Favorite things: Snapchat, hydrating, BlogFest goodies and more
Greetings! How’s your week been? Mine has been pretty good. I’m back in the swing of things after being in L.A. last week for work and the IDEA World Fitness Convention and BlogFest (you can read more about my experience here).
Even though I had an awesome time in L.A., it was great to get home to be with Dave and Rudy. But then Dave ended up going on a business trip to N.Y.C. for much of this week, so I’m definitely looking forward to a couple of days off this weekend with him. That being said, it’s going to be a low-key one for us. On Saturday morning, I’m teaching BODYPUMP, then spending the day relaxing, before we go out for a double-date with some friends in the evening. And that’s pretty much it.
Things will be fairly standard for us for the next few weeks, but we have a trip on the horizon. In late August, we’re going to Las Vegas for a few nights with our best friends, who live in Columbus (and we made a surprise visit to see last year), and we are absolutely beyond excited for that adventure. But today, it’s all about favorites, so here’s a look at a few things I’ve been loving lately …
This week’s “Favorite things”
Hydrating, water bottles and sparkling beverages
Wouldn’t you know that sometimes I enter giveaways on other blogs and win. I won this pink Nalgene bottle on Gina’s blog a few weeks ago, and it has become my go-to water bottle. I always try to fill it up in the mid-morning and have it finished by the mid-afternoon – it’s 48 ounces, so it’s more than half of what I typically need in a day.
I did the pictures below for a fun little campaign with Old Navy for social media, but because I’m showcasing my lovely bottle, I wanted to share them here too. The campaign included posting a healthy summer challenge video on Instagram and Facebook, and you can see I chose to do it all about hydration. Just a few days in, and I’m sticking to my challenge to drink more water. Because seriously, water does wonders for our minds, bodies and energy levels, and having a big water bottle definitely helps make it easier for me to drink more of it.
Shop this look:
- TOP//Go-Dry Performance Muscle Tank with “Find Your Balance”
- BOTTOMS//Go-Dry Mid-Rise Compression Leggings in Soft Black Stripe
- BRA//Go-Dry Seamless Racerback Light Support Bra in Tropical Plunge
Another honorable mention for hydrating includes sparking water, which is always my go-to purchase at airports, on road-trips and any time I’m at the store and thirsty. I get the Trader Joe’s sparkling mineral water for weekday consumption because it’s super cheap, but this Perrier is something I save for occasional purchase. Love it.
(P.S. Old Navy sponsored the social campaign, but is not sponsoring this blog mention.)
Snapchat
You expected that one, right? I realize a lot of people have jumped on the Snapchat bandwagon, and I’m a little late to the party. After one failed attempt at enjoying it months ago, this second go around, I’m really loving it. Why? Because it’s not staged and perfect. It’s an easy way to share little hints from your life and communicate with others, and you don’t have to think too much about it.
If you don’t really understand what Snapchat is, that’s okay. Basically, it’s a very informal and fun social media network, in which you take quick photos, write text on them, and then share them with your friends and followers. In order to comment, someone writes you a chat. Then, after 24 hours, your photos are gone. What’s the point? You get to see quick snapshots from peoples’ lives, which are not perfect enough to share on Instagram or Facebook. And you can see what your friends are up to, if you haven’t talked in a while. Totally cool, right? I’ve been snapping pictures of my food, scenes from my workouts and lots of pictures of my sweet pup. Examples …
But I don’t have a lot of my snaps to share, because unless you screenshot the snap, it goes away in 24 hours! If you want to see more, add me aladygoeswest.
BlogFest goody bag
This year at BlogFest, we were all given a pretty awesome goody bag to take home. I didn’t have any extra room in my suitcase, so I actually carried on this entire thing and lugged it around the airport. It was heavy!
I’m most excited about the collagen protein powder, new Vega product and hemp seeds inside, and I’ll report back as I sample the products and let you know what’s a winner.
My favorite links of the week
Did you miss the latest on A Lady Goes West?
And more from around the web worth checking out …
- There are so many nutritional rules posts out there, and most of the time, they have extremes. This one seems very level-headed, although I’m surprised to see that the writer says to avoid grains. “Basic Food Rules for a Healthy Life.”
- Are you a snacker after dinner? Check out these pointers from healthy lifestyle bloggers on “How to Avoid Late-Night Snacking,” and you’ll see my tip featured!
- Did you know that you can sample anything inside Trader Joe’s before buying it? That fun fact and more in this one: “Fun secrets about Trader Joe’s.”
SALE ALERT — if you’re in the mood to shop, check out the Nordstrom sale. It’s a good one!
That’s it, folks. Have an awesome weekend!
Need something to do? Check out these #faves ... Click To TweetRead more Favorite things
To see more favorites, visit Heather‘s blog or my older “Favorite things.”
*There are affiliate links in this post. Thanks for your support!
Questions of the day
What’s your favorite moment from this week?
Any good news to share?
I love Old Navy’s workout line. If I wasn’t on a spending hiatus, I would totally spring for some more! (Because I need more tanks, right?). I was definitely ready to come home from LA–loved seeing everyone, but it was time to go home for me, lol.
Have a great weekend, Ashley!
I bet you have PLENTY of workout wear, Susie. 🙂 heheheh!! Happy Friday, lady!
