Fitness
Why I Hate Exercise (and Working Out)
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.
Having worked in wellness for over 50 years, what Sue Harmsworth doesn’t know about health and wellbeing isn’t worth knowing. The brand founder, who launched the beloved spa brand ESPA in 1992, has dedicated her whole life to the pursuit of wellness and looking at her now, at 80 years old, she’s clearly been doing something right.
Sue, who splits her time between Farnham, Surrey and Tenerife, has a strict daily routine that helps her stay on top form, and is quick to point out: “Stress, whichever name you put to it – mental stress, anxiety, illness – is at the core of societal problems today.
“We know now that prevention and lifestyle are the most important issues in keeping us healthy. In my view, integrative health and wellness is the way forward, and whether you call it spa, wellness, wellbeing, longevity, health span or something else, it always comes back to the core principles of good nutrition, exercise, good sleep, mindfulness and meditation.”
That said, Sue isn’t immune to the perils of ageing, sharing: “My weakness is joints, so I have to look after my knees and shoulders. That aside, I do think that exercise is a massive part of the reason I feel so good at my age – if I don’t do something active every day, that’s when I feel an ache or pain.”
Here, Sue shares her rigorous wellness routine – as well as the habits she actively avoids. Take notes!
1. Morning stretches
“I start every day with 15 minutes of stretching – bridges, cat cow, child pose, knee rolling, tabletop and so on.”
2. Pool time
“My beloved pool routine includes 40 minutes in the pool – running, jumping, doing weights, squats and lunges, and riding on my aqua bike.”
© Hester Barnes Photography & Film3. Two personal training sessions per week
“Where possible, I do two PT sessions a week. I am also lucky to have a Technogym Kinesis (an all-in-one machine with built-in elastic bands, dumbbells, and more) in my gym at home, and I do rope exercises for my shoulders most days.”
© Hester Barnes Photography & Film4. Water therapy
“I tend to take cool showers and warm baths and use them as therapy. I rely on the shower in the morning for circulation and energy, while the bath (with Epsom salts and oils) helps my sleep process of winding down, because I have no tech in there.”
5. Contrast therapy
“I believe in contrast thermal therapy – always ending with cold. The practice has been around for centuries but is claimed as “new”. I sauna twice a week – hot, cold, hot, cold – always finishing with cold!”
© Hester Barnes Photography & Film6. Body brushing
“I have skin brushed for decade. It’s a form of exfoliation but also helps with circulation, always towards the heart.”
7. Microbiome care
“I have always been aware of the importance of the three microbiomes – oral microbiome, gut health and the microbiome and the skin microbiome. To support mine, I see a hygienist every four months, do swishing with coconut oil, use my electric toothbrush to clean my tongue as well as gums and teeth, and use a water pick as well.”
8. One main meal – and no snacking
“In my eighties, I have to be careful with food. I try to only have one main meal a day, and I try to follow the Original Mayr Clinic principles of no raw after 4, no snacking at all, two fasting days, 16/8, and two vegetarian days.
© Hester Barnes Photography & Film“The quality of the ingredients and nutrient value is more important now and I avoid processed foods and try to cook from scratch and source high-quality produce.”
9. Minimal alcohol
“For the last three years have come off alcohol other than for really important celebrations and then one glass of a great pink Champagne is enough!”
10. Avoiding surgery
“As we age, we want to avoid surgeries as it gets harder to recover, but it’s so important that stay mobile. One issue that has blighted my health is a series of problems with my joints, leading to a hip resurfacing procedure in my mid-50s, followed by joint replacement surgery in both shoulders five years ago which required a lengthy recovery period.
“A few years ago, in my late seventies, I began experiencing pain and discomfort in my knees. I’ve followed a wide-ranging exercise regime my whole life and suddenly I wasn’t able to lift weights to support my muscle strength or do my daily exercises in the swimming pool.
© Hester Barnes Photography & Film“I was struggling to even get up from a chair. It all happened very suddenly and as I was approaching 80, for the first time ever, I started to wonder how I was going to do everything. I felt really panicked.
