We’re not going with the first answer that came to mind, because unlike WordPress, I do occasionally recognize when a question has been phrased in a way that invites trouble. Let’s just say there are forms of exercise best left undescribed in polite company, and WP probably should have thought that through before posting today’s prompt.
The truth is, most exercise feels suspiciously like voluntary punishment disguised as virtue. We’re told it will make us healthier, help us live longer, improve our mood, strengthen our heart, lower our blood pressure and possibly lead to enlightenment. Yet somehow the process itself usually involves sweating, soreness, aching knees, and the strange realization that a flight of stairs has become your mortal enemy.
I have never once believed that someone woke up and said, “You know what sounds like fun? Wind sprints.” The same goes for stair climbers, burpees, and anything involving the phrase “high intensity.” That sounds less like fitness and more like an apology waiting to happen.
The most fun exercise is anything that tricks you into forgetting you’re exercising at all — something you actually enjoy while your heart quietly goes to work in the background. Walking the dog qualifies. Swimming qualifies. Even golf qualifies, assuming you walk enough and don’t spend the entire round parked in a cart arguing with your putter.
Last night, I had the best kind of exercise: running up and down a football field while officiating. My heart got moving, my steps piled up, and unlike a treadmill, somebody handed me money afterward. That may be the ideal arrangement — exercise that has a purpose, keeps your mind engaged, and doesn’t require motivational music or a machine that looks like it was designed by NASA.
Now if I could just figure out how to make bourbon count as cardio, I’d finally have a complete wellness plan. 🥃🏃♂️😄
Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
