Turn Off Your TV

Have you ever thought about just how much time you do spend watching TV? On average, we watch at least 4 hours a day. That is equal to 25% of our waking time, and 3 months a year! Over a lifetime, this means 116,800 hours of TV versus 98,000 of work time. Wow! Believe it or not, TV does not de-stress either. We put aside things we should be doing, or want to be doing, just to watch TV. Next thing you know, we’re stressed out because we’ve not paid bills, haven’t exercised, ate right or even spent quality time with our families. It creates a cycle that’s hard to break. Watching the tube isn’t even relaxing. Even though we may think we are relaxing, our minds are still getting stimulated, and processing what we’re seeing and hearing. Have you ever fallen asleep and then dreamed about what you’d been watching? I have once or twice…and felt like an idiot…especially after watching a sitcom or movie! While watching TV, how many of us ‘munch’? According to Eliot Blass at the University of Massachusetts we can consume as much as 74% more calories while we sit watching TV. TV can actually make us gain weight! How many people do you know who’s lives revolve around what’s on TV? I’m talking about repeating news, programs, sitcoms, and even sports events? Television can make you uninteresting, because you’ve not experienced the beauty of life to have stories to tell that are your own. As well, TV can ruin relationships…those between your significant others and your children. Here are some final points of interest: * TV is addictive. The more you watch, the more you want to watch. * TV can compel you to buy things that you might not need or be able to afford. We can get a perception from commercials of things we need, whether we really do or not. * And of course…the TV is costing you money. Not only in the costs of electric to run it, but also for the TV programming. If we spend $43 a month on basic cable…that’s $500 a year! I can think of better ways to spend $500 than on TV! So, turn off the TV! Exercise. Get out and enjoy life! We all only have once chance at it, and I do not wish to spend mine in front of TV! Additional resources: TvTurnOff.org: http://tinyurl.com/2h57uf