Hi, friends! How are you? I’m doing well! Even though I have to admit, sometimes I think this whole COVID-19 thing is a bad dream. Anyone else?

But, in spite of that, we had a good week over here. I’m back to teaching virtual classes, so that’s been exciting. Ohhh how I love to teach group fitness, even without real people in front of me. I know so many of you have asked how you can take my virtual class, and right now, the ones I’m teaching are for a private company, so you can’t jump in. But, I’m working on offering some public classes one day soon, I hope. Stay tuned for that.

This weekend, we’re going to have a picnic in the City at a park for a change of weather/scenery (it’s not as hot in San Francisco as it is in the East Bay suburbs). And other than that, we’ll be doing the usual stuff. Let’s get to today’s edition of current faves …

Current faves

Fun 

Fourth of July family time

We had a nice little Fourth of July this year. It was very low-key, of course, but we did have another family over for an outdoor socially distanced celebration at our house for a few hours.

On the holiday, in the morning, I went to a 90-minute outdoor bootcamp at a park with a friend, which was killer (in fact, according to my Apple watch, I burned more calories in that workout than I normally do in a whole day). Then, as soon as I got home, Dave hopped on the Peloton for a ride (the workout kid-swap situation is real, and I know a lot of you parents are used to it too).

Then, later in the afternoon, after some chores and Brady’s nap, we had our little festivities. We had water balloons, bubble guns, an inflatable pool, barbecue food, and Brady had a heck of a time running around like crazy in the backyard doing all the things.

I have to be honest here: In the beginning of quarantine, I didn’t want to “try” to make anything special, because I just wanted to get through it. But now, after more than 100 days of this strange time, I’m happy to report I’m much more into making the very best of what we’ve got. We totally did that with the Fourth. Good times.

Beauty

New Countersun Daily Sheer Defense for Face

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never spent as much time in the sun every single day as I have been now during quarantine. I take Brady out every morning to walk or to the park, and then we go on family walks or bike rides in the afternoon too, because we need to get out of the house, and we can’t go inside our usual spots (the library and the gym). It’s a lot of sun exposure. Probably too much, but it sure beats staying in the house all day.

I’ve been careful to slather up in sunscreen before every outing, and yet, I still have a farmer’s tan. Well, I’m pleased to say that there’s a brand new Beautycounter product that came out last month at the perfect time, because I’ve been using it every single day. By the way, it sold out right away because it’s been so popular, but it’s BACK in stock now. YAY!

This is the Countersun Daily Sheer Defense for Face with SPF 25, and it goes on sheer and doesn’t leave a white residue on the face (like most mineral sunscreens do). It contains non-nano-zinc oxide to block your skin from the sun’s harmful rays. It feels lighter than a normal sunscreen, and I’ve even worn it under makeup.

Here’s the deal: Mineral sunscreens block the rays rather than deflect them, so in practice, they coat and cover the skin. It’s different, but it’s effective. In fact, everyone should consider using a mineral sunscreen instead of a chemical one. Chemical sunscreens are pretty toxic, and they are even known to cause damage to coral reefs and are banned in some coastal regions. That’s not something you want on your skin, you know. There are plenty of safer mineral sunscreens out there you can choose from, but I always recommend Beautycounter as my top choice.

I use this spray for my body and for all over Brady, then I use this one for my face. Protect your skin, folks!

Food

Fancy tuna poke bowl from Mission Rock Resort

In an effort to get out of our neighborhood and do more, last week during the week, Dave, Brady and I went into the City so Dave could pick some stuff up at his office, and then we went to lunch at Mission Rock Resort. It’s in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, right on the water.

It was surprisingly busy, with socially distanced tables outdoors. We weren’t there long, and even though we had to wear our masks the whole time unless eating, it was still great to be out and about. Brady was excited too. He loves restaurants. He loves the City. He loves seeing the big buildings. He loves doing things. He’s easy to please. 

Anywho, this was my best meal of the week. I got the tuna poke bowl at Mission Rock Resort, and it was soooooo good. (BTW: Poke bowls make me think of beach vacations, so I channelled that with this meal.)

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

Here’s how I got moving last week …

• Monday: 30-minute Les Mills GRIT Strength via Les Mills On Demand, 4:30 p.m.
• Tuesday: 45-minute cycle, 4 p.m.
• Wednesday: 30-minute lower-body weights via the Peloton app, 9 am.
• Thursday: 30-minute cycle, 4:30 p.m.
• Friday: 45-minute weights circuit, 10:30 a.m.
• Saturday: 90-minute outdoor bootcamp, 8 a.m.
• Sunday: 20-minute yoga, 5 p.m.

This past week was full in the right way. I picked up weights four times, did some cardio and yoga too. I tried to switch things up a little by doing only lower body on Wednesday instead of full body, and I may start incorporating that into the next few weeks to see how it feels. While I didn’t take an official rest day, I did have a very light day on Sunday with just some flowing yoga, so that worked great for recovery.

Discounts 

A few A Lady Goes West recommended products

You guys know I only share what I love, so here are some of the brands I recommend …

• Carbon38. The coolest activewear around. Get 15 percent off your first two orders of $100 or more using the code ASHLEYPITT. I just placed a new order this week!
• 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. 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.
• 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 

• Longevity tips. This is a short and sweet article sharing some of the simple and healthy habits the Dalai Lama has employed to stay healthy even at 85. Longevity is so important. Love this one.
• Podcast recommendations. I’m always looking for new podcasts to listen to. There are some great suggestions on this list, and I started listening to a couple this week.
• Affirmations. How we talk to ourselves matters. I absolutely love this list of affirmations that we all need to have in our personal arsenal.
• This show. I can’t get enough of “Gossip Girl.” For real, it’s my guilty pleasure. That’s all.

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 …

• Education and entertainment. Because there’s a lot of quality stuff out there worth watching … “The five best documentaries I’ve watched recently.”

• Lighten up to live more. If you’re not a rigid person, you won’t resonate with this one. But if you are a rigid person (like I used to be), you probably should review it and take it to heart … “How to be less rigid to find your real health.”

Thank you for being here, my friends. I’ll see you over on Instagram! Take care of yourself and stay hydrated. 🙂 

Questions of the day

How was your week?

What’s something you’ve been loving lately?

Have you tried anything new recently?