessions of cardio. I had a lot of fun working out with others during the outdoor bootcamp I attended, and I look forward to doing more of those in the future … all the while waiting for the day that busy group fitness classes in the gym can come back. It’s not looking like it’s happening any time soon.

Discounts 

A few A Lady Goes West recommended products …

• 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, desserts and bowls. You can get $25 off your first order on the Daily Harvest site with the code ALADYGOESWEST.
• Beautycounter. The best safe skincare and makeup. Get 10 percent off your first order, by signing up with your email here.
• 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.
• Carbon38. The coolest activewear around. Get 15 percent off your first two orders of $100 or more using the code ASHLEYPITT.
• 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 Four Sigmatic site using the code ALADYGOESWEST.

Best reads

A few things from around the web …

• Effort, not perfection, gets results. This is a pretty thorough report from Precision Nutrition on a year-long study they did with a group of people trying to lose weight and improve their health. The findings showed that people only need to make better choices even 40 to 50 percent of the time to get benefits from it. In fact, partial consistency is still effective. You don’t have to be perfect with your diet and exercise, you just have to try most of the time. Love it. Check out the full article here.
• Entrepreneurship. Have you guys heard of Sara Blakely, the creator of Spanx? She became the first female self-made billionaire in the world thanks to her success with Spanx, and she still owns 100 percent of the company. I was truly inspired and interested in this interview she did with Tony Robbins about how she grew her business, including the ways she did things differently from the very beginning and how she continues to work on herself and invest in women. You can find the podcast episode here.

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 …

• Les Mills GRIT. I do this workout once a week and have never written about it on the blog besides a passing mention, so it was about time … “Review of Les Mills GRIT workout class.”

• Working for myself. If you’ve ever thought about working for yourself, you’ll want to check this one out … “What I’ve learned from three years of working for myself.”

Thank you for stopping by the blog, my friends. I’ll see you over on Instagram! I appreciate you!

Questions of the day

How was your week?

Have you found a new favorite food lately worth sharing?

What are you up to this weekend?