Game Day and Game Time Workouts

Watch on your mobile device >>

It is that time of the year again, where the weather gets cooler, and football is the main focal point for everyone, or for at least most everyone.  When this miraculous season comes around, that also means hours upon hours of traveling, all day tailgating, or football parties at a friend’s house.  Which all this can only mean a couple of things: Not exercising as much as you should on game day, over eating, and regretting the next morning of how much you did over eat.

This has happened to everyone, and the temptation seems to become harder and harder at this time of year.  Don’t you worry though, there are a few things that you can do to make sure you can get through a game day with no regret (unless your team loses) and still have a good time.

Everyone loves to travel with their team to different and interesting locations and experience new environments around the country.  Which you still can, and just because you travel, does not mean your workout stays home with your pets or that jacket that you forgot to bring with.  All around the country, about 80% of all hotels will have some sort of fitness facility.  As long as they have a few dumbbells and a cardio machine or two, you are set to go.

Traveling Workout

30-40 minutes is all you need, you can still get as good of a workout as you would back home.  If you do not travel, then there should not be an excuse to get out and get a workout in before kickoff.  A circuit workout (doing  5-10 different exercises one right after the other with little to no rest in between) completed 4-5 times will get your heart rate up, sweat rolling down your face, also make the rest of the day more enjoyable (as long as your team wins). Add in 5-15 minutes of cardio, you will easily burn 400-500 calories in a short amount of time. Make sure to hit every part of the body on your workout.

Game Time Workout

Now whoever said that once the game starts, you are done with your workout?  I know I did not.  This is where it can get fun yet very competitive.  You are watching the game on TV, and a commercial comes on, instead of jumping up to get more food, pop down and hit those pushups.  Another commercial comes on, jump up and do body weight squats.  Another commercial, burpees, so on and so forth.  You will burn at least an extra 15 calories per commercial break.  Think of that, 15 calories/commercial break, an average of 16 commercial breaks per game (not counting halftime).  Equaling out to be 240 calories on average burned just during the commercials.

Game Time Competition

Now this is where competitive side comes out of everyone.  The Oregon Ducks mascot has a routine of doing pushups every time his team scores.  Not just the amount of points they just scored their total amount at that time. Example: winning 24-7, Oregon scores a touchdown, up 31-7, he does 31 pushups, as when their score hit 24, and he did 24 of them.  You can definitely bring his into your routine as well (substituting in different exercises per score).  So strap on that ipod, get motivated, and get that body moving on game day as much as you can, you will not be disappointed when you do.