Speed Up Metabolism While Watching TV

Fitness doesn't have to mean foregoing your favorite shows. If you have time to watch TV then you have time to workout during the commercials! So put down that remote, climb off the couch, and let's get your blood pumping.

According to Nielsen, the average American watches 35 hours of TV per week. Every hour of commercial prime-time television is programmed with about fifteen minutes of advertisements, usually broken into 5 blocks of about 3 minutes each.

Here are ways to include quick and easy workouts during commercial breaks:

• Dumbell Bicep Curls: Hold weights with arms straight down, palms inward (facing thighs). Rotate arms so that palms face forward while slowing raising the forearms, bending the elbows until your hand with the weight is up near your shoulder. Slowly release back down in a controlled fashion- don’t just let your arms drop! You can do arms separately or both together. Continue this exercise for 25 full repetitions to tone and strengthen your biceps.

• Coffee Table Dips: Sitting on the edge of your coffee table, facing the TV, place your hands right next to your sides with your fingertips facing forward. Roll your shoulders back and open your chest. Slide your body off the table but keep it close to the table. On an inhale, bend your elbows so that your butt is trying to touch the floor. On an exhale, lift back up to starting position. Make sure your feet are in front of your body where you can see them. Continue this exercise for the full commercial break to strengthen and tone your triceps. Avoid if you have shoulder or wrist injuries.

• Sit-Up/Sit-Down Squats: Holding a heavy book, such as a phone book, extend the arms straight out in front of you, shoulder height with shoulder blades pulled down away from the ears. Sit at the edge of the couch or chair, feet hip-width apart, and maintain a neutral spine. Sit up tall. Tighten your abs and on an exhale, push into the heels and stand straight up. Keeping your arms out in front of you, with chest open, slowly move back down toward the couch as if you were going to sit again, but this time only lightly touch your buttocks to the couch and stand again. Focus on keeping the energy in your heels and make sure that your knees don’t go over your toes. Keep your gaze forward by looking at the television the whole time. Continue this exercise for the full commercial break to strengthen and tone your glutes, hamstrings, quads, lats and shoulders.

• Cardio Combo: Get your blood pumping with the quick cardio exercise (intensity depends on how fast you move).

Jumping Jacks: Stand with feet together, knees slightly bent, and arms to sides. Jump while raising arms and separating legs to sides. Land on forefoot with legs apart and arms overhead. Jump again while lower arms and returning legs to the starting position. Land on forefoot with arms and legs in original position and repeat. Continue this exercise for one minute (about one commercial) for strengthening your heart

Tuck Jumps: Start by standing with your feet together and look straight forward. Jump from the balls of your feet, tuck and grab your shins in the middle of the air (like if you were doing a front flip). Don’t try to hold on to your knees. This is a quick motion where you then land on the balls of your feet and bounce off the floor without letting the heels touch the ground. Repeat this exercise for one minute (about one commercial) for strengthening of your calf muscles, abs and heart.

• Wall Pushups: Stand facing a wall, an arm's length away. Place your hands shoulder-width apart, or a little wider, on the wall. Fingertips should be at the same height as your shoulders. You should be at an angle, lifted onto your toes, feeling as though you are leaning into the wall. Engage your core, squeeze your glutes, inhale, and bend your elbows out to the sides, trying to get your chest as close to the wall as possible. Hold at the bottom and at the exhale, push back up to the starting position. Continue this exercise for the length of the commercial break to strengthen your arms and core.

• Crunches: Lying on your back, knees bent, place a pillow underneath the lower to middle part of your back. Place your hands behind your head with elbows wide. Pull your belly button into your spine. On an exhale, lift your shoulder blades off the floor, pushing your back into the pillow for a count of three seconds, and slowly lower back down for a count of three. Focus on your middle section and make sure not to pull on your neck. Continue this exercise for the length of the commercial break to strengthen your abs.

Tips and Tools to make your commercial break workout a success:

• Keep a set of weights or yoga mat next to the couch or in a TV–stand drawer.
• Sit on a stability ball instead of the couch while actually watching the program. Bounce a little.
• Take time to stretch for when the commercials are over. Don’t end the night without stretching- stretching will increase your flexibility, loosen tight muscles, and prevent future injury when working out. 

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