Superbowl Fitness

 

American Football Kickoff By Shana Schneider / FITWEEK 

If you’re attending a Superbowl party or just planning to watch it on the big screen at home, you will likely be sitting for hours. While the game itself is just 60-minutes, with all the commercials and breaks, it can take up to 4 hours. The fact is: The Superbowl is a Super Sit-Fest that makes us fat!  To put a little weight on the subject, excessive sitting can put you at a higher risk for death from all causes. A recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine observed that women who spent four to seven hours a day sitting showed early symptoms of type 2 diabetes.

Instead of sitting, get Superbowl-style workout with the guys on the field with these fitness tips –and don’t worry, you’ll still be able to keep your eyes glued to that screen so you don’t miss any of the action:

  • Follow this FITWEEK Rule: stand up and sit down every time one of the following things happen:

o   someone calls a timeout

o   there’s a flag on the play

o   a 1st down is called

o   they cut to a commercial break

o   a player kicks the ball

  • Cheerleaders will often do a pushup for every point that their team scores, so why not join them? Or for some friendly competition, make a rule that when your team scores you stand up and cheer and make the other team’s fans do an exercise of your choice 7 times!
  • Dance during the halftime show! You’re going to be hard pressed not to start tapping your feet once Bruno Mars takes the stage.
  • Sit somewhere away from the food so you have to get up to get those wings or try that cheesy dip that’s may be calling your name. If there’s something like popcorn or cherry tomatoes, make eating them into a game. Pair up, so your partner will toss a piece in the air and you can try and catch it in your mouth, then switch.
  • While your team has the ball, move your legs like you’re running. You can do this seated on a couch or a chair. Of course, you could always stand up and run in place, too.