True exercise begins with the will — especially when aligned with the One who made us.

By now, almost all of us in this country are aware of the health crisis that exists. Obesity even in the youngest has skyrocketed in the past few decades. Type 2 diabetes rates (once called adult-onset diabetes) are at a record high for all ages. We as a country spend more on healthcare than anyone else in the world and get some of the worst results. I could go on but safe to say we are all tired of hearing about the woes.

Amid all the bad news, I have a confession to make. I hate exercise, or working out, as you might say. For those who have read my previous writings or know of our mission, this might seem surprising to you. So let me explain.

It’s not that I hate the act of exercising my body (and mind). It’s that I don’t like the term exercise itself (or anything related) and the connotation it carries. And not only do I dislike it, although admittedly I have used it many times before (and probably will to some degree) — I think the term itself and our perspective around it is a huge reason why we are in such a bad situation in this country. 

Unlike many other places in the world, and certainly unlike much of what existed previous to our modern times, exercise today is often regarded as an exclusive commodity. But unfortunately, for various reasons, the notion of exercise has become dichotomized, compartmentalized and “obligatized” (my new word) in a way that has increasingly created barriers (mental, physical and logistic) for people to be as active as we are designed to be. It has led us to believe that the only activity worth having is the kind of movement that is carved out of an otherwise busy schedule, often costs us a reasonable (or not) amount of money, and can be quantified in memberships, calories, minutes and inches. 

Don’t get me wrong. I am a super-busy guy who believes that not carving out time for regular movement is a huge mistake, a culprit of many of our woes and that regular activity is one of the most essential things in the universe. Truly, we move therefore we are, even if our movements are significantly restricted by injury or disability. But in the process of making a case for prioritizing movement just as much as we prioritize our work and other entertainment, I think we have done a massive disservice in regard to a fundamental problem that exists beneath so many of our health woes. 

Simply put, never in the history of our world has a group of people burned so few calories in comparison to what they have consumed. It’s not just that the restaurant business has taken off like a rocket to nowhere; the grocery expenditures (and I am not talking about rising costs) are climbing just behind them. Meanwhile, we as a country keep trying to find ways to motivate more people to exercise more often. And despite billions of dollars spent, it’s not working for many reasons, not the least of which involves the allure of the online world for everything from buying to entertaining to networking to being (or whatever we think this is). 

Last fall, I attended what has long been one of the biggest rivalry matchups of the year, the Mater Dei vs. Reitz High School football game. Held in the historic Reitz Bowl, it was a gorgeous evening pitting two teams that had only lost a collective three games all season. The game came down to the final seconds, after (unfortunately as an MD grad) Reitz stormed back from 10 points down to take the lead with less than 90 seconds to play. All was perfect except for one gaping problem: the stands weren’t even half full. Years and decades prior, as detailed by my uncle who went to high school in the 1970s, not only were the stands often full, but even the sloping, grassy area next to the stands was adorned with rabid fans hoping to cheer on their team. But in recent years, it has been obvious that people aren’t showing up like they used to, just like they stopped showing up years ago at Wesselman Par 3, the only 18-hole par-3 course in the state, which the city of Evansville was forced to shut down.

You might be wondering: What does a football game on a Friday night have to do with my disdain for our perspective toward exercise (especially when adding a slice of pizza and an ice cream cone doesn’t exactly evoke images of fitness)? The reality is that all activity remains activity, and all activity burns calories and activates our minds and systems to an extent that inactivity does not. A simple walk to the grocery store to get a few items, or down to the corner pizza place to secure the pies. Raking the yard, gardening, going outside to throw a football, or even hitting a few golf balls on a Friday night (back when the lights were on). Or maybe even a run down to see a family member or friend who lives around the corner, or simply walking to school much like our predecessors did. It all remains movement no matter how we categorize it. 

Don’t get me wrong. There are benefits to prolonged physical activity involving sustained elevation of heart rate and respiration. But what other people and countries have figured out, which we in the U.S. have largely lost in awareness and execution, is that when you build in activity as an essential part of our lives, it gets so much easier to pursue a healthy balance of calories in, and calories out. Yet when our perspective has become that exercise or working out is only worthwhile when it is a carved-out commodity, we get stuck. Especially if we can’t find or prioritize the time to do this, which leads us to believe the rest of what we do doesn’t matter physically and psychologically (which activity hugely influences), putting us in a serious pickle (especially if we eat a bunch of them). But if we saw all activity, even getting up from the couch to turn the TV channel, as worthwhile and valuable to the moving people we are, then it would be a monstrous step in redefining just how we go about approaching the health crisis that exists today. 

Truth be told, I don’t hate exercise. I actually like it now more than ever, even though it can be hard, uncomfortable, and inconvenient. I like it because of what it offers me during the activity and when I am not active. And I don’t see it as an isolated part of my day, but rather as one link of a continuous chain that occurs from the moment I wake up in the morning to the moment I go to bed at night. Whereas I used to only regard my “scheduled workouts” as having real value, the last couple of decades have transformed my perspective. Just the walk to the drinking fountain is a gift, and also kind of compelling. I wonder where my next movement will lead.

At the beginning of Lent, we were asked to consider the timeless phrase, “Dust you are, and to dust you will return.” It reminds us that at the core of our being, we have been created by God from a cosmos that is built on many principles, one of which is that we are a people of movement, and that deeply ingrained in our biology is a need to move often and regularly as the Lord would have us do.

As we go forward and submit ourselves to our Lenten discipline, all designed to bring us closer to him and his design for us, let us consider that in God’s eyes, the only exercise truly ordained is the exercise of our will to align with his, no matter the minute, hour or day. 

