Couch Potato Workout

After a long hard day at work, and keeping up with demands of caring for your  family it is no surprise that the last thing you want to do is lace up your sneakers and go for a run. Of course I recommend getting outside and being active, but if you must hunker down in front of the tube then the couch potato workout is your best option to fit a little exercise in. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could just get fit while watching our favourite show on TV?

The Average American is spending 4 hours a day watching TV , that means by the time you are 65 you could have easily been glued to the tube for 9 years!!!

We are living in a sedentary society, we sit in our cars, we sit at work then sit in front of our television to wind down at the end of the day.  North America is moving less and eating more and it is truly a health crisis. Our inactive lifestyles are contributing to increased risks of illness and injury not to mention making us fat!

We need to find ways to fit fitness into our daily routine even if that means exercising in front of the tube. The great thing about this workout is that you can do it on the commercial breaks and all you need is your own body weight and a couch! Instead of going to the kitchen on the commercials drop down and give me 10!

Try to do as many repetitions as possible with good form of one of the following exercises for the entire commercial break. In a one hour show you could easily have completed a 30 minute workout without missing out on a minute of ( insert favourite TV show here)!

Remember that exercise is accumulative, so every little bit adds up. There couldn’t be an easier way to get fit and have fun at the same time.

Eliminate your barriers to being fit…there are no excuses!

The Couch Potato Workout:

Couch Squats – Standing and sitting repetitively throughout the commercial break. Try to keep your knees over your toes. Stick your butt back as if you were going to sit on a toilet ( yep) and then lower yourself down just to graze the couch with your backside. To stand you will want to press your heels into the ground and bring your pelvis back to neutral alignment as you straighten your legs and lengthen your posture.

Standing lunge – Start with one foot behind you resting on the sofa and bend the front leg into a lunge. Again maintain the proper alignment of knee tracking over toe and press through standing heel to recover. Remember to switch legs on next commercial break.

Couch Push up on an incline– Place your hands on the couch just outside shoulder width.  Bend your elbows and lower and lift body maintaining  a tight core.

Side oblique drops for love handles – Place one elbow on the couch and balance your body in a side plank. Lower and lift your hips to work those love handles.

Tricep dips for flabby arms- Bingo arm be gone. Sit on couch and place your hands just underneath your glutes. Then slide your glutes of the couch in a seated position and you lower and lift your entire body by bending your elbows and straightening them. Maintain an open chest and keep elbows pointing backward.

So there you have  your program for  a full body workout without leaving the comfort of your own living room or missing a minute of your favourite show!