It’s August, and that means it’s time for all those great summer sports—you know, like swimming, waterskiing, baseball, watching TV, kayaking . . .
Whoa, wait a minute! Did I say watching TV? How did that get in there? That’s not a sport. Or is it? If all we do is sit there pressing buttons on the remote control and eating Cheetos, then it isn’t a sport. (All right, technically, pressing buttons on a remote is a slight form of exercise, but it won’t even burn off that cherry you had on your hot fudge sundae.)
But if you’d incorporate a little activity into the often-mindless act of watching television, you can bring up the benefits of TV viewing significantly. I’m not talking about Wii, either. I’m talking about using your television viewing time wisely.
Let me explain.
If you’re like me and you hate the commercials, why not use those two or three minutes to get up out of your seat and get a two- to three-minute workout? (I suggest putting down the bag of Cheetos before you start your jumping jacks, or you’ll end up in a cloud of orange dust and will have a huge Cheetos-y mess to clean up. This might also lead to being misdiagnosed with jaundice, and you’ll have to sit under fluorescent lights while all your friends are too busy enjoying their summer to even visit you at the hospital. So, put down the Cheetos first.)
Sit-ups are a beneficial commercial-break exercise, but don’t use the bottom of your television set to brace your feet. You could end up knocking the TV set down on top of you. You could move into weight lifting with it, but if you get tangled up in the wires, you might have to wait until someone comes home to free you. And then, there’s all that explaining you’d have to do.
If the commercial has music, especially if it’s an upbeat tempo, you can do aerobics to it. But I’d be careful with arm stretches, especially if there are any lamps in the area.
If the commercial has slower paced music, like those commercials for new medicines where they show babbling brooks and cute little puppies, all the while telling you that a side effect of the medicine is that your nose could fall off . . . save those for your cool-down exercises.
Or better yet, maybe you should just turn off the television and go outside and enjoy all the summer sports and sun. Save Miss P.E.’s Commercial Exercise Program for the winter months.