“I was lucky enough to be treated with a single and non-invasive hydrogel injection called Arthrosamid® with Dr George Bownes, Musculoskeletal, Sports and Exercise Medicine at Citius Health. A year on, I have absolutely no pain in my knees now. I’, able to enjoy all that life has to offer both professionally, pursing projects I’m passionate about including improving access to touch therapies for cancer patients and personally spending time with my children and grandchildren.”
Anne said she first noticed something was wrong with her when she started to get cramps in her hands and she started to have difficulty walking without feeling stiff.
“I was sent for a brain scan and, as a result of that, they diagnosed Parkinson’s disease,” she said.
She said exercising and meeting others in the same position had helped her.
“I find exercising with other people helps as you don’t feel quite as isolated, you meet people with the same condition,” she said.
“I wouldn’t have done what I do now, or met the people I met now, if it wasn’t for the diagnosis.”
She said her son was “so enthusiastic” about everything he does.
“He certainly gets a lot of good remarks from people with Parkinson’s who feel they are dong something for themselves,” she said.
Tough Mudder. CrossFit. Hyrox. Some of this century’s biggest fitness trends have one thing in common: they require feats of both strength and endurance. People used to pick a side: either you used weights and resistance machines to build your muscles or you did cardio for the sake of your heart and lungs. Now everyone wants to be a “hybrid athlete”. So is this the best way to get fit – and where do you start if you’re a complete beginner?
What exactly is hybrid training?
Matt Lee, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Deakin Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition in Australia, says: “Hybrid training – also known as concurrent training – combines cardio and resistance exercises (eg weights) within the same programme, performed either within a single session, or across separate sessions during the week.”
Where does it come from?
Hybrid training is not a new concept – official physical activity guidelines have long recommended a combination of strength and cardio exercises. But among athletes it was believed that endurance training had a negative impact on strength development (known as the “interference effect”); recent research has shown that is not the case.
Phil Price, a senior lecturer in strength and conditioning science at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, is the author of The Science of Hybrid Training. He says the term itself was coined by Alex Viada in his influential 2015 book, The Hybrid Athlete (which was updated last year). “He was a powerlifter and then he started running, so he was actively chasing two goals that don’t necessarily support one another,” Price says. “Hybrid came to mean a very clear focus on two separate goals that come from two separate sports.”
Why it is so popular now?
The hybrid concept has evolved, making it appeal to anyone who wants to get fitter and stronger. “It has been used for anything that requires an endurance component and a strength component,” says Price. “The rise of CrossFit really developed it and it’s definitely been utilised by those who do Hyrox.” CrossFit is a high-intensity workout combining cardio with elements of weightlifting and gymnastics; Hyrox is a fitness competition mixing running with burpees, kettlebell carries, sled pushes and more.
Thomas Jones, an associate professor of sport, exercise and rehabilitation at Northumbria University, says: “Hyrox, which is super-popular at the moment, is almost the definition of hybrid. Those events are aerobic-based, so there’s a running element, and then there’s also a strength element and a power element.” Organisers say more than 1 million people entered a Hyrox race during the 2025/26 season, which culminates with the world championships in Stockholm this month.
A hybrid scene has also developed through social media, says Price. “More and more people have created these hybrid goals of, for example, doing a 500lb [227kg] squat and on the same day running a sub-five-minute mile. People are online competing with each other and through that, the culture has really boomed.”
What are the benefits?
Lee says hybrid training has numerous benefits for overall health and wellbeing, as well as sports performance. “Research has shown hybrid training can improve strength, muscle mass, power, endurance, speed and agility,” he says. “Beyond physical gains, studies of people who do hybrid training such as CrossFit report perceived improvements in quality of life, reduced stress, increased self-esteem and social benefits.” A previous study found this sense of belonging was significantly higher at CrossFit gyms than at traditional ones.
