Cardio
Exercise that raises your heart rate offers beaucoup benefits, from keeping your heart healthy to strengthening your immune system. Between now and Nov. 8, elevate your heart rate by re-watching the presidential debates several times a week. Simply viewing the debates will probably do the trick, but to be safe, you may want to pace back and forth in your living room for the duration, muttering if you need to let off steam. For bonus points, do 10 jumping jacks every time a candidate goes over their allotted time or interrupts another candidate. Tip: You may want to wear a heart-rate monitor so you can be warned if your heart rate launches into dangerous territory.
Here are links for you to choose your favorite debate—or if you’re really up for a challenge, you can binge-watch all three!
First debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=855Am6ovK7s
Second debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRlI2SQ0Ueg
Third debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smkyorC5qwc
Strength
Strength-training not only builds muscle—it’s also good for your bones, heart, brain and more. As a reminder to be working on your strength, use certain words as exercise triggers. For example: “wall”=10 squats, “emails”=5 pushups, “taco trucks”=10 dumbbell rows, “deplorables”=20 ab crunches, and so on. Choose your own favorite phrases to match your own favorite exercises.
Stretching
To stay flexible, do a 30-second stretch every time you hear a politician stretch the truth (choose a different body part for each whopper). You’ll achieve yogi status in no time!
Balance
Balance training is inevitable in election season, as you walk the tightrope between staying informed and taking sanity-saving breaks from all forms of media. Between now and the Dreaded Tuesday, turn those breaks into walks or workout sessions, and you may just make it through this crazy time not only intact, but actually fitter than before it started.
Kellee Katagi is one of those strange souls who actually enjoys working out for the sake of working out. She’s spent most of her 20-plus-year writing and editing career covering fitness, nutrition and travel, as well as outdoor sports ranging from skiing to spelunking to street luge (yes, that’s a thing).