Transcript: I Wasted 18 Months Half-Assing Fitness | Why Going All-In Is the Only Way to See Results
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Ashley describes joining the local Y in Richmond, Kentucky in August 2023 after about 12 years of inactivity, and admits she failed because she never fully committed.
Welcome to More Movement Please. I'm famous Ashley Grant and today I want to talk about the importance of commitment. So back in August 2023 I joined the local Y here in Richmond, Kentucky and the goal was to finally start working out again and this is after several years of inactivity like a redonkulous amount of years. I'd say a good 12 years and I decided that, you know, whenever I joined, I was going to really, really work out like that was the plan. Unfortunately, I didn't commit fully. And that is why I failed so miserably. And so that's kind of what I want to talk about as the point of today's episode is that if you're going to commit, you better go all in. You've got to commit for real. And what I mean by that is. Don't half -ass it. Don't just say, I'm going to start working out. Put more to it than that. You need to say how many times you're going to work out, how regularly you're going to be doing it. You need to start
thinking about it as a lifestyle change, not a challenge. And whenever I did my 100 days of fitness, That was one of the things that kept coming up is people were like, OK, so once 100 days is over, you're going to stop, right? You're going to calm down, right? You're not going to keep going to the gym as much as you are. And the thing is, no, that wasn't the plan. It wasn't the plan at all. This wasn't a challenge I was doing. Yes, I was challenging myself, but it wasn't a, OK, I'm going to do this. And then at the end of 100 days, I'm good. That's not how fitness works. It's a lifestyle change. And so. I had to go all in to mean it. I had to go all in to build the habit. I had to go all in to finally make the changes that my body was needing and to make it an addiction, honestly.
Ashley explains how people kept asking if she'd stop after 100 days, and why she framed it as a lifestyle change rather than a finite challenge — and why going all-in with public accountability posts was the only thing that kept her from quitting.
If I had just done what I have previously done in years past and just said, oh, I'm going to start working out, that doesn't put any skin in the game. Yeah, sure, I was paying for a gym membership, but... The whole point of doing the accountability posts and telling people that I was really getting serious and constantly updating my Instagram feed with whether or not I was working out was because I knew that if I didn't go all in, I'd be all out. Because it's too easy to give up. It's too easy to quit. The thing is, when I start thinking back on all the times that I... actually did something in my life. It's when I really made the decision. It's when I drew the line in the sand, when I got serious.
And so that's what I want to encourage you to do. I want you to get serious. If you are considering working out and starting a lifestyle change of being healthy and getting fit, you can't half -ass it. So go all in. I dare you. See what you're capable of. See what you can handle. I bet you if you go all in and you commit, you'll be surprised by just how much you really can do. I know I am. I'm really surprised by all I can do. And I'm loving every minute of it. I want more. And that's the fun thing about when you start getting serious about fitness. It starts to become fun.
Ashley reflects on how full commitment turned fitness into something she's addicted to, while also being honest about still seeing 'the fatty' in the mirror despite her body changing — and focusing on how her pants fit instead.
You get these amazing endorphins. And it's more than just endorphins. You feel like you're accomplishing something. You're watching your body change in the mirror. Now, grant you, I'm not going to lie. I talked about this recently on my Instagram posts. I do have a little bit of body dysmorphia. I still see that fatty. I do. I still see the fatty. But I'm trying to recognize that, well, my pants are fitting better. I'm trying to...
pay attention to the changes that I can't necessarily see, but that I can feel. And that's helping me. And I don't know if that will help you or not, but it's definitely helping me to start focusing on more on the inches and the pant sizes. Because like I said, when I look in the mirror, I'm still seeing the fatty, but I'm going to keep showing up because now I'm addicted. Now it's a lifestyle change. Now it's something that I am a fitness person. That feels really fun to say. And the truth is, previously, I would have never said those words. I never would have said I was into fitness. I would have said I was into, you know, traveling or going out to eat or whatever. And those things are still true.
But to be able to also now say I'm into fitness, it feels really good. And I want that for everybody. I want everyone to start committing to more movement because when you move your body, it just feels better. Yeah, you might feel sore in the moment or you might have some soreness after you exercise. But it feels so much better than the pain that I would feel whenever I'd take a flight of stairs. It feels so much better than the pain I would feel, the discomfort I would feel getting winded, going from the Kroger parking lot to the Kroger front door or even walking around the store.
It's insane how different I feel. And I want that for you, too. So. I challenge you today, go all in. If you're thinking about working out, if you're thinking about changing your body, if you're thinking about finally getting physically fit, just go all in. Commit to it. Don't half -ass it. Get serious. You can do this, and I believe in you. Onwards and upwards, my friends. Have you worked out today?
Ashley contrasts how she used to get winded walking from the Kroger parking lot to the front door with how different her body feels now, and closes with a direct call to go all in.
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