Transcript: This Fitness Instructor Can Tell in 60 Seconds If You're Going to Quit
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Ashley introduces the third and final Podcast Thon episode, explains how the Humane Society Animal League for Life of Madison County was chosen, and previews what Rhonda will cover about reading new students.
What's up you guys? Famous Ashley Grant here. Welcome to the third and final episode of our Podcast Thon series right here on More Movement Please. More Movement Please is so proud to be a part of the fourth edition of Podcast Thon, a global event where thousands of podcasters all in the same week use their platforms to shine a light on a charity that matters to them. The charity I've had the pleasure of highlighting this week is the Humane Society Animal League for Life of Madison County, Kentucky. And the links to both the organization and Podcast Thon itself are in the show notes of this episode.
If you haven't clicked those links yet, I'd love for you to do it after today's episode. And if you feel moved to make a donation to the Humane Society Animal League for Life, their donation link is there too. Now, if you're just joining us, first of all, hi and welcome. Please go back and listen to episodes one and two because they are so good. But here's the quick version of why Rhonda Good is my guest this week. She's my fitness instructor at the Telford YMCA in Richmond, Kentucky. And, well, I adore her. When I was choosing a charity for Podcast Thon, I asked my community for recommendations, and Rhonda is actually the one who put forward the Humane Society Animal League for Life of Madison County.
I threw all the nominations into a random number generator, and hers won. The universe, as far as I'm concerned, made this call. I just showed up with a microphone. And now for the final time this week, Rhonda Good. In this episode, we go deep on what it actually takes to set a brand new student up for long -term success. After 14 years of teaching, Rhonda can read a room in about 60 seconds. She knows almost immediately whether someone walking through the door is going to commit or they'll be gone by next week. She talks about how she approaches brand new people, what she says to them, and then, most importantly, what she would say right now to the person who is sitting at that crossroads. Maybe it's you.
The one who knows something that has to change but hasn't quite made the move yet. It's direct and it's real. Nothing less than what I would expect from Rhonda Good. And it might be exactly what you need to hear today. Let's get into it. Well, I'm going to transition again. And all right. So last time we covered plateaus, the 21 day habit rule, the three do's and don'ts for beginners. And that episode that you call the preachy episode, it was actually really good.
Rhonda describes the specific body language signals — looking at the floor, looking away, stopping dead during class — that tell her within moments whether a new student is going to stick around.
But I want to go even deeper on those patterns, because in 14 years, you've seen the same stories play out over and over again. And I want to know. Well, what you know. So when someone first walks in your class and you said you can tell pretty quickly who's going to stick with it and who isn't, what are the signs, the things that people don't even realize that they're broadcasting that tell you whether or not they're going to be in it for the long haul? Well, usually when you're talking to them, like if I go introduce myself and say, you know, hey, have you ever done whatever the format is and yes or no? And then, OK, well, and I'll say, well, my class is more whatever, whatever the class is. And then and then I'll say, do what you can, you know, and I'll say I'm wild. And I'll say, so, you know, do what you can. Don't feel bad that you can't keep up because, you know, some of them have been with me for years and they can't
keep up, you know, sort of thing. But some of them just like they'll look down at the floor or they look away like, oh, I'm not really going to be here very long. You know, so it's usually that or then the people that, you know, once class starts. They just stop and stare at you. And it's not that they're lost. They literally just stop like, oh, I can't. I didn't sign up for this, you know. So, yeah, it's usually those folks. OK. All right. Well, one of your students sent me the most thoughtful message before this interview, and I want to read part of it to you because I think it deserves a real answer. She wrote about watching your regulars, people who have been with you for years and how they know your routines. They know you, they trust you.
Ashley shares a message from one of Rhonda's students asking whether the tight-knit group of regulars intimidates new people; Rhonda says her classes are welcoming across every body type and age, though she acknowledges other gyms can feel cliquey.
And then a brand new person comes in and they see all of that from the outside. Do you think it intimidates the new people when they walk in the room? I don't think so, just because most of my folks are pretty welcoming. I mean, new people in a gym are going to be intimidated in general. That's part of the whole thing about gyms. But when you've got people in class that are every body shape, every age, every color, I don't think that people are necessarily intimidated.
And new people tend to go to the back anyway where they feel safer. And so not at our place. I mean, there are gyms that are definitely because. There are classes because, I mean, when I was a student even, you know, you're walking in classes, got your little cliques in the corner, this little group and that little group, and they don't say anything to the people. And there's always somebody, whether it's just because they're nosy or because they're nice or a combination of both, that's going to always say something to new folks. Yeah.
