Your Gym Membership Isn’t Fixing Your Health

Why I Work Out in Bathrooms, Raves, and French Bistros

For the past year, I’ve been working out in some pretty unconventional ways.

For example, every hour or so, I spend around five minutes cranking out 50 jumping jacks followed by 50 air squats in my office bathroom. The music in there is just loud enough that you won’t hear my feet screeching or slight panting.

And then last Saturday at the warehouse techno rave in Brooklyn, between fist-pumping to the beat, I was locked in a serious flow of push-ups and downward dog progressions.

Even le toilet at the fancy French bistro during my 2nd-year anniversary. I remember indulging in some eagle breaths, followed by a quick round of air squats mixed in with some weird yoga moves—until someone walked in, and I immediately pretended I was just, uh, looking for my keys.

Not only do these random and often sporadic bursts of movement fill me with boundless energy, but they totally changed my relationship with fitness.

But why, Jack? Why all this movement?

I mean, are you really that guy dropping down for push-ups at a rave? Why don’t you just go to a gym?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love the gym.

The gym was actually the ignition for Biohack with Jack—both the podcast and the newsletter. I have nothing but respect for it.

But at some point, I realized the gym was taking more out of my life than I liked.

• My workouts, which were 6 days a week, were over-demanding and left me in an overtrained state. My testosterone was low, I wasn’t getting morning erections like I used to, I was super inflamed and sore most of the time, and I often felt like I was just pushing it too hard.

• The time commitment was huge. Looking back at my own habits, I was shocked at how long I spent there. My routine included a comprehensive mobility warmup, stretching, a full-body strength session, foam rolling, and a sauna session. I’d leave for the gym around 4:30 and get back around 7—only to cram in some studying before the next day.

• The costs were adding up. The average person spends over $700 a year on a gym membership, which doesn’t sound crazy—until you realize that over a lifetime, that adds up to nearly $50,000 (Statista, 2023). These stats seem shockingly low when you consider places like Equinox and Lifetime Platinum memberships starting at $250-$350 a month.

And worst of all? I wasn’t seeing the results I expected. I put in so much time and effort. I was lifting heavy, doing HIIT, working on mobility and weird fascial work, but the problem was I was doing too much. Too much gym, too much weight, too much sitting, and just not moving like a human enough.

So, I had to throw away everything I knew from all my years of collegiate tennis training, yoga, weights, and biohacking and ask myself a question.

What if we were never meant to exercise the way we do today? That cramming movement into a single, painful hour at the gym is a modern invention—and maybe even part of why so many people struggle with their metabolism today?

And that’s when I stumbled upon something that blew my mind:

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Your 5 PM Gym Session Won’t Fix an Entire Day of Sitting

The science is clear: A one-hour workout does not compensate for an otherwise sedentary day.

A 2017 study published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that even for those who meet the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per week, prolonged sitting is still associated with an increased risk of mortality.¹

That means your 5 PM gym session might not be as productive as you think if the rest of your day looks like this:

• Sitting at a desk for 8+ hours

• Going from car, to desk, to cab, all the way to the couch.

• Not moving after eating.

Your body adapts to what you do most frequently—not what you do occasionally.

If you’re mostly sitting (whether at your desk, in your car, or on your couch), that’s what your body is adapting to—not the heroic hour you spend at the gym.

And that explains why so many people hit the gym religiously yet still struggle with energy crashes, stubborn fat, and cravings.​​

Prolonged inactivity reduces insulin sensitivity, meaning your body gets worse at processing carbs and storing nutrients in muscle.

Another study in the American Journal of Physiology found that prolonged sitting decreases lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity—an enzyme critical for fat metabolism—by a shocking 90%.

As Ben Greenfield author of Boundless likes to say:

"We live in boxes. We drive to work in a box. We sit at a desk in a box. We eat lunch in a box. Then after work, we go exercise… in a box."