And hybrid training is a boon for busy schedules. “For many people, lack of time is a major barrier to exercise,” says Lee. “Combining cardio and resistance exercises within a single session is a time-efficient way to meet training goals.” I can relate to that – the “warrior” class at my local gym combines treadmill or rowing intervals with free-weight sets, for a full-body workout in just 45 minutes.
Alexios Batrakoulis, an assistant professor of applied and clinical exercise physiology at European University Cyprus, has conducted extensive research into hybrid training. He has seen great results from participants completing a 30-minute circuit-style hybrid programme up to three times a week. After 10 to 12 months, he reports: “Previously inactive middle-aged adults with overweight/obesity have significant body mass and fat reduction, as well as improvements in performance, cardiometabolic and psychological health.” He found that people enjoyed these “moderate to vigorous” circuits more than “traditional moderate-intensity continuous training”.
Is it suitable for beginners?
Absolutely – with the caveat that you check with your GP if you have any existing injuries or health conditions (and pay no attention to social media challenges). Kim Way, a senior lecturer at the Deakin Institute and an exercise physiologist with Exercise and Sports Science Australia, says beginners should do a combination of aerobic and resistance training two or three times a week.
“Start with low- to moderate-intensity exercise to help the body get used to the different exercises and get used to a routine. Use intervals to help break up aerobic activity to get used to moderate intensity with some recovery as well,” she says. “The talk test is a great way to gauge if you are going too hard with aerobic exercise. Moderate-intensity does make you a bit breathless, but you’d still be able to maintain a conversation with someone or be able to sing.” Build a foundation with four to six weeks of consistent training before adding another day or a high-intensity session, she adds.
What sort of aerobic exercise should I do?
This depends on your goals, says Lee. If you want to build up to a Hyrox event, running is essential – each race includes eight 1km runs – as is training on skiing and rowing machines. If you just want to get fitter, running is one option, but you may enjoy others more. “Substituting other cardio options such as swimming or cycling can still improve cardiovascular fitness while reducing the risk of overuse injuries that may occur from high volumes of running,” says Lee.
And what sort of strength training?
Again, if you’re training with Hyrox in mind, it make sense to focus on the strength-based events in the races: sled push and pull, farmer’s carry, sandbag lunges, wall balls … If you’re new to these exercises, says Way, scale back the weights, reps and sets. But if you just want to improve your general strength, she recommends “whole-body, compound movements such as squats, deadlifts and bench presses, which will provide immense benefit”.
“Two of the biggest predictors of quality of life in old age are strength (one-rep max) and aerobic fitness (VO2 max),” says Jones. “Strength is what often gets neglected by those who are new to exercise – they just run.”
Does the order I do them in matter?
“Research, including my own, suggests the order of cardio and resistance exercise has little influence on improving cardio fitness,” says Lee. “However, if a person’s goal is to improve strength, some research suggests completing resistance exercise before cardio might lead to greater strength gains, and that greater recovery time between modes (more than three hours) may benefit explosive strength development (power) – but more research is needed on these.”
Do I need to join a gym?
“For people with limited exercise experience, gyms can be a great place to start, as they provide access to professionals who can help develop suitable training plans and guidance on techniques,” says Lee. If you want to get into CrossFit, for example, there are about 10,000 gyms in 150 countries.
You can do your own hybrid training on the gym floor, using the cardio and resistance machines and/or free weights, but another option is joining a hybrid-style class. “Group classes can provide a sense of community and social support, which may also help with motivation and consistency,” says Lee. Some gyms offer dedicated Hyrox classes; others to look out for include bootcamp, circuits, functional fitness, and strength and conditioning. “When joining a group class, always remember to listen to your body,” says Way. “It is OK to stop and have a break if your body is not used to what is happening.”
Going to the gym doesn’t necessarily mean committing to a year-long membership. Apps such as ClassPass enable you to buy credits to use at a variety of gyms, and there are no-contract, pay-monthly budget chains such as PureGym and the Gym Group (which also offer classes). Community centres often have low-cost hybrid-style workouts – my local one has an hour’s circuit training for £8 – and many parks have free sessions, such as the beginners’ bootcamps and other classes run by Our Parks across the UK.
