April 18, 2010

Lose Weight While Watching TV! (Thanks, Doctor Oz!)

by Mary Lou Kayser in Other24 Comments

Okay, I admit…the title of this post sounds like one of those cheesy infomercial come-ons. It was a cheap attempt on my part to draw readers in with a play on that infomercial vibe…

But if you are still reading, then it worked and got your attention. 🙂

And no, I am not going to now try and sell you on some magic pill that you can swallow before settling onto the couch with a bag of your favorite snack food for a 6-hour reality show marathon.

We all know there are no magic pills like that.

Instead, I am going to tell you a short story about another simple change I made in my life recently that perhaps will inspire others to make small changes, too, on the road to living a healthier lifestyle.

And I have Doctor Oz to thank for his inspiration to do this.

While I do not watch a lot of TV, I do have my weekly boob tube guilty pleasures. I enjoy watching American Idol and The Biggest Loser (always tivo-ed so I can avoid the commercials); also, I have recently discovered On Demand episodes of The Real Housewives of New York City. (I tell you, admitting that I watch that show is a tad embarrassing. But…there it is. I like it on a dark and sinister level. Plus, it entertains me.)

So what did Doctor Oz inspire me to do that is helping me lose weight and stay fit while watching TV?

He keeps a stationary bike in his living room and rides it anytime he watches a show (his favorite is House). No excuses: if he’s going to watch TV, he’s going to be on that bike, pedaling.

Now I do the same. If I am going to watch TV, I am going to be on the bike. Period. No bike riding? No TV watching. I am also making this a requirement for my two children who enjoy their fair share of screen time and could use more motion and less flopping. (Boy, aren’t I a mean Mom?)

But here’s the cool news: for every episode of Two and a Half Men, you can burn an average of 200-300 calories with moderate pedaling on a stationary bike. (Individual results will vary based on factors such as height and weight.)

I found a neat tool for tracking the number of hours members of a household spend in front of screens. You can download that PDF by clicking here:

Screen Time Log

I plan to add a section to this chart about minutes spent riding the bike so all of us can begin to see the metrics of our screen time habits. My guess is, those metrics will be very telling.

Seriously, like replacing my office chair with an exercise ball, making the decision to ride the bike while watching TV wasn’t difficult. “Lose Weight while Watching TV” no longer sounds gimmicky, but instead, a viable option for everyone. The reality is, screens in many forms are here to stay. I believe learning how to think differently about our time in front of the screens in our lives is essential for living a truly healthy life in 21st century.

What have you done to balance the time spent in front of the screens in your life? Do you currently use a tracking system for monitoring the amount of screen time you and your family engage in? Share your strategies and as always, if you found this post valuable, share it on Twitter and Facebook!

To Your Best Health,

About

Mary Lou Kayser

Mary Lou Kayser is a bestselling author, poet, and host of the Play Your Position podcast. Over the course of her unique career, she has influenced thousands of people to become more powerful as leaders, writers, and thinkers in their respective professional practices. She writes, teaches, and speaks about universal insights, ideas, and observations that empower audiences worldwide how to bet on themselves.

  • Mary Lou,
    I always love your outside-the-box ideas to empower us to take charge of our health. You are taking away any excuses we may have for not exercising! What a fun way to handle sitting in front of the boob tube.

    Thanks for sharing and giving me a good chuckle,
    Val

  • Mary Lou… what a GREAT idea!

    I agree with Val…I like your “out-of-the-box” thinking! You are so right about the “screens” in the home… they are not going away anytime soon and it’s a little unrealistic to deprive the kids of screen time.

    I’d say you’ve made the best of both worlds. If they can do a little exercise while watching the tube, I think that certainly qualifies as making time productive.

    I think you may have to incorporate a new tagline for your blog. Perhaps something like… “Your home-based business Exercise Guru… drop a Pound, while You Make a Buck!”

  • Oh the secrets we are learning about you. “real Housewives” at least it isn’t “Desperate Housewives” I once heard of a guy wired a ac generator to his exercise bike that powered the TV. Great ideas in your post, lets hope I can follow them before I kick the bucket eating Fried Chicken while watching a Boston Legal rerun.

  • Next time I hop on the bike, Nelson, I will find a “Boston Legal” re-run and watch it your honor! Love that show… 🙂

  • Hi Sandy, A rebounder works, and so does a treadmill. Anything to get your blood going! Thanks for your commitment to health!

  • Mary Lou – shoot I was so going for that magic pill! This is a great idea – I don’t have a bike but I do have a treadmill. Unfortunately I don’t watch television very often – if I am at home I am usually in front of my computer – so that’s what I need something to do while I am in front of the computer! I still haven’t gotten my new balance ball. Thanks for the great ideas – keep them coming!

  • Mary Lou,
    You never cease to amaze me. Always inspiring and motivating!! You will get me fit yet! Thanks for all you do!
    Krista

  • A lot of people spend some REAL time watching TV. No reason they shouldn’t put some effort into their health and well-being while doing it. It’s just a mind-set. Instead of making TV-time a total crash time, we could use your methods to make it constructive.

    Good teaching, Mary Lou. I’ll look for more… I know I’ll find it on your blog!

  • Great tip to double up and do some multi tasking! I do this too! I have an elyptical and hop on while I get caught up on my favorite boob tube channels! If you have time for TV- you have time for a work out!

  • Absolutely, David. TV is such a time stealer in our lives…if we have to watch TV, why not double up and exercise while doing it?

  • An all-in-one fitness machine that allowed is to workout and work on our businesses at the same time…now there’s an invention for you!

  • Great Post I don’t watch much television at all. I guess I watch about an hours worth all week. Now, when it is football season I watch tv all day on Sundays, but if I can figure out how to type and ride the stationary bike I would be in business.

    I will be sharing this with other members of my family who can’t seem to leave the couch for anything, but to go to bed.

  • I am with you on the football watching, Jaden. When August rolls around and those college games start, I am either at the stadium or watching on cable!

  • Great post,

    Love the idea of doing the Bike and TV, I do enjoy the Treadmill myself. My wifes best workouts seem to be when the TN Girls are playing ball. LOl

    Bill

  • Bill, Yes, it’s hard to justify watching a ball game and NOT getting some exercise along the way with the players on the screen! 🙂

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