Nearly every personal coach, diet program or exercise regime mantra has some form of the concept “turn off the TV and get off your butt!” I am going to break with conventional wisdom, and tell you to embrace your inner couch potato.
When I was young, back in the olden days, there were only three channels, no video stores and no pay- per-view. To see a movie you either went to the theater or watched the TV broadcast, racing around during commercials to take bathroom breaks, grab some more Tang and jump back on the couch. You had to watch the TV guide carefully to know what and when movies were going to be on.
My mother adored musicals. However, TV audiences usually preferred Rockford Files or The Brady Bunch. Because of this, “Oklahoma”, “Carousel” and “Hello Dolly” were usually broadcasted around 2:00 a.m. My Mom would set her alarm, wake me up and we would plop down in our bean bag chairs for two hours of giggles, singing and sometimes crying. This often led to me being able to sleep in the next morning and even be late for school once in a while.
The joy those nights gave me enthusiasm for theater, music, dance, song and a general love of cheery romance and tap dancing. When my daughter was born, I couldn’t wait to share these movies with her.
So unlike the “Tiger Mom” I encourage my daughter to plop on the couch. At least once a week, and sometimes more during dreary weather, we snuggle and share a movie together. We aren’t exercising, she isn’t doing flash cards and sometimes the movie is truly a waste of our time. But often we dance, twirl and sing. Occasionally we have chats about good vs. evil, how kindness can change everything and what is real and what is fantasy.
Give it a try! When you are stressed out and crabby don’t fret if you can’t get to the gym. Sit your butt down! Make a movie night date with your gal pal, your kids or yourself. Add “Singing in the Rain” “Meet Me in St. Louis” and “Music Man” to your Netflix queue. If you want to get all healthy about it, just eat half a carton of Ben & Jerry’s instead of the whole thing.
