I am so excited about watching the Winter Olympics from PyeongChang, Korea that I can barely contain myself! Every two years the Olympics roll around, Jon and I are fully committed. We record as much as we can on our DVR and watch constantly. It’s like a job to keep track of all the events, but if you stick with them, even the seemingly boring ones reveal subtle intricacies that make the sport enjoyable in the long run.

This year I am most excited about all the skiing and snowboarding, and though I’ve never been skiing myself, I can appreciate the speed, balance, and fearlessness it takes to compete at this level. My two favorite events are Freestyle Skiing where skiers do tricks down a course, and Snowboard Cross, which is one of the most suspenseful as riders rush down a slope at the same time often ending in a heap at the finish. All of the half-pipe events are fun too. Four years ago, we watched as mishap after mishap plagued Shaun White in his big snowboarding events, so I’m also glad to see him come back to face some demons!

And while watching the Olympics on the couch always makes me feel like a long-distance loafer, I have a little trick that makes me feel like I was doing my athletic duty alongside the Olympians: sit on a balance ball while you watch. It’s not exactly speed skating, but at least you’ll get in a little oblique workout!

Will you be watching the Winter Olympics this year? What are your favorite events? If you’re interested, I found this guide to be a convenient, day by day breakdown of all the action. And check out this awesome video of Shaun White winning in Olympic preliminaries!

Photo via Dan Campbell Photography.