Favorite things: Kendra Scott, Sol Good bars, Les Mills group fitness and more

Hi! Well we sure have a lot to catch up on, friends. Outside of the usual stuff, I’ve been doing a few cool things lately that I’ve yet to share on the blog. So let’s talk about my favorites and do some recent storytelling.

What are you guys up to this weekend? Over here: No plans for Friday night, teaching my last regular Saturday morning BODYPUMP class (so sad, but the original instructor has every right to come back from her leave of absence), and then the big highlight: Friendsgiving with our group on Saturday night.

Latest favorite things 

Favorite fashion: Kendra Scott store opening

One of my favorite jewelry brands, which I’ve shared a few times on the blog, is Kendra Scott. Not only is every piece of jewelry super cute and wearable, but the company was started by a woman — Kendra Scott — who as just a young mom with an infectious personality and talent began her company by going door-to-door to boutiques in her hometown of Austin, Texas pitching her brand. That was in 2002, and now the company is very successful, has more than 50 stores, is sold in more than 600 boutiques and is known for giving back to the community. Here are some of the lovely pieces from Kendra Scott I’ve been rocking lately, compliments of my friends at KS …

Rose gold goodness: Bracelet and Earrings.

I’m very excited to tell you that a brand new Kendra Scott store is opening in my ‘hood at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, keeping the brand’s theme of “Family, Fashion and Philanthropy.” The soft opening party is this Saturday, November 19. The party starts at 10 a.m., and will feature sips, sweets and a free gift with a purchase of more than $75. I’m definitely going and I can’t wait to see how gorgeous the store is going to be inside. Here are the Facebook details on the event.

Silver pretties: Necklace and earrings.

In a Kendra Scott jewelry store, you can check out the intricate designed pieces and even create your own customized piece using the touch-screen Kendra Scott Color Bar to pick our colors and silhouettes, (which sounds awesome for designing the perfect gift for someone). If you’re not in the Bay Area, find a store near you here. And if you’re local, check out the new store on Saturday, and maybe I’ll see you there. You can also follow along with all the KS events in Walnut Creek here.

Favorite new snack: Sunwarrior Sol Good Bars

Eating whole foods and local foods is always the better choice, but let’s be honest, that doesn’t happen for every meal or snack, you know? I have no problem noshing on healthy bars for snacks when I’m on the go, and I always eat a protein or nutrition bar before teaching classes and working out.

The past couple of weeks these Sunwarrior Sol Good Bars have been in my bag, and I like all of the flavors. The texture is thick and chewy, which is actually my favorite kind of texture for a bar. It feels very filling and satisfying. Sunwarrior products are pretty clean, non-GMO, vegan, dairy free, soy free, gluten free and full of plant-based protein. For very little sugar, these bars have almost 20 grams of protein, which is a good ratio. Keep your eyes open for these pups.

Favorite fitness event: Les Mills sessions

During the middle of last week, I had the opportunity to meet two awesome Les Mills international presenters and trainers at my very own gym. Kylie Gates (creative director at Les Mills from New Zealand) and Caley Greyling Jack (trainer and presenter of multiple Les Mills programs from South Africa) were in town to present a demo of two brand new Les Mills programs, Les Mills Vinyasa and Les Mills Barre. Here are some of the awesome fellow Bay Area instructors who were there …

I showed up to the event to see the second half of Kylie Gates presenting BODYPUMP, and it was awesome to see her manage the room in person. The big things that stuck out? SLOW! She takes the slower movements and timing very seriously and soaks up every last second of each count before moving on. She said that Glen Ostergaard (the program director for Les Mills BODYPUMP) is even slower than her and learning to be patient with the moves is important. I also noticed her range of motion. It was incredible! Here she is …

After watching her teach BODYPUMP, I got to participate in Les Mills Barre, which is a 30-minute program that does not require a barre. It’s very dance inspired, focuses a ton on balance and was pretty darn hard. In only 30 minutes and using only two 2.5-pound weights, I was sweating and shaking. Of course, Caley taught an excellent class and made us all feel graceful. After that, I tried Les Mills Vinyasa, which is a 45-minute yoga class set to music. Kylie presented the program, and it had a nice tempo and flow and a few minutes where participants were given time to free flow through their Vinyasas, which was different. I enjoyed it very much. We finished up with some meditation, and I walked out of there worked, stretched and zen.

While this was not a formal workshop or Les Mills education session, I took away some great tidbits and felt re-inspired to teach!

Favorite recent reads: Food, fitness and more

Did you miss the latest on A Lady Goes West? 

• Two mouth-watering cacao superfood truffle and bark recipes
• Group fitness, healthy food, cheesecake and my weekly workout report
• Class review: The Bootybarre workout (I finally wrote details on my new fitness endeavor, so check this out, because you’ll hear about it again!)

And more things worth reading …

• Reality: I love this. Believe it or not, the perfection you see on blogs and on Instagram isn’t real life. Thanks for this one, Foodie Girl.
• Food: Eating enough protein? Ladies, here’s why you should make sure you do.
• Music: So much talent! I’m dying over Modern Family’s Sarah Hyland singing an acoustic version of “Closer.” Her voice is so angelic!
• Health: Wellness tips from the one and only Michelle Obama. Such a good role model!

Have a great weekend, my friends! Move around, eat good food and tell someone you love them!

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Read more Favorite things

To see more favorites, visit Heather‘s blog or my older “Favorite things.”  

Questions of the day

What’s something you’ve been loving lately?

What are you looking forward to this weekend?