Transcript: Working Out in a Hotel Gym: No Excuses, Just Tabata
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Ashley 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.
Well, I just finished a workout at the hotel, and I didn't die. What's up, you guys? Famous Ashley Grant here. Welcome to More Movement, Please, the podcast where I hope to inspire you to move your body more. I am in Pigeon Forge right now, and I am staying at the Hilton Garden Inn. And I decided, because I didn't get much movement in today, that I was going to do a Tabata class online. And luckily, this hotel has a pretty decent gym. It's not great. I'm not going to say like it's the best ever, but it had what I needed to get a really good Tabata class in.
And so I took one online and worked out a good 51 minutes. And y 'all, I am out of breath and sweating like crazy. But that's exactly what I wanted after spending four and a half hours in the car and not getting in much movement. I normally on Fridays and Saturdays do Zumba and low impact cardio. But we're doing a Friday through Monday vacation in Pigeon Forge with my mom. It was her Mother's Day gift. So that's where I am. And I told y 'all that I was going to be transparent, that I, you know, planned to keep moving no matter what. And since my mom and sister are in the hotel room and watching a Madea movie, I thought, you know what, I'm going to go get some movement in. And I found a really good Tabata class online and I just I turned it on and I did the damn thing. And I'm hurting. I'm sore. But I used my 10s and 20s and I got it done and I'm happy. And I'm glad that I did it. And I'm proud of myself.
Ashley 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.
And it's just further proof that if you if you 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 is it that is stopping you from doing the damn thing? Because I am traveling right now and I still took an hour for myself and went down to the gym. And like I said, it wasn't a stellar gym. It wasn't like the. the best gym there ever was, but there were 10 pound weights and there were 20 pound weights. And thanks to the good old internet, I was able to find a really awesome, you know, Tabata class online. The music wasn't the best ever. The internet quality wasn't the best ever, but you know what? I did it and I got it done. And you can do it too, is basically
the whole point of this. So if you are traveling right now and you're staying in a hotel, find out if your hotel has a gym. And if they do, if they have any kinds of weights, like go do the damn thing. Just get to work. I mean, there is nothing. There's no excuses. There's really no excuses. And if you're making excuses, then you're not going to get the results you're looking for. It's like my instructor always says, excuses don't get results. And it is true. And like I said, I'm just glad that I'm sticking to my guns and doing the work. I'm still putting in the 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 off some of the snacks that I've been consuming on this trip, even though it's only day one.
Ashley 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.
And I intend to keep moving. I intend to keep getting the work in and getting the workout. I mean, I'm so committed, you guys. I've been committed from the very first day whenever I got serious. I didn't know just how committed I was till the end of that first week in July. 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 getting stronger and working harder and just trying to prove to myself that I can do this, that I can get the results I want. And I want that for you. Like I said, if you guys are traveling this summer or whenever, just see if your hotel has a gym because I bet they do. And I bet it's decent enough. And was I a little embarrassed to be doing some of the stuff I was doing? Yeah.
Ashley 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.
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 really want you to start moving your body more. There's nothing holding you back except for yourself. And I believe in y 'all. Onwards and upwards, my friends. Have you worked out today?