television.

Between an graduate internship and planning a wedding, I hardly ever have free time. But when I do, all I really want to do is sit in front of a television and veg out. No thoughts, no planning, no problems.

(Admittedly, my usual go-to stress relief is a good book, but I'm desperately trying to finish a book I cannot for the life of me get into right now... I'm weird about not finishing a book, so I just read about a chapter a week... My plan, though, is to finish by spring break and have a whole slew of GOOD books lined up for that glorious week.)

But I digress...

Dad has built a handy-dandy platform onto our elliptical machine in the basement, so I use my workout time to catch up on a few TV shows. Some are old favorites, but I've added a few to my list this season.

The Biggest Loser-- this is my old standby. And trust me, when I watch it on the elliptical, I'll run for twice as long. If a 400-lb woman can run and take the heat from Bob Harper, I can surely to goodness knock an hour out.

The Voice-- this is playing in the background as I watch it. Now, I'm new to The Voice so I can't vouch for its longevity... however, the Blind Auditions are so exciting that I run faster without even noticing. The format is so much more involved than other American Idol-esque shows. Like I said, though, I'm not sure what really happens after the auditions, so I can't say that I'll continue to love it, but right now, just knowing that it comes on at 7 has me lacing up my running shoes.

Once Upon a Time-- Favorite show of the year. There. I said it. This is probably the one show that I look forward to week-to-week. I'm disappointed when it's not on for something like the Super Bowl or a primary debate. I love anything clever, and this show is so well thought out that it keeps you guessing from beginning to end. I have had a lot of fun guessing what characters are being revealed, from Little Red Riding Hood ("Ruby") to Dr. Hopper (Jimminy Cricket). In fact, I save this special treat for the couch with my daddy instead of the gym.

Grimm-- Similar to "Once Upon a Time," this show takes classic fairy tales and gives them a modern, murderous twist. Grimms are a dying race of people, able to spot the more dangerous of the "make believe" world, and constantly preyed on by-- you guessed it-- Grimm reapers. Action-packed, a little scary, and unexpectedly funny, this show keeps me on my toes and breathless-- well, either the show or the elliptical.

Glee and Grey's Anatomy-- okay, these are no-brainers. I've been a Gleek since the first episode. These days, I don't clear my calendar for a live viewing, but I always catch up on Hulu. Grey's Anatomy has had its ups and downs over the past few seasons, but I'm proud to report that it seems to be back on track for now. Both shows make the hour on the elliptical go by a little more smoothly.

There are lots of shows that I would love to catch up on-- Up All Night, New Girl, etc-- but they're 30 minute shows. This means that on Hulu, they run about 24 minutes. I'm going to be honest: when the show's over, I'm off the machine. So I try not to give myself that option: I stick with the hour-long episodes.

It's a nice motivation to hit the gym; I did a similar thing before where I wouldn't let myself read Harry Potter (for the second time) unless I was in the gym. Works like a charm. It may not be vegging out exactly, but nothing beats the accomplished feeling of getting it done in the gym.

And... here I go! I've got a wedding dress to fit into, folks!