Hi, my friends! How are you? How was your week? Mine was good! The usual stuff went on over here: I had some free solo working moments while Brady was at preschool, I got all of our tax information compiled and off to the accountant, I taught a couple of virtual classes, I went on several sunny walks, and that’s it.

We don’t have any big plans for the weekend other than the fact that we’re getting the entire interior of our house painted, and we will be here at the house for much of it today through early next week.

We have a small list of projects to take care of in our new house and changing the wall colors is a big item on that list. I got quotes from three painting companies this week and was able to get someone to start pretty quickly, so we picked out our colors and let them get going. We’re also painting some cabinets in three bathrooms. It’s a big undertaking, but should lighten up the whole house and make it feel more our style. Right now, the walls are a “greige” color, which is grey-ish beige, and that color makes the space seem a lot darker than I’d like. We’re doing most of the walls a white-ish color, with some more bold colors in a few rooms. In addition to the projects, we’ve been ordering furniture here and there to fill the rooms, but we have a long way to go. I will do a full house photo tour on the blog, once I think it’s ready. It’s been fun so far and has been keeping me busy. 🙂 

Now, let’s do the faves …

Current faves

Weather

Sunny and cool days in Charlotte

Okay, the first few weeks in Charlotte were rough for us. We were at an AirBnB without our belongings, the weather was freezing and rainy, and it got dark around 5 p.m. too. Not exactly a great way to explore the area, coupled with the presence of a pandemic, of course. However, I’m happy to say that over the last couple of weeks, it has been sunny, clear and cool most days.

I’ve been outside for a walk nearly every single day, and it’s starting to get darker a bit later too. We’ve also been hitting up our neighborhood park and other parks a few times a week.

(Let’s talk about the leggings shown above: I bought a third pair of these buttery soft Carbon38 Cloud Compression leggings, and here they are in black — I’m wearing a medium. As a reminder, my code, ASHLEYPITT, gets you 15 percent off your first two orders of more than $100 on the Carbon38 site.)

I don’t really know what we have in store for the rest of the year here, because I haven’t personally experienced it, but I’m loving this March weather. It’s perfection.

I especially love a mid-morning walk after a workout to cool down. Fresh air always makes me feel energized, and I always recommend it as a pick-me-up, when you need a boost.

Entertainment

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Oprah interview

Last Sunday, I had a FaceTime date with my girlfriend Jill, and toward the end, she asked me if I was going to watch the Oprah interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry that night. I had totally forgotten about it and had not set it to record either.

Well, when 8 p.m. Eastern time came around that night, I grabbed a glass of Chardonnay, sat down on the couch and literally didn’t take my eyes off the TV for the full two hours. Apparently I wasn’t alone, with reports saying that 17 million people were tuned in at the same time for this rare special interview with former British royals. Wow!

(Image source: CBS.com.)

If you missed the interview, you can watch it on CBS.com for the next 30 days. It was captivating, sad, entertaining and interesting all at the same time. I think Jimmy Fallon nailed it when he said, “Some news to make everyone feel a little better: The Royal family is just as messed up as everyone else is!” Although, yes, there were awful and much more deep issues shared, such as racism and ignoring someone’s pleas for help — things that are now out there in the open and can hopefully help others in a constructive way.

I thought Meghan handled the interview like a true pro, but you could tell Prince Harry was a little nervous and unsure about saying so much publicly. A couple of times, he said he wasn’t comfortable answering specific questions, which says a lot. If you haven’t watched this interview yet, go for it. It was good TV. Also, Oprah is the best interviewer ever, and it’s nice to see her back in action for this one.

Gear

New 20-pound dumbbells for my home workouts

If you read this post about upgrading your virtual fitness classes from earlier in the week, then you know I have some new dumbbells, and I’m very pleased with this purchase.

I bought this pair of 20-pound dumbbells (they were sold separately, by the way) from Amazon last week, and they arrived quickly. And I started putting them to use right away. I love to use my Les Mills Smartbar for Les Mills workouts, but sometimes I like to switch it up with single weights too. And I haven’t had anything very heavy for single-weight workouts at home before, because the plates from my bar only go up to about 11 pounds each.

It’s funny how the smallest change can motivate you too. With the addition of this new equipment, I’ve been looking forward to my weights workouts a little more — because these give me a chance for a new training stimulus. Yes, they are super basic dumbbells, and even though they had a strong plastic smell when they arrived, they get the job done.

If you need to upgrade your gear for some extra motivation or an extra challenge, a lot of gym is equipment is back in stock. Here are the dumbbells I bought, and these resistance bands are good ones too.

Workouts

Weekly workouts 

Here’s a look at my workouts from last week …

• Monday: 40-minute full-body weights via Les Mills On Demand, 6 p.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 45-minute barre class on Motus, 3 p.m.
• Wednesday: 30-minute BODYPUMP via Les Mills On Demand, 10:30 a.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute barre class on Motus, 3 p.m.
• Friday: 30-minute cycle via Peloton, 6 p.m.
• Saturday: 30-minute full-body weights via Peloton, 10 a.m.
• Sunday: 10-minute yoga stretching via Peloton, 6 p.m.

This past week of workouts was a pretty good one. I lifted weights three times, had a rest/active recovery day, did some cardio and taught two classes. No complaints here.

Discounts 

A Lady Goes West recommended favorite products

I only share what I use and love in my own life, and here are some of the brands I swear by. And when you use my discount codes and links, you support me, so thanks for that …

• Fit Revolution. Get a 14-day trial and 33 percent off your first month of this amazing workout platform (where you can take my classes on demand) with the code ASHLEYPITT3PC1.
• 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 minimal-ingredient 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. You can get 15 percent off your order on the Organifi site with the code ALADYGOESWEST.
• 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 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.

Best reads

A few things from around the web 

• Planning a wedding after loss. Okay, so this isn’t a topic I cover much, because I got married nine years ago, but this post, written by my friend and loyal blog reader, Nicole, is so good. Nicole has a wedding-planning blog, and in the post she shares what it was like to plan her wedding while grieving the loss of her dad. If you know anyone planning a wedding, send them over to Nicole’s site right away. Lots of great insight there! Great work, Nicole.
• Saucy sweet potato bowl recipe. I’m not someone who makes recipes with a million ingredients, nor am I someone who follows recipes all that often. I prepare and assemble food, more than I create things from scratch. But if I spent more time in the kitchen, this saucy coconut collards with crispy sweet potato rounds dish would be right up my alley. It sounds spectacular, and I love a meal in a bowl.

Here’s the quote of the week from the Calm app, which I use to do my daily morning guided meditations …

A Lady Goes West favorite archives 

• Virtual fitness tips. Because my last post on virtual fitness was pretty popular and many of us are working out at home, I figured a second installment was in order … “How to get more from your virtual and digital fitness classes.”

• Food swaps. Do you feel like you need to eat a little healthier? You don’t have to make sweeping changes, but instead, make small steps in the right direction. Check out these swaps from an older post that still ring true … “Seven easy and healthy grocery store swaps.”

Thank you for reading the blog today! I’ll see you back here soon. Have an awesome weekend!

Questions of the day

How was your week?

What are you up to this weekend?

Have you watched anything captivating lately?

Are you working out at home or at the gym these days?