Can’t I do hybrid training at home?
Absolutely – you can combine cardio with home strength training. For example, you could follow the NHS’s Couch to 5K running programme alongside Our Parks’ Couch to Fitness programme. Jones says: “Remember what Joe Wicks was doing during Covid? That would be hybrid training.” Wicks is still posting free videos on YouTube – a recent 20-minute “strength, cardio and abs” workout fits the hybrid bill.
You don’t need any specialist equipment, at least initially. “For people just getting started, body weight exercises are enough,” says Jones. “If you can’t do 10 good push-ups, that’s a really good place to start.” Way suggests squats, lunges and pull-ups alongside your push-ups. When you’re ready to move on, “Filling up a backpack with cans or water bottles can add load,” she says.
Batrakoulis says you don’t need to invest in heavy weights to progress further, but some “functional training tools” can be useful: resistance bands, kettlebells, exercise balls and medicine balls; even suspension straps and battle ropes, if you have space.
Jones is also a fan of outdoor gyms in parks: “They’re great because it gives you the opportunity to run and then jump in and do some pull-ups and body-weight exercises.”
How much training should I do?
Lee says: “For overall health, the World Health Organization recommends adults aged 18 to 64 engage in at least 150-300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 75-150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity (or an equivalent combination of the two), plus muscle-strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity on two days a week.” But don’t try to go from zero to hero, says Way: “If you are not currently meeting these guidelines, a slow and gradual buildup in activity is recommended.”
This is especially important in hybrid training, says Price, because of the various demands it puts on the body. “The endurance exercise is going to fatigue things in different ways to the resistance exercise. The high-intensity stuff is going to fatigue your body in different ways to the long-duration, low-intensity stuff. All of a sudden you’ve got a mix of everything.” His advice is to “start off slowly and progress very slowly because you don’t know how well your body will respond to the different stimuli and how close they are together”. The good news? “The body is really adaptable and will start to deal with that type of mixed stress quite well.”
Should I do cardio and strength training in the same session?
If you’re doing hybrid classes, clearly yes. Otherwise, says Jones, it’s down to preference and time. “I cycle some days and I lift weights other days. But some people wouldn’t like that approach. My wife, for instance, loves getting out in the garden and doing a circuit. So whatever works for you will be effective.”
Should I train every day?
No – rest days are essential. “It’s important to allow enough recovery time between sessions, not only for adaptations to occur, but to also minimise the risks of overuse injuries and overtraining,” says Lee. Way says beginners need at least 24-48 hours of recovery between sessions to help the body adjust.
Prioritise sleep. “Sleep for all exercise is really quite important. I think people underestimate that,” says Price. “I see it like a triad. Quite often if people are struggling with their training or they have a niggling recurring injury, they think there must be something that they’re doing wrong in training. But they need to go and make sure that they’re getting enough water, their nutrition’s right and they’re getting enough sleep. Quite a lot of the time, it’s their everyday life that isn’t providing that support to recover for them.”
Do I need to change my diet?
“As long as you’re getting good protein and carbs between sessions and lots of water, you should be good to go,” says Price. Specifically, he says, you need sufficient amounts of the amino acid leucine, which is found in most protein sources (meat, fish, cheese, beans, nuts, seeds, tofu etc). “Whenever the body tries to respond to the training stress from a strength point of view, the intake of protein is one of the signals to spark protein synthesis, which then improves muscle hypertrophy [growth]. So you’re trying to avoid that molecular process getting disrupted.”
Protein is often prioritised these days, but don’t overlook carbohydrates. “Carbohydrates broken down can get stored into muscle glycogen [fuel], and both strength and endurance training can reduce those stores. So if you’ve trained, you want to make sure that anything that was used from the previous session has been replenished,” says Price.
And finally … where do I sign up for the Hyrox world championships?
Sadly, that is invite-only for the top 0.5% of athletes. How about a Hyrox cruise instead?
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