Many of us struggle to find the time to make it to the gym, but if you buy a pair of dumbbells for your home, you can squeeze in effective full-body strength workouts in as little as 20 minutes.

This workout from personal trainer Rachael Sacerdoti jumped out at me as a great routine for time-poor exercisers, so I got in touch to find out more about the workout and each of the moves.

As the popularity of smartwatches, also called wearables, increases, so too does the amount of data users can access about their health.

Statistics like resting heart rate, V02 max (maximal oxygen consumption) and heart rate variability (HRV) provide valuable insight into your fitness levels.

But not all measurements are created equal.

While HRV has long been used by elite athletes to dictate their training schedule, it has become a “buzzword” among the broader community.

Matthew Ahmadi, deputy director of the University of Sydney’s Mackenzie Wearables Hub, says HRV has been around for more than 20 years in the competitive sports environment.

“Over the past 10 years or so, it has really picked up among the general population, mainly due to increases in the use of wearables,” Dr Ahmadi says.

WHOOP, a leading wearable brand and official partner of the Women’s Tennis Association, has been collecting data on the most consistent factors that boost or harm your HRV.

Global statistics from 2024 show that getting quality sleep, consuming caffeine and having a consistent wake time are most likely to improve your HRV, while consuming alcohol, being sick and highly stressed will see your numbers crash.

So just what does HRV measure, and how might you use it to maximise your workouts?

HRV indicates how ‘balanced’ your autonomic nervous system is

Dr Ahmadi explains that HRV measures the “variation between heartbeats”.

The heart does not beat consistently (like a metronome or clock).

So, while your heart might be beating at 80 beats per minute, there will be longer or shorter gaps between each heartbeat.

How variable these gaps are determines your HRV, with a higher number indicating greater variability.

A high number is ideal, and an indication that the body is in homeostasis (or balanced), Dr Ahmadi says.

This is because HRV is a window into the autonomic nervous system.

The autonomic nervous system consists of two main divisions: the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems.

In simplistic terms, the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for ‘rest and digest’ processes, while the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for ‘fight or flight’ responses.

Ideally, Dr Ahmadi says, the two are in balance, meaning the body is equally responsive to both inputs.

“The more fit someone is, the more their body is able to adapt to different stressors and therefore recover better,” he says.

But if your HRV is low, it indicates that one branch of the autonomic nervous system is dominating:

“It generally means your sympathetic system is dominant, so your body is on high alert.”

HRV indicates how ‘ready’ you are to exercise

When your HRV is measured is also critical to its interpretation.

Measuring it before you go to bed will tell you how well the body has recovered from the current day’s activities or stressors, Dr Ahmadi says.

“[Measuring HRV] right after you wake up will give you a good indication of what your body is prepared to handle over the coming day,” he adds.

This is the key reason HRV offers an advantage over other measures of fitness.

Not only does a higher HRV indicate a higher level of fitness, it can also be used to dictate what level of intensity you should take on in your current day’s exercise regime.

“In the sport science world, we think of HRV as a proxy for ‘readiness’ [to train],” Kristen Holmes, WHOOP’s principal scientist, says.

WHOOP uses HRV to determine its users’ daily “recovery” scores, grading them as being in the green, yellow or red.

On green days, WHOOP encourages users to go “all out”, while on a red day, it recommends “active recovery” activities like meditation, light walking or yoga.

Many elite athletes similarly use HRV to adapt their exercise regimes, with research showing those who do so achieve better performance outcomes.

Factors that improve or decrease HRV

WHOOP also collects data on the most common positive and negative influences on HRV.

Positive factors include being well-hydrated, following a healthy diet, getting quality sleep and keeping consistent sleep and wake times.

“That’s what makes it both a great measure and really frustrating,” Dr Holmes says.

“It’s hard sometimes to pinpoint exactly what isn’t allowing me to respond and adapt to external stressors in a functional way.”

There are, however, consistent factors that lower HRV, with the top being the consumption of alcohol.

In fact, Dr Holmes says alcohol is such an “HRV crusher” that 89 per cent of people who use the platform report decreasing alcohol consumption in the long term.

“That’s because people can directly see the performance cost from their behaviours,” Holmes says.

“Your coach can tell you, ‘Hey, alcohol is really bad for your performance’, but until you see directly how it affects your HRV, you’re like … wow, I’m a lesser version of myself today. It’s sobering.”

But you should avoid comparing your HRV scores to others’.

Generally, the older you get, the lower your HRV will be, while women also tend to have a lower HRV on average.

If you want to improve your HRV, both Dr Ahmadi and Dr Holmes instead advise taking a baseline level and judging any changes relative to your own scores.

Don’t panic if your HRV is low

It’s also important to note that a low HRV is not always bad.

As one example, Dr Ahmadi says that you should expect to see a drop-off in your HRV if you are beginning a new exercise program, especially if you were previously sedentary.

“The first few weeks, you’re likely to see a big decrease in your HRV on a daily basis,” he says.

“But ideally, if the program is working the way it should be, you should start to see your HRV increase over the coming weeks and months, and then taper off as your body adapts to the current program’s load.”

Once your HRV starts to stabilise, it’s a good indication that you are ready to “progress” your program.

But if you don’t see an improvement in your HRV, it’s likely you need to take your foot off the pedal.

“If you see a big drop-off, then it’s a good idea to not push as hard the following day, because your body is giving you signs that it needs time to recover,” he says.

“As you settle into a new training regime, your body will adapt and you’ll be able to handle higher stress and workout loads closer together.”