Episode 62Apr 27, 2026· 8:47

A Letter to the Version of Me Who Was Afraid to Start

▸ Show notes from the creator

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About this episode

Solo reflection episode from Ashley Grant of More Movement Please, framed as a letter to herself two years ago when she first joined the YMCA in Richmond, Kentucky. Covers her history with medical weight loss programs (shots, pills, doctor-supervised crash dieting), skepticism toward those facilities, and the shift to consistent gym-based movement. Discusses 280 days of effort, ongoing pain and sugar cravings,…

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Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You've been telling yourself you'll start getting healthier 'tomorrow' for months, and you know deep down you keep moving the calendar event instead of doing it.

You've tried crash diets or medical weight loss programs before, lost the weight, and then watched it come back — and now you're not sure you trust any path forward.

You're afraid to walk into a gym because you feel like your body isn't ready for it — like everyone there will see exactly how out of shape you are.

You're already a few months into a fitness routine and you're having a hard day — wondering if the struggle ever actually gets easier or if you're just not built for this.

You've been ignoring some health warning signs — blood pressure, weight, energy — and a part of you knows the trajectory you're on isn't good, but you haven't acted on it yet.

Questions this episode wrestles with

Is there a point where waiting too long makes it harder to begin?

answered

Ashley says yes — every day you wait makes it hurt more when you finally do start, and her framing is blunt: 'ten years ago was better, but now is the second best.'

"Because the truth is, every day that you wait to start getting healthier, to start moving your body, to start putting in the work, every day you wait. Is going to make it hurt that much more when you finally do get started. And so"

If it still hurts after months of working out, is that normal or a sign something's wrong?

answered

Ashley describes still struggling with 20-pound dumbbells the day before recording, still having sugar cravings, and still having hard days after 280 days — and frames the struggle as the point, not a warning sign: 'it felt good to struggle. Because I still got through it.'

"going to hurt. A lot of this is going to hurt. And even now, after... 280 days of maximum effort, so to speak. I still have days where it really hurts. And I still have days where I get massive"

Was my medical weight loss program actually looking out for me, or just taking my money?

open question

Ashley lands on the uncomfortable suspicion that she was just a revenue source, but she doesn't fully know whether the doctor believed in what they prescribed — she sits with the uncertainty rather than resolving it.

"don't know if they actually stand by the things that they prescribed. The more I think about it, I think it was just I was a line item on a spreadsheet on a budget. And so if I could"

Setting expectations: This episode is not a structured fitness guide, a workout plan, or advice on how to start going to the gym. It's Ashley talking directly to herself two years ago — scared to walk into the YMCA in Richmond, Kentucky, convinced that dieting and medical weight loss pills were the only options — and by extension, to anyone sitting in that same fear right now.

Tone & style

Ashley starts from a belief that dieting — shots, pills, a doctor she now sees as treating her like 'a line item on a spreadsheet' — was the only path to weight loss. The pivot was walking into the YMCA two years ago, petrified but starting anyway. She traces the arc through 280 days of consistent effort, from struggling with 3-pound dumbbells to reaching for 20-pound weights, and closes by reflecting on the medical trajectory she avoided — blood pressure issues and worse — with a direct message to listeners: find movement that excites you, because it could save your life.

Personal lived experience and opinion. Ashley speaks from her own 280-day journey, not as a fitness or medical professional.

toneCandid & emotionally earnest

focusAshley writing a letter to herself two years ago — petrified to walk into the YMCA, convinced dieting was the only option — and telling her to just start moving.

stylepersonal_confession

energymedium

complexitybeginner

pressure Levelmedium

emotional Texturevulnerable, earnest, encouraging, retrospective

Notable quotes

"And I see it for what it was now that it was just a way for that facility to make money. I don't know if they actually stand by the things that they prescribed. The more I think about it, I think it was just I was a line item on a spreadsheet on a budget. And so if I could"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"Because the truth is, every day that you wait to start getting healthier, to start moving your body, to start putting in the work, every day you wait. Is going to make it hurt that much more when you finally do get started. And so"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"years ago was better. But now is the second best."

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

Organized into 5 chapters — open any part to read the full text.

0:001. Setting Up the ReflectionAshley introduces the episode as a reflection on what she'd say to herself two years ago when she first walked into the YMCA in Richmond, Kentucky, scared and convinced dieting was the only path.1:232. The Crash Diet Past and What She'd Tell Her Younger SelfAshley describes her previous medical weight loss experience — shots, pills, and a doctor she now sees as treating her like 'a line item on a spreadsheet' — and what she'd tell that version of herself: start moving immediately, and the rest follows naturally.4:073. Keep Showing Up Even When It HurtsAshley talks about 280 days of consistent effort, ongoing pain and sugar cravings, and her core message to her past self: put it in your calendar, don't move it, and don't wait — every day you delay makes it harder.6:474. Progress from 3-Pound to 20-Pound DumbbellsAshley encourages listeners to start today — even with 30 minutes of stretching — and reflects on her own concrete progress: going from struggling with 3- and 5-pound dumbbells to consistently reaching for 20-pound weights.8:475. The Stakes and the Closing MessageAshley reflects on the medical trajectory she was on — blood pressure issues and other health woes — and closes with a direct message: find a gym or any activity that excites you about movement, because it could save your life.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

organizationYMCA

The gym in Richmond, Kentucky where Ashley first started working out two years ago, the place she was petrified to walk into.

placeRichmond, Kentucky

The location of the YMCA where Ashley began her fitness journey two years before recording this episode.

Key themes

Fear of walking back into a gym

Ashley describes being 'petrified' to return to the gym two years ago and frames the entire episode as a message to that scared version of herself.

Dieting as the only path she knew

Ashley reflects on believing that dieting — not movement — was the only route to weight loss, a belief she now sees as limiting.

Medical weight loss skepticism

Ashley describes her past experience with a medical weight loss facility — shots, pills, doctor supervision — and now sees herself as 'a line item on a spreadsheet on a budget.'

Movement changing eating habits naturally

Ashley claims that once she started moving, she naturally reached for water more and stopped craving junk food — without deliberately dieting.

280 days of showing up despite pain

Ashley anchors her reflection in 280-plus days of consistent effort, noting she still has painful days and sugar cravings but keeps going anyway.

Not waiting to start

Ashley repeatedly tells her past self — and listeners — not to move the gym appointment to the next day, arguing every day of delay makes it harder when you finally begin.

Concrete physical progress as proof

Ashley points to going from struggling with 3- and 5-pound dumbbells to consistently using 20-pound weights as tangible evidence that the effort pays off.

The medical trajectory she was heading toward

Ashley references blood pressure problems and other health issues she was already experiencing, saying she doesn't want to think about where she'd be now if she hadn't changed course.

Finding movement that excites you

Ashley closes by telling listeners that if the gym isn't for them, they should find any activity that gets them excited about moving again.

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