Transcript: Your Fitness Questions Answered | From Hating Workouts to Actually Craving Them
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Ashley introduces the Q&A format and answers a listener question about how to structure only three workouts per week, recommending full-body classes like low impact cardio and toning and Tabata, plus at least one lifting session.
What's up, you guys? Famous Ashley Grant here. Welcome to More Movement, Please, the podcast where I hope to inspire you to move your body more. Today, I wanted to do kind of a Q &A. I have received some questions and I kind of just wanted to have a conversation and tell you guys the answers to some of the questions that I've gotten. So one of the first questions that I got was for someone who can only commit to, let's say, three workouts per week, how would you structure that to get the most bang for their buck? So I have to say that I would choose a workout program that kind of does the whole body. And that's why I'm in love with low impact cardio and toning and Tabata. Those two classes, we work every single body part. And so if I could only do three workouts a week. I would do two low impact cardio and toning and the Tabata. Because like I said, in those exercise programs, we work the whole
body. Now, the thing is, if you can't get to a class like that, there are some pretty awesome videos that I have found on YouTube that do full body workouts. Some of them do no equipment. Some of them do just. just dumbbells. Like if you just have a set of dumbbells, some do resistance bands, some do all kinds of different things. But basically, if you only have time for three workouts, I would just make sure that you're doing something that works your whole body and make sure that one of those days you're doing something that involves lifting. And the reason I say that, and it's funny that I'm saying that because before lifting dumbbell, it didn't seem to be that big of a deal, but I can actually tell you it does have a dramatic impact on your you're working out like it you can really feel the difference whenever you start adding some sort of weight lifting to you're working out so that's the that's the main thing I would do
is but if you only have time for three workouts do something that works your whole body let's see what are some of the other questions can you tell me what a typical training week looks like for you right now the typical week usually consists of Monday doing Zumba and low impact cardio. And then Tuesdays I do low impact cardio and now I'm doing abs and booty. Wednesdays is usually a rest day for me. And by rest, I don't mean complete rest. I mean active rest where I'm stretching and I'm walking. And yeah, that's more typical than what I'm doing this week. This week, there's been some additional classes that I've been taking because my favorite instructor has been covering additional classes. But on Wednesdays, normally I'm doing stretching and walking. And then on Thursday, I do Tabata and another stretch class. And then on Fridays and Saturdays, I do Zumba and low impact cardio and toning. Next question. How has your approach
Ashley walks through her current weekly schedule — Zumba, low impact cardio, abs and booty, Tabata, stretch classes, and active rest on Wednesdays — noting it's slightly different this week because her favorite instructor is covering extra classes.
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Ashley describes the July 14th moment when instructor Rhonda's phrase — 'everyone is busy, but it's a choice' — finally clicked after a year and a half of on-and-off workouts, and how drawing a line in the sand and deciding to do it for herself made the difference.
to fitness changed over the past few months and what made you shift your thinking? What made me finally shift my thinking was just a light bulb moment. I mean, that's honestly the best answer I can give is when Rhonda said that phrase to me on July 14th, the everyone is busy, but it's a choice, you know. I that was that was the light bulb moment, right? I had been hearing her say different versions of that exact same thing. But I guess where I had been working out off and on for a little over a year and a half, it it was finally like it finally clicked. It finally made sense that I wasn't doing what I needed to do to make the changes that I wanted to make. And so when she said that and kind of hit me in the face with it. I finally heard it.
I finally heard it. So honestly, it was just making the decision to make the change. So that's what shifted my thinking is that I drew my line in the sand. And I, I highly recommend that if you are thinking about starting to work out, really examine your life, like really look at what your current life looks like, what things are going on. And if you are thinking about working out, just. Make the decision. Like when you show up for yourself, when you make the decision, I am going to do this for me. You can't do it for anybody else. When you make the decision, I'm going to do this for me. It's interesting how everything seems to shift. And you've got to keep making that decision over and over again until the point that it becomes a habit, till the point that it becomes an addiction, and then just keep going. OK, next question. What's the most common mistake that you see people are making when they're first starting their fitness journey?
