🫵 Life’s too short to do burpees (unless you love them)

Spring’s in full swing! 🌸 Just as advertised, D.C. boasts some pretty stellar cherry blossoms. Approximately 12,948,347 other people this weekend agreed with me 😅 

Let’s dive in to the week’s topic below 👇️ 

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My dad doesn’t currently have access to a gym or much exercise equipment. But what he does have access to is a fully-functioning body and the ground. That’s all you need to do 700 burpees a week. And some weeks, that’s exactly what he does.

I, on the other hand, hate burpees. They’re right up there with thrusters. If I can avoid them, I will. I’ll be happy if I never do another burpee in my life.

Why does that matter? Because I don’t have to do burpees if I don’t want to.

There are a million and one ways to exercise and improve one’s health and fitness. Some methods are more studied, tried, and true. Some induce a greater degree of benefit than others. But no two people’s lifetime of exercise look the same—nor should they.

Life’s too short to do exercises you hate.

If you love tennis but hate swimming, you don’t have to forego tennis to swim because you heard swimming was good for you. I hope you get out there and play tennis until your heart wears out (which should be a long time, since tennis seems to be one of the best sports for increasing lifespan in older adults).

You are in control of your movement journey.

If you love a certain exercise, and its benefits are good for your body, there’s really no reason not to do it. A lot.

And if you hate a certain exercise, and there are other ways to move and care for your body, there’s really no reason to do it.

That’s not a license to do nothing or never try things. Do find something you enjoy. Just don’t feel guilty if it’s not what Becky down the street or your best friend or that magazine told you you have to do.

Some exercises and principles are fundamental for human movement. The squat, for example, is something we all do every day if you ever sit on something. But there are myriad ways to train a squatting movement in your workouts. Maybe you love heavy back squats. Maybe you prefer lurching up the stair climber two steps at a time. Or perhaps you’re happy to do 10 bodyweight squats on your bed every day.

Other functional movement patterns we encounter in everyday life: Picking up a full laundry basket. Carrying in groceries. Placing a jar on the top shelf. Wrestling a fitted sheet onto your mattress. Pulling open a heavy door. The list goes on.

The more we can train these movement patterns with intentional exercise, the less likely they’ll ever be to give us trouble and cause us pain when we encounter them in daily life. (Let me know if you find a good exercise to train fitted sheet application.)

The movement will always be beneficial. The method with which you get it in can vary widely.

You’re never going to be consistent with something you hate. That’s why most traditional “diets” don’t “work.” Because following seemingly arbitrary rules of restriction that you didn’t come up with and you don’t particularly enjoy is not likely to be something that you will want to consistently do long-term.

There’s always a positive case for pushing oneself outside of our comfort zones. And sometimes you grow to love the thing you once hated (running or olives, for two personal examples).

Because you will only consistently do that which you love, you don’t have to force yourself to do something you hate. Just do what you love!

The main thing is that you’re moving. You’re using your body in ways that feel enjoyable and productive and beneficial to you. That’s what’ll keep you healthy and happy. You can be here for a good time and a long time.

So whether that’s running 40 miles a week, doing 700 burpees a week, doing yoga every day, playing pickup games twice a week, hitting powerclean PRs on a regular basis, or anything else…

If you love it, keep doing it. If you hate it, don’t sweat it.

Just sweat.

✅ Take Action

Every newsletter's Take Action section will invite you to take small steps to improve your health. Recognizing that we all have different capabilities, I'll offer three different levels of action you can choose to take.

Level 1: Release the pressure on yourself to do an exercise you hate. Just because a fitness influencer told you it’s a MUST, doesn’t mean you have to do it till the day you die. Let go of any guilt or shame around that.

Level 2: Now pick an exercise you do love. Even if it’s not the most effective exercise for your goal, just get out there and do it. Enjoy it with no pressure. Because it’s movement. And you’re much more likely to stick with something you enjoy.

Level 3: Do some of the sucky stuff you don’t love if you know it brings your body great benefit, alongside the fun stuff that brings you joy. Experiment with new types of movement and see if you find a new activity you could see yourself doing for years to come!

This newsletter is brought to you by… me!

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✍️ Drew's Picks:

• Two more recommendations from the Quiet the Diet podcast: The Binge Eating Episode and The Protein Episode. Michelle Shapiro is really knocking it out of the park!

• “Create” creatine gummies. Creatine is one of the most well-researched, beneficial supplements on the market that virtually everyone can benefit from taking. But I always hated the chalky powders. Then I found Create’s gummies (thanks to Young Money by Jack Raines). Problem solved! Click the link to get 20% off your first order!

You know the drill. Share with a friend and I’ll love you forever, etc. etc. And if that’s not enough incentive (rude), keep an eye out in the future for when I launch the referral program!!

Keep moving,

Drew

The content in Move to Improve is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. It is always a good idea to consult with a trusted health professional before making any major lifestyle changes that could have a significant impact on your health. This is not a medical resource, and any opinions and articles are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional. Please think critically and take what I say with a grain of salt (aka don’t sue me).