5 Things to Do During Commercial Breaks to Burn Pounds Faster
Article posted in: FitnessThe average air time of commercials during a 30-minute TV show is eight minutes. With just those eight minutes, you can get your recommended exercise in with some easy TV workout routines.
Eight minutes—seven, really—is all you need to do a High-Intensity Circuit Training workout that researchers at the Human Performance Institute at Orlando found was as good as or better than a prolonged workout—and all you need is a chair, a wall and your own body weight to do it. The routine makes for a great TV workout and is based on studies that show high-intensity exercise at your maximum capacity creates changes in your muscles that approximate what happens if you run or bike for hour. Click here to discover some easy exercises >
Imagine what you could accomplish during the estimated 15 and a half minutes of commercials on your favorite hour-long shows.
No need to imagine.
Here is a list of five TV workout ideas you can do during commercial breaks:
1. Pump it up.
If a seven-minute high-intensity workout isn’t your cup of tea, you can still make those commercial minutes a time for activity. Feeling energetic? Researchers found that pedaling a bike at a 100 percent effort at high resistance for just two and a half minutes at a time could burn 200 calories if it was interspersed with four minute periods of recovery.
Need something less intense? You can watch your entire show from atop your stationary bike which, at 10-12 mph, can burn 210 calories in half an hour. You could also go up and down the steps, light weights or do calisthenics like jumping jacks or crunches during commercial breaks which could burn roughly 100-175 calories depending on the length of the show, your weight and how quickly you move.
2. Stand up.
This is hardly a TV workout; you don’t even need to move. Just get your butt off the couch. Standing burns more calories than sitting (186 vs. 139 per hour).
3. While you’re up, do something healthy.
You can’t use the excuse that you “just don’t have the time to prepare meals and plan ahead” when you’ve just learned that you have a 15-minute break in the action of every hour of TV you watch. Use the time to cut up and store vegetables for the week’s meals, package single-serving healthy snacks to take to work, plan out your daily Flex meals and pre-select what you’re going to eat at the restaurant where your boss is holding a business meeting (or you’re having date night with your honey).
For some healthy snack preparation ideas, click on the link below!
4. Practice stress reduction.
Use the time to do some deep breathing exercises. Inhale slowly to the count of four, then exhale slowly to the count of four, focusing on your breathing and not your thoughts.
According to the American Institute of Stress, science has shown that a simple exercise like deep breathing can activate the so-called relaxation response which makes your heart beat slower, your muscles relax, your blood pressure drop and increases the flow of blood to the brain. This oasis of calm may actually help you lose weight. When you’re stressed, your body produces a hormone called cortisol which can increase your appetite for fatty and sugary foods.
5. Get it done.
Let’s face it, for most of us the stress that piles on pounds is represented by the untold number of chores we don’t get done in a week. Let your favorite shows help you. Those commercial breaks are great for filing important papers, paying bills, folding laundry, sorting socks, cleaning out the drawers (no need to leave the room—bring the drawers to your favorite TV-watching spot), emptying the dishwasher, sticking paper mail, magazines and newspapers into bags for recycling, answering emails, clipping coupons, grooming your dog (and yourself) and researching your next vacation.
The one thing you don’t want to do is eat and drink. Unless it’s water. Commercial breaks are a great time to catch up on your fluid intake for the day.