The TV Commercial Workout: A WIN! WIN! WINNING Idea for my Teenager

This weekend my teenage son and I tried something new . . . and we LOVED it! 

My friend Dana introduced me to the idea of creating a TV Commercial Workout.  A very simple yet fun and effective concept!

Here is what you do:

1) On a piece of paper or index card, make two columns.

2) In the first column, write a list of types of commercials - car, restaurant, cell phone company,  insurance, TV promos, bank, etc.  Be sure to include miscellaneous! 

3) In the second column, write a list of exercises - jumping jacks, squats, plank, bicep curls, twists, jog in place, high knees, etc.  You will need to list as many exercises as you have types of commercials writing them lined up evenly. 

4) Sit down to enjoy your favorite TV show.

5) As soon as there is a commercial break, JUMP up and start MOVING following the guide that you just created for yourself.  For example, we paired restaurant commercials with jumping jacks.  Every time there was a commercial for Subway or McDonald's, we did jumping jacks.  Every time there was a cell phone commercial, we dropped into the Plank Position. 

My son and I did a TV Commercial Workout during the fourth quarter of one of the football games yesterday.  I'm sure he thought I was a little crazy at first, but he agreed to play along.  After only the first few commercials we were sweating and giggling and completely out of breath! 

Half of the challenge was figuring out what some of the commercials were actually advertising.   It was hilarious when we thought we knew and started one exercise only to discover that we were wrong and had to switch in the middle. We cracked up when we would each think the commercial was about something different.  I almost ended up with a black eye when I started to drop to a Plank just as my son started a side leg lift.

The TV Commercial Workout was a
WIN . . .
I realized that between church, homework, a nap and the football games, my son would have nearly zero movement in his day.  By the time I figured this out, I knew I would never hear the end of it if I tried to drag him away from the football game.  With this workout, he didn't miss a single down!

WIN . . .
Both my son and I got an excellent workout!  I can't remember the last time I did so many jumping jacks.     

WINNING . . .
One thing missing from our day yesterday was us spending time together.  If I would have sat down to watch the game with him, I would have been asleep in five seconds.  Not only did we spend quality time together, we had a lot of fun! 

IDEA for my teenage son!  A very simple yet fun and effective one!

Love my family!
 



High Triglycerides . . . Winning the Battle

Back in October I shared with you that my 15 year-old son's monthly blood work revealed that his triglycerides were high.  YIKES!  The doctor told us that if the triglycerides continued to elevate, my son would have to go off a medication he was taking that was really helping him. 

Well . . . we were back at the doctor's this week and . . . his triglycerides are DOWN!!!  YAY!!  I am so proud of JJ.  We didn't discuss it endlessly and we purposefully did not nag him, but we have seen him making healthier choices over the past month.

We have been pushing ourselves as a family to go to the gym more often, which has been great for him AND the rest of us.  Basketball season has started so his activity level has increased dramatically.  No more hours on the couch after school for this kid! 

I have continued to strive to cook cleaner serving more fresh fruits and vegetables.  I would love to be able to tell you that my son has been cleaning his plate, but that is not always the case.   He'll chow on his favorites - corn, carrots, green beans (that was something new I learned about JJ.  He likes fresh green beans!), apple slices and bananas.  Not so much others, especially vegetables.  When I make casseroles or crockpot meals, I like to think that maybe some of the nutrients from the vegetables that are left piled on his plate has rubbed off on the meat or noodles that he inhaled with no problem.  Wishful thinking I know, but let me hold on to that crazy thought! 

The Battle of the Bulge continues for our family, but we have made a step in the right direction!  A great motivator to push us forward and encourage us to be ready for the next challenge that comes our way.