So not at the Y. Okay. All right. Just curious. All right. Well, you've seen people hit their goals, completely transform their lives. I know definitely transformed mine. You've seen them get off medications. You've watched people come back year after year after having the same conversations and some of them make zero progress. What separates the two groups, the ones that actually make the big change versus the ones that, well, are stagnant?
Rhonda says the stagnant people are the ones who refuse to make any small changes — a different class, a slight diet shift — and Ashley echoes the logic: if nothing changes, nothing changes.
The ones that are stagnant refuse to make any little changes. Whatever that is. So, you know, whether that's doing a different class or changing their diet just a little bit, they just refuse to do anything different at all. And so those are the ones that, well, if nothing changes, if nothing changes. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. We talk a lot about people, what they should do at the gym, but I want to ask what happens outside of it, because I think that's where most people actually fall apart. What are the lifestyle habits that are not just workout habits that you see that derail people the most? And I know most of it's diet, but I'm curious about all the things.
Rhonda argues you can't erase a week of desk-job sitting with three hours at the gym, and talks about her own habit of always looking for ways to keep moving — mowing the lawn, walking the dog — while calling out Netflix bingeing and constant eating as the real culprits.
Oh, yeah, most of it's definitely diet, but it's also just sitting. I mean, so, you know, for the for typical people, my people are different. So when they come to the gym, they're usually going to work out at least an hour and a half or two hours a day. Most people aren't going to do that. Most people are there for maybe an hour. So, you know, you can't erase. an entire week of a desk job, especially if you have genetics that make you prone to being overweight and all the other things. So you can't have a desk job and come work out three hours a week and lose weight. I mean, it's not going to work. So you're going to have to go to the gym more. I mean, that's why when I was a student, when I started, I started going like 12 hours a week and then 14 and 16. That's how often I was at the gym before I taught anything. So to me, when I went into teaching, it wasn't necessarily that big of a deal as it grew. But, you know, you just
can't erase a week of inactivity. You can't erase eating whatever you want every day, all day, with three hours at the gym. So you've got to, whatever that is, take the stairs. Do the extra things. You know, walk the dog. I was going to say get a dog. Walk the dog. Well, just like, you know, when you have people with overweight dogs, I'm like, well, do you walk them? Well, we've got a backyard with a fence. Well, so do I. Yeah. Do you walk them? Yeah. Well, guess what? That's why it's fat. Yeah. You know, I mean. And so are you. No, I'm just kidding. You wouldn't say that to them. So, yeah. I mean, you have to do some extra things. And obviously.
And I don't hate them. I mean, there are obviously people that are just genetically inclined to be thin and, you know, and people joke and say, I hate them, whatever. Those people tend to be the kind of people that wish that they had more shape, you know, so they wish they had more of a butt or they wish they had more of this or more of that. And they can't get it. Yeah. No matter what they do. So, you know, I don't look at those people like, you know, because I've got a handful of them and don't. They could never be overweight, no matter how much they try. They couldn't be overweight. But I've also got a couple people that have pretty small frames that have lost 30 or 40 pounds. And on them, that's an enormous amount on them. So, but, you know, the biggest mistake people make is just, like I tell everybody, I mean, sure, I can eat what I want.
Yeah. Because of the amount of time I work out and all the other activity that I do. But I still try to sort of behave. And I always, always like, what else can I do to be active today? It's always in my mind. So when people are like, you don't rest. I don't rest well. No, I mean, I rest when my body says, you're dead. That's it. You have to. You have no choice. Yeah. But otherwise, I'm always looking for something to do. To keep moving. Not cleaning. Rhonda doesn't clean. But outside, I'm always looking. Like, you know, I've already mowed the lawn last weekend. I'm always like, let's do something. You know, whatever that is. And I really enjoy the outside work.
But whether that's going to the park and walking or doing something, I would rather be moving. So most people, all the mistakes are made with eating too much stuff and then just that whole Netflix and binge thing, which I've never done in my life, but sitting and just... Stuffing your face. Well, or even just laying around all day watching whatever. I mean, unless you're sick, that's not necessary. Yeah. Get a treadmill.
Well, there's a lot of noise out there about nutrition, macros, intermittent fasting, cutting carbs, not cutting carbs, blah, blah, blah. And the thing that I recently complained about is all these influencers pushing this protein powder crap at you. So what I want to know is what you think about this. Is it true or is it false? Can you outwork a bad diet? Depends on how bad your diet is and depends on how much you're willing to work. Okay. Okay. So. The typical thing that they say is like for what a woman you're supposed to have 2000 calories or whatever it is a day.
Rhonda gives a nuanced answer: it depends on how bad the diet is and how much you're willing to work, but eating junk every day while only going to the gym three hours a week won't cut it — and liquid calories are a hidden trap.
