How to Achieve Weight Loss While Watching TV

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By Rob McKelvie
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Weight loss program

Ready for an innovative weight loss program? Most Americans have a steady diet of television. Children and adults average four hours of TV a day. This is such a huge proportion of leisure time that it must be made to do double duty. We need to establish the habit of exercise during TV watching to effect weight loss. Because exercise and weight loss are needed to counter the couch potato weight gain. Read how to do this painlessly below.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Motivation
Dumbbells
Determination

Step 1

Make Preparations for Weight Loss. Get clearance from your doctor before beginning any exercise or weight loss program. If you have dumbbells get them out and keep them in front of the TV. If you don't have any, obtain 5, 10 and 20 lb. dumbbells by begging, borrowing or buying them. Read up on dumbbell exercises. See the Resources section for an article on dumbbells and visit the resources that article contains.
Step 2

Begin by Warming Up. It's important to warm up your cardio respiratory system and your muscles for at least five minutes before starting to exercise in earnest. Remember your goal is to improve your health through weight loss and getting fit; don't risk it by skipping the warm-up step.
Step 3

Start Exercising for Weight Loss. The most efficient exercise for weight loss is cardio or aerobic exercise because it burns fat so well. Since you will be watching TV at the same time, the most practical form of exercise for weight loss will be walking in place (or marching) with some side to side stepping to break the monotony. Go at your own pace and this should be slow and steady if you haven't been exercising for a while. Eventually, walk in place aerobically for 10 to 15 minutes for every hour of TV watching.

You will be exercising aerobically when you reach sighing respiration and have an elevated pulse. If you are gasping for air or getting out of breath you are working too hard; slow down. Do this aerobic exercising for weight loss five or six days a week. Don't forget to warm up first and cool down for about five minutes with slow walking at the end.
Step 4

Add Strength Training Moves. After two or three weeks of initial conditioning you will probably be ready to use the dumbbells. Do the strength training to build muscle and increase metabolism as well as to expend more calories to aid your new weight loss program, and do it after your aerobic work so that you are well warmed up.

Good dumbbell exercises for the lower body are squats, lunges and heel raises. Good upper body dumbbell exercises are bench or chest presses, bent over rows, side and front arm raises, biceps curls and triceps presses or extensions. Do side bends and ab crunches for your core. Learn how to do all these exercises properly! Do strength training on two or three non-consecutive days a week to avoid muscle soreness. Muscles actually get stronger on the rest days.
Step 5

Keep Good Records. Record your weight at least once a week at the same time so that you will be able to track your weight loss accurately. Take measurements of yourself if you'd also like to track the inches lost. And keep a daily record of your aerobic and strength training sessions. Reviewing these records often should help you stay motivated.
Step 6

Share with Others. Perhaps you can get other members of your family involved with the TV watching weight loss program. Or share this article with friends so that you can keep one another motivated. Happiness,too, loves company!
Step 7

Review the articles in the Resources section to refresh your memory on some of the keys to weight loss and exercise.

Comments

writedesign said

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on 2/16/2009 Anything to get folks moving! Great tips especially for those who hate going to the gym.

lastgunslinger said

on 2/12/2009 Great advice. This article's title makes me think of the great American dream for some reason. Thanks for sharing! It's always good to do something productive even while watching TV. 5*!