Episode 9Nov 21, 2025· 27:02

From Working Out at Night to Fitness Instructor | Rhonda's 21-Day Habit Secret (Part 3)

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About this episode

Fitness instructor Rhonda Goode covers plateau-breaking strategies (changing workout time, outdoor substitution, shifting eating patterns), beginner gym advice for overweight or intimidated newcomers, the 21-day habit formation rule, three do's (comfortable clothes, water, small dietary changes) and three don'ts (no self-comparison, ignore people who undermine your gym time, avoid the scale early on), the pattern of…

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Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You've been going to the gym consistently for months but the scale hasn't moved and your body looks the same — you're doing the work but can't figure out what's stalling you.

You've never set foot in a gym and the idea of walking in alone, overweight, not knowing what you're doing, feels humiliating enough to keep you on the couch.

You've started a fitness routine three or four times in the past year, made it a few weeks, then stopped — and you're trying to figure out how to actually make it stick this time.

You're working out regularly but still going home and undoing it with food — you know your diet is the problem but you're not sure how to change it without going full no-carb or no-sugar.

You dread every workout, it feels like a punishment or a chore, and you're wondering if you're just not a 'gym person' or if you're simply in the wrong environment.

You keep putting off starting because gym memberships feel like one more expense you can't justify right now.

What you’ll learn

How to break through a plateau by confusing your body with timing and environment changes

Why Rhonda recommends 21 consecutive days to turn working out into a habit

Rhonda's three do's for anyone starting at the gym: comfortable clothes, water, and small diet changes first

Rhonda's three don'ts: don't compare yourself to others, to your younger self, or listen to people who undermine your gym time

If exercise feels like a chore, Rhonda says you're in the wrong place — find a different gym or activity

Questions this episode helps answer

How do I break through a fitness plateau when I've been doing the same routine for months?

answered

Rhonda says the best thing you can do is switch something your body isn't expecting — work out at a different time of day, swap a gym session for a hike, or even shift when you eat your carbs, because any change to what your body is used to can shake things loose.

"out at a different time of day or choosing not to go to the gym and taking the hike instead"

How do I start going to the gym when I'm overweight and intimidated?

answered

Rhonda says most gyms are filled with pretty average-looking people, not the muscle-gym crowd, and that when you walk in, people will introduce themselves and tell you to just do what you can — because whatever you do is better than sitting on the couch.

"you do when you start is better than sitting"

How do I stop falling off my workout routine and actually make it a habit?

answered

Rhonda points to the 21-day rule — do anything for 21 days and it becomes a habit — and says the deeper issue is that it has to be for yourself, because when it's for anyone else, it doesn't work.

"yeah, if you do anything for 21 days, that makes it a habit. So, yeah. Okay."

Why do I keep quitting the gym after a few weeks and how do I break that cycle?

answered

Rhonda says people who keep starting and stopping tend to stop permanently, and that no one else can make you do it — it has to come from wanting it for yourself, ideally with something real driving you.

"start and stop, they tend to always be the ones that stop permanently. And there's just nothing you can do. And again, if you don't want to do it for yourself, then no one else can make you."

How do I stop seeing exercise as punishment?

answered

Rhonda's answer is blunt: if it feels like a chore and you're not having fun, you're in the wrong place — find another gym, another group, or another activity, because the gym should feel like the place where you come in and have the most peace.

"They have fun in class. If it's a chore and you're not having fun, you're in the wrong place. Find another place."

How do I find a workout I actually enjoy instead of forcing myself to go?

answered

Rhonda suggests getting a day pass and trying places out before committing, and notes that for most people, group fitness is far more satisfying than trying to do things alone.

"So get a day pass. Try some places out. But for most people, group fitness is far more satisfying than trying to do things alone. That's true."

Setting expectations: This episode is not a structured fitness tutorial with workout plans, macros, or expert-backed protocols — despite the '21-day habit secret' framing in the title suggesting otherwise. It's a candid conversation between a host and her fitness instructor, covering things like why people quit permanently, a client who came to one class and later died from a terminal diagnosis, and why nachos every night will undermine your gym time.

Tone & style

Lived experience and personal observation from a long-time fitness instructor. Advice is grounded in what Rhonda has seen and done, not clinical research — the 21-day habit rule is referenced as 'just science' but without a specific source.

toneCandid & practical

focusRhonda, a fitness instructor with 15+ years of experience, gives her straight-talk practical advice on breaking plateaus, starting from zero, and why if exercise isn't fun, you're simply in the wrong place.

styleinterview

energymedium

complexitybeginner

pressure Levelmedium

emotional Texturedirect, warm but unsparing, occasionally heavy

Notable quotes

"They have fun in class. If it's a chore and you're not having fun, you're in the wrong place. Find another place."

— Rhonda Goode

"not worth it because you are the only one that you know you can depend on. And if everyone else around you is gone, what does your future look like?"

— Rhonda Goode

"Okay. Because it's like, you know, you have chosen your life. And then you have now passed it on to this child that you're responsible for their rearing, their activity and their food. Yeah."

