Hey, friends! How are you? I hope you had a great week! It’s starting to get chilly here, and we’re very excited about the change of weather.

While I purposefully don’t talk about politics much around here, I have to say that regardless of who you voted for in America, you have to admit that seeing Kamala Harris rise to the role of vice president is momentous and historic. I was nearly moved to tears watching her speak last week. It’s a huge deal to not only have a woman, but a woman of color, achieve this. And let’s hope for better times ahead, folks.

Moving on, this week was a very busy one over here in our house. I had a lot of work, meetings and momming to do, so it flew by. This weekend, I’m going to be filming some new on-demand workout videos for a project I’m about to share with you below. Let’s get to some faves …

Current faves

News

Introducing Fit Revolution

My friends! I have been waiting months to share this with you! I am one of the instructors on a brand new app called Fit Revolution. And on Fit Revolution, you can take my class on demand, anytime, anywhere.

I’ve filmed 10 different workouts for the app already, and will be filming and releasing one new workout a week moving forward, so there will always be something fresh for you. All workouts were filmed at my house, because working out at home is here to stay.

You can sign up using my special referral link on the site for a free 7-day trial. It’s super important you use THIS link on your computer to sign up so I can get credit for you. Then, once you sign up, you can download the app and sign in to do the workouts on your phone or computer. I’m going to tell you much more about it next week.

Books

“Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan

A couple of weeks before Halloween, Dave and I took Brady to a costume store, and I noticed a discount bookstore next door that caught my eye. We popped in after we got the costume, and I stumbled upon “Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan. I never saw the movie, but I knew that it was popular, so I figured I’d give the book a try.

It was a long book, coming in at more than 500 pages, and yet, it went by pretty quickly. It was entertaining, because it was a topic I’d never explored much — the super-rich in Asia — and how they live their incredibly extravagant private-jet-flying lives. Even though there was a lot of glamour, there was also a ton of drama, fighting, lying, social climbing and judging in the story, which made for some juice.

The story follows a woman, named Rachel, who travels with her boyfriend, Nick, to Singapore for the summer only to find out he belongs to one of the wealthiest families in the world, and he had been keeping that from her. And because Rachel is just a normal girl, Nick’s entire family decides that she is not good enough for him, and the family begins a process of meddling.

Throughout the story, we get a peek into the lives of the uber-wealthy, and although there’s a lot of glitz, there’s also a lot of sadness and disfunction in this particular story.

(“Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan.)

I’m not going to say this was the best book ever with the best writing style. But I will say that it was an escape, it was enjoyable to read, and I was totally intrigued by the idea of getting a glimpse into the realities of people who do not lead ordinary lives. The ending seemed a little rushed and not complete, but perhaps that’s because there are a couple other books in the trilogy that will fill things out.

I definitely want to see the movie. But for now, I’m back to reading nonfiction to switch things up.

Beauty and Business

Want to learn more about Beautycounter?

You guys know how much I love being part of Beautycounter, because I talk about it a lot. Well, I have had so much fun introducing others to not only the skincare products, but also to the business. Building and working with my team has been one of the best parts of what I do every day.

My two good blogging buddies, Gina (of Fitnessista) and Heather (of Life In Leggings), and I are hosting a very informal call next week to talk about being a consultant and share why we each got involved …

You can join us on the phone or on video on Zoom to learn about Beautycounter, especially the benefits and cool parts that you may want to know. 

This is a no-pressure time to ask questions and hear more about why we love being a consultant, in case you may be interested in considering it too. If you want to come, send me an email, and I’ll share the link for you to sign up and join us. It’s Tuesday, November 17 at 5 p.m. Pacific/8 p.m. Eastern. Come in your pajamas with a mug of tea and hear us out. 🙂 

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

Here are my workouts from last week …

• Monday: 30-minute BODYPUMP, 10 a.m., 15-minute CXWORX, 6 p.m.
• Tuesday: 30-minute cycle, 10 a.m., 30-minute barre, 12 p.m.
• Wednesday: 45-minute weights circuit, 10 a.m., 10-minute yoga, 6 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute barre, 12 p.m., 10-minute cycle, 2 p.m.
• Friday: Rest day
• Saturday: Rest day
• Sunday: 10-minute yoga, 6 p.m.

This past week, I took a few days off just to rest and reboot. It’s always good to do that once in a while, and this seemed like a good time for me. I did have a few great days of workouts with some variety in the early part of the week.

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.
• Les Mills Coach program. You can get 15 percent off a 4-, 8- or 12-week guided coaching and accountability program with the code ASHLEY15.
• 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 

• Sweet potato convenience. Have you ever bought a bag of frozen mashed sweet potato from Trader Joe’s? It’s a seasonal item, and I like to have it on hand, because it’s so convenient, and it only has one ingredient: sweet potatoes. This is a great list of ways you can use the TJ’s frozen mashed sweet potato in recipes.
• No-bakes pies. Pie on the mind yet? Me too. All of these no-bake options look perfect for Thanksgiving. True story: We’re going to order Whole Foods pre-made dishes and turkey for Thanksgiving to keep it simple this year.

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 

• Peloton. I can be very critical of other group fitness instructors, but I’ve found some amazing favorites on Peloton … “The instructors on the Peloton app.”

• Mindset and habit shifts. This is a good post to go revisit time and again … “Three things that could be holding you back from feeling good on a daily basis.”

Thanks for stopping by A Lady Goes West today, my friends! Have a wonderful day, and stay hydrated. 🙂

Questions of the day

How was your week?

What’s something you’re excited about this month?

How often do you take rest days from exercise?