This box lifestyle hasn’t improved our metabolism or kept us aligned with our biology. It has only hurt it.

Maybe that’s why my results were slow.

Sure, I was making gains, but not at the rate I expected.

I realized this even more on vacation.

I remember a trip to Florida—I wrote for a couple of hours in the morning, then spent the rest of the day paddleboarding, walking, and moving constantly.

I barely lifted weights, yet I got leaner and felt amazing.

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So if the gym is sucking my time, and not delivering me the results I want, how can I achieve optimal health? How can I burn fat and build muscle without sacrificing my time, social life, or sanity?

• Maybe I could front-load all my workouts at 5 AM like in The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma. But I learned that my circadian rhythm isn’t really primed for heavy lifting until about 10 AM—I was too tired and “cold” early in the morning.

• Or instead of heading straight to the gym from my office, I could go home, get hyped up with some pre-workout, watch some UFC fights on YouTube, and ride that motivation into crushing a heavy lift.

But I know that working out within three hours of bedtime messes up sleep—raised body temperature, adrenaline, norepinephrine. Not to mention all the caffeine, stimulants, and artificial gym lighting that kill melatonin and ruin recovery.

And then I had a thought I couldn’t shake:

What if I simply worked out all day?

Sounds crazy, right?

Like, what am I supposed to do—sprint to my fridge? Shadowbox while waiting for an email? Parkour over my desk when my boss isn’t looking?

No, you don’t have to do any of that—though it sounds pretty damn cool, and I highly recommend it. We just have to move like we’re human again.

As Dan John puts it in Never Let Go:

"The goal is to make fitness a part of your life, not a separate thing you do. Train in the gym, but move in the world."

We Will Never Have Enough Time for the Gym—And That’s Okay

Because I now understand that my one hour there was never going to save me in the first place.

The key isn’t more workouts. It’s more movement, period.

Here’s how I stopped chasing workouts and started moving like a human again.

1. Leave Weights Around

A couple of times a day, I smash my big toe on my 50kg kettlebell, wince in pain, and then—sometimes still in my pajamas—proceed to swing it vigorously on my balcony. The construction workers across the way pause their hammering to cheer me on. Mutual respect. Different tools. Same grind.

This practice is rooted in behavioral science, specifically the concept of reducing activation energy—the easier it is to start an action, the more likely you are to do it (Duhigg, 2012).

If a kettlebell is next to your desk, you’ll pick it up. If a pull-up bar is in your doorway, you’ll instinctively hang from it.

These random practices don’t just keep energy high; they also help maintain metabolism, regulate blood sugar, promote circulation, and boost overall happiness.

Here’s what I did—and what you can do:

1. Put a kettlebell somewhere visible. Like right next to your desk. Let it stare at you until you have to swing it.

2. Install a pull-up bar on your bathroom door. Do a few reps every time you walk in.

3. Keep a foam roller nearby. Loosen up casually throughout the day.

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2. Set Movement Alarms

Sometimes I like to walk and then randomly pretend im being chased by a tiger. I simply made this up. BUT it’s actually really healthy for you to do random movement sessions.

A 2022 study in Nature Medicine found that just three one-minute bursts of movement throughout the day—like running up the stairs or doing quick bodyweight exercises—was associated with a 40% lower risk of premature death. (Stamatakis et al., 2022)

Set a timer. Every hour, do 50 jumping jacks, 25 push-ups, or 20 air squats.

By the end of the day, that’s hundreds of reps with almost no effort.

Try this:
✅ Set an hourly movement alarm. Even one minute makes a difference.
✅ Add quick burst exercises: Tabata, 10-minute yoga flows, stair sprints.
✅ Sneak in “micro-workouts” before meals, during calls, while waiting for coffee.

3. Walk. More.

Want massive gains outside the gym—in every aspect of life? Walk more.

• Creative block? Walk more.

• Blood sugar out of whack? Walk more.

