The Couch Protocol: Getting Fit During Commercial Breaks
Find yourself getting bored with the same commercials over and over? Tired of going on your phone to pass the time during the ads? Below is a great way to get active during the commercial breaks and to incorporate movement to break up long periods of sitting. These exercises can be done with nothing but your body weight, or made more challenging with any weights you have at home.
Why is prolonged sitting bad?
It’s no secret that we are sitting more on a day-to-day basis. The American dream is to work 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday, and come home to a nice, comfy sofa to unwind and relax for the night. Pair that with your favorite show to binge, and that sums up the majority of our lives. So why is ‘sitting the new smoking’? There are many reasons, ideas, and opinions as to why sitting is bad for you. We cannot point the finger at one concept other than being overly sedentary, which can increase the risk of all-cause mortality by up to 50%.
Sitting and relaxing shouldn’t be a bad thing; we all need to relax from our overly stressful days, as stress itself can be detrimental to our health if left unmanaged. Something I like to do personally whenever a commercial break comes on is to get up and walk around a little and get some blood flowing to my legs, which helps prevent my legs from falling asleep.
What can you do?
Below, I have attached a simple yet effective exercise routine that can be done in place of the commercials. Let’s face it, you have seen the same ads, commercials, and products every single break; their catchy jingles are probably stuck in your head. As an Exercise Scientist with a Master's degree in Exercise Science, I designed this routine with one goal in mind - to make it simple enough that anyone can do it with nothing but their own body weight. If there is an exercise you may be hesitant to try or incapable of doing, that’s completely fine. Just swap it out for another round of one of the other exercises!
The goal
The goal is simple: do as many rounds as you can during the breaks of your show. Make sure that you do everything with proper form, but challenge yourself every commercial break. Let me know how many rounds you complete, and be your own competition! Ready to take your fitness further? Book a free discovery call with me at Unbroken Fitness and let's build a plan around your goals!