So how do you combat that and still lose weight? Well, I mean, because you're 2000 calories. You know, if you're eating like me, a king size dark chocolate Kit Kat at 450 calories or whatever. And, you know, that's a quarter of your calories a day. And of course, I don't drink coffees and Starbucks and all that kind of stuff. But, you know, if you're consuming in liquid form half or more of your calories in a day, then that doesn't leave you with much. And so, you know, nutrient denseness does matter. And it also matters in how you feel. I mean, if you eat fast food and eat out, you don't. Well, if you're in a pattern of it, your body doesn't know any different.
So you're sluggish and you're tired and you don't feel like going to the gym and you don't feel like moving because you're eating junk every day. Once you get out of that mode and then you do it, you know, your body tells you, oh, that was a little much, you know, and you're not going to feel well and you're going to feel tired and sluggish. Then I don't care who you are, you're going to. So, you know, can you eat junk every day, all day and lose weight? No. Can you eat junk and lose weight if you're willing to work?
Sure. Yeah. But you're going to have to be willing to go to the gym five, six days a week and make the commitment to do it. And some people would rather do that because they like to eat. Yeah. And so, I mean, and that's sort of my philosophy is the reason I don't partake in any of that foolishness with excluding anything is that I'm going to work out. But I'm also going to do other things. I mean, I'm not just working out. I'm going to look for ways to move. And if you do that, then you can eat more junk. All right.
You heard it here first. You can eat more junk if you just move more. All right. I want to ask you something a little more personal. When someone who has been in your class for a long time and they finally have that breakthrough moment, they hit a goal they've been working toward for months or they come in and they tell you they got off on medication or whatever it is. How does that feel for you? Like, how does it really feel?
Oh, it's definitely a boost because I get tired of this, too. It's a job for me. I get tired. I get tired physically. I get tired mentally. I get tired of y 'all. I get tired. I mean, clearly. But then I'll get a message from somebody. Just got one this week. Someone's on vacay. They're hiking. They sent me a picture of the top of the mountain and said, Rhonda, because of your classes, this hike was easy for me. It's an immediate boost. And every time it happens, I'm like, this is why I always show up, even when I don't feel like it. Because that's what matters. People can take care of themselves and can do the things that they want to do without limitations. Yeah, that's why the girls wanted me to send you the picture. We did a crafter noon. And when I was lifting the 50 pound bags of cement, they're like, you gotta send that to Rhonda. Okay, so if someone's listening to this right now, and
Rhonda admits she gets tired of the job physically and mentally, but describes getting a message that week from a student on vacation who said Rhonda's classes made a mountain hike easy — and how moments like that are why she always shows up.
they're exactly where you were before that photo at the family reunion that we talked about all that, oh, all those four months ago, I was thinking it was longer, but it was only four months ago. And they know something needs to change, but they haven't made the move yet. What do you want to say to that person right now? Not the polished version. Just get real with them. Always the same. Look at your future 15 to 20 years from now. If you stay in the exact same shape you're now, which is going to get worse because that's how it works. What does your future look like?
And if you have kids, what does their future look like? What are you leaving them with? That's good. Always the same. Look at your future 15 to 20 years from now. What does it look like? That's Rhonda Goode. And she's been saying that same thing for 14 years because it is always, always true. This wraps up our Podcast Thon series, and it has genuinely been one of my favorite things I've ever done on this podcast. If you enjoyed these episodes, I want to encourage you to head over to podcastthon .org. You'll find so many other charities that are being highlighted by incredible podcasters from all over the world this week. It's a beautiful initiative, and I'm honored to have been a part of it. Please also take a moment to visit the show notes for the link to the Humane Society Animal League for Life of Madison County, Kentucky. Share this episode link. Donate if you can. Tell someone about it. Awareness is everything. And you listening
and sharing this episode is already making a difference. If you want to leave a voice note for this podcast and possibly be featured on a future episode, I would love to hear from you. Head over to FamousAshleyGrant .com backslash fitness and you'll see two links. One's for industry pros and one is for listeners that have their own story that they would like to share. I love hearing from you guys. Thank you so much for listening to these episodes from the bottom of my heart and for being part of this little movement of movement. Onwards and upwards, my friends.
Asked to get real with someone who knows something needs to change but hasn't moved yet, Rhonda gives her same answer she's given for 14 years: look at your life 15 to 20 years from now in the same shape — and if you have kids, look at what you're leaving them.
Have you worked out today?
Ashley closes out the Podcast Thon series, directs listeners to podcastthon.org and the Humane Society donation link, and invites people to leave voice notes or share their own fitness stories.
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