Why not use that Netflix time to kill two birds with one stone and make your exercising fun?
Here’s how it works: every time a certain thing happens in one of the streamable shows listed below, you do a certain workout move. It’s like a drinking game, but for exercising.
Maybe these shows can actually help you fulfill your resolutions at the same time.
1. “Friends” (1994-2004)
I am pretty sure most everyone has heard of “Friends” (if not, have you been living under a rock for 20 years?). Nevertheless, it’s about a group of twenty-to-thirty-somethings who live and love together. It is not short of antics and heartfelt moments, and its theme song promises “I’ll be there for you (when the rain starts to pour…)”
I know that this classic 90s show is super popular. If you haven’t seen an episode, I highly recommend carving out some time to watch it and work out.
- Theme song comes on: 10 push-ups
- Joey says “How you doin’?”: Do 20 squats
- Chandler cracks a joke: 15 lunges
- All the gang is in Monica’s apartment: 10 crunches
- The group is at Central Perk coffee shop: 20 jumping jacks
- Monica is cleaning: calf raises
- Phoebe sings at the coffee shop: jog around the room
- Rachel and Ross are fighting: 10 scissor kicks
- Someone screams “OH MY GOD,” or mentions Janice: wall sits because Janice is a mess but at least your thighs will be strong.
2. “The Office” (2005-2013)
This workplace comedy has something for everyone, whether they’re in it for the laughs or the love stories. “The Office” is a wonderfully hilarious show you can binge and work those muscles at the same time.
- Michael Scott says “that’s what she said”: 20 squats
- Dwight Schrute asks a question or states a fact: 15 crunches
- Pam Beesly answers the phone: 20 jumping jacks
- Jim Halpert plays a prank on Dwight: 10 push-ups
- Andy says anything about his alma mater, Cornell: wall sits
- Jim and Pam doing something cute together: take a break and watch because you don’t want to miss a second of their love.
3. “Grey’s Anatomy” (2005-present)
This medical drama has been going on for years, so I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of it (or at least know who McDreamy is). In “Grey’s Anatomy,” the surgeons of Seattle Grace Hospital navigate through their daily medical obligations as well as the romance that comes along the way. Even with its drama-filled scenes, you can still get your workout on.
- A surgery: 20 squats
- Someone says “It’s a beautiful day to save lives”: 15 push-ups
- A patient dies: 20 jumping jacks
- Derek is called “McDreamy”: 15 lunges
- A doctor is paged: 15 crunches
- Someone hooks up: 10 scissor kicks
- Cristina and Meredith refer to each other as “my person”: jog around the room
4. “Gilmore Girls” (2000-2007)
This is a show that pulls on your heartstrings and makes you want to call your mom to tell her how much you love her. Over the course of the series, mother and daughter Lorelai and Rory must go through life, school and relationships in the small town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut.
- The Gilmores are at Luke’s Diner: 20 crunches
- Friday night dinner with the grandparents: 15 squats
- A Stars Hollow town meeting: 20 lunges
- Lane is grounded: 25 jumping jacks
- Sookie and Jackson fight about produce: 15 push ups
Hopefully, these exercises inspire you to work out without giving up your favorite Netflix shows. Feel free to apply these tips to any show, whether mentioned or not, and we will get fit together.