Hi! Happy October! How was your week, my friends? I hope it was good! I’ve got a fresh set of current faves and some news for you today …

Before we get to that, let’s catch up on the week. First of all, this week was full of highs and lows, as many weeks are these days. I would have to say that watching the presidential debate was a low. And scrolling social media after the debate was even lower (although comical). Are you registered to vote, by the way? If you’re in the U.S., I hope so. Have your voice heard, folks.

Another low was hearing and seeing the devastation from the fires in wine country right now. It hits really close to home, because we’ve been to some of the wineries that were damaged. And we felt the lingering smoke in the air all week.

Other than that, this week was full of work, workouts, a general wellness check-up for Brady, a nail appointment (yay), virtual classes and the usual stuff. The highs included lots of family time and Brady’s birthday.

And this weekend, we’re heading back to the redwoods to enjoy some fresh air and hiking.

Let’s lighten it up and get to the current faves for today …

Current faves

Here we go …

Fitness

Work out with me LIVE on Motus

I’m finally ready to share with you one of two big fitness projects I’ve been working on!

You may have seen my post about this on Instagram, but if not, here are the details …

I’d like to introduce you to Motus, a brand new digital fitness platform that’s being created by Area 120 within Google. I’ve been a part of the program since the spring, and now it’s ready for beta launch to the public. You may remember me mentioning that I’ve been teaching virtual classes for a big tech company for a few months. Well, now you can put it all together. 🙂 

(Wearing my favorite shiny leggings from Carbon38, and my code ASHLEYPITT gets you 15 percent off your first and second order of more than $100 on the Carbon38 site.)

For the next few weeks only, you can take my classes totally for free. And here’s my live teaching schedule:

• Tuesdays at 12 p.m. Pacific: 45-minute Barre Burn
• Thursdays at 12 p.m. Pacific: 45-minute Barre Burn

Try my Barre Burn class

On Motus, I’m teaching a signature class I’ve created called “Barre Burn.” It’s a 45-minute workout combining the best of classic barre movements with functional bodyweight strength movements on the floor. You don’t need any equipment outside of a chair and a mat, and the workout is best done in the bare feet. It’s appropriate for all levels, and you’ll get a dose of strength, cardio and flexibility. It’s music based, so we move to the beat, and I’ll guide you through from beginning to end. And I promise that you will feel totally worked, without picking up a single weight and without jumping. 

In addition to my classes, you can also take a variety of workouts on demand on the Motus platform with other great instructors. And by the way, right now, Motus is only available in the U.S..

Before Motus, I had never taught a single virtual class. And now I can say that I’m totally enjoying the virtual aspect. We really do get a chance to connect, and it’s always more fun and motivating to work out together. I bet you’ll love it!

Head here to sign up to take a class with me and give Motus a shot.

Family

Brady is 3!

Major highlight of the week: Our little man turned 3-years-old. Wow!

Brady had an excellent birthday! And it felt really special for me too — I guess because I’m just so proud of him as a little human, and I’m proud of Dave and me for raising him thus far. And I also loved to see how excited he was for it to be his birthday, because he totally understands what that is now.

On Brady’s big day, he woke up to balloons all over the living room, and he got to have donuts with breakfast. And if that wasn’t enough, Dave and I dropped him off and picked him up from preschool too, which is a totally cool thing for a little dude to have both parents there.

His school did a good job of making it fun too, and they gave him a birthday crown, birthday bracelet and birthday sticker, and they sang to him. So cute!

We took him out to lunch after school, then we had another sweet family over in the afternoon for cake and presents.

To make it special and not seem like any other day, we had some decorations up, big balloons and a cake with his name on it … which is pretty much all a toddler needs. It was a far cry from his big first birthday bash that so many of our friends and family members came to, but it was still good. 

I love my little birthday boy! And I love celebrating him!

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

Here are my workouts from last week …

• Monday: 30-minute BODYPUMP, 10 a.m., 15-minute barre, 6 p.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 45-minute barre, 12 p.m., 30-minute CXWORX, 6 p.m.
• Wednesday: 45-minute weights circuit, 10 a.m. 15-minute cycle, 6 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute barre, 12 p.m., 30-minute CXWORX, 6 p.m.
• Friday: 30-minute Les Mills GRIT Strength via Les Mills On Demand, 10:30 a.m.
• Saturday: 30-minute cycle and 10-minute arms, 10 a.m.
• Sunday: 10-minute yoga, 6 p.m.

This past week of workouts was full of a lot of Les Mills classes from Les Mills On Demand. I’m trying to switch things up, and that means adding a little bit more weighted work. I also took a rest day (with some light yoga), got in two cycling sessions and more. It was a good and full week of fitness.

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 15 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.
• 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 

• Fertility podcast. As women, we should always care about our fertility. Whether you want to get pregnant or not, being fertile can often be associated with better health. This is a super interesting episode about how and why you should take care of your body to maintain your fertility so you can live a long life.
• Stretches. We can pretty much never get enough stretching. There are some good variations in this simple list of five stretches you can do anywhere to improve your flexibility. Give ’em a go.

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 

• Brady. It had been a full year since I last wrote an update on our little guy … “Brady’s 3-year update.”

• Barre classes. It seems like a great time for this one … “How to make your next barre class more effective.”

Thank you for visiting the blog today, my friends! Be good out there, and I’ll see you soon! 🙂 xoxo

Questions of the day

Have you ever taken a live virtual class?

How was your week?

What are you up to this weekend?

Do you have anything exciting coming up in October?