Armchair Sports Fans Beware!

The interest towards soccer reaches new heights worldwide during the Mundial: millions of fans will gather around tv sets to watch their favourite players play it out on the field. This popular craze may not be without consequences for some fans. Watching games in front of the tv while drinking beer and eating pizza or chips may result in a 10 lbs gain during the single month the Mundial lasts!

Someone who watches two games a day (about 3 hours of television) while eating snacks may ingest 1000 calories more than usual which makes him gain two pounds in a week.

Fortunately, fans may choose among several other food options: they could replace the traditional snacks with fresh season fruits (strawberries, watermelon and cherries for example). Plates of raw vegetables and various salads will also satisfy your guests. As for drinks, you should avoid beer and soft drinks and drink water, fruit juice or sparkling water with lemon for example. You should also steer clear of those high-fat foods commonly associated with sporting events (pizza, chips and chicken wings for example).

Here’s a somewhat alarming fact: Quebecois watch on average 23 hours of television per week (more than 3 hours per day), Mundial or no Mundial. Replacing a few hours of television with exercise could certainly help improve our collective health. And here’s a fun suggestion for you soccer fans: why don’t you take advantage of warm summer days and the interest for the Mundial to gather family and friends for a friendly soccer tournament? This could be a memorable way of keeping fit!