• Stressed? Walk more.

Walking isn’t just movement; it’s a cheat code for better health. It burns fat, lifts your mood, balances blood sugar, sparks creativity, and resets your circadian rhythm.

Try this:
✅ Take work calls while walking (just turn off the camera).
✅ Walk with your partner after dinner instead of watching Netflix.
✅ Get outside for at least 30 minutes a day.

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4. Use a Walking Workstation

I once had a treadmill desk—until my 700 sq ft apartment got too cramped and I had to throw it out. (The garbage man was probably confused.)

But if you have the space, a walking workstation is one of the easiest ways to stay active without thinking about it.

Other workstation ideas:
✅ Standing desk—because sitting all day is a slow death.
✅ Seated pedal desk—light cardio while working.
✅ Saddle chair—engages your core, improves posture.

Not only does this burn calories effortlessly, but it also prevents stiffness and back pain.

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5. Blend Cardio with Strength (1-2 days a week)

There’s a weird myth that you need to separate cardio and lifting. You don’t.

There’s also a myth that you need to work out six days a week to stay fit. You don’t. In fact, building muscle only requires 80 seconds of time under tension—just 10 reps with a 4-second slow descent and a 4-second controlled lift. One set.

So, once or twice a week, I recommend a full-body workout with 3-4 key exercises, like:

• Deadlift

• Squat

• Shoulder press

• Back row

And instead of treating cardio like a separate, miserable chore, I mix it in.

Rather than spending 30 minutes on a treadmill and then 30 minutes lifting, I combine both into one efficient, hybrid workout.

Here’s what I do:

1. 4 minutes of max-effort cardio—sprints, rowing, biking.

2. One set of a major lift to failure—squat, deadlift, bench, pull-up.

3. Back to cardio.

4. Repeat for a few major lifts.

This beats the boring treadmill grind and torches fat while keeping workouts short, intense, and effective—plus, it just feels more natural.

Try this: Next time you lift, throw in quick bursts of cardio between sets. Your heart and muscles will thank you.

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7. Sprint for Fat Loss

Studies show that short, intense sprints trigger mitochondrial biogenesis—which is just a fancy way of saying you become an energy-producing machine. More energy means better fat burning, more muscle growth, and, dare I say, an overall upgrade to you.

Try this on a random Tuesday:

• 30-second all-out cycling sprints with 4-minute rest (repeat 4–6 times).

• 5 sets of 4-second sprints with 20-second rest (yes, seconds).

• Hill sprints. Go hard for 10–20 seconds, walk back down, repeat 8–10 times.

Sprinting burns fat, boosts endurance, and activates more muscle fibers than jogging ever could. If hunter-gatherers had a treadmill, this is how they’d use it.

Try this: Add sprints to your training twice a week. Doesn’t have to be complicated—just run fast, rest long, and repeat.

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8. Work for Your Food—Train Like a Hunter

Our ancestors didn’t hit the pec deck machine and call it a day. Their workouts were functional, raw, and necessary—they had to hunt, carry, climb, and sprint just to eat.

Want to move like them? Start training like them.

• Farmers carries—because dragging home a 100lb deer isn’t far off from a heavy carry.

• Tire flips—as close as you’ll get to moving a boulder.

• Sled pushes—like pulling an animal back to camp.

• Mace swings—because warriors did this long before gym bros.

Try this: Add one “hunter-style” workout per week. Heavy carries, sled pushes, or anything that mimics real-world strength.

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9. Move Outside—Sunlight & Nature = Performance Enhancers

Studies have found that indoor gyms often have worse air quality than outdoor environments—sometimes even rivaling the pollution levels of high-traffic urban areas (Wargocki et al., 2004).

So if you’ve ever left the gym feeling more drained than refreshed, it’s probably because you just spent an hour breathing in a cocktail of chemicals, dust, and body odor—not exactly the formula for peak performance.

