Fighting the sedentary spread with "How to Watch TV and Get Fit"

"How to Watch TV and Get Fit—Three Minutes at a Time" sounds like pure hype, or a sitcom, maybe both— but it's well-researched, effective program developed by Debbie Rahman, an Aspen-Colorado-based writer and registered nurse, cardiac rehab therapist and fitness trainer Diane Killian.

Debbie and Diane repeat what a physiotherapist told me (as he collected my $95): short bursts of activity will condition the body effectively; we don't need 45-minute chunks of time.

A few days ago, Debbie's son David, our superb Mac tech guru, sent a note about the book's release; he was the videographer and tech advisor. That hit my inbox when I'd been sitting for hours, meaning to get up... soon.

Yesterday, I downloaded the book, completed the self-evaluation (10 minutes), took my measurements, and began: in summary,  text and videos show how to perform a series of three to four-minute routines during TV commercials. TV isn't my problem, though, it's time on my butt in front of the screen—easily several hours a day. But, I thought, this could work pretty much the same for Mac potatoes.

Because I won't have commercials to cue me, I set a repeating timer to announce each half hour in the voice of Irish Moira. This seems about the right time between segments, and I also fit in one just before I sit down first thing.

I stand near my desk; no special equipment, no gear, no change of clothes, no sweat. (This is definitely a home-based program unless you have a private office, and can dress casually.) All the Level 1 sequences are done standing, a few against a wall.  My usual jeans are fine so far; I whip off my top and do it in my camisole. As I move through the program, I might have to keep other clothing handy; we'll see.

This is only my second day, so I need the short videos which show the correct form; soon, just the name of the exercise will do. Diane is appallingly buff (more diversity in the trainers would have been great), and those 30-minute reminders come quickly. I have just over 20 minutes between sequences, which does break my concentration but I don't "TV Fitness" all day.

There are 12 exercise sequences for a given day, but you don't have to do all of them; just pick up the next day where you left off. (At two days in, I'm finding doing two or three sequences at each break works well—that's about 8-12 minutes of exercise, easy when there's no TV show to get back to. )

Six weeks from now, I will see if there's a difference, but anything that keeps me from the magnetic pull of the chair has to be worth my ten bucks. After 18 weeks, I'll report about the full program; Debbie and Diane provide four levels and include specialized "target" area sequences, but you never have to do what you don't like, or anything that causes discomfort—and Moira says if I improve, she'll buy the Guinness. The book contains the usual disclaimer about checking with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.

Rahman, who quotes a poll by Vanderbilt University's Institute for Medicine and Public Health, estimates that many people spend about eight hours a day sitting between sitting on transit, in front of the TV and computer, even dining.

"How to Watch TV and Get Fit" gives me bite-sized resources to fight this, uh, spreading problem. Improved heart health, lower risk of diabetes, more toned body, better bone density, renewed energy: why not, given it's only a few minutes at a time?

You can download a sample, but I found it gave only a hint of what's in the book, so I suggest you spring for a copy. (It is currently available only as an iBook). For more information about the program and its benefits, visit WatchTVandGet Fit.

Wish me luck! I'm just hoping to address hours spent in front of a screen, immobile—but I wouldn't say no to an inch less spread in the chair zone, either.