Episode 1Oct 22, 2025· 7:08

From Couldn't Finish Zumba to Multiple Classes Daily | 100 Days of Maximum Effort

▸ Show notes from the creator

Couldn't make it through 15 minutes of Zumba? That was me 100 days ago. Now I'm taking multiple fitness classes daily and using 15-pound weights. This is the real story of what happens when a complete beginner commits to movement. No BS, no before-and-after photos, just honest progress. In this episode, I share how I went from winded after basic exercises to crushing workouts I never thought possible. You'll hear about my first disastrous Zumba class, why I started this fitness podcast as a "digital diary," and what 100 days of consistent movement actually looks like when you're starting from zero. If you're intimidated by the gym, struggling to stay consistent, or wondering if it's even possible to get fit as a beginner, this episode is your starting point. I'm documenting this journey because I want you to see that transformation doesn't require being perfect, but it does require showing up. Topics covered: beginner fitness journey, Zumba for beginners, building workout consistency, strength training progress, overcoming gym intimidation, fitness motivation for women Subscribe to More Movement Please for weekly fitness inspiration, real talk about the struggles, and proof that if someone who couldn't do jumping jacks can do this, you absolutely can too. Read more about my 100 Days of Maximum Effort on Medium: https://medium.com/@famousashleygrant/lessons-from-100-days-of-maximum-effort-finally-getting-serious-about-fitness-0250e381c5f3 This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and is not medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional before starting any diet or exercise program. Be sure to follow me on social: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleygrant/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@FamousAshleyGrant --------------------------------------- This podcast is supported by affiliate partnerships. Please check out a few of our partners below: – Get my lavalier microphones: https://amzn.to/3WXK0Sa – Start a podcast today here: https://rss.com/?via=moremovementplease – Create content from your own voice with Castmagic's Suite of AI Tools: https://get.castmagic.io/dcjy15cirnts – Want to help support our show? Buy a girl a drink perhaps? https://ko-fi.com/famousashleygrant – Need content for your podcast or blog? Check out Tools for Motivation! The links above are affiliate links. This means my podcast will receive a small commission if you order through any of them at no additional cost to you. Affiliate commissions are one of the ways my podcast makes money so that I can create episodes free of charge. If you do purchase anything from my links, I sincerely would like to thank you for your support!

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About this episode

Introductory episode of More Movement Please, a fitness podcast by Famous Ashley Grant, covering her 100-day fitness journey after years of inactivity. Topics include the motivating phrase from YMCA instructor Rhonda Good, joining the gym after a personal life upheaval, getting winded on stairs and in parking lots, failing to finish a first Zumba class, and concrete progress over 100 days including multiple daily…

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Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You've been saying 'I wish I could work out more' for years but haven't actually done it, and somewhere you know the gap between wishing and doing is entirely on you.

Something blew up your life recently and your body has become the thing you can no longer ignore — you're getting winded on stairs and you know it's time.

You tried a fitness class once, couldn't keep up, and quietly walked out — and that embarrassment has been sitting with you ever since.

You've been 'sort of' trying to get healthy for a long time but haven't really committed, and you're ready to hear someone tell you that doesn't count.

You used to love moving your body — dancing, sports, something — and somewhere along the way life took it from you and you miss who you were when you had it.

Questions this episode wrestles with

What if my starting point is genuinely embarrassing — like can't-finish-Zumba bad?

answered

Ashley's starting point was walking out of her first Zumba class after 15 minutes, getting winded crossing a parking lot, and lifting 3-pound dumbbells — and 100 days later she's taking multiple classes a day and lifting 15s.

"think I made it 15 minutes before I had to walk out because I was so winded. And here's the thing. 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."

Can one uncomfortable thing someone says to you really change your behavior?

answered

Ashley says yes — but only if you're ready to hear it. The same words from Rhonda had been around her for a year and a half before they finally landed, and she describes them as words that 'stunk' but were '1,000% true.'

"Can one phrase really change your life that much? Yeah, it can, if you're ready to hear it. Here's"

Why does the same advice land differently depending on when you hear it?

open question

Ashley names the phenomenon — that she was 'finally ready to hear it' on July 14th — but doesn't explain what made that moment different from the year and a half before it. She sits with the fact that the words 'stunk' and yet something had shifted in her.

"anything else. These words were said to me 100 days ago, and the truth is, they stunk. But they were 1 ,000 % true, and they're still ringing in my ears 100 days after they were said to me."

Is there a difference between showing up to the gym and really being in it?

answered

Ashley says Rhonda told her the first year and a half didn't count because she didn't really move enough — and Ashley agrees, describing herself as now actually committed: 'I'm actually in it. I'm committed. I'm ready to go.'

"been in it for real 100 days because, as Rhonda says, the first. Year and a half, it didn't count because I didn't really move enough. But I'm actually in it. I'm committed. I'm ready to go."

Setting expectations: This episode is not a fitness tutorial, a workout plan, or an expert-led discussion about exercise science. It's a personal intro episode from Ashley Grant, who 100 days ago couldn't finish a Zumba class, describing what changed and why she's starting a podcast about it.

Tone & style

Ashley starts as someone who kept wishing she could work out while making excuses — until instructor Rhonda Good sent her a message on July 14th that stung: 'Everyone is busy, but it's a choice to schedule exercise just like anything else.' She was finally ready to hear it, committed to 100 days of real effort, and went from 5-pound dumbbells and walking out of Zumba breathless to taking multiple classes a day and lifting 15s — with the 20-pound dumbbells still ahead of her and the journey explicitly unfinished.

Personal experience and self-reported progress. Ashley is sharing her own story, not prescribing a method or program.

toneWarm & personally confessional

focusAshley recounts the 100-day stretch that took her from quitting Zumba after 15 minutes to taking multiple classes a day — and launches this podcast as a public commitment to keep going.

stylesolo_monologue

energymedium

complexitybeginner

pressure Levellow

emotional Texturewarm, self-aware, earnest, lightly vulnerable

Notable quotes

"but it's a choice to schedule exercise just like"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"think I made it 15 minutes before I had to walk out because I was so winded. And here's the thing."

— Famous Ashley Grant

"says, the first. Year and a half, it didn't count because I didn't really move enough. But I'm"

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

4 chapters — tap to expand the full text

Ashley introduces the phrase from instructor Rhonda Good — 'Everyone is busy, but it's a choice to schedule exercise' — and describes how Rhonda leads by doing every move alongside her students.