Help. . . How can I burn calories or build muscle while watching TV?

[HappySad]

I love watching TV & spend most evenings watching my pre-recorded TV & my favourites programs. I want to be able to exercise to burn fat or build muscle while watching TV them.

It can be with or without an exercise machine. Web link to exercise, equipment or YouTube.com videos are welcome.

I have 2 children & can't really fit in trips to the gym. I already do a lot of walking to school & play groups for the children. I sometimes fit in 20mins upstairs on the cross trainer I got in the Argos sale.

I could be watching Desperate House wives & burn 200 calories!

thanks

[onewingedangel]

i know what u mean, i have 2 young kids myself.
I have a callanetics book i follow while watching tv. You could try a google search to find some of the moves? once you have done them a couple of times you will know them by heart.
xx

[onewingedangel]

by the way, do you mind if I ask you how you lost so much weight and how long it took?
I have loads of weight to lose, and am only a size less than you when you started.
xx

[juno]

Move the crosstrainer (or tv)

[oystercatcher]

These are only suggestions !

Make yourself run upstairs during the adverts. Or do a mini step routine for a few minutes in breaks.
Do arm exercises with bean tins as weights while watching TV.

'Reward ' yourself with a recorded programme after you've completed your 20 mins or whatever on the cross trainer.

[Miroslav]

I have my dumbells under my seat and regularly use them whilst watching TV.

Whenever something I enjoy happens - my beloved Britney comes on, or a team I like scores a goal etc etc, I use my dumbells - it's kind of like earning my good thing.

Have some weights near you and do them whilst watching TV. Every 30 mins you watch you do x amount of reps...

[sidefx]

Exercise bike in front of the tv?

You could burn 500 calories whilst watching Desperate Housewives for an hour.

[HappySad]

by the way, do you mind if I ask you how you lost so much weight and how long it took?
I have loads of weight to lose, and am only a size less than you when you started.
xx

I did everything & in total it all added up in a gradual weight loose over 1 & half years. Eat less & exercise more as we all know is not that easy to do when I want to eat very large portions, seconds & lots of carbs.

Some of what I did...

Motivation: Never give up & keep motivated. Weigh myself often. Get weightloss magazines & look at people who have loss weight, read few books on weight, watch ALL tv on thin & fat people-you'll be surprised how much you learn about yourself in terms of eating habits & much much more.. .. I've even been on anorexia web sites to get tips that have helped. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00kcn6g/Claire_Richards_My_Big_Fat_Wedding/


Behavior: Saw dietitian & modified my diet- no more egg mayonnaise.. no more 4 large meals a day with lots of 2nds+ reduce portions. I was already eating a very low fat diet already. Just eating way toooooo much of it. GP- diet pill help me to loose 1stone. Walk everywhere. Argos cross trainer 20mins for a few months then found it hard to even find 20mins to do that!!

[HappySad]

Move the crosstrainer (or tv) Great!!! Why did I not think of that. THANKS!!!!!

No room for it down stairs so I will get a small tv for that room or better still move it into my bedroom!!!!! :T

[HappySad]

These are only suggestions !

Make yourself run upstairs during the adverts. Or do a mini step routine for a few minutes in breaks.
Do arm exercises with bean tins as weights while watching TV.

'Reward ' yourself with a recorded programme after you've completed your 20 mins or whatever on the cross trainer.

Stairs & tins of food sound good. And they are free.

[PasturesNew]

Typing burns 100 calories an hour.... that's as close as I get to exercise.

[jeannieblue]

I don't wish to be a kill joy or sound condescending but it sounds as if you are letting tv rule your life.

Getting out into the fresh air is so invigorating. I appreciate that you walk your children to school, which is good for them too.

Whilst they are at school you could do tons of things! I used to (mine are grown now and I work full time). I had a good friend whose children were of the same age and we would go to the local YMCA and play badminton several times a week, we would also go swimming too, and tap (I was awful but it was hilarious) and then there was the dog walking too. None of this cost very much either!

Re the large meals. Try smaller ones, taking smaller mouthfuls and chewing for several minutes on each mouthful. Apparently, the more you chew, the more you send messages to your brain that you are full.

Judging by your signature, you are doing really well!

[HappySad]

I don't wish to be a kill joy or sound condescending but it sounds as if you are letting tv rule your life.

Getting out into the fresh air is so invigorating. I appreciate that you walk your children to school, which is good for them too.

Whilst they are at school you could do tons of things! I used to (mine are grown now and I work full time). I had a good friend whose children were of the same age and we would go to the local YMCA and play badminton several times a week, we would also go swimming too, and tap (I was awful but it was hilarious) and then there was the dog walking too. None of this cost very much either!

Re the large meals. Try smaller ones, taking smaller mouthfuls and chewing for several minutes on each mouthful. Apparently, the more you chew, the more you send messages to your brain that you are full.

Judging by your signature, you are doing really well!

I can't do all those things because my youngest is still just turned 2 & I am a stay at home mother. When he starts nursery I will be working while he is there.

In the evening I am home so I watch tv, read and go on the internet. If I can watch tv & exercise at the same time then I will making best use of my time.

[Fantabulous]

You could put the child in a pushchair and go for a long walk you know?

There are new classes starting called 'Pushy Mothers' with the idea that you take your child in the pushchair and do the exercises out in the open air with other mothers

Or you could get an exercise bike (maybe from a charity shop), or elliptical, or treadmill and watch tv whilst exercising.

[becky_rtw]

There's a whole movement out there of runners who run with buggys - I got beaten by a man with one in a 5k race the other day (up a hill on the final stretch) ooo the shame ;)

[Bitsy Beans]

You could do tricep dips whilst watching. Good for the old bingo wings if you have them like me grrrr. Not to mention doing lots of them gets your heart rate going.
You could try doing crunches on the floor, squat thrusts during ad breaks, lunges round the room, press ups. Get a mini trampoline and bounce away infront of the TV.
When you stop and think about it you can probably do a lot of things.