How about working out alongside your favorite show by playing an exercise game?  Would Olivia Pope or the deep story line of the show help motivate you to exercise?

I was watching GMA not long ago and one of the journalists said, “When Olivia on Scandal mentions the President of the United States it means 5 squats and 5 lunges” or consider the series Chuck and do an exercise when Chuck gets out of the car (after being told by Sarah and John Casey to stay in the car).  I think this is a great idea because you can stay focused on the story line of the show while still getting in a workout.  I have encouraged exercising during commercials in a previous post to prevent people from sitting for long periods of time without moving so this is just another exercise option!  (See Exercise during commercials.)

Working out sometimes seems like the most exhausting thing in the world, especially some days when you have little to no energy.  My suggestion is still to do some type of workout because a workout will help fuel you to stay up and get things done.  Exercise will help push you through the rest of the evening so rather than grabbing a snack or picking up takeout and then sitting on the couch for several hours watching tv, find a way to do some type of workout in the comfort of your home.  An at home workout option also helps encourage you to workout no matter what day of the week it is and prevents you from skipping a workout or making an excuse not to go to the gym!  It doesn’t have to be long, it doesn’t have to involve intense cardio exercises, but it does have to get your heart rate up, get your body moving, and help loosen up your muscles from the stress of the day, giving you a new sense of rejuvenation and relaxation before hitting your bed.  If you let yourself come home and veg on the couch or take a nap, you most likely will have trouble going to sleep, staying asleep, or getting a good night’s rest.  Hence, do some yoga poses (download a yoga app, hit up YouTube, or like me, find a picture that demonstrates 10-15 poses) and do those throughout the tv show you want to watch.  If yoga isn’t your thing, do as I suggested above and do lunges, jumping jacks, squats, low plank, high plank, sit-ups, crunches, etc. during the show when “specific” yet frequent occurrences/scenes take place.

If you don’t like the ideas above or you can’t even force yourself to do those types of exercises, consider a fitness ball ($15 or less) and do exercises on it.  There are simple exercises you can do on a fitness ball, one being sitting on it to practice your balance.  Further, you can do leg lifts, you can lift one leg for balance or lift both and hold your core to work your abs, you can also do push-ups with your legs balanced on the ball, etc.  In other words, you can vary the level and variety of exercises based on your fitness goals all while watching your favorite tv show!

So, next time you think about skipping your workout for the day, think about what you can do in the comfort of your own living room while watching your favorite show.  You will be glad you do something, even if it a light workout.  A light workout is better than no workout, which is why some days a workout at home may be just the thing to do!

~jj