Hi, friends! Happy Friday!

Another week has come and gone, and it was a pretty routine one for us — other than the fact that Dave was gone for another overnight trip — but it was a quick one, and he’ll be back tonight. How was your week?

This weekend, we literally have nothing on the agenda again, and that feels nice. Now that our travel and visitors have slowed down (okay, we do actually have two more sets of visitors in the next month, both of which we’re super excited about), I’m ready to get back to working on our house and spending some time exploring the area. It’s been so hot this summer, we haven’t been out for walks or been to the nature trails, and I think it’s almost the right time to get back to it. I’m so ready for moderate fall weather and maybe even some cardigans and PSLs. Anyone else?

Okay, friends, let’s get to the faves …

Current faves

Fun

Taking Brady to a reptile show

This was a cute activity!

We are members of our neighborhood country club, and they have some great family friendly events there. This past Sunday, the club hosted a reptile show for little ones, and it was an even bigger hit than I could have imagined. I mean, Brady has been asking to meet “real-life reptiles” for a while, and he finally got to do just that.

First, we had a buffet brunch, then we went outside and set up on blankets to watch the reptile show. I was expecting to see a couple of lizards and frogs in cages, but it was way more than that. The company doing the reptile part, called Party Pets, had tons of reptiles — all friendly — and the host introduced each animal, then passed the animals around for the kiddos to hold each. I was so proud and impressed that Brady wasn’t scared at all, and even had a snake wrapped around him for a picture. Not me. I made it out of there without touching a single reptile, which is just how I wanted it to be.

Some of our neighborhood friends were also in attendance, and Brady had a chance to run around with kiddos his age, which he always enjoys. Kids are funny. In between reptile visits, they would just run around and chase each other giggling, then return to the scene.

It was hot this day, and even though we normally have on sunscreen every single day of our lives, for some reason — none of us had sunscreen this day — so we were toasty and red at the end of the reptile show. Still a good time though, and not your average Sunday activity. I’m glad Brady got his reptile fix too.

Fashion 

A comfy floral dress

I’m over here trying to wear all of my summer dresses a couple more times before fall arrives. Anyone else?

The dress I wore to the reptile show (yes, perhaps I was a bit overdressed) is so soft, and I love the brand. I’ve had a few dresses from this brand before, and they have a very flattering fit, with a slightly cinched waist and a slit. I’m wearing a small. Find the dress here, and it’s on major sale. 

(Here’s my dress.)

I’m thinking I can probably get a few more wears out of it this year, if I add a denim jacket. Because anything paired with a denim jacket transitions into fall. 

Food

New almond oatmeal cookie G2G Bar

I was out of my beloved G2G Bars for a few weeks, and I truly missed them.

I’ve been eating these bars several times a week for almost a year now, and they are so tasty. They have very minimal ingredients, they have 18 grams of protein, and they are filling. I’ve enjoyed all of the flavors, and I’m totally into this new one: Almond oatmeal cookie. It tastes a lot like an oatmeal cookie, but in protein bar form.

Quick note about these bars: They don’t have any fillers, and because of that, you need to keep them in the fridge. I take mine out to get up to room temperature before eating, so they soften a bit. But you know you’ve found a good bar when it needs to be refrigerated. 

If you’re in the market for a good protein bar (way better than what you find in stores), I would encourage you to try out G2G Bars. My code ALADYGOESWEST will get you 15 percent off your order on the brand’s site.

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

This part needs a bit of a disclaimer.

This section of the post is where I share all the workouts I did the previous week. I want to remind you that I do more than the average person, because I’m a group fitness instructor, and it’s part of my job. 

Your personal workout week should work with your lifestyle, be diverse and leave you feeling energized. It doesn’t need to look like mine or anyone else’s. It’s yours.

And in order to stay injury free, you should pay attention to the gear you use during your workouts. Are you wearing the right shoes? Check out this post to find out … “How to choose the right athletic shoe for your workouts.”

• Monday: Taught 1-hour full-body barbell workout at Life Time, 9:45 a.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 1-hour barre class with light weights at Life Time, 9:45 a.m.
• Wednesday: 30-minute cycle at home on Peloton, 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute weights/cardio class at Life Time, 10 a.m.
• Friday: Took 1-hour barre class with light weights at Life Time, 10 a.m.
• Saturday: Took 45-minute lower-body workout at Life Time, 8:30 a.m.
• Sunday: Rest day! Super-light 10-minute stretching yoga via Peloton app, 6 p.m.

This past week of workouts was what my normal week looks like these days. I’m happy to say I took a rest day off on Sunday and even did some light stretching yoga, foam rolling and took an Epsom salt bath for recovery. I rarely have pain or discomfort in my body, so I know I’m doing my recovery right, and that feels good. This week, I taught three classes, took two classes, did a cardio session on the Peloton bike (a live Cody Rigsby ride, of course) and had a rest/recovery day, so it was complete.

Promo codes

A Lady Goes West favorite products

There are certain brands that I swear by in my own life, and so I like to share them with you. If you choose to try them too, and if you use my links or promo codes, you will be supporting me. Thanks for that!

• Carbon38. I’m always wearing stuff from here, and it’s 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 minimal-ingredient protein bars. You can get 15 percent off your order on the G2G Bar site with the code ALADYGOESWEST.
• Organifi supplements. This is my go-to protein powder brand. 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 20 percent off code for your very first order.
• Les Mills On Demand 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.

Best reads

A couple of good ones from around the web 

• Reality TV gossip. I’ve mentioned how much I enjoy “The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast” before, because it’s very much unfiltered. Well, last week, I listened to this interview with Spencer Pratt from “The Hills” and he didn’t hold back. Yet, he said he was holding back, which is crazy. If you have ever watched “The Hills,” you’ll want to listen to this episode. This particular interview was not beneficial for business or health, but it was entertaining as can be — and we all need that sometimes.
• Clean skincare FAQs. If you’ve got some questions about clean beauty, this is a helpful post about when to apply concealer and SPF and which products target which skin issues.

Here’s the thought of the week …

A Lady Goes West favorite archives 

• Day in the life. This is the type of post you lovelies always seem to request … “A day in the life from last week.”

• Anchor habits. Because our daily habits add up to make our lifestyle … “Add more good to your life with anchor habits.”

Thank you for coming by A Lady Goes West, my friends! Have a wonderful day! 🙂 xoxo

Questions of the day

How was your week?

Have you done anything fun lately?

What’s one thing you’re excited about this fall?