Episode 33Jan 26, 2026· 5:10

Snowed In? Here's How to Keep Moving Without the Gym

▸ Show notes from the creator

No show notes.

About this episode

Ashley Grant talks through her plan for staying active during a snowstorm when the gym is inaccessible. She describes working with limited home equipment — 3-pound and 5-pound dumbbells, armband weights — and using free YouTube exercise and stretch classes, stacking multiple videos to reach 30 minutes. She mentions a specific indoor walking YouTube video promising 7,500–10,000 steps in one hour while standing in…

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Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You've built a consistent gym routine you're proud of, and the idea of losing momentum because of something outside your control — like a snowstorm — genuinely stresses you out.

You've been sedentary before and fought hard to leave that behind — the thought of slipping back into doing nothing, even for one day, feels like a threat to who you've become.

You only have a few light weights at home and feel like it's not 'enough' to count as a real workout — so you end up doing nothing instead.

You thrive in group fitness classes and find working out alone kind of joyless — you're looking for ways to stay moving even when that community energy isn't available.

You're snowed in right now (or about to be) and you're looking for something practical and low-pressure to do today so you don't just sit on the couch all day.

Questions this episode wrestles with

Does working out alone at home actually count if you hate it?

answered

Ashley's position is that it counts if it keeps you moving — she's not excited about working out by herself, but decides it's worth it anyway.

"first to admit that I prefer to be in group classes."

What do you do when you want to go to the gym but literally can't?

answered

Ashley's plan is to use free YouTube exercise classes and a standing step-count video as substitutes — lighter dumbbells, more reps, and multiple shorter videos strung together to hit 30 minutes.

"I plan on using YouTube exercises, YouTube exercise classes, to continue moving my body even though I can't physically get to the gym. So I only"

How do you stay committed to movement when your whole routine gets disrupted?

answered

Ashley frames it as accepting what she can't control while refusing to let it stop her entirely — 'mother nature's going to do her thing... I'm still going to do my thing.'

"but I have to be realistic and just accept that, you know, mother nature's going to do her thing. And if she's going to do her thing, well, I'm still going to do my thing, even though, um, I would prefer to be at the gym. I. I got to"

Can solo home workouts ever feel as motivating as group fitness?

open question

Ashley names what makes group classes feel irreplaceable — the sense of community effort — but doesn't claim home workouts can replicate it, only that they're still worth doing.

"There's something so special about having people around you that are also trying to do the same thing that you're doing. It feels more like a community effort rather than you're just sweating"

Setting expectations: This episode is not a structured home workout program or a guide to building a home gym — it's Ashley thinking out loud about what she personally plans to do to keep moving when a snowstorm is about to trap her inside, away from the group classes she actually prefers.

Tone & style

Ashley starts from her normal gym-and-group-class routine, hits the constraint of an incoming snowstorm that will close roads, decides she won't let it stop her, and lands on a concrete at-home plan — accepting the situation while making clear she'd still rather be at the gym.

Personal plan and lived experience. Ashley hasn't tried the indoor walking video yet and says she'll report back — this is what she intends to do, not tested advice.

toneCasual & upbeat

focusAshley shares her personal plan for staying active while snowed in — using YouTube classes, home dumbbells, and an indoor walking video — because she'd rather do something than nothing.

stylesolo_monologue

energymedium

complexitybeginner

pressure Levellow

emotional Textureupbeat, honest, warm

Notable quotes

"first to admit that I prefer to be in group classes. There's something so special about having people around you that are also trying to do the same thing that you're doing. It feels more like a community effort rather than you're just sweating"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"point where I reach for the eights and the fifteens, and so to drop back down to threes and fives, it's not enough. It's not as much as I would normally grab, but it doesn't mean that I'm not"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"you know, mother nature's going to do her thing. And if she's going to do her thing, well, I'm still going to do my thing, even though, um,"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"I used to do. That sedentary lifestyle, I never want to go back. I just don't. So that's all"

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

Organized into 4 chapters — open any part to read the full text.

0:071. Snowed In and Planning AheadAshley introduces the episode, explaining she's anticipating being snowed in and can't get to the gym, and frames this as a follow-up to a previous episode about cold-weather workout barriers.0:572. Working With What She Has at HomeAshley describes her limited home equipment — 3- and 5-pound dumbbells and armband weights — and her plan to use YouTube exercise and stretch classes, including stacking multiple videos to hit 30 minutes.2:183. The Indoor Walking Video and Online ResourcesAshley shares a YouTube video she found that promises 7,500–10,000 steps in an hour while standing in place, and mentions TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram as additional free class sources for building a workout playlist.3:424. Solo Workouts vs. Group Classes and Closing ThoughtsAshley admits she prefers group classes for the community feel and finds solo workouts less exciting, but says keeping moving is worth it regardless, and closes by encouraging listeners to do any movement even if they're snowed in.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

websiteYouTube

Ashley's primary planned resource for exercise and stretch classes while snowed in, including an hour-long indoor walking video she found there.

websiteTikTok

Mentioned alongside Facebook and Instagram as a source of free workout videos that could be strung together into a 30-45 minute playlist.

websiteFacebook

Mentioned alongside TikTok and Instagram as a source of free workout videos for home exercise.

websiteInstagram

Mentioned alongside TikTok and Facebook as a source of free workout videos for home exercise.

Key themes

Gym access blocked by weather

Ashley is anticipating being snowed in with roads closed, making it literally impossible to get to the gym, and is planning around that reality before it happens.

Making do with limited home equipment

Ashley only has 3- and 5-pound dumbbells at home, which is less than she normally uses at the gym, but she plans to use them anyway and increase reps to compensate.

YouTube classes as a gym substitute

Ashley plans to stack multiple YouTube exercise and stretch videos to hit 30 minutes of movement, including a Sunday stretch rotation she already uses weekly.

Indoor walking video for step count

Ashley found a YouTube video that promises 7,500–10,000 steps in one hour while standing in place, which she plans to try as a substitute for her usual Sunday longer walk.

Free online fitness resources

Ashley points to YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram as sources of free workout content that can be assembled into a 30–45 minute playlist without a gym.

Group classes vs. working out alone

Ashley admits she prefers group fitness for the community feel and finds solo home workouts less exciting, but frames keeping moving as worth it regardless.

Rejecting the sedentary lifestyle

Ashley frames her commitment to moving even when snowed in as rooted in not wanting to return to a sedentary lifestyle she says she's left behind.

Any movement counts

Ashley closes by telling listeners that snow-day movement doesn't have to be intense or crazy — it just has to be movement.

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Shared experience

Group fitness over solo workouts

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Shared experience

Free online workout resources without gym

#18No Gym, No Equipment, No Money | The Guide to Free Fitness That Actually Works

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