So thats why I like to workout outside.

Exercising outdoors isn’t just for aesthetics—it literally changes your physiology. Sunlight boosts testosterone, energy, and Vitamin D, while nature itself lowers stress, improves mood, and enhances recovery.

Simple fixes:

• Ditch the treadmill—walk outside.

• Lift weights in your backyard.

• Sprint on grass instead of a treadmill.

• Get some sun while you move.

Your body evolved to train outside, not under fluorescent lighting.

Try this: Move outside for at least 30 minutes a day. Bonus points if it’s in nature.

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10. Fix Daily Office Pain—Your Desk is Destroying You

Sitting in one spot for 8+ hours? Your neck, shoulders, and back are begging for mercy.

Some fixes:

• Hang from a bar—stretches your shoulders and decompresses your spine.

• Massage tight areas—helps undo that hunched-over gremlin posture.

• Use a BOSU ball or saddle chair—keeps your hips and core engaged instead of locked in a death pose.

If your office setup is actively ruining your body, no gym session is going to save you. Fix it at the source.

Try this: Start hanging from a pull-up bar for 30 seconds a day. Your shoulders will love you.

11. Become a Fat-Burning Machine—The Science of Metabolic Flexibility

You don’t need to drink fit tea, wear a sweat hoodie, or do endless cardio to burn fat efficiently.

Fat-burning isn’t about “hacks”—it’s about training your body to efficiently use its own energy stores instead of relying on constant glucose spikes. Here’s how:

• Perform a short aerobic workout in a fasted state. Studies show that working out before eating—especially in the morning—enhances fat oxidation and improves insulin sensitivity. Even something as simple as a brisk walk, light yoga, or bodyweight exercises before breakfast primes your metabolism for the rest of the day.

• Avoid frequent snacking. Every time you eat, insulin spikes—which blunts fat burning. Give your body time between meals to actually tap into stored fat for energy.

• Save carbs for the evening. This keeps blood sugar stable throughout the day and trains your body to use fat for fuel. During the day, focus on healthy fats (avocados, eggs, grass-fed butter, nuts) and moderate protein.

• Move all day long. This isn’t just about burning calories—constant low-level activity (walking, stretching, pacing) prevents metabolic slowdowns and keeps fat-burning enzymes active.

• Use cold exposure and sauna therapy. Research shows that cold thermogenesis (cold showers, ice baths) activates brown fat, increasing metabolism and fat loss. Meanwhile, saunas stimulate heat shock proteins, improve endurance, and help burn calories post-session.

• Take a post-meal walk. A simple 15-minute walk after eating has been shown to lower blood glucose levels and improve insulin function.

Try this: Start your mornings with light movement in a fasted state, cut out mindless snacking, and go for an evening walk after dinner. Within a few weeks, your body will adapt to burning fat efficiently—without feeling restricted.

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The Goal: Move Like a Human

We will never have enough time for the gym. And that’s okay.

Because one hour there was never going to save us in the first place.

Instead, see how you feel when you weave movement into your day. Sprint like you’re being chased by a tiger. Jump into a cold plunge. Walk during a business call. Move because it feels good—not because you have to.

We don’t need to kill ourselves at the gym just to feel accomplished. In fact, by shifting our mindset, the gym becomes a treat—not a chore. And that means more time for family, friends, and the people we love. More fun. More health. More life. That’s what we all want, and every single one of you deserves that.

I hope this helped—and that you enjoyed it.

And if you ever catch me doing squats in a bathroom stall?

Just act like you didn’t see anything.

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I’m grateful to my partners who create amazing health & wellness products.

• Kion

• Bioptimizers

• Alitura

• Nootopia

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Disclaimer. I am not a doctor. This is just some random stuff I learned on the internet. Pretend it’s a story. Ok bye.

1. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/new-study-finds-lowest-risk-of-death-was-among-adults-who-exercised-150-600-minutesweek