Good food and good workouts

Weekends are good for the soul. If you’re lucky, you get a couple of days to step away from your “work,” sleep in a bit later, take care of errands that you didn’t have time for during the week and have a little fun in the process.

For me, this past weekend was a good one. There’s not a ton to report, and that’s because I used most of the time to recharge my body and my mind.

Friday …

I found the secret to avoiding Bay Area traffic on a rainy Friday evening… Go get a manicure/pedicure when you’re out of work, so by the time you hit the interstate, everyone else is already gone. Genius. I selected white for both my fingers and toes, and I’m loving the change from dark colors.

Salmon and brussels for dinner via A Lady Goes West blog

A rainy Friday night meant a home-cooked meal and pajamas. Perfect.

Saturday …

Waking up fully rested with no alarm clock was the highlight of the day. Dave and I took a trip to IKEA and did some other random errands. In the evening, we joined Nichole and her guy, Brian, for a double-date. They are just the sweetest, and I’m so glad we’ve become friends. (And if you’re not following Nichole yet, get on that here.)

Appetizers at Parada in Walnut Creek via A Lady Goes West

Apps: Roasted potatoes with cheese, ceviche and plantain chips. 

We went over to their place for drinks before heading to our 8:30 p.m. reservation at Parada Kitchen in Walnut Creek. Parada is a fairly new spot featuring Peruvian cuisine, and this was our first time going.

Main courses for dinner at Parada in Walnut Creek

Entrees: Pork shoulder, roasted chicken,  fries, a salad and fried bolitas.

The tiny restaurant was bustling, and every single thing we ordered was delicious and incredibly flavorful. Our group of four split a bunch of bites and entrees and dessert. I don’t think I had officially had any Peruvian food before, and I was impressed.

Dessert at Parada via A Lady Goes West

Dessert: Peruvian shortbread cookies and flan.

Sunday …

Dave went off to play in his very first soccer game of the season, and I did some chores and hit up the grocery store. I also popped in for my THIRD yoga class of the week at CorePower in downtown Walnut Creek. And let me tell you, nothing feels better than stepping out of an invigorating hot yoga class to find a cool breeze on your face. Dinner was enjoyed at home, we watched some TV, and that’s that. Dave and I have an interesting week with us both going on short work trips, so it was necessary that our weekend not be too busy so we could rest up. 

Ashley and Dave at Parada

The only picture we took all weekend with people in it. Enjoy!

My weekly fitness and workout recap

And now, here’s a look at all of my workouts from last week …

Weekly workouts via A Lady Goes West(Photo credit to Leah Bentley Photography, 2015.)

Weekly Workouts 

  • Monday: Taught a one-hour BODYATTACK class, foam rolling
  • Tuesday: Took a one-hour yoga sculpt class 
  • Wednesday: Took a one-hour BODYPUMP class
  • Thursday: Took a one-hour Vinyasa flow yoga class
  • Friday: Did a 25-minute full-body dumbbell workout 
  • Saturday: Rest day
  • Sunday: Took a one-hour Vinyasa flow yoga class

How did this past week of workouts go?

You may notice not one, not two, but three sessions of yoga this week. I’m going to CorePower this month and wanted to fit in as many sessions as I could, while keeping a rest day and doing some weight training. I’m really into the heated room at CorePower and felt so good all week in the fitness department because of it. Who would’ve thought you can wake up at 5 a.m. and enjoy yoga before work? Guess so!

Delicious food, fun and #workouts ...  Click To Tweet

P.S. Thanks to Meghan for today’s “Week in Review” link-up.

Question of the day

What was the highlight of your weekend?

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54 Comments

  1. Love trying new food cuisine. My sister and I ate at a Korean place on Saturday we got bowls that were full of veggies and I had kimchi for the first time. Sometimes restful weekends are the best, but how do they still go by so fast?!?! Have a great week.

    1. Hi Patricia! We had a meal at a real Korean place recently too and loved it. And yes, the weekends seem to fly! Hope yours was good!

  2. We had a busy weekend with baby swim lessons, a 1st birthday and brunch with friends on Sunday. I think I’m more exhausted from the weekend then from the week..lol hmm love trying new restaurants. I’m trying to convince my friends to ditch our book club ( we never read the book anyway!) and start a dinner club so we can try new places out once every few months….hopefully they’ll be on board! Have a great Monday!

    1. Hhahh you don’t read the book in book club? Totally just an excuse to get together I guess. 🙂 And it’s awesome you packed so much in to the last few days, Fiona. Maybe the week will be restful for you?

    1. Hi Heather! YES, I still wake up early, but I like the fact that I COULD sleep later if I wanted. You know? Have a great week, lady!

  3. The highlight of my weekend was getting out and taking some walks with my favorite boys! I am trying out my second free trial at core yoga hopefully next week! I love the sessions I just wish it wasn’t so expensive for a membership!

    1. Hi Liz, Pedicures/manicures are good ways to de-stress, so you know, that’s important too. 🙂 heheh! Hope you had a nice weekend!

  4. I love when I get actual weekends to see family and friends, cook, eat out, and relax without worrying about work! Unfortunately either I or my boyfriend usually have *some* work (in our industry we’re lucky it’s a few hours from home, not 10 in the office on Saturday) but this weekend we didn’t and it was great 🙂

    1. Hi Alyssa! Yes, sometimes you can’t fully get away from work with emails still coming in and things to do, but at least you get to try (and do it from your pajamas if needed)! Hope you had a good weekend!

  5. I went to my first CorePower Yoga class here last week. I wasn’t super impressed with the instructor. There were only 3 of us in the class and I was way less experienced than the other 2 girls. Afterwards the teacher was like, “oh was that your very first time doing yoga?” (it wasn’t). I definitely did not appreciate that #yogashamed. I think I’ll try one more time and go to one of their more crowded, heated classes at a different location.

    1. I hate to hear this, Anna. Was it a new location? Sometimes the new locations have brand new instructors — and clearly a little less polished ones. I will admit CorePower is hard and not super beginner friendly. But you should NEVER be left feeling bad — all classes should have options and you should walk out feeling good. Give it another shot for sure. You could even approach the studio manager about your experience, because you may not be the only one. 🙁

      1. I totally should have said something, but I hate confrontation way too much haha! It’s a location with mostly college students that definitely has mixed (similar) reviews online. I think I’ll try a location with less student teachers. Thanks for the support, Ashley!

  6. We need to do a double date in Walnut Creek!! I heard that restaurant is really good but haven’t tried it yet. I am glad you’ve been loving CorePower too! Hopefully I’ll see you there soon, my ankle is all healed up so I am easing back into it 🙂

  7. I’m crazy jealous of your low key weekend. I LOVED seeing friends coming to town from near and far, but I still feel like we have so much on our plate to accomplish across these few weekdays. Eek!

    Cheers to staying committed and accomplishing everything possible in the next few days, ha!

    1. You can do it, Jessica! You’ll be caught up in no time! It’s better to have fun with friends than to miss out and wish you had. 🙂

    1. Yes! Love to go on a good double date, and no on the blue corn juice? I don’t think I saw that on the menu. Guess I need to go back! 🙂 Hope you had a nice weekend, Smitha!

  8. I really like the white on your nails, I also treated myself to a manicure this weekend, it was much needed! Hope you have a great week Ashley!

  9. LOVING the white!! Genius idea to get a man/ped after work…not only to miss the traffic but what a great way to unwind after your work week 🙂 All that food looks SO yummy! SUPER jealous that you got to go to power yoga 3 times!! So awesome for you 😉 Have a wonderful week friend <3

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