Episode 83Jun 26, 2026· 5:00

Working Out in a Hotel Gym: No Excuses, Just Tabata

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About this episode

Ashley Grant records a short solo episode from a Hilton Garden Inn hotel gym in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, immediately after completing a 51-minute online Tabata class during a Mother's Day vacation trip with her mom and sister. She covers staying active while traveling, working out in a mediocre hotel gym with limited equipment (10 and 20 pound weights), finding workout classes online, skipping her usual Friday Zumba…

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Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You're on a trip and you've already mentally written off exercise for the duration — telling yourself you'll get back to it when you're home.

You've been saying 'I wish I could lose weight' or 'I wish I could get stronger' for a while, but something keeps getting in the way — and you're starting to wonder if that something is you.

You've recently started a fitness routine and you're in that fragile early stage where one disruption — a trip, a bad week — feels like it could unravel everything.

You feel a little self-conscious working out in public — like people are watching and judging — and that embarrassment sometimes stops you from showing up.

You're someone who has a regular routine at home — your classes, your schedule — and being away from it makes you feel like you can't really exercise without your usual setup.

Questions this episode wrestles with

Is my situation actually stopping me from working out, or am I just making excuses?

answered

Ashley's take is that if you wanted to, you would — she points to her own situation (traveling, unfamiliar gym, not-great equipment, spotty internet) as proof that the situation itself rarely is the real blocker.

"wanted to, you would. I mean, that's kind of one of the big things that's been stirring in my brain lately is, you know, we hear people talk all the time about I wish I could lose weight. I wish I could get stronger. I wish I could do X, Y or Z. And my question for you, if you're listening to this, is what's holding you back?"

What does real commitment to movement look like when your normal routine isn't available?

answered

For Ashley, it looked like finding a Tabata class online, using whatever weights the hotel gym had (10s and 20s), and doing 51 minutes — not her usual Zumba, but still a full-body workout she was proud of.

"work. Even though I couldn't do Zumba and low impact cardio today, I still got. a really good workout in. I mean, I worked out my body from head to toe and I feel good. I'm happy. I worked"

Is it worth working out somewhere unfamiliar if you feel like people are judging you?

open question

Ashley admits she felt embarrassed in the moment — a woman walked in and looked at her funny — but she doesn't resolve whether that discomfort goes away; she just describes pushing through it because she knew what she was there for.

"girl that walked in and she kind of looked at me funny. But you know what? I knew what I was doing. I knew what I was there for. And so I"

Setting expectations: This episode is not a guide to hotel gym equipment, Tabata technique, or travel fitness routines. It's Ashley talking into a mic right after finishing a sweaty 51-minute workout at a Hilton Garden Inn in Pigeon Forge, while her mom and sister watched a Madea movie upstairs.

Tone & style

Ashley starts having already committed to moving no matter what, gets four and a half hours in a car with her family settling in to watch a Madea movie, slips down to an imperfect hotel gym alone, completes the workout despite awkward looks from a stranger, and closes feeling proud — using the moment to challenge listeners to ask themselves what's actually stopping them.

Personal experience and opinion shared in the moment. The 'no excuses' framing is Ashley's own conviction, not research or instruction.

toneEnergetic & self-encouraging

focusAshley records immediately after a sweaty 51-minute hotel gym Tabata session in Pigeon Forge, using it as live proof that travel isn't a real excuse not to move.

stylepersonal_confession

energymedium_high

complexitybeginner

pressure Levelmedium

emotional Textureproud, breathless, self-motivating, slightly preachy

Notable quotes

"I turned it on and I did the damn thing. And"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"And it's just further proof that if you if you wanted to, you would. I mean, that's kind of"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"decent enough. And was I a little embarrassed to be doing some of the stuff I was doing? Yeah. I mean, there was a moment where there was a girl that walked in and she kind of looked at me funny. But you know what? I knew what I was doing. I knew what I was there for. And so I did it anyway. And I want that for y 'all. I"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"I mean, I will never forget that week, July 14th through the 19th of 2025, when I shocked my own self with just how much work I could actually do in a week. And every day since, I've been"

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

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

0:001. Just Finished a Hotel Gym Workout in Pigeon ForgeAshley describes finishing a 51-minute Tabata class at the Hilton Garden Inn gym after four and a half hours in the car, sweaty and out of breath but satisfied.0:492. Why She Went to the Gym While Her Family Watched a MovieAshley explains she's on a Mother's Day trip to Pigeon Forge with her mom and sister, and snuck down to the gym while they watched a Madea movie, using 10 and 20 pound weights she found there.2:353. "If You Wanted To, You Would" — No Excuses While TravelingAshley challenges listeners who say they wish they could lose weight or get stronger, pointing to her own hotel gym session as proof that excuses are what stand in the way, not circumstances.3:404. Reflecting on Her Commitment Since July and Closing EncouragementAshley looks back on the week of July 14–19, 2025 as the moment she surprised herself with how much she could do, and closes by encouraging listeners to check if their hotel has a gym — even if someone gives them a funny look.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

placePigeon Forge

The vacation destination where Ashley is staying during a Friday-through-Monday Mother's Day trip with her mom and sister.

companyHilton Garden Inn

The hotel where Ashley is staying in Pigeon Forge, whose gym she used to do a 51-minute Tabata class.

Key themes

Working out in an imperfect hotel gym

Ashley does a 51-minute Tabata class at a Hilton Garden Inn gym she describes as 'not great' but good enough, using only 10 and 20 pound weights and a class she found online.

No excuses while traveling

Ashley directly challenges listeners who say they want to lose weight or get stronger but don't act, pointing to her own hotel gym session as evidence that circumstances aren't the real obstacle.

Staying committed to movement on vacation

Ashley is on a Friday-through-Monday Mother's Day trip to Pigeon Forge and still carves out an hour for herself while her mom and sister watch a Madea movie.

Adapting when your usual routine isn't available

Ashley normally does Zumba and low impact cardio on Fridays and Saturdays but switches to Tabata because that's what the hotel gym and the internet could support.

Transparency with listeners about her own journey

Ashley frames the episode as a real-time check-in, sweaty and out of breath, as part of a stated commitment to be open with her audience about how she's actually moving.

The week of July 14–19 as a turning point

Ashley looks back on a specific week in July 2025 as the moment she shocked herself with how much work she could do, framing it as the origin of her current commitment.

Doing it anyway despite embarrassment

Ashley admits a woman walked into the gym and looked at her funny mid-workout, but she kept going because she knew what she was there for.

Excuses don't get results

Ashley repeats a phrase from her instructor — 'excuses don't get results' — and applies it directly to the gap between what people say they want and what they actually do.