Televisions cause Obesity
Well, we all know what makes us overweight: eating too much and not getting enough exercise, but sometimes it’s not that simple. Today we are starting the first in a new series looking at the more unusual things that can cause us to put on weight and become generally unhealthy; maybe things that you haven’t thought of as problems. (Great! More sins in my life that I’ll have to quit – Beeble). The aim of this is to get you looking at your lifestyle in a different way and to give you better control over parts of your life that are preventing you from living more healthily and happily.
Can Television Make You Fat?
Yes, you’re thinking of ‘Couch Potatoes’, people who spend most of their time sitting and eating in front of the TV and not doing much else. If you are a Couch Potato you will probably know it and will know that this is a bad ‘hobby’ for your health. No, I’m not talking to Couch Potatoes today (Oh good, I’ll finish this pizza while my favourite program is on – Beeble) I’m looking at the rest of us who feel we are reasonably healthy and don’t watch that much TV… or do we?
How much is too much?
A client of mine worked out how much TV they watched each week, confident that it wasn’t that much. It turned out to be at least 21 hours and more if there was sport on; that’s a lot of hours! I asked them how many of those programs, films and sports events were really worth watching and made a difference to their lives, they had to admit, not many of them. Most of the time was spent with the remote control in one hand forever switching channels and half watching parts of films and programs they had seen before. Sound familiar? Yes, we all do it and it has become a bad, time-wasting habit.
So what’s so unhealthy about TV?
One of the most frequent excuses I get as a trainer is that people don’t have enough time to train. “I go off early to work” they say “and in the evening I have to get a meal, do the chores and there just isn’t time”. But I’m sure they find time for TV. “But that’s relaxation” they say and they have a point, it’s nice to unwind and watch a favourite TV program, but over 20 hours a week!?! That’s a lot of relaxation, especially when you add to that the 49 hours of sleep you get a week! And all I’m asking is for them to spend 3 – 5 hours on their fitness regime that they haven’t got time for.
Excuses, excuses…
“But even if I cut out TV, I’m too tired to train after work.” Most people feel they are too tired after work because their blood sugar level is low, so eat a healthy snack in the afternoon and then an hour after go training, it will get all the stresses and tensions of work out of your system and you will feel so much fitter. Yes, you will get back home later, but surprisingly you will feel more alive and more like preparing your evening meal. Or you could get up early and train before work or train in your lunch hour and impress your boss; it’s your choice.
Limit your TV watching – and your food intake
One way to stop watching so much TV is to decide what to watch each evening and then stick to it (rather like shopping when you are on a diet – Beeble). Try to watch about 1-2 hours and some nights try having an evening without TV (time to put your socialising skills to the test – Beeble). With this extra time do some exercises to your favourite music, take up a sport or activity, discover the art of conversation or reading. Remember if you have a really large meal at night, especially one that is high in calories, you are much more likely to want to collapse in front of the TV, so eat less in the evenings and try to eat more at lunchtime when you are more active and need the energy.
The Challenge
My challenge to you is to not watch your television for 2 weeks……. Yes, you heard right 2 weeks and see how inventive you get with filling your time and how much more of it there seems to be. You will feel the difference especially if you combine it with a fitness based activity and healthy home cooking. Go on give it a go and let me know how you get on.
October 10th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Not only is TV hazardous to your waist line, but also to your brain depending on your show. I traveled overseas for over two weeks and over indulged in food, activities and family fun. I came back to step on the scale and noticed that I lost lbs!! I honestly didn’t watch any TV unless there was a monitor in the hotel lobby or restaurant.
Limit your TV and increase your activities. Your body will thank you.
Thanks for letting me comment.
Love, Ghada
October 21st, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Exactly! I agree with Ghada. Constant exercise and good discipline is really good for your health and keep you in good shape.
November 15th, 2008 at 11:24 am
If people can find time for TV but then say they are too tired to train I think the real reason is that they don’t want to train. They then use work, fatigue, chores etc as an excuse to avoid it. Many professional sports people who only made it big later on in life had to deal with the exact same responsibilities as they worked their way up – but they still managed to train consistently.
I generally don’t watch any TV on weeknights. My routine is pretty much get up, do some work on the blog, go to work, train, come home, cook, eat, sleep. On weekends I usually watch a reasonable amount to keep me updated with the football but I never let it interfere with other things. I would never cancel a meeting, training session, get together etc because “I just want to watch this TV program”.
January 13th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Why don’t we put a treadmill in front of the TV? Instead of calling couch potatoes, can we name as treadmill beans?
I’ve done so and using it while watching inevitable channels like sports, news or favourite movie channels. I watch a lot of TV and keep switching the channel to get the most useful channel like Discovery, History and Animal planet to keep updated with the technology, knowledge of living things, martial arts to protect ourselves, market rates and current affairs. There is so much good about TV. But, it depends on what we watch whether they are useful for us or to teach our children and so on. Quite contrary, isn’t it?
January 13th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
A very good point made by Gokul there. It is so important to plan set programs to watch rather than sit in front of the T.V. and channel hop. If there is nothing on, make a difference and get up and do something productive
Thanks for your comment Gokul