CLEVELAND — It’s about that time of year when basketball is on practically around the clock as the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are set to tip off.

What You Need To Know

  • A Cleveland Clinic physician recommends staying active during March Madness

  • He said a good way to stay active is to watch a game while using a stationary bike or treadmill

  • Experts also recommend watching and checking labels during games

While it might be easy to stay glued to the television for hours on end, experts from the Cleveland Clinic advise staying active during the games. Dr. Donald Ford, a family medical physician, said it’s important to not sit for too long. 

“We have some medical concerns when it’s a really long period of time, that people could actually develop something as serious as a blood clot,” said Ford.  “I think that would be unusual in the circumstance of March Madness, but it is a good caution that you should be getting up and moving around every 15, 20 minutes or so.”

One bit of advice Ford offered was to watch the game while utilizing a stationary bike or treadmill. If that isn’t an option, he recommends getting up to walk or stretch during timeouts. 

Ford also suggested fans watch what they eat during games.

“A lot of the prepared foods you order you’re out, the wings, pizzas and so forth, check those labels. Those are loaded with salt. And for anybody with high blood pressure, any kidney concerns, those are things that we want to stay away from, those high salt foods,” he said.

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