Work it Out

One good way to not feel guilty about watching TV is watching TV at the gym. Not saying you should feel guilty about watching TV. Quite the opposite, in fact--which, I suppose, means I advocate feeling TV about watching guilt? This is in situations where, after going to Catholic Mass, you decide to go to Best Buy. Or, in broader terms, feel proud for watching TV. Really.

But, if you do struggle with guilt for "zoning out" in front of the tube, the gym can really help eliminate it. You don't even have to work out, just show up in comfy clothes and sneakers, wander around, and then eventually gravitate toward a spot where you can safely watch the game while pretending to wait for the elliptical. You will look and almost feel like a person who worked out. And you can always zing people who accuse you of "sitting around watching TV" by pointing out that, A) you went to the gym and B) you were not "sitting" so much as standing.

OR, and this is my approach, watch it on the treadmill, going at a comfortable pace, the kind of strolling-with-a-friend-while-having-to-pee-and-get-to-a-restroom sort of pace, and watch four or five channels from suspended TVs, because things that are suspended are generally awesome, including, but not limited to, mobiles, glow in the dark stars, disco balls, and TVs. And I'm pretty sure watching TV this way makes you smarter, because you're not just watching TV, you are reading TV, thanks to closed captioning.

And reading TV can really be revelatory. For example,
commercials tend to have this sort of agenda. Like: they want to sell you things. Sometimes, they seem funny, or sweet, or both (I'm looking at you, Kaiser Permanente!) and you start feeling affection: I like this commercial, you think. It makes me smile. Which is why watching TV at the gym is really beneficial: when you read the captioning on the commercial, they pretty much spell it out. Its all, this product, that product, you need this. Like, I'm at the gym, totally on the treadmill, now is not the time, Carl's Jr!

NONETHELESS, not all commercials are bad (still looking at you, Kaiser! Thrive!) Some things that make me feel better, faster, stronger, and the opposite of guilty. (How I linked commercials to exercise is kind of a stretch...ha! Stretch! Get it?)