Ashley says the most common mistake she sees is not fully committing — saying you'll work out and then not showing up — and shares that putting workouts in her calendar and making a weekly plan was what changed things for her.
It's definitely got to be not committing. If you say that you're going to start working out and then the very next day you don't work out. You're not all in. You've got to really commit to this. Like, that's the big thing that I had to learn for myself is that. Sure, I said that I was going to start working out, but until I got serious to the point that I was putting it in my calendar, that I was making the plan every single week, that I was showing up every single week, you're making a mistake if you're not committing completely. So that's the biggest mistake I see.
And some people might tell you, oh, well, the biggest mistake is that they go too hard or they try to do too much or whatever the thing may be. Definitely, in my opinion, the biggest mistake that I see people make is not actually committing to this. If you're serious, commit and show up like that. That's the big thing. All right. Next question. You mentioned you used to dread anything involving walking or stairs. What's the most surprising physical activity you actually look forward to now? Wow, that one. It's kind of shocking to me to say it's Tabata. I used to dread Tabata like. I couldn't understand why so many people said that Tabata was their favorite. It felt like too high intensity. It felt too hard. And I actually look forward to Tabata a hell of a lot more than I ever thought I would. Because one of the gals that I work out with, she says that her favorite thing about Tabata is that
Ashley answers a question about which physical activity surprised her most, admitting she used to dread Tabata for feeling too intense but now looks forward to it more than almost anything else, while still declaring Zumba her all-time favorite.
because it works out your whole body, that it feels like she gets the most for her workout effort. out of any of the classes that she takes. And I can actually really see that. I still love Zumba. I will not, this is the hell I will die on. It is my favorite. I have loved Zumba as long as I can remember. I mean, even back when I was still living in Tampa, that was one of the classes that I used to always try to attend because I really loved to dance. But in terms of actual physical ability and real training, Tabata really has become my favorite. And I mean, I love low impact cardio and toning, but. One of the good things about that particular class is that, you know, our instructor, she does include some Tabata rounds in that class. And I just that that's been the most surprising is that I look forward to it more than I ever thought I would. All right. Next question. You mentioned the 20 pound dumbbells are haunting you. When
do you think you'll finally pick them up and what's really holding you back from trying them now? I actually am using the 20s occasionally. I am not. fully committing to the point where I am using them every single time I do kind of hope that within the next month or so that I will be using those permanently I'd love to go to the 10s and 20s like 10s being my smalls and 20s being my bigs if I don't feel like I'm strong enough though then I won't but I would really like to get to the point where where that's my my regular go -to I did have a In the last couple of classes, where I was not feeling too well, I did go down to the fives and tens because I just, I couldn't even handle the fifteens for a couple of days. And I'm told that that's normal, that there are going to be days where I'm still going to feel weak or feel like I just can't handle the heavy weights. But I am planning that at least by March, I will constantly be reaching
Ashley gives an update on her progress with heavier dumbbells — occasionally using the 20s but dropping back to fives and tens on days she felt unwell — sets a goal to consistently use tens and twenties by March, and closes by explaining why she values honest, real-account fitness storytelling over motivational lecturing.
for the tens and twenties. That is my goal. I think this has been a long enough of an episode for now. I don't want this to be too terribly long, but I really appreciate the questions. Thank you guys so much for sending me questions and feel free to keep sending me questions. I would love to do more of these where I'm just telling the truth about what I'm going through, the fitness journey that I'm experiencing. And I really love this. Like, I'm really loving being able to tell people the truth about what I'm going through and what I'm feeling, because I think that. One of the things that I see too often with fitness podcasts is people just trying to cram it down your throat, all the reasons that you need to be doing it. And yes, those things are true. But at the same time, just hearing real accounts of what people are going through, that's what inspires me. That's what gets me excited. But I feel like just when more people
talk about the truth about what's going on, the better. And so thank you again for these questions. And onwards and upwards, my friends. Have you worked out today?