Hey! Long time no chat …. I’m still reading all your posts but have recently started a new job and haven’t had much time for commenting :p
One thing I’m looking forward to this weekend is a family reunion 🙂 After work I’m making the 4 hour drive to my hometown to spend the weekend with over 100 relatives!! Many that I haven’t seen in over 10 years. I’m really looking forward to it 🙂
Enjoy your weekend!!
Yes! I’ve missed your comments! Congrats on the new job. Do you like it? What are you doing? And even though you have a long drive after work, that will be TOTALLY worth it to reunite. YAY!! Have a fab day, Catherine. 😉
I’m loving my new job 🙂 I’m the Procurement Advisor for our provincial government (Canada’s equivalent to state government). Yes, the long drive was worth it to celebrate the weekend with my relatives.
Awesome! So happy for you in the new gig! 🙂 It sounds like you are quite important to your country hehhe!
I am loving snapchat. It definitely takes a while to figure out the platform and I’m no expert but it is a lot of fun.
Sure is fun!! We missed you at BlogFest, Jen!! 🙁
I came home this week and my suitcase was 49 pounds because of all the Blogfest goodies, thank goodness I just made the 50 pound limit, lol! Have a great weekend!
My suitcase was over the weight limit, so that’s why I had to do 2 carry-ons heheheh! Welcome home!!!
I love Old Navy workout clothes! They’re great and affordable.
I am still trying to figure this SnapChat thing out – lol!
It’s a bit confusing, Heather! I’m with you on that heeheh! Happy Friday!
Hi Ashley, Happy Friday! Loving that water bottle and the outfit from Old Navy. I’ve been enjoying your snaps! You know you can save any snap you post to your camera roll by clicking the down arrow before you post it, right? You can also go back to your story and save the whole thing or one picture at a time after the fact! Just thought I’d share 🙂 Have a great weekend!
I know that now, but I didn’t at first — so when I stupidly went back to find all my snaps, I realized they were gone even for me hahahah! Totally takes time to learn Snapchat, but I’m getting there. You should write a HOW TO post though. For reals. Your snaps are awesome.
Interesting thought! Haha, thanks 🙂
You really can’t have too many water holding devices, right? 🙂
I’ve done some Nordstrom’s sale shopping online, as of this a.m. love it! We have the Mall of America nearby, in Bloomington, MN, I don’t go often, but maybe I should since there’s a Nordstrom’s there.
So ready for the wknd, I’m getting a massage after work, so need it since I’m working out these days–6 weeks in and I love the gym I joined, feeling so good! We’re going to see Duran Duran tomorrow night—woohoo:)
Have a good wknd Ashley!
Hi Amy! Wow, you have a great weekend planned! And yes for massages! I need to get my shopping done so. Glad you took advantage of the sale!
I love Vega- it’s my go to protein shake. What are the new products you are trying out? I’m curious to see what the company is up to!
Hi Ginette. Love Vega! It’s called the essentials shake– it’s a nutritional shake. I’ll tell you more soon!
I’m so happy to hear you’re loving Snapchat now! I’ve been neglecting it (and most of my social media) for the past couple of weeks because I’ve been getting ready for a 2 week trip to Asia. I’m so bad about keeping up with those things when life gets really busy. But I’m definitely going to be using it while I travel. I’m looking forward to catching up and seeing what you’re up to these days! 🙂
I hope you enjoy your Q-time with Dave and Rudy this weekend! xo
What?? Two weeks?? No way! With your man? Totally awesome!!!!!
Nice job lugging that Blog Fest bag all the way home! All of it looks so good.
I totally agree that sparkling beverages are really satisfying for some reason when I’m thirsty, and La Croix is one of my favorites plus Sparkling Ice? I’m not sure that’s what it’s called. Is Vega your favorite protein powder? What other ones have you tried?
I finally got to try La Croix recently and enjoyed it too. I like a lot of plant-based protein powders, including Vega, Sunwarrior, Pro Alpha, etc. Right now I mostly use Vega though! Happy weekend, Emily! 🙂
I had to laugh seeing your perrier bottle, my best friend and I went to watch a little league championship baseball game last night ( sounds fun right..lol) so to spice it up we emptied out some single serve bottles of Perrier and topped with some nicely chilled white wine…DO THIS now…it was so fun to have a little extra refreshing drink while we were watching and no one was wiser….lol
Love seeing your day on snapchat..I used to hate it too, never got the idea but it’s so fun to get a quick glimpse into people’s lives which I find more real then a staged photo on instagram or facebook….
Well, clearly I will be pouring white wine into my Perrier soon. That’s my, girl! Nice work ahahha! Love it. I bet baseball had never been so fun to watch. And YES for Snapchat — it’s totally fun! Enjoy your weekend. 🙂
Yes! Snapchat is so fun!! I’ve added you–I like too that not everyone is on it yet so I find myself more free to experiment with it 🙂
AGREED! Experimenting or just posting fun stuff without thinking too much about it. Yes! Hope you had a nice weekend. 🙂
I drink club soda like it’s going out of style but have never tried Perrier.
Also, I plan on buying collagen after vacation and have been reading great reviews about it! You’ll have to keep us updated!
Yes! I will definitely report back after I break into the collagen. 🙂 And you should totally try the Perrier! So good.
I SO should have gone to that show!! Wish I could have connected with you in real life! Glad that you received the Vega Breakfast Box though 🙂
Oh I wish you had come! When’s the next event in SF? Would love to meet, Trevor!