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For college basketball fans, few things are as exciting as March Madness. And few college basketball rivalries stir as much excitement as the one between Duke University and the University of North Carolina.

But some things transcend even such a storied sports rivalry. Want proof? We asked a pair of experts from those schools: Do they actually agree it’s good to think about your health amid the hundreds of hours of basketball in the men’s and women’s tournaments?

“Yes,” replied Dr. Kelly R. Evenson, a professor in the department of epidemiology at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health in Chapel Hill, who pulls for the Tar Heels. “We would all agree.”

“That might be some of the only things we agree on,” said preventive cardiologist Dr. Michelle Kelsey, an associate professor at Duke’s School of Medicine in Durham and a lifelong, “100% blue” Blue Devils fan.

Here’s their healthy advice.

Move with the action: Exercise while watching TV

“There’s a lot of games on all at once,” Kelsey said. “So you can find yourself at the edge of your seat but seated for quite some time.”

Evenson, chair-elect of the physical activity committee of the 51Â鶹’s Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health, has studied how is linked to heart disease. Those hours reclining in front of the TV can come on top of the time you may already spend sitting at a desk job or commuting. “It really adds up,” she said.

But you can enjoy games and still be active, she said. Her ideas:

• Watch while using a treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical.
• Use commercial breaks to do a little stretching or planking.
• Go out for a walk and listen to the game, or just take a stroll at halftime.

Kelsey doesn’t work out while watching, but she does get up to walk around. She drinks water during games – which is healthy in itself. It also prompts her to get up for refills and bathroom breaks.

She also tends to be a “jump-up-and-get-close-to-the-TV sort of person.” That could count as movement, she said, which you could add to by taking a celebratory lap or two around the couch.

A little bit of activity can also help you deal with the emotional roller-coaster of a close game. “If your team is losing, it is a good way to work out your stress,” Evenson said.

Don’t get carried away…

When you become angry and upset, your heart rate and blood pressure increase, Evenson said. Exercise boosts stress-relieving endorphins that can help ease the tension.

Research has linked stress from big games with cardiac events, particularly in people with a history of heart disease. That could be incentive to make sure you have your risk factors – including diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels – in check, Kelsey said. And if things get too intense, “and you feel like you can’t take it anymore, I think it’s OK to walk away.”

Evenson is close to someone with a tendency to be overinvested during games. Their solution? Wait until later to watch highlights.

…but let your fellow fans carry you

Kelsey isn’t one to delay her basketball enjoyment. As an undergraduate at Duke, she once camped in a tent for months so she could attend a UNC-Duke game in person.

Unfortunately for her, the Blue Devils lost that one. But being surrounded by friends to commiserate or celebrate with is another healthy way to approach tournament season, she said, because social connections are important for heart health.

Draw up a plan to snack smarter

Time in front of screens is associated with unhealthy eating, Evenson said. So have a snack plan in place well before tipoff.

She recommends cutting up fruits and vegetables in advance, because if you get hungry during a game, you won’t want to take time to prepare those sorts of things – especially while you’re being bombarded with commercials for all those less-than-healthy items.

Kelsey knows that “a game can be so engaging, sometimes you forget that you’re eating.” Having healthy choices handy helps protect against mindless munching.

Don’t storm the court right away

Seeing all those posterizing dunks and buzzer-beating 3-pointers might inspire you to lace up your shoes and attempt a few yourself. That can be a healthy idea – if your body can handle it.

“If you haven’t been playing the game in a while, and you think you’re just going to go out and play, there will be a risk of injury,” Evenson said. Running up and down the court can be a lot of work, “so you’re going to want to work up to that” to make sure your tendons and joints can handle the twisting and jumping.

Kelsey, again, agreed. “If you haven’t been doing anything for months, it takes more out of you than you think,” she said. So talk to your doctor and make sure you’re cleared for exercise, and don’t go overboard. “It’s hard to look like a Duke basketball player the first day out, right?”

UNC’s Evenson, by the way, says any sports partisanship falls out of bounds when it comes to science. She even co-wrote a recent about recommended step counts with a Duke researcher. “I work with folks from Duke and respect them very much,” she said.

And if that spirit isn’t enough to warm your heart, there’s always more basketball. Watching the players’ athleticism, and the way they put everything they’ve got into the game, is more than just entertainment for Kelsey. “There’s inspiration to derive from this that I think you can apply to your own health.”

If March Madness makes you want to put on your sneakers and try that final drive down the court for the winning shot, you’re probably not alone. Get fitness tips and ways to stay motivated and build lasting habits delivered to your inbox with Healthy for Good™.