Fit to Play: Use the TV Commercial Break as Your "Get Up & Move Break"

Time is a commodity just like the air. It is perpetual and plentiful. Yet, we always seem to run out of time, often when it comes to activities for our health.

I was given an assignment in college to sit and watch a half hour news program. During the watching, I was to record the type of story and the length of each story. I was also to record the length of the commercials included in the half hour. This was a public relations class and the assignment dealt with the issue of what we, the public, need to know. My reporting in class was the amount of time during the half hour that provided me information that I believed I needed to know. The result – not much!

So where is this going, you ask? An interesting note and I am sure many of you already know this, is the amount of commercial time in that half hour was rather ridiculous; something close to 11 minutes.

Now let’s consider your favorite one hour television program. If a half hour program holds as much as 11 minutes of commercial time, one can assume an hour program will consume about 20 minutes worth of commercial time. In my opinion, without actually sitting, watching and counting the minutes, it would not surprise me that there are closer to 25 minutes of commercial time in a one hour television program.

For those of you who cannot find the time to exercise, I offer the following. During every commercial break of your favorite television show, "Get Up & Move". For example, during the first commercial break, perform 20 sit ups and then dance; the second you could perform 10 push ups and then dance; the third, do 20 knee lifts and dance; the fourth, jog in place or just dance. I suggest getting the family involved. See who can giggle the most during one of the commercial breaks. Just start laughing and laugh until the break is over (as if you can turn off laughing like a light switch)!

Imagine the change in your fitness level if you did this every day. Remember, your fitness regime does not have to happen in one lump sum of time. Use any commercial break as your “Get up and Move” Break!

Debra Seeck, Lifestyle Fitness & Dance Coach
debra@mzjitterbug.com
www.mzjitterbug.com