Look, we both know you’re going to watch three episodes of something tonight. I’m not here to shame you—I’m here to help you be slightly more productive about it. These five Pilates-based moves can be done from your couch or floor without requiring you to look away from the screen for more than a few seconds. You’ll still follow the plot, but your core and hips will thank you later.
The Philosophy Behind Couch Pilates
Is this the same as a focused, mindful Pilates practice? Absolutely not. But is it better than just sitting motionless for four hours? Absolutely yes. The beauty of Pilates is that many exercises can be done anywhere, require no equipment, and don’t need your full attention once you know the form. Think of this as movement snacking—small doses throughout your evening that add up.
Plus, moving while watching actually helps some people focus better. If you’re someone who fidgets or stress-eats during intense scenes, redirecting that energy into intentional movement is genuinely productive.
Move 1: Pilates Hundred Prep (Modified)
What It Does: Core endurance, breathing coordination, and shoulder stability.
How to Do It: Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Lift your head and shoulders slightly off the ground (you can absolutely prop yourself up on a pillow if needed—I won’t tell). Extend your arms long by your sides, hovering a few inches off the floor. Pump your arms up and down in small pulses while breathing: inhale for 5 counts, exhale for 5 counts.
The Netflix Modification: Keep your head on a pillow if lifting it blocks your view. Do sets of 20-30 pulses during commercials or between episodes. Your abs will burn, but you won’t miss a single plot twist.
Common Mistake: Holding your breath because you’re stressed about what’s happening on screen. Keep breathing in that 5-5 pattern even if your favorite character is in danger.
Move 2: Bridges with Holds
What It Does: Strengthens glutes, hamstrings, and lower back while opening tight hip flexors (which are definitely tight from all that sitting).
How to Do It: Lie on your back, knees bent, feet hip-width apart and flat on the floor. Press through your heels and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. Hold at the top for 3-5 breaths, then slowly lower down one vertebra at a time.
The Netflix Modification: Do a set of 8-10 bridges during opening credits or slow scenes. For an extra challenge, hold at the top during an entire scene. Your glutes will hate you, but they’ll also get stronger.
Common Mistake: Arching your lower back at the top. Think about creating a straight line, not a backbend. Your ribs should stay connected to your abs.
Move 3: Seated Spine Twist
What It Does: Improves thoracic mobility, stretches your obliques, and counteracts all that hunched-forward sitting.
How to Do It: Sit up tall (on the couch is fine, on the floor is better). Extend your arms out to the sides at shoulder height. Keeping your hips stable, rotate your torso to the right, then back to center, then to the left. Keep your movements controlled and your core engaged.
The Netflix Modification: Do 10 rotations each direction every time there’s a dramatic reveal or plot twist. Since most shows have one every 12 minutes, you’ll get plenty of rotation work in.
Common Mistake: Swinging wildly or letting your arms drop because you’re trying to reach for your wine glass. Keep the movement controlled and your arms lifted.
Move 4: Side-Lying Leg Lifts
What It Does: Strengthens hip abductors, stabilizes your pelvis, and works your obliques.
How to Do It: Lie on your side with your bottom arm extended overhead or bent under your head for support. Stack your hips and shoulders. Keeping your top leg straight, lift it up about 12 inches, then lower with control. Do 10-15 reps, then switch sides during the next commercial break.
The Netflix Modification: You can absolutely watch from this position—just rotate which side you’re on halfway through the episode. Pro tip: Do this during a slower episode where you don’t mind briefly looking away for position changes.
Common Mistake: Rolling forward or back. Think about maintaining a straight line from head to heels, like you’re between two panes of glass.
Move 5: Cat-Cow Stretches
What It Does: Mobilizes your entire spine, massages internal organs, and feels amazing after sitting.
How to Do It: Get on hands and knees (coffee table out of the way, please). For cow pose: drop your belly, lift your chest and tailbone, look gently up. For cat pose: round your spine, tuck your tailbone, drop your head. Move slowly between these positions, coordinating with your breath—inhale for cow, exhale for cat.
The Netflix Modification: Do this during opening or closing credits, or during those slow-motion dramatic moments where you know what’s happening anyway. Aim for 8-10 rounds of cat-cow. You can even stay here for a full scene if your wrists can handle it.
Common Mistake: Racing through it because you want to get back to watching. This one actually benefits from being slow. Think about moving your spine segment by segment, not just bending and arching.
The Reality Check
Will this replace a real Pilates practice? No. Will it make you an expert? Also no. But will it keep your core engaged, your spine mobile, and your hips from completely seizing up during a Netflix marathon? Absolutely.
The barrier to entry for movement is often just… too high. You don’t want to change clothes, roll out a mat, queue up a video, and do a whole thing. But these moves? You can do them in your pajamas, half-paying attention, while you find out what happens in the next episode.
The Challenge
Pick two of these moves and commit to doing them during your next binge session. Just two. That’s maybe 5-10 minutes of movement spread across three hours of watching. Your body won’t transform overnight, but it will feel better than if you hadn’t moved at all.
And who knows? You might get addicted to the feeling and actually sign up for a real class. But even if you don’t, you’ll be the person doing bridges during Bridgerton, and honestly, that’s peak multitasking.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a show to watch and some core work to do. These plot twists aren’t going to abs-crunch themselves
