One phrase changed my life: “Everyone is busy, but it’s a choice.” Here’s how 100 days of commitment transformed my body and mindset.
Listen to the episode here…
This One Sentence From My Gym Instructor Changed Everything (And It’s Going to Sting)
Can one phrase really change your life?
Yeah, it can. If you’re ready to hear it.
Here’s the one that changed mine: “Everyone is busy, but it’s a choice to schedule exercise just like anything else.”
These words were said to me 100 days ago by my fitness instructor, Rhonda Good. They stung. But they were 1,000% true, and they’re still ringing in my ears.
The Wake-Up Call I Needed
Rhonda doesn’t just teach fitness classes at the Telford YMCA. She lives them. This woman teaches an ungodly amount of classes each week and does every single move, every rep, every action right alongside her students. She’s not one of those instructors who barks orders while standing there watching you struggle.
For nearly two years, I watched her. I admired her. And I whined to her constantly about how badly I wanted to be more fit. “I wish I could do more workouts.” “I wish I could lose weight.” “I wish I could be as strong as you.”
You know, all the crap people say when they want results but don’t want to put in the work.
Why This Time Was Different
Rhonda doesn’t believe in excuses. She doesn’t believe in slacking. She always tells it like it is. And on July 14th, 2025, I was finally ready to hear it.
When I joined the gym two years ago (August 2023), I had good intentions. Something happened in my life that kind of blew everything up. I knew I needed to get in shape. I was getting winded walking from the Kroger parking lot to the front door. A flight of stairs? Forget about it.
So I joined the Y. I wanted to take Zumba because I used to be a dancer. I loved dancing until a car accident ripped it away from me. When I found out the Richmond, Kentucky YMCA offers Zumba, I thought all the stars were aligning.
That first class? A struggle. A serious struggle.
I made it 15 minutes before I had to walk out because I was so winded.
What 100 Days of Commitment Looks Like
A hundred days ago, I couldn’t get through an entire Zumba class without getting winded. I couldn’t do jumping jacks. I couldn’t do a plank. I could barely get through any of the exercises. Taking multiple classes in a day? Absolutely not.
But today? I can take multiple classes in a day. I can do jumping jacks. I can hold a decent plank for about 30 seconds before I have to drop to my knees. And I’m using way heavier dumbbells than I ever dreamed I could.
A hundred days ago, I was using 5-pound weights for my “big” weights and 3-pound weights for my “small” weights. Today I’m using 15s and 8s. Those 20-pound dumbbells are still haunting me, but I’ll get there. I’m not there yet, but I’ll get there.
This Is More Than Just Another Fitness Podcast
I want More Movement Please to be more than just another fitness podcast. Let’s face it, there are so many fitness podcasts out there already. What makes this one different?
First, it’s my story. But I don’t want it to just be a podcast. I want it to become a community. I want it to be a movement of movement.
Most episodes are going to be about five or ten minutes because that’s about how long it takes me to get to and from the gym. I want to share things as I’m thinking of them and as I’m learning them. Quick and easy to digest. But when I have guests on, those will be longer.
Your Turn
I’ve been in it for real for 100 days. As Rhonda says, the first year and a half didn’t count because I didn’t really move enough. But I’m actually in it now. I’m committed. I’m ready to go. I want more of this.
And I hope you enjoyed this little teaser episode of what’s coming. I can’t wait to share more with you.
Onwards and upwards, my friends. Have you worked out today?
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Full Transcript for “Getting Serious About My Fitness Journey – 100 Days of Maximum Effort”
00:00:11
Can one phrase really change your life that much?
00:00:13
Yeah, it can, if you’re ready to hear it. Here’s
00:00:18
the one that changed mine. Everyone is busy,
00:00:22
but it’s a choice to schedule exercise just like
00:00:25
anything else. These words were said to me 100
00:00:28
days ago, and the truth is, they stunk. But they
00:00:33
were 1 ,000 % true, and they’re still ringing
00:00:35
in my ears 100 days after they were said to me.
00:00:39
The person who said them to me, Her name is Rhonda
00:00:42
Good. She’s an instructor at the Telford YMCA,
00:00:44
and she teaches an ungodly amount of classes
00:00:47
each week. But this woman, she doesn’t just teach
00:00:51
them. Oh, no. She does every move, every rep,
00:00:54
every single action that her students do. See,
00:00:59
she isn’t one of those teachers that just barks
00:01:01
orders at you, and then you do it while she stands
00:01:03
there and watches you. Yeah, she’s watching your
00:01:07
form from the mirror or she’ll face us while
00:01:09
she’s doing the classes with us. But she literally
00:01:12
does every single move with us. And as I watched
00:01:16
her for the better part of two years, I really
00:01:18
wanted to be more like her in terms of fitness.
00:01:21
And I regularly would whine to her about how
00:01:24
badly I wanted to be more into fitness. I’d constantly
00:01:27
be saying things like, I wish I could do more
00:01:29
workouts. I wish I could. lose weight. I wish
00:01:32
I could be as strong as you. All kinds of crap
00:01:34
that people that usually want to work out but
00:01:37
don’t want to put in the work say. And see, Rhonda’s
00:01:41
the type of person, she doesn’t believe in excuses.
00:01:44
She doesn’t believe in slacking. And she always
00:01:47
tells it like it is. And that’s exactly what
00:01:49
she did with me on July 14th, 2025, when she
00:01:53
sent me that message. And I was finally ready
00:01:55
to hear it. It really shook me up. Because here’s
00:01:58
the thing. When I joined the gym two years ago,
00:02:01
I did it because something happened in my life
00:02:03
that kind of blew up my life. The reality is,
00:02:06
I knew I needed to get in shape. I’d started
00:02:08
exercising more already. I had been going on
00:02:11
walks and hikes with my husband. But the truth
00:02:14
is, I was struggling so badly, not just with
00:02:17
exercise, but in everything I was trying to do.
