How to Stay Fit This Football Season

Beer, pizza, and the big game. It?s a Sunday tradition for millions of Americans. There?s a good chance you watched football this Sunday as the NFL kicked off its 2012 season. There?s also a pretty good chance you blew an entire day sitting on your couch eating pork rinds.

Football food!

Hey, there?s nothing wrong with kicking back, eating junk food, and catching a game of football every seven days. We?ve all done it and we?ll do it to the extreme Super Bowl Sunday. But consider this: the guys you?re watching are busting their asses and getting an amazing workout while you?re inching slowly toward heart disease and fat rolls.

Am I suggesting that you stop watching football every Sunday? No. Heck, I spent a good portion of my Sunday watching ?The Dark Knight? and looking for goodies at a flea market. If you?re going to spend so much of your Sunday sitting on our duff eating garbage, however, you should consider squeezing in some physical activity and healthy food here and there.

Play Football With Your Friends

Okay, so you might not get paid millions of dollars to play two-hand touch in your backyard, but a game of football with your buds is a great way to work out the Sunday of an NFL game without feeling like you just worked out. What?s more exciting than playing a game right before watching the big one on TV? It?s your chance to escape from your humdrum existence as a 9-to-5 goon and live out your Tebow fantasies. Besides, you?re going to miss much besides pre-game commentary and ads for Heineken.

Work Out During the Game

Unless you?re in a room full of people who?ll think you?re an exercise-obsessed freak, try and get your workout out in during the game. Just because the game?s on doesn?t mean you can?t get off the loveseat and do some crunches, pushups, etc. If you don?t want to potentially miss a game-winning Hail Mary while you?re on your back doing leg lifts, you can always just work out during commercials.

Go Easy on the ?Game Fuel?

Are you a 250 pound linebacker? Probably not. Are you about to play an intense game of football in front of millions of people? No, you?re sitting in your man cave in your sweats. With that in mind, there?s no need for you to load up on carbs and junk; you?re not going to burn it off. If possible, consider eating veggies and smoothies in place of pizza and soda. If that?s not an option, cut back on the amount of junk you eat. Sitting down to watch a football game is not an opportunity to cram as much high fructose corn syrup and enriched flour into your body as humanly possible.

Make Up For ?Off Days?

If you can?t work out on Sunday or resist eating 15 chimichangas while the game?s on, make up for it during the week by eating healthy and working out. Think of it as training for next week. That way you won?t feel so bad the next time you find yourself shouting ?touchdown? whilst covered in BBQ potato chips and melded to your sofa.