Episode 42Feb 23, 2026· 9:47

Want to Quit Mid-Workout? Me Too. Here's What Keeps Me Going

Show notes from the creator
Ever been in the middle of a workout and thought, I'm done, I'm out, I'm going home? You're not alone. In this candid Q&A episode of More Movement, Please, Ashley pulls back the curtain on the real, unglamorous side of staying consistent, including the day she had to walk out of class entirely and couldn't go back. Ashley tackles three listener questions head-on: what it actually feels like to want to quit mid-workout and what gets her through it, how to tell the difference between a bad day at the gym and a genuinely bad week, and the exact moment fitness stopped being something she was "trying" and became a core part of who she is. Spoiler: it wasn't overnight, and it wasn't magic. It was day 100. Whether you're brand new to working out or you've been at it for months and just hit a wall, this episode is the honest pep talk you didn't know you needed. 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 online, and click here to be featured on the show: https://famousashleygrant.com/fitness/ You can also follow me on social: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleygrant/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/FamousAshleyGrant --------------------------------------- This podcast is supported by affiliate partnerships. Please check out a few of our partners below: – Check out my Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/theashleygrant?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_4EEZX1HN7ZCWEBZ33TK3 – 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!
About this episode
Ashley Grant answers three listener questions about her fitness journey: wanting to quit mid-workout (including walking out of a class during a difficult personal period), what keeps her going (post-workout feeling, group fitness community, music), distinguishing bad gym days from bad weeks (11 days away from the gym as her worst stretch, bad days from poor sleep or being menstrual), and when fitness shifted from…
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Notable quotes

"it was the day that I said I only did half of a class because I was so emotional that day from from some personal stuff that was going on in my life that I literally just walked out of the class and could not come back. I had to have someone else put my stuff away and bring bring"

Famous Ashley Grant

"and sugarcoat things and tell you that, oh, if you just work out, you're just going to have a beautiful, wonderful day. No, sometimes whenever you get out of the gym, you still have to face"

Famous Ashley Grant

"I still feel like a girl that's playing, you know, fitness Barbie, only because I'm not as"

Famous Ashley Grant

"again. I was sedentary for almost two decades and I don't ever want to go back. I'm loving"

Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

5 chapters — tap to expand the full text

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Mentioned in this episode
personFamous Ashley Grant
The host of the podcast, sharing personal experiences of wanting to quit mid-workout and her journey from being sedentary for almost two decades to fitness becoming her identity after 200+ days.
websitefamousashleygrant.com/fitness
Ashley's website where listeners can drop voice notes — one option for fitness pros and another for general listeners wanting to share their journey or ask questions.
websiteFacebook
Platform where Ashley invites listeners to find her at 'Famous Ashley Grant' and DM questions or comment on posts.
websiteInstagram
Platform where Ashley was doing accountability posts, which prompted followers to DM her asking if she had worked out whenever she didn't post.
Key themes
Wanting to quit mid-workout
Ashley admits she has walked out of a class mid-session because personal stuff made her so emotional she couldn't go back and had to have someone else bring her gym bag to her.
Bad mental health days and exercise
Ashley connects wanting to quit specifically to days when she's feeling weak or having a bad mental health day, framing these as real obstacles rather than excuses.
What keeps her going 99% of the time
Ashley names three specific things that pull her through: knowing she'll feel better after finishing, seeing other people in the room struggling too, and locking onto the music when she's not feeling the workout.
Group fitness as mental support
Ashley says seeing other people in the room struggling is what makes group fitness classes so valuable to her — it removes the feeling of being alone in the difficulty.
Bad day vs. bad week at the gym
Ashley distinguishes the two by pointing to her worst stretch — 11 days away from the gym — as a bad week, while bad days (poor sleep, headache, being menstrual) are things she still pushed through.
Working out doesn't erase what life threw at you
Ashley explicitly refuses to sugarcoat it — she says when you leave the gym you still have to face whatever put you in a bad mood, but you'll have better mental clarity to handle it.
Fitness becoming her identity
Ashley traces the shift to day 100, when she started craving the gym, people on Instagram were DMing her if she didn't post, and it stopped feeling like something she was trying and became who she is.
Going from sedentary for almost two decades to obsessed
Ashley frames her current relationship with movement against nearly twenty years of not moving, saying she cannot imagine a single day without it and never wants to go back.
Instagram accountability posts as external pull
Ashley describes how posting daily workout accountability on Instagram meant followers would DM her if she went quiet, and that external expectation made her want to go harder.