By Blair Anthony Robertson, Sacramento Bee

With the Rio Olympics only days away, there’s always the danger that we will become a bunch of couch potatoes fixated on our flat screens, what with all the drama to take in and the athletes to follow.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Sure, the Rio Olympics promise to be entertaining, but you can also find inspiration there that can get you moving and plenty of things to learn that can take your health and fitness goals to new heights.

If you’re trying to drop a few pounds, one look at all those six-pack abs in the running events or at the Olympic pool might encourage you to bypass dessert, lace up your sneakers and, for starters, go for a a brisk walk.

If you’re already active, digging deeper into what the athletes do to prepare and improve will give you all kinds of information about strength and endurance training you can apply to your own workouts.

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