The Couch Potato Workout

Whether you like to see your favorite shows live or prefer binge-watching, the average American sits through five hours of television a day. Instead of staying sedentary the whole time, try these simple exercises to make TV watching a little healthier.

Sit-Ups & Crunches

Remember to keep your back straight and your arms crossed over your chest. If you can't do a full sit-up, come up as far as you can into a crunch. Do as many as you can during commercial breaks—or before the next episode starts.

Squats

This move uses your body weight to strengthen your core, glutes and thighs. Stand with feet a little more than shoulder-width apart and your arms in front of you and parallel to the floor. Sink back, like you're sitting in a chair, while pushing your hips back and bending your knees. Slowly rise back up. See how many you can do during a commercial break.

Planks

This exercise is deceptively hard work. Hold yourself at the top of a push-up (with your toes curled under and your weight resting on your hands or forearms) for at least 30 seconds. See if you can plank the length of a television theme song.

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