Episode 88Jul 1, 2026· 6:22

Talk Nice to Yourself: A Pep Talk for Bad Gym Days

▸ Show notes from the creator

No show notes.

About this episode

Short solo episode from Ashley Grant about self-talk during fitness setbacks, specifically when health issues cause regression — dropping dumbbell weights, gaining back lost weight, struggling through reps at the gym. Ashley shares her own experience of going from 10s and 20s back to 8s and 15s, feeling angry and depressed about it, and how she shifted focus to showing up rather than comparing her reps to her gym…

Listener reactions

💡0

🤝0

🔥0

😄0

0 reactions

Share your reaction

Pick how this episode landed — then leave a public review or a private note to the host.

You

Your name will appear with your review

0/300 Visible to everyone

Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You've been working hard at the gym for months and something — an injury, illness, life — has pushed you backward, and you're quietly furious about it.

You're putting in real effort but nobody around you seems to notice, and the silence is starting to feel like failure.

You've been hard on yourself at the gym — comparing your reps, your weight, your pace to someone else's — and leaving each session feeling worse than when you walked in.

You're at the very beginning of a fitness journey and the scale isn't moving yet, and you're wondering if any of it is even worth it.

You talk to yourself the way a harsh critic would, and you're exhausted by how much that inner voice tears down every small thing you manage to do.

Questions this episode wrestles with

Is it okay to be angry when your body forces you to regress?

answered

Ashley shares that she was 'hella angry' about having to drop weights due to health issues, and still feels upset about it — she doesn't frame the anger as wrong, just something she had to 'check herself' on before it became fully defeating.

"to have to go back to my eights and 15s. I was really pissed off about it, like hella angry. And I'm still a little upset about it. And I'm"

What do you do when health problems undo your fitness progress?

answered

Ashley describes going back to the gym that same day and attempting the heavier weights anyway, while trying to 'change the narrative' — focusing on the fact that she's still trying and still showing up, even when she can only do seven reps where others are doing ten.

"I started to do was change the narrative. I started trying to focus on the fact that, hey, even though I can't do as many reps as she's doing. I'm trying and I'm putting in the work and I'm still going."

Does showing up still matter when you're not making progress?

answered

Ashley's position is that showing up is exactly what matters — she says 'even if you're not seeing progress immediately, it matters,' and describes keeping a calendar record of movement as proof to herself that she keeps showing up.

"doing. Because what you're doing, even if you're not seeing progress immediately, it matters. And it's going to be a long road. That's something"

What happens when no one around you notices the work you're putting in?

answered

Ashley says waiting for other people to acknowledge your journey 'can be very defeatist,' and that you have to become your own biggest cheerleader — because 'you're the person that you have to live with every single day, all day.'

"else acknowledges it, you're the person that you have to live with every single day, all day. And so you might as well be kind to yourself."

Setting expectations: This episode is not about gym tips, workout programming, or how to push through a plateau with better technique. It's Ashley talking through her own frustration — being 'hella angry' about having to drop back to lighter dumbbells due to health issues — and why she started focusing on the fact that she's still showing up at all.

Tone & style

Ashley starts from a place of real anger — she was excited to be lifting 10s and 20s, then health issues forced her back to 8s and 15s, and that same day she struggled to match her gym partner's reps. She describes nearly spiraling into depression over it, then describes the moment she 'had to check herself' and shifted focus to the fact that she was still showing up at all. The resolution is partial and honest — she's still upset about the regression, but has reframed around effort over outcome.

Personal experience and present-tense emotional disclosure. No research, expert input, or structured method — Ashley is sharing what she's living through right now, not prescribing a system.

toneCandid & warm

focusAshley, fresh from a frustrating workout where she could only do seven reps while her gym partner did ten, talks herself — and listeners — through why she stopped fixating on regression and started logging every workout as personal proof she's still showing up.

stylepersonal_confession

energymedium_low

complexitybeginner

pressure Levellow

emotional Texturehonest, frustrated, encouraging, vulnerable

Notable quotes

"you know, when Rhonda was doing 10 reps, I was doing maybe seven, if that. And the truth is,"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"else acknowledges it, you're the person that you have to live with every single day, all day. And so you might as well be kind to yourself."

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

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

0:001. Being Your Own Cheerleader Instead of Waiting for External ValidationAshley introduces the episode's focus on talking positively to yourself rather than waiting for others to acknowledge your fitness journey or fixating on the scale and pant sizes, which she says can be demotivating and defeatist.1:442. Ashley's Personal Setback: Gaining Weight Back and Dropping Dumbbell WeightsAshley shares that health issues caused her to plateau and gain some weight back, and that she had to go from 10s and 20s back to 8s and 15s at the gym — something she was 'hella angry' about — and describes struggling through a workout that same day, doing seven reps where her gym partner Rhonda was doing ten.4:053. Changing the Narrative and Tracking Proof of Showing UpAshley describes how she started focusing on the fact that she's still trying rather than comparing her reps to Rhonda's, and explains how logging every workout in her calendar serves as personal proof that she keeps showing up — not just for listeners, but for herself.6:224. Celebrate Every Win, No Matter How SmallAshley closes with a direct call to celebrate every effort — getting dressed, going for a walk, trying a Zumba class, parking farther from the store — and reminds listeners that since they're the person they live with every day, they might as well be kind to themselves.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

personRhonda

Ashley's gym partner, whose rep count (10 reps) Ashley was comparing herself to while struggling through a workout with 20-pound dumbbells.

personFamous Ashley Grant

The host of More Movement Please, who shares her personal experience of gaining weight back due to health issues and having to drop her dumbbell weights at the gym.

Key themes

Being your own cheerleader

Ashley frames the whole episode around talking positively to yourself rather than waiting for other people to notice or acknowledge your fitness efforts.

External validation as a trap

Ashley says waiting for others to acknowledge your weight loss journey, or fixating on the scale and pant sizes, can be 'very defeatist' and demotivating.

Health-caused regression at the gym

Ashley shares that health issues caused her to plateau and gain weight back, forcing her to drop from 10s and 20s back down to 8s and 15s — something she was 'hella angry' about.

Comparing yourself to your gym partner

Ashley describes getting frustrated during a workout that same day because she could only do seven reps where Rhonda was doing ten.

Changing the narrative mid-workout

Ashley describes actively shifting her focus during the struggling workout from how many reps she couldn't do to the fact that she was still there and still trying.

Logging workouts as personal proof

Ashley keeps a calendar record of every day she moves her body, and says she can't stand seeing a day with no entry — the log is proof to herself, not just content for listeners.

Celebrating tiny efforts

Ashley lists very small acts — getting dressed, walking the dog a little further, parking farther from the store — as things genuinely worth celebrating.

Being kind to yourself because you're stuck with yourself

Ashley closes by pointing out that since you're the person you live with every single day, you might as well be kind to yourself — framing self-compassion as practical rather than sentimental.