Hmm… good question, especially since when I work out at home, I always have the TV on, and I actually feel that it makes my workout go by much faster, and makes it more so that I actually want to work out because I’m not bored out of my mind when I’m down in the basement, where there would really be nothing else to do besides watch tv since it is really just a storage space for tons of junk, and is not a finished basement.

So basically i’d be staring at concrete walls and junk, not too stimulating! I’d be done in fifteen minutes every time if it were not for the stimulation of the television.

I feel that it really depends on you personally whether watching tv while working out is detrimental to their workout. I do feel that most people would say it is not, but some people may prefer to listen to their music on their iPods and mp3 players instead of watching tv because they may feel the visualization is a distraction from their internal determination to work out as hard as they can.

I would say unless you are doing yoga from a DVD or VCR tape, then if you are practicing yoga or some other type of relaxation/stretching exercise, then watching regular tv may not be such a hot idea, because it takes away from the deep breathing, introspective nature of that type of exercise. That is, unless you are actually watching a DVD for instruction on yoga of course.

You may not want to watch the type of tv that requires heavy concentration or emotions, since that type of tv can definitely take away from the workout experience. My personal favorites are noncomittal tv, like VH1’s specials on the “best of”, HGTV’s specials on home decorating, and things like that, that you can just turn off at any time and you haven’t really missed anything.

Avoid tuning into the favorite show of yours that you have to hear every word of, and know every plot line, because that defeats the purpose here. You’re going for mindless, noncomittal TV when watching tv and working out!

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