The following exercise plan is designed to give telly addicts a workout in the comfort of their own home without missing their favourite television programmes.   Sitting on our backsides from dawn till dusk isn't what our bodies are designed to do, what follows is a system to break that habit.   Being stuck in a repetitive routine of getting in from work and parking yourself in front of the TV set until bedtime is a hard habit to break, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with watching the telly if that's what you want to do because its not watching telly that makes people obese, its overeating and a lack of exercise.   If you are in a situation where your life revolves around the soaps and you need to lose a few pounds then be aware of your own temptation if you are easily enticed by the power of the advertisers and the sleek images they use to pull you in to buy their products.   I'm talking about celebrity-endorsed junk and fast food companies along with alcohol manufacturers that glamorise their products so you put it on your shopping list and into your mouth.                       

On the other hand, if you have a labour intense job and reward your day by crashing in front of the TV set every evening will not necessarily label you fit and exclude you from being called a couch potato.   If your job is the most strenuous thing you do in your life then that only means you are seriously over-trained.   That's because your body is physically exerting itself to its current limits everyday of up to 40 or more hours a week, not a favourable way to live as this means you are going to work everyday not having enough time for the body to recover from potentially an eight hour workout.      

The following couch potato's workout can help jumpstart the metabolism and enthusiasm to help create a stronger, healthier body without it interfering with your current lifestyle.       

Metabolism and your waistline

As we age we tend to move less and our calorie intake outweighs calorie expenditure.   This results in muscle loss and a decrease in resting metabolic rate- the rate our bodies burn calories at rest.   Starting from ages 25 to 30 as part of the aging process each person loses between 5-10lb of muscle every decade, the number will be on the greater side if leading a sedentary lifestyle.   It is important to kick-start the metabolism with resistance type movements to help the body regain its lost muscle and hype up the metabolism.   Every pound of new muscle requires extra calories to maintain it (even at rest!) - that means more calories are burnt everyday just by increasing muscle ratio.   With muscle it's a case of what you don't use you lose and with calories it's what you don't use you store, simple as that.   

What's on?

Choose a two-hour window you want to work in, typically the most watched programmes are half an hour long on an evening between seven and nine 'o' clock so you could opt for that time slot.   There's nothing wrong with doing this exercise plan at anytime of the day as long as you stick to the guidelines.    

Each mini circuit is performed before each programme starts, when the commercials are on and as the programme is ending.   This should work out so you are moving every fifteen minutes or so.   You need to do enough exercise for about three minutes work on each of the circuits.   Depending on which programmes you prefer to watch will determine how many circuits you can fit inside the two-hour window.   Your aim is between five and eight circuits in each two-hour window.   Repeat 4-5 days a week and you will burn more calories and tone the muscles whilst doing the same thing as you would normally be doing which is sitting in your armchair.

Pick of the day

Remember to always stretch any tight muscles for around 20 seconds; this can be done whilst watching the TV so it doesn't interfere with any of the circuits.   When designing a programme there are millions of circuit options to choose from and more than one right way to do it, the best way is always the simple way, this will leave you just to focus on getting into a routine of moving your body.

Here is an example workout using just your bodyweight:

Just before 7.00pm do:

Squats for 30 seconds immediately followed by

Press Ups for 30 seconds

Repeat this 3 times

7.00pm watch Emmerdale

In the commercial break do:

Static Wall Sit, hold for 30 seconds immediately followed by

Alternating Lunges 30 seconds

Repeat 3 times

Watch the second half of Emmerdale  

When it finishes do:

Alternating Step Ups on to a Chair for 30 seconds immediately followed by

Chair Dips for 30 seconds

Repeat 3 times  

7.30pm watch Coronation Street

In the commercial break do:

Static Wall Sit, hold for 30 seconds immediately followed by

Plank, hold for 30 seconds

Repeat 3 times

Watch the second half of Coronation Street

When it finishes do:

Prone Cobra, hold for as long as possible with a good technique

If this is less than 3 minutes rest 10 seconds before trying again

Keep repeating this start and stop method until 3 minutes have lapsed  

8.00pm watch EastEnders

When it finishes do:

Bent Leg Raise with a Pelvic Tilt for 30 seconds immediately followed by

Reverse Crunches for 30 seconds

Repeat 3 times

8.30pm watch Coronation Street

In the commercial break do:

Plank, hold for 30 seconds immediately followed by

Alternating Oblique Crunches for 30 seconds

Repeat 3 times

Watch second half of Coronation Street

When it finishes do:

Plank, hold for 30 seconds immediately followed by

Crunches for 30 seconds

Repeat 3 times

Stretch any tight muscles in-between circuits and after the last circuit.  

Stay tuned

After doing this for a few weeks begin to listen to your body's demand for good nutrition to supply the energy needed for the extra work you are making it do.     

Remember to keep it fun, get your partner to join you and motivate each other, challenge yourself with some resistance and introduce new exercises by alternating them from one workout to the next.   If you have any problems with the technique side of things please don't hesitate to drop me an email.