Survey Says This Is The Exercise The Internet Can't Give Up

The American Heart Association recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of more intense exercise each week. During the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, The New York Times said working out became sort of a substitute for travel, CNET reminded readers that it can help boost mental health, and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention suggested socially distanced activities like play time involving the whole family and doing jumping jacks during commercial breaks while watching TV.

Thankfully, there are so many different ways to work out, and everyone seems to have a favorite, based on their location, schedule, equipment, background, body, and interests. If it had to all be narrowed down to one, though, which exercise would people not want to give up at all? That was the question we asked the public in a recent survey that was posted to our YouTube channel.

This was the question: If you could only do one exercise for the rest of your life, which would you choose? The poll resulted in 32,000 votes and more than 870 comments in just five days.

Almost half of the responses, at 42 percent, went with squats. According to Healthline, this works muscles such as the gluteus maximus, quadriceps, hamstrings, and hip flexors, as well as core muscles. And if a back squat or an overhead squat is done, shoulders, arms, the chest, and the back get targeted, too. It is not easy, but it strengthens and tones the body, burns a ton of calories, and boosts overall strength and mobility.

At 21 percent sat crunches and "other", which led to answers in the comments such as walking, yoga, swimming, dancing, and bench press. Walking, in particular, has become increasingly popular in the past year, giving people of all ages the chance to get out and get some fresh air.

The final choice, push-ups, received 16 percent of the votes.