— Rhonda Goode

"muscles atrophy. So I don't care what age you are, if you're sitting all the time and you're not using your body, then eventually you're not going to be able to use it. So you need to start"

— Rhonda Goode

"but yeah, the gym should feel like the church, as you say. I mean, it should. I mean, it should feel like the place where... you come in and have the most peace because you're focusing on"

— Rhonda Goode

Episode transcript

Organized into 10 chapters — open any part to read the full text.

0:091. Series Recap and Episode PreviewAshley introduces the final episode of the three-part series with Rhonda, recapping the previous two episodes and previewing today's topics: plateaus, starting from zero, the 21-day habit rule, and mindset shifts around exercise.1:372. Breaking Through a PlateauRhonda explains that plateaus often require changing workout timing, switching to outdoor activities like hiking, or shifting eating patterns — and acknowledges how hard it is for people, especially retirees, to break their routines.5:233. Starting From ZeroRhonda describes what step one looks like for a complete beginner — going to a regular gym rather than a muscle gym, where most people are average and welcoming — and emphasizes that doing anything is better than sitting on the couch.6:464. The 21-Day Habit RuleRhonda reaffirms her 2018 recommendation that working out for 21 consecutive days turns it into a habit, calling it simply science.7:485. Three Do's and Three Don'ts for the GymRhonda walks through her non-negotiable do's — wear comfortable clothes, bring water, focus on small changes — and don'ts — don't compare yourself to others or to your younger self, and don't listen to people who undermine your time at the gym.10:556. People Who Keep Starting and StoppingRhonda reflects on clients who repeatedly fall off and return, noting that those who start and stop tend to stop permanently, and shares her frustration when people's potential goes unrealized — including a story about a mother and overweight child who came to one class and never returned.15:277. The Terminal Diagnosis Story and 'Sitting Equals Dying'Rhonda revisits a post about someone who approached her about their health, came to one class, never returned, and later died from a terminal diagnosis — then expands on why she says 'sitting equals dying,' pointing to muscle atrophy, immobility, and an automated society that discourages movement.21:018. Exercise as Peace, Not PunishmentRhonda says plainly that if exercise feels like a chore and isn't fun, you're in the wrong place — and that the gym should feel like church, a place of peace and community with people who share the same goals.22:489. Parting Words: Just StartRhonda's closing advice is to just start moving, find someone to point you in the right direction, try a day pass at a gym without committing, and consider group fitness over going it alone.25:2310. Ashley's Closing ReflectionAshley wraps up the series by reflecting on Rhonda's no-sugarcoating approach, the 'gym as church' metaphor, and encouraging listeners who've been sitting on the fence to get a day pass and just start.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

personRhonda Goode

Ashley's fitness instructor and the guest across all three episodes — lost 120 pounds, broke her family's generational health patterns, and has been teaching group fitness for 15 years.

personFamous Ashley Grant

The host of More Movement Please and Rhonda's student — started the podcast after recognizing she was sitting too much and needed to move more.

placethe pinnacles

A local hiking spot Rhonda references as an example of varying your workout — has both an easy and a hard hike.

organizationthe Y

Mentioned by Rhonda as an example of an affordable gym option that also offers financial aid assistance.

personMichael Jordan

Referenced by Rhonda when arguing that parents over-prioritize kids' sports at the expense of their own health — 'your kids are probably not going to be the next Michael Jordan.'

Key themes

Doing it for yourself

Rhonda repeatedly returns to the idea that fitness only works when it's for you — not for a partner, not because someone pushed you — and warns against people in your life who tell you the time you're spending isn't worth it.

Breaking through a plateau

Rhonda explains that when the body adapts, the fix is usually changing workout timing, swapping the gym for a hike, or shifting when you eat heavy carbs — and admits how hard that is for people locked into routines.

Starting from zero

Rhonda walks through what step one actually looks like for a complete beginner — going to a regular gym where most people are average and welcoming — and says whatever you do is better than sitting on the couch.

21-day habit rule

Rhonda reaffirms her 2018 recommendation that doing anything for 21 consecutive days makes it a habit, calling it simply science.

Small changes over drastic overhauls

Rhonda is explicitly anti-no-sugar, no-carbs approaches and instead tells people to find their one bad habit — like nachos every night — and dial it back incrementally, because livable changes are the only ones that stick.

Don't compare yourself — to others or your younger self

Rhonda names comparison as one of her three non-negotiables to avoid, specifically calling out comparing yourself to who you were 20 years ago because for most people that's not going to happen.

People who keep starting and stopping

Rhonda reflects on clients who repeatedly fall off, saying those who start and stop tend to stop permanently, and shares her frustration at seeing unrealized potential — including a mother and overweight child who came to one class and never returned.

Generational health patterns

Rhonda gets visibly angry describing a mother who brought an overweight, resistant child to class and never returned, framing it as a parent passing on their own sedentary choices to a child who now mirrors them.

Sitting equals dying

Rhonda connects inactivity directly to muscle atrophy, immobility, and a cascade of health consequences — pointing to seniors with replaced knees who still come to the gym because they know sitting on it makes it worse.

Exercise as peace, not punishment

Rhonda says flatly that if exercise feels like a chore and isn't fun, you're in the wrong place — and that the gym should feel like church, a place of peace and community with people who share the same goals.

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