How to Reduce Couch Time Without Giving Up Your Favorite Entertainment

By Brian Acton

Are you addicted to television shows, movies, video games, books, and other forms of entertainment? If so, you may find yourself sitting on the couch for extended periods of time as you enjoy your favorite media. But staying glued to the couch isn’t the best recipe for a healthy lifestyle.

Too much sitting has been linked to many kinds of health issues, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cardiovascular problems, and more.

Luckily, reducing your sedentary time doesn’t mean you have to give up all media. Here’s how to reduce couch time without giving up your favorite entertainment.

1. Listen to Audiobooks - Spending time with your nose in a book or your eyes on an e-reader usually requires sitting down. But if you want to get up and exercise, do chores around the house, or just avoid the couch, you can still feed your book addiction. Audiobooks are a great option for the bibliophile on the go; you can listen to audiobooks while out on a run, as you do chores around the house, or while engaging in just about any moderate activity. All you need is an audiobook app and a pair of headphones or a speaker.

2. Put an Exercise Machine by the TV - If you watch a lot of movies or love bingeing TV shows, you’ve probably got a nice comfortable groove worn into the couch. But putting an exercise machine - such as a treadmill, stationary bike, or elliptical - within viewing distance of the TV can help you get a workout and catch up on Grey’s Anatomy. If you don’t have space in your living room, try loading your mobile device up with shows and bringing it to your favorite exercise machine.

3. Get Up for Commercial Breaks - Do you typically stay on the couch during the commercials? Do you fast forward through ads? It may be time to put those commercial breaks to better use. Every time your show goes to commercial, you can get up to do a chore, take a lap around the house, or just march in place - the goal is to reduce the amount of unbroken time you spend on the couch.

4. Take Your Entertainment With You - Want to open up more time for exercise and spend less time on the couch? Try taking your entertainment on the go. You can play video games on a mobile gaming system, watch your TV shows on a tablet while you commute on the train, or read a book on your lunch break at work. You’ll still be enjoying your entertainment, but you’ll have more time to stay off the couch when you get home.

 Sources:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yXn2W2md37VpBa1G6w56APABAbXwMVbNZY_hOsPSgXQ/edit?ts=5c746869