Transcript: From Couldn't Finish Zumba to Multiple Classes Daily | 100 Days of Maximum Effort
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Ashley introduces the phrase from instructor Rhonda Good — 'Everyone is busy, but it's a choice to schedule exercise' — and describes how Rhonda leads by doing every move alongside her students.
Can one phrase really change your life that much? Yeah, it can, if you're ready to hear it. Here's the one that changed mine. Everyone is busy, but it's a choice to schedule exercise just like anything else. These words were said to me 100 days ago, and the truth is, they stunk. But they were 1 ,000 % true, and they're still ringing in my ears 100 days after they were said to me. The person who said them to me, Her name is Rhonda Good. She's an instructor at the Telford YMCA, and she teaches an ungodly amount of classes each week. But this woman, she doesn't just teach them. Oh, no. She does every move, every rep, every single action that her students do. See, she isn't one of those teachers that just barks orders at you, and then you do it while she stands there and watches you. Yeah, she's watching your form from the mirror or she'll face us while she's doing the classes with us. But she literally
does every single move with us. And as I watched her for the better part of two years, I really wanted to be more like her in terms of fitness. And I regularly would whine to her about how badly I wanted to be more into fitness. I'd constantly be saying things like, I wish I could do more workouts. I wish I could. lose weight. I wish I could be as strong as you. All kinds of crap that people that usually want to work out but don't want to put in the work say. And see, Rhonda's the type of person, she doesn't believe in excuses.
She doesn't believe in slacking. And she always tells it like it is. And that's exactly what she did with me on July 14th, 2025, when she sent me that message. And I was finally ready to hear it. It really shook me up. Because here's the thing. When I joined the gym two years ago, I did it because something happened in my life that kind of blew up my life. The reality is, I knew I needed to get in shape. I'd started exercising more already. I had been going on walks and hikes with my husband. But the truth is, I was struggling so badly, not just with exercise, but in everything I was trying to do.
Ashley explains joining the YMCA after a life upheaval, getting winded on stairs and in parking lots, and her first Zumba class ending after 15 minutes because she was so out of breath.
I was getting winded on a flight of stairs. I was getting winded just walking from the back of the Kroger parking lot to the front door. And I knew I needed a change, so I joined the Y. I wanted to take Zumba because in my youth, I was a dancer. I absolutely loved dancing, and I still love dancing. Then a car accident kind of ripped dancing away from me, and I started doing karate and getting into all kinds of other stuff. I started working. But the truth is, dance has always been a love of mine. And so when I found out... that the local YMCA here in Richmond, Kentucky does Zumba, I was like, okay, this is it. Yes. This is all the stars aligning telling me that now I can finally start working out and I can do Zumba and I'm going to get in shape.
And oh my God, y 'all, that first class was a struggle. I mean, seriously, that first class, I was on the struggle bus the entire time. I think I made it 15 minutes before I had to walk out because I was so winded. And here's the thing. A hundred days ago, I couldn't get through an entire Zumba class without getting winded. I couldn't do jumping jacks. I couldn't do a plank. I could barely get through any of the exercises.
And taking multiple classes in a day? Oh my God, absolutely not. But today, I can take multiple classes in a day. I can do jumping jacks. I can hold a decent plank for about 30 seconds before I have to drop to my knees. And I'm using higher... weight dumbbells than I ever dreamed I could have before. Because 100 days ago, I was using fives for my big weights and threes for my small weights. And today I'm using 15s and eights.
Now, the 20 pound dumbbells, those are haunting me. I want to use the 20 pound dumbbells, but I'm not there yet. I'll work on it. I'm not there yet, but I'll get there. So I want to welcome you to more movement, please. the podcast where I basically want to inspire other people to finally get off their butt and move. Move your body. I'm famous Ashley Grant on the interwebs, and you can learn more about how I got that moniker on my other podcast, The Bloggy Friends Show.
Ashley lists the concrete physical changes after 100 days: taking multiple classes a day, doing jumping jacks, holding a plank, and moving from 5-pound to 15-pound dumbbells.
But for this one, I want to be talking about moving your body. That's what this podcast is going to be all about. And if you want to know more and you want to hang out with me on my fitness journey, I would love to have you here. So I hope you'll consider subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And I'll be posting episodes as I get gym musings and as I get experts that I want to talk to. Most of the episodes are going to be about five or 10 minutes because that's about how long it takes me to get to and from the gym. And I kind of want to just share things as I'm thinking of them and as I'm learning them.
So they'll be quick and easy to digest episodes. But when I do have guests on. Those will be a little bit longer. And I'm really hopeful that my very first guest, once I do have guests on this show, will be Rhonda Good. So I guess you could say this is a public invitation, Rhonda, if you're listening. I want to interview you. But I think you already know that because I kind of harassed you about it recently. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens with this. I want it to be more than just another fitness podcast because, let's face it, there are so many fitness podcasts out there already. And what's going to make this one any different? Well, first, it'll be my story, which is what every fitness person says, right?
Ashley introduces the podcast, explains the short episode format, extends a public invitation to Rhonda to be her first guest, and describes wanting it to become a community — 'a movement of movement.'
It'll be their story. But I don't want it to just be a podcast. I want it to be so much more than that. I want it to become a community. I want it to be a movement of movement. So I hope you'll join me on this fitness journey. I've been in it for real 100 days because, as Rhonda says, the first. Year and a half, it didn't count because I didn't really move enough. But I'm actually in it. I'm committed. I'm ready to go.
I want more of this. And I hope you enjoyed this little teaser episode of what's coming. And I just want to thank you for even listening right now and listening at all. And anybody who's heard my story so far or knows what I've been going through these last 100 days, I can't wait to share more with you. I can't wait to tell you all the good things. And we'll go from there. And so like all of my accountability posts that I've been sharing on Instagram, I'm going to end my podcast episodes the same way. And basically it's like this. Onwards and upwards, my friends.
Have you worked out today?