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

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,