Transcript: Stop Skipping Workouts When You're Running Late: Why Showing Up Matters Most
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Ashley opens the episode and enthusiastically recommends listeners check out last week's three-part interview series with her instructor Rhonda Good, describing it as raw, real, and vulnerable.
What's up you guys? Famous Ashley Grant here and welcome to More Movement Please. I don't know about you guys, but I'm still riding the high from last week's amazing interview series that went live from Rhonda Good, my fabulous instructor. If you haven't heard the series, I highly, highly, highly recommend you check it out. I'll leave some links in the show notes to the three -part series. It was so good. It was raw. It was real. It was vulnerable. And it's what everybody needs to hear if they're considering starting their workout journey. And so I highly recommend that if you haven't heard that yet, you go check it out. But today what I want to talk about is running late. And the funny thing is, today I'm actually on time. Not just on time, but I'm early. Today I woke up early. I woke up... ready and raring to go. And because of that, I'm getting to the gym a full 12 minutes early. There have been days though,
Ashley contrasts arriving 12 minutes early today with recent days of showing up 5-10 minutes late, and reflects on how she used to let being late become a reason to skip the gym entirely.
especially lately where I've been getting to the gym five, 10 minutes late. And I used to allow that to be an excuse to not go to the gym. And I know that's one of those things where when you feel like you're running late and you feel like you're going to walk into a class that's optional. you don't want to walk in. You just feel like, okay, well, this was just a sign or a reason that I shouldn't be going into the gym because you don't want to be that person that walks in late. If you listened to any of my previous episodes, you already know what I'm going to say. You should go anyway. If you are serious about working out, go anyway. Because every time you give your brain excuses to do something different, you're training your brain that it's okay. So those days that I'm running late, if I allow myself to just stay home or talk myself out of going to the gym, that means every time something's
Ashley argues that giving your brain excuses to skip trains your mindset that skipping is acceptable, and that repeatedly breaking commitments turns them into 'someday' goals — so she urges listeners to go anyway, even 15-20 minutes late, and make up missed time on other equipment.
not going exactly perfectly to plan, I'm training my mindset that it's okay. I'm allowed to skip the gym. And the thing about being committed to something is whenever you Pick away at those commitments when you break down those walls of being committed to something. At some point, it's no longer a commitment. It's just something that you say will be your someday. Someday I'll be on time. Someday I'll start going to the gym again. And I don't want that for you. I want you to show up anyway, even if you're 15, 20 minutes late. Getting a little bit of a workout is better than getting no workout at all. And here's the thing. If you are running a little bit late and you get into gym class and you only get about 20 minutes of workout, well, you could stay a little bit longer and maybe work on some dumbbells, maybe use the bike machine, maybe use the stair climber or some other thing. So basically, the main point of this is I just want
to encourage you that if you're running late this morning and you're like, man, I'm going to be a couple minutes late to the gym, maybe I should just forget about it. And go do something else. Instead, go to the gym anyway. Just get those 10, 15, 20, 25 minutes of workout in. Because at least then you're showing your brain and teaching your brain. I still intend to do this. Yeah, today I slipped up a little bit. But I am committed.
Ashley closes by connecting showing up for workouts to a broader personal commitment she made in 2025 to choose herself, references James Altucher's book 'Choose Yourself,' and encourages listeners to double down on that same commitment going into 2026.
I still want to work out. I still want to show up for myself every day. Because... When you are making commitments to yourself and you're putting yourself first, that's when the magic happens, y 'all. A couple days ago, I posted on Facebook that in 2025, I started choosing myself again. There's this amazing book by James Altucher. It's called Choose Yourself. I highly recommend it. I'll leave a link in the show notes.
It's really good. But in 2025, I started choosing myself again. And in 2026, I'm doubling down on this. And friends, I really hope that you'll do the same thing. Choose yourself. Show up for yourself. Commit to yourself. If you want to get in shape, make it happen. Only you can. Onwards and upwards, my friends. Have you worked out today?