Hey, my friends! How are you? I’ve got a big batch of current faves for you today.

This week was pretty standard over here, with teaching virtual classes, working, taking Brady to the park, going on neighborhood walks, meeting with my life coach and trying to remain positive in week 21 of quarantine.

But here’s the deal: Sometimes I’m perfectly content living in our little bubble. And other times I seriously long for the good old days of teaching packed group fitness classes, going to concerts and dinners out and living a normal life. But, here we are chugging along. 🙂 

Let’s keep it light and get to the faves …

Current faves

Kitchen tools

The cutest little Vejo review

*This portion of the post is sponsored by Vejo. Thanks for supporting our sponsors.

I was so excited to receive this little Vejo portable pod-based blender, because I haven’t ever seen anything like it. And I knew you guys would want to be the first to hear and see a Vejo review.

Vejo is adorable, convenient, and it helps you get a lot of nutrients in one small blended-up beverage.

(My outfit here is from Carbon38. Here’s the top and the leggings and the sports bra. And use my code ASHLEYPITT for 15 percent off your first two shopping trips.)

Vejo has the cleanest design, and it’s basically a blender on-the-go that also serves as a cup.

You put a little Vejo smoothie pod into it, add cold water or milk up to a certain line, close the top, and then it blends up your beverage immediately without any additional pieces of equipment. From there, you can drink your beverage right out of the cup. So easy. (Also it’s super quiet and easy to clean.)

Another cool point about the Vejo is that there’s a battery in the blender, so you don’t have to plug it in (meaning you really can take it with you). And it only takes 30 seconds to blend up your beverage. The little light on top turns green when the 30 seconds are over.

Here are some details on the Vejo:

• Only weighs about a pound
• Fits in a standard car cup holder
• Blends 8 ounces of a beverage at a time (a perfect small serving for one)
• Connects to the Vejo app so you can track what you’re drinking
• Made of light-weight stainless steel
• Comes with a cleaning brush, so you can rinse it yourself in the sink
• Battery powered, and the battery can power up to 30 blends
• Sold with Vejo blends, which are disposable single-serve smoothie mixes

Now you may be wondering, what do you blend up? Well, you can order little blender pods directly from the Vejo site, and they have a variety of flavors and kinds. I’ve tried several of the flavors so far, and my favorites are the fruit-based smoothies, which I’ve been having mixed with water. They are small, so you won’t be full after one, but they make a great snack or addition to a meal.

Moral of the story with this Vejo review: This is a super cute and convenient little item that makes it easy to get in some extra nutrients in your day, without the need for a ton of hard-to-clean equipment and ingredients.

If you want to find out more about Vejo, head to the Vejo website.

I think this would make an awesome gift, by the way, so bookmark the Vejo starter set with the blender and pods. Use the code ALADYGOESWEST8PACK for a free additional 8-pack with your starter set purchase too.

Thanks to the Vejo folks for giving me the chance to try out this awesome product and write a Vejo review.

Books

“Forget ‘Having it All’: How America Messed Up Motherhood and How to Fix It” by Amy Westervelt

This book was eye opening, and I can’t un-know any of the things that I learned …

I saw “Forget ‘Having it All’: How America Messed Up Motherhood and How to Fix It” by Amy Westervelt listed on a must-read list on The Every Mom website a while back and decided to reserve it online at my library.

I really didn’t know what I was getting into with this book.

In fact, I learned so much that I thought about writing a stand-alone post about it. But I realized that may get a little political, so here we are with a brief overview. And you can pick up a copy of this book if you’re interested in more.

Here’s a blurb from the official description that sums this book up so well:

From inadequate maternity leave to gender-based double standards, emotional labor to the “motherhood penalty” wage gap, racist devaluing of some mothers and overvaluing of others, and our tendency to consider women’s value only in terms of their reproductive capacity, Westervelt became determined to understand how we got here and how the promise of “having it all” ever even became a thing when it was so far from reality for American women.

Basically … the content is a lot.

The author, Amy Westervelt, is an American journalist mother who decided to do some research on other cultures, and U.S. history, laws and trends on how motherhood in America (and parenthood in general actually) has ended up being the way that it is. After giving us the overview of how things got to where they are, she also explains some ideas for how to fix the situation.

(“Forget ‘Having it All’: How America Messed Up Motherhood and How to Fix It.“)

She talks about discrimination against working mothers; how the modern workforce in America is not friendly to anyone who is a caretaker; how women are expected to do it all in their little nuclear-family silo (whereas parenting used to have a more community feel); how men are not taught to be caregivers (even though many men would love to step deeper into that role); and she gives examples of better part-time and flexible working situations in other countries, such as Sweden. 

I’ve got to be honest, I’ve talked about how being a mom (especially with no family nearby and a husband who works crazy hours) is incredibly hard so many, many times. And reading this book made me realize that I’m not alone.

I’m so lucky that I didn’t have to go back to an office a couple months after Brady was born and I got to work from home (in a slow and fragmented way). But I know plenty of women who have continued in the corporate world and have not had an easy time of it after having kids. Things could and should be easier for parents with reasonable flexibility. And this is a systemic problem.

Westervelt also talks about racial disparities between the situations of moms, how the patriarchal society we’re in is doing us all a disservice and even how women who choose not to have children are discriminated against in the workplace and in life. 

It took me about three weeks to read this 250-page book, because I only got through a bit at at time. I also found myself re-reading some of the research sections that I wanted to understand more fully. Basically, this was not a pleasure read, but it was an enlightening one for sure.

If you’re a mom, a working mother or stay-at-home mom, I would highly recommend reading this book and sharing your learnings with your friends and family too. And remember, everyone’s reproductive choices are their own, and we need to respect and appreciate that. The end.

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

Here are my workouts from last week …

• Monday: 30-minute Les Mills GRIT Strength via Les Mills On Demand, 5 p.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 45-minute barre, 12 p.m., 20-minute cycle, 6 p.m.
• Wednesday: 45-minute weights circuit, 1 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute barre, 12 p.m., 20-minute cycle, 6 p.m.
• Friday: 30-minute full-body strength via the Peloton app, 12 p.m.
• Saturday: 30-minute barre workout, 10 a.m.
• Sunday: 30-minute light Pilates, 10 a.m.

This past week of workouts was a good one! I picked up weights three times, and that’s my main goal every week, with the extra workouts thrown in to support. I’m busy working away at filming some workouts for the project I’m working on, so I’ll be adding a lot of practice and prep for the next few weeks.

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 10 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 

• Universal nutrition principles. I absolutely love to see all the super in-depth articles on the Precision Nutrition blog. (I’m actually a certified Precision Nutrition coach, as well, so clearly I believe in the organization’s methods.). And this latest piece is all about universal nutrition principles about food, health and weight that are super helpful for us all. I highly recommend taking five minutes to read it.
• Avocado desserts. National Avocado Day was last week and somehow I missed it. I’ve always wanted to make an avocado-based dessert, because I’ve tried a few before and they are delicious. Here are some good ones worth trying.

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 

• Home beauty. Because I love to try new things and share them with you … “Three (strange) home beauty methods I’ve tried recently.”

• Virtual fitness. Because it’s clear that virtual fitness is here to stay … “Tips for taking and teaching virtual fitness classes.”

Thank you for visiting A Lady Goes West today, my friends. I’ll see you over on Instagram! 

P.S. Speaking of Instagram, make sure you enter this giveaway for a Lululemon gift card.

Questions of the day

How was your week?

Are you reading any good books right now?

What’s one thing you’re excited about?