Watching the Olympics on TV can help you to LOSE weight! Viewers burn up to 540 calories every 90 minutes - the equivalent of a 45-minute run, study finds

It's easy to feel lazy as you watch the best athletes in the world compete at the Olympic Games, while you sit munching snacks on the sofa.

But a new study suggests you should give yourself a break.

Research from Loughborough University has revealed that simply watching the Olympics on TV can help you to lose weight.

Viewers can burn up to 540 calories over a 90-minute period, according to the research.

To put that into perspective, that's the equivalent of a 45-minute run!

From the EUROs to the Olympic Games, it's safe to say that summer 2024 really has been the summer of sport.

With screens popping up across the UK to show these events, EDF has commissioned research into the health benefits of watching sports on TV.

Working with Dr Dale Eslinger, a sports scientist at Loughborough University, the team created a formula, dubbed 'The Power of Celebration'.

This formula allows you calculate your energy expenditure while watching sports on TV, and takes into account five key factors.

These are: your body weight, how you watch sport, the baseline time, the celebration intensity, and the celebration time.

Based on this formula, a football fan weighing 176lbs (80kg) watching a 90-minute match while sitting and fidgeting and reacting vigorously by jumping, air punching or shouting for three quarters of the match, could burn up to 540 calories. 

This could equate to a 45-minute run, according to EDF. 

A tennis fan of the same weight watching a three-hour match while sitting and talking, celebrating moderately by clapping and cheering often, could burn up to 432 calories - which could equate to a 60-minute swim.

Meanwhile, an athletics fan of the same weight watching for 60 minutes while sitting and reacting moderately by jumping to their feet and pacing a quarter of the time, could burn up to 162 calories - which could equate to a 30-minute walk.

Finally, an archery fan of the same weight watching a 60-minute match while sitting and physically reacting by clapping and nail biting a quarter of the time, could burn up to 106 calories - which could equate to a 15-minute cycle.

'Watching sport is positively associated with wellbeing and vitality,' Dr Eslinger said.

'By combining how we watch sport with the intensity of our celebrations, and considering factors including body weight and overall duration, the innovative Power of Celebration' formula allows sports fans to quantify their own energy expenditure while enjoying the excitement of the games.'

The research comes shortly after a study found that playing video games can help you to lose weight. 

Research by Stakester revealed that male gamers can burn a whopping 420 calories over a two-hour gaming session, while female gamers can burn up to 472 calories – the equivalent of doing 1,000 sit ups.

'We all know that competition increases our heart rate and most of us have experienced the "gaming sweat" that happens when you're searching for a last-minute goal in FIFA or in a tight spot in Warzone,' said Tom Fairey, CEO and founder of Stakester.

'It's no surprise that this burns calories, but we we're surprised to see just how many is burned during a 2-hour session, it certainly beats doing 1000 sit ups!'