The Emmy’s were on last night and it came to our attention that there is a lot of great television being made. The first rub is that the average adult watches between 3-5 hours a day (Bureau of Labor and Statistics quotes 2.7 hrs or half of our leisure time activities; The Nielsen Corporation quotes 4.7 hrs a day). Insult to injury, often those hours of TV come after sitting all day at work or in a vehicle.
The second rub is that commercials make you want to eat, and not just anything, crazy stuff. While watching college football last Saturday three of us were stopped mid conversation when Denny’s showed us their new “Mac ‘n Cheese Big Daddy Melt” (mac ‘n cheese-burger-on-potato bread sandwich singing the tune of 1690 calories, 99 grams of fat, and 2010 grams of sodium). Our mouths gaped at the audacity. With the current state of affairs in America’s waistline all we had to say was, “Seriously?”
Even consumers are saying, “Enough!” by demanding healthier products from companies. Nielsen also says that people are cooking more, dining out less, and buying an increased amount of fresh food. The “Farm to Table” and “Eat Local” movements are exploding across our landscapes.
So just imagine what would happen to the obesity epidemic if we could begin similar trends in exercise; if even one third of those TV watching hours were transferred to exercising and fast-forwarding through the crazy, other-worldly food ads. We are going to watch TV, that’s clear. Good TV deserves our attention and we are worthy of the joy it brings. But I ask you… Who says TV has to be watched sitting still? In fact, more and more of us intuitively feel a need to be busy while watching (e.g. knitting, puzzles, scrapbooking, stretching, working, etc.). We are a multitasking society, after all. Here’s my dream as a result…
Let’s start a revolution. Let’s turn our living rooms into places where lounging is ok but riding or strolling is even better, or where sitting on that exercise ball, or yoga-sizing and pilates-ing become all the rage as we soak up a Mad Men season premier. Why can’t the treadmill live next to the big comfy chair, hmmm? How about a stationary bike at least. They’re quiet.
To begin the effort, no equipment necessary… Here’s an exercise you can do with Olga that strengthens your quads (thighs) and shoulders while still giving you a front row seat to the NFL red zone or the new episode of Project Runway. And it won’t mess with your decor.
With your arms at your sides, rest your back against a wall, feet shoulder width apart and about a foot out from the wall.- Slowly slide down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Hold there while you lift your arms up and over head. Bring your arms back down and then back up over head for a total of 10 reps.
- Then slide back up to standing, pause for 30 seconds and repeat. Repeat 4 times.
- To make it harder, hold small dumbbells or soup cans in your hands.
Send us pictures of your updated, exercise enticing rooms when you get a chance. Tell us which shows make you the most excited to move, as well.
See you on the PATH Ahead.