Hey, my friends! How are you? How was the week? What’s new? So many questions, right? I’ve got a favorites post coming at you today.

This weekend, we’re planning a trip to Muir Woods, which I’m excited about, because Muir Woods is a gorgeous national park in Marin County outside of San Francisco. It had been closed for a few months and is now only taking reservations for visitors, so we’re pumped to have a spot on Sunday to get in and hike amongst the big and beautiful redwoods. We’ve been wanting to take Brady there for a long time.

Other than that, not a lot to report from our week. We did the usual work, teaching virtual classes, workouts, play and repeat. So let’s just get right to the faves …

Current faves

Fun

Golden Gate Park picnic

Last weekend, Dave and Brady and I went into the City for a picnic at Golden Gate Park with Dave’s sister, Gwena, and her boyfriend, James.

The weather was perfect (high 60s and sunny), and it was such a great way to leave our house and our usual neighborhood for some safe outdoor fun. It’s been quite hot where we are, and some cool(er) air was a welcome feeling.

We brought mimosas and picnic food and hung out on our blanket for like two hours in the grass away from other parties of people. Brady did a good combination of sitting/eating and running around chasing a frisbee and ball that we brought. And he was giggling the entire time.

I think it’s safe to say that Brady likes a change of scenery too. He didn’t stop talking for even a minute in the car on the way there and back watching all the big buildings and going over the Bay Bridge. We pushed his daily nap a bit later for this adventure and were thinking he may fall asleep in the car on the way home … but nope, he talked. 🙂 

By the way, we wore our masks while walking through the City and only had them off while sitting on our picnic blanket. That seemed to be the norm among people that day.

San Francisco is such a great city, and it has the best weather (not too hot, not too cold). For those of you who are newer to the blog, you may not know that Dave and I moved to downtown San Francisco when we first came over to the West Coast from Orlando.

We lived in the City for two-and-a-half years. And although it was great to live in the hustle and bustle in a tiny apartment, it’s times like these (when we’ve been somewhat forced to stay at home for four months), that I’m really glad we moved to the East Bay for more space, a backyard and a little more room to breathe.

P.S. You may have seen on Instagram that I got a sunburn on my knees from wearing those jeans with holes during our picnic. Wow. That’s a mistake I won’t make again.

Fashion

The Carbon38 High-Rise Takara Shine leggings

I had seen these leggings, the Carbon38 High-Rise Takara Shine, on Instagram for months before I ever ordered from the Carbon38 site and certainly before I joined Team38 as an ambassador. Well, they are as good as I had hoped.

These leggings are so light, so comfy, and the waistband is totally flattering too. I think I may need them in more colors.

I ordered a size small (and for reference, I’m either a small or medium in leggings, depending on the brand), and they fit so well. I wore them immediately to teach a virtual barre class and kept them on all day. They washed up nicely as well. In love!

I got the 7/8 length, which is my preference, but there’s also a full-length version. By the way, I also have the Carbon38 Takara Shine sports bra and love it. 

If you’re in the market for some activewear that can probably double as going-out wear, head to the Carbon38 site to shop here, and you can get 15 percent off your order with the code ASHLEYPITT.

Life

Back to doing our grocery shopping

Can you believe we’ve been in “quarantine” in California for more than a third of a year? It’s true.

For the first three-and-a-half months, I let Dave head out to do all of our grocery shopping in a big weekly trip early in the morning when the store opened. That worked for us. I didn’t go in anywhere and didn’t want to. It was hard-core hibernation mode.

Well, times have changed. I feel the need to get out more, and I also miss doing our food shopping. So I’ve done the last couple weeks of shopping trips, and it feels good to be back out there (I’ve been going to Sprouts mostly). Even though it’s different now, and I’ve had to wait in line to get in the store on a tape-marked socially distanced spot, wear a mask and bag my own groceries too.

The point of this favorite is to say that I’m embracing the “new normal” safely, rather than staying home and avoiding everything, and it’s been a beneficial mindset change.

Beauty

Travel-size Countertime set

New product alert in honor of the one-year birthday of Countertime!

This is the cutest and most convenient way to try out Beautycounter’s super popular anti-aging Countertime line (which I’ve been using for a year and which I’ve reviewed here) and take it with you on the go too.

These are mini bottles, which are designed to last about a month with daily use, whereas the full-size regimen bottles last about four months.

Here’s the mini travel-size Countertime set. It’s going to sell out quickly!

By the way, if you’re interested in trying out Beautycounter, but don’t know where to start: Fill out my skincare survey, and I’ll give you some recommendations.

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: Taught 45-minute barre, 12 p.m., 30-minute cycle, 4:30 p.m.
• Wednesday: 35-minute lower-body weights workout, 4:30 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute barre, 12 p.m., 30-minute cycle, 5 p.m.
• Friday: 45-minute weights circuit, 10:30 a.m.
• Saturday: 30 minutes of POP Pilates, 9 a.m., 20-minute cycle, 6 p.m.
• Sunday: 30-minute yoga flow, 10 a.m.

This past week was another good one of workouts, and I’m happy to be back to teaching some virtual classes. I lifted weights three times, did a few short cycle sessions, Pilates and yoga, and that’s a good combination. Home workouts have gotten a lot better for me over the course of the last four months of quarantine.

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. 
• 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 

• Gut/brain connection. Did you know that your mood can be affected by the health of your gut? It’s true. Here’s why and what you can do to improve and maintain a healthy digestion system to support your mood and mental state.
• Push-up challenge. Last year, we did a push-up challenge in the A Lady Goes West Friends Facebook group. Well, I think it’s a good exercise for everyone to try to work on your push-ups, unless you have a shoulder injury, of course. Here’s some information on proper form and a short plan to follow to build up your push-up strength, following the same challenge we did.

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

• Food. Because you guys love to see it … “Here’s everything I ate in a day.”

• Longevity. I really enjoyed this book … “Three important health lessons I learned from reading the longevity book.”

Thank you for being here, my friends. I’ll see you over on Instagram! 

P.S. INPUT NEEDED! I put together a super-short reader survey with a few questions. Would you mind taking a moment to fill this out to help me with feedback?

Questions of the day

How was your week?

Have you had a change of scenery lately?

How have you embraced a new normal?