Life's too short to suffer through exercises that you can't stand. I don't mean quitting when it gets hard. I mean hating what you're doing. Ahem, like me and burpees - a.k.a. the devil's sporty offspring.
It's a good lesson for life. You don't have to suffer. You don't need to grit your teeth and stubbornly, blindly keep going when you hate what you are doing. Re-assess. Do what works for you. Modify what you can. Substitute. Then feel it out when you're in that new reality. Then shift again until it feels right. We all have an internal gauge that provides us with constant feedback. True for your career. True for intimate relationships. True for your body.
Back to burpees! Check out these videos for modifications, food for thought, and a very, very cute French Bulldog named Peanut.