Episode 62Apr 27, 2026· 8:47
A Letter to the Version of Me Who Was Afraid to Start
About this episode
Two years ago, Ashley was terrified to walk back into a gym and convinced that dieting was the only option. Now, 280-plus days into her fitness commitment, she's "writing a letter" to that version of herself and it might be exactly what you need to hear today. From lifting 3-pound dumbbells to reaching for the 20s, she gets honest about the pain, the cravings, the moments she wanted to quit, and why she's so glad…
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MaryMay 22, 2026
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I found this podcast completely by accident, and now it’s my constant companion on trips.
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Full transcript
00:00
What would you say to the younger version of
00:02
yourself? What's up you guys? Famous Ashley Grant
00:10
here. Welcome to More Movement Please, the podcast
00:12
where I hope to inspire you to move your body
00:14
more. So I kind of wanted to take this episode
00:17
to... kind of reflect on what I would say to
00:21
the younger version of myself. And I'm not going
00:23
to go all the way back to childhood because,
00:25
I mean, I don't think any of us have time for
00:26
the psychological ramifications that something
00:29
like that would require. But I do want to go
00:31
back to Ashley just two years ago when I first
00:34
started going to the YMCA here in Richmond, Kentucky.
00:38
I want to talk to that girl because I think back
00:42
to that moment where I was honestly kind of petrified
00:45
to walk back into a gym. had dabbled a little
00:49
bit in trying to get a little bit healthier and
00:52
I thought that the only path that was before
00:56
me was to just diet because that's what I had
00:59
always done you know if I wanted to lose weight
01:01
I went on a diet and I you know several years
01:04
ago did that crash diet where I took all those
01:08
pills and shots and all the things and yeah I
01:10
lost a crap ton of weight but at what cost so
01:13
I guess I kind of just wanted to talk to Ashley
01:17
two years ago and tell her there's a better way.
01:23
There's a more sustainable way. When I first
01:25
walked into that gym, I was petrified. I hadn't
01:30
been working out in so long. I thought the only
01:35
way to weight loss was dieting because whenever
01:40
I had lost all that weight before, I did it.
01:43
with medical weight loss where I was doing shots
01:45
and pills at the discretion of a doctor. Go figure.
01:49
And I see it for what it was now that it was
01:55
just a way for that facility to make money. I
01:57
don't know if they actually stand by the things
02:00
that they prescribed. The more I think about
02:02
it, I think it was just I was a line item on
02:05
a spreadsheet on a budget. And so if I could
02:09
go back to actually two years ago. I would say
02:13
to her, go in and start working. Start working
02:19
immediately. As soon as you start moving your
02:22
body more, you're going to start reaching for
02:24
water more. As soon as you start actually doing
02:27
the exercises, you're going to notice just how
02:31
weak you are. And you'll start getting stronger.
02:38
And you'll naturally... Stop reaching for the
02:41
crappy foods. I don't know if I would have believed
02:45
it back then. But that's what I'd want to tell
02:50
her. I'd want to tell her, keep going. Keep putting
02:54
in the reps. Keep showing up. A lot of this is
02:58
going to hurt. A lot of this is going to hurt.
03:01
And even now, after... 280 days of maximum effort,
03:08
so to speak. I still have days where it really
03:10
hurts. And I still have days where I get massive
03:14
sugar cravings. But I don't get it nearly as
03:21
often as I did whenever sugar was the high. Food
03:26
was the high. So I would tell her. To go to the
03:36
gym, put it in your calendar, and stick to it.
03:41
Don't just move it to the next day. Don't just
03:44
delete it. Don't just think you have more time.
03:48
Because the truth is, every day that you wait
03:53
to start getting healthier, to start moving your
03:57
body, to start putting in the work, every day
04:00
you wait. Is going to make it hurt that much
04:04
more when you finally do get started. And so
04:08
I would tell her. You've got to start now. Ten
04:16
years ago was better. But now is the second best.
04:27
So. If you're listening to this and you're considering
04:32
beginning a fitness journey of your own, I really
04:36
want to encourage you to start. I don't want
04:39
you to wait another day. Don't wait till tomorrow.
04:45
I mean, unless you're listening to this in bed,
04:47
obviously. I don't want you to get up and just
04:49
start moving because your rest is important and
04:52
I'm seeing just how important it is. But if you're
04:55
listening to this and you have any hours left
04:56
in your day, Hell, if you only have 30 minutes
04:59
before you have to go to bed, I want you to do
05:01
something to move your body. Even if it's just
05:03
stretching. I can't even explain to you guys
05:09
how much movement has changed my life. The only
05:15
way to understand how profound of a change it
05:19
can make in your life is to start doing it. When
05:23
you start... putting in the reps and start really
05:28
trying. It's really amazing, guys. Like, if you
05:34
keep showing up, seeing how far you can come
05:39
in a short amount of time is just mind -blowing.
05:42
I mean, I think back to just 280 -something days
05:45
ago when I was lifting threes and fives, three
05:50
-pound dumbbells and five -pound dumbbells, and
05:52
I was struggling. And today I'm consistently
05:56
reaching for the 20 pound dumbbells. And I think
06:00
today I'm going to go to the 10 pound dumbbells
06:02
as my small weights instead of the eights. I
06:04
think I'm ready. And I'll tell you guys yesterday
06:07
when I was in class, I was really struggling
06:11
with those 20 pound dumbbells, but it felt good
06:15
to struggle. Because I still got through it.
06:17
Sure, there were moments where I had to pause
06:20
and I couldn't take that rep. I had to take a
06:23
moment to, you know, regather myself and then
06:25
be able to do it. But y 'all, it's so worth it.
06:33
I think that's another thing I would say to the
06:35
younger version of me is just how worth it it
06:36
is. Even though right now it's going to hurt
06:39
like hell. And it's going to feel like I should
06:43
give up. Going and moving forward and continuing
06:47
to try. Oh man, that's where the magic happens.
06:52
And every ounce of pain I feel is a step towards
07:02
being stronger. A step towards having another
07:05
day of life. A step towards not being sick and
07:10
not needing to rely on... medications to keep
07:14
my blood pressure down or you know the track
07:18
I was on I was headed towards so many bad things
07:22
like when I think of all the medical woes that
07:25
I was already experiencing if I hadn't made that
07:28
change I don't even want to think about where
07:31
I'd be right now because I know it it's grim
07:34
so though this wasn't exactly a letter It is
07:43
a message that I would want to say to my younger
07:45
self. And I want to say it to you too. Find a
07:52
gym. And if you don't want to go to the gym,
07:54
find an activity that gets you excited about
07:57
movement again. It's important. It's life -changing.
08:02
And not to be dramatic, but it could save your
08:05
life. So that's the message I've got for you
08:08
today. I hope this reaches you. I hope this reaches
08:11
the people that need to hear it. Onwards and
08:13
upwards, my friends. Have you worked out today?
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