00:02:20
I was getting winded on a flight of stairs. I
00:02:23
was getting winded just walking from the back
00:02:25
of the Kroger parking lot to the front door.
00:02:27
And I knew I needed a change, so I joined the
00:02:30
Y. I wanted to take Zumba because in my youth,
00:02:34
I was a dancer. I absolutely loved dancing, and
00:02:37
I still love dancing. Then a car accident kind
00:02:40
of ripped dancing away from me, and I started
00:02:42
doing karate and getting into all kinds of other
00:02:46
stuff. I started working. But the truth is, dance
00:02:50
has always been a love of mine. And so when I
00:02:52
found out… that the local YMCA here in Richmond,
00:02:56
Kentucky does Zumba, I was like, okay, this is
00:02:58
it. Yes. This is all the stars aligning telling
00:03:01
me that now I can finally start working out and
00:03:03
I can do Zumba and I’m going to get in shape.
00:03:05
And oh my God, y ‘all, that first class was a
00:03:08
struggle. I mean, seriously, that first class,
00:03:12
I was on the struggle bus the entire time. I
00:03:16
think I made it 15 minutes before I had to walk
00:03:18
out because I was so winded. And here’s the thing.
00:03:21
A hundred days ago, I couldn’t get through an
00:03:24
entire Zumba class without getting winded. I
00:03:27
couldn’t do jumping jacks. I couldn’t do a plank.
00:03:31
I could barely get through any of the exercises.
00:03:34
And taking multiple classes in a day? Oh my God,
00:03:37
absolutely not. But today, I can take multiple
00:03:42
classes in a day. I can do jumping jacks. I can
00:03:46
hold a decent plank for about 30 seconds before
00:03:49
I have to drop to my knees. And I’m using higher…
00:03:53
weight dumbbells than I ever dreamed I could
00:03:55
have before. Because 100 days ago, I was using
00:03:58
fives for my big weights and threes for my small
00:04:01
weights. And today I’m using 15s and eights.
00:04:06
Now, the 20 pound dumbbells, those are haunting
00:04:09
me. I want to use the 20 pound dumbbells, but
00:04:11
I’m not there yet. I’ll work on it. I’m not there
00:04:14
yet, but I’ll get there. So I want to welcome
00:04:17
you to more movement, please. the podcast where
00:04:20
I basically want to inspire other people to finally
00:04:22
get off their butt and move. Move your body.
00:04:25
I’m famous Ashley Grant on the interwebs, and
00:04:28
you can learn more about how I got that moniker
00:04:29
on my other podcast, The Bloggy Friends Show.
00:04:32
But for this one, I want to be talking about
00:04:34
moving your body. That’s what this podcast is
00:04:36
going to be all about. And if you want to know
00:04:39
more and you want to hang out with me on my fitness
00:04:41
journey, I would love to have you here. So I
00:04:43
hope you’ll consider subscribing wherever you
00:04:45
get your podcasts. And I’ll be posting episodes
00:04:47
as I get gym musings and as I get experts that
00:04:51
I want to talk to. Most of the episodes are going
00:04:53
to be about five or 10 minutes because that’s
00:04:55
about how long it takes me to get to and from
00:04:57
the gym. And I kind of want to just share things
00:05:00
as I’m thinking of them and as I’m learning them.
00:05:03
So they’ll be quick and easy to digest episodes.
00:05:07
But when I do have guests on. Those will be a
00:05:09
little bit longer. And I’m really hopeful that
00:05:11
my very first guest, once I do have guests on
00:05:14
this show, will be Rhonda Good. So I guess you
00:05:16
could say this is a public invitation, Rhonda,
00:05:18
if you’re listening. I want to interview you.
00:05:20
But I think you already know that because I kind
00:05:22
of harassed you about it recently. Anyway, I
00:05:25
just wanted to say that I’m really looking forward
00:05:27
to seeing what happens with this. I want it to
00:05:30
be more than just another fitness podcast because,
00:05:32
let’s face it, there are so many fitness podcasts
00:05:35
out there already. And what’s going to make this
00:05:37
one any different? Well, first, it’ll be my story,
00:05:41
which is what every fitness person says, right?
00:05:43
It’ll be their story. But I don’t want it to
00:05:46
just be a podcast. I want it to be so much more
00:05:48
than that. I want it to become a community. I
00:05:51
want it to be a movement of movement. So I hope
00:05:54
you’ll join me on this fitness journey. I’ve
00:05:56
been in it for real 100 days because, as Rhonda
00:05:59
says, the first. Year and a half, it didn’t count
00:06:02
because I didn’t really move enough. But I’m
00:06:04
actually in it. I’m committed. I’m ready to go.
00:06:06
I want more of this. And I hope you enjoyed this
00:06:09
little teaser episode of what’s coming. And I
00:06:12
just want to thank you for even listening right
00:06:13
now and listening at all. And anybody who’s heard
00:06:16
my story so far or knows what I’ve been going
00:06:18
through these last 100 days, I can’t wait to
00:06:20
share more with you. I can’t wait to tell you
00:06:22
all the good things. And we’ll go from there.
00:06:26
And so like all of my accountability posts that
00:06:28
I’ve been sharing on Instagram, I’m going to
00:06:30
end my podcast episodes the same way. And basically
00:06:32
it’s like this. Onwards and upwards, my friends.
00:06:35
Have you worked out today?
