Rather than letting football season derail your fitness goals, take a look at these seven ways to enjoy games while still maintaining your fitness.
Workout Well Before Kickoff
1 of 8
Teams always go into the game with a plan. Mimic their preparedness by planning to knock out your workout early in the day. If you make time to get your sweat on in the morning, it's less likely that you'll miss it, compared to attempting to squeeze in something between games in the afternoon. Besides, early morning exercise has a host of benefits, and checking your workout off the list will make you feel better about relaxing on the couch during the game.
Choose Your Pregame Meals Wisely
2 of 8
Most traditional "gameday" food is quite delicious but doesn't exactly fit the description of a healthy, well-rounded meal. If you know you'll be indulging during the game, choose healthier options for breakfast and lunch. When you do indulge, eat mindfully and pay attention to portion sizes.
Swap Some Tailgate Treats
3 of 8
Who says tailgate food has to destroy your diet? Swap calorie-and-fat-laden treats for a more balanced fare, and you'll be able to enjoy tailgating every week while still keeping your health (and waistline) in check. Need some advice on what to swap? We have you covered.
Organize a Halftime Fitness Break
4 of 8
Want to get your workout in but don't want to miss any of the action? Organize a halftime fitness break! While the players head to the locker room, grab your gang and knock out a quick HIIT-style session while you wait. A quick bodyweight workout is a fast way to get some fitness in before the second half. Feeling a bit more competitive? Start a clock and see who can complete the most rounds in the allotted time.
Switch Your Serving Style
5 of 8
Game day buffets are a prime example of how easily our body can be tricked into overeating. The endless side dishes! The giant bowls of chips! The delicious fried foods! Before we know it, we're stuffed. Serving chips and snacks out of larger bowls also encourages us to overload our plates, resulting in more calories that you likely intended. Change your serving style to help combat overeating by reducing the variety of foods and serving them out of smaller dishes.
Utilize the Commercial Breaks
6 of 8
We know you don't want to miss a second of the action, so take advantage of the commercial breaks by treating each as a mini HIIT workout with 30 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of rest. Each commercial break can last anywhere from two to four minutes, giving you time to complete a few moves before returning to the couch. Push-ups, burpees, squats, jumping jacks, mountain climbers and V-ups are all great options.
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
7 of 8
We know avoiding–or at least limiting–alcoholic drinks goes a long way towards keeping nutrition on track, but daily water consumption may be one of the most overlooked keys to a healthy diet. In addition to hydrating the body from head to toe, drinking water helps your stomach sense fullness sooner. Drinking water also helps aid in digestion and flushes waste from the body, which is especially important for fat metabolism and weight loss. Toast your health (and the outcome of the game!) with a tall glass of water instead of a beer–your body will thank you later.
Get ACTIVE on the Go
Couch to 5K®
The best way to get new runners off the couch and across the finish line of their first 5K.
Available for iOS | Android
Discuss This Article