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A few shocking facts on the impact of TV on American life style was published by the non-profit organization TV-Turnoff Network:
- Americans watch TV for an average of 4 hours every day; even when not watching, the television is on for almost 8 hours a day on an average in every home
- 40% of Americans always or often watch TV while eating dinner.
- 50% of US households have 3 or more TVs.
- By age 65, the average American has seen 2 million TV commercials.
- The average American youth spends about 900 hours per year in school, and over 1,000 hours per year watching TV.
How the facts are associated with obesity or body weight?
- When you have more TVs, chances are, more that your family members are watching- instead of spending quality time together, doing homework, and being active.
- Towering rates of childhood obesity are a result of both poor nutrition and an inactive lifestyle.
- Eating dinner or snacking in front of the TV is linked to overeating and dissatisfaction.
- Many of the commercials we see show appetizing foods-fast food, junk food, soda, alcohol, sugary cereals, and candy.
- The influence of these commercials on our lives is crystal clear. America has the highest number of obese and overweight population.
Are you aware of official TV Turn-off Week?
Considering the adverse affects of television on physical and cognitive levels, April 24th - April 30th has been declared as the official "TV-Turnoff Week," which is an opportunity for adults and children to experience life without television. For seven days, people around the world will turn off their TVs and find something better to do. However you can also consider turning off that TV permanently. Well, it sounds impossible, and for some people turning off the TV even for a week is unimaginable.
How Turning off the TV can make your life better
Do you find it impossible to turn off your TV even for a day? Can you think of the free time you would have if you stop watching TV! There are lots of fun and healthy things you could do with your newfound time. Here are some examples:
- Get active! You thought you don't have time to exercise, turn off the TV and start exercising.
- Increase your reading time, feed your brain.
- You can turn it to a family event. Take the kids out for a walk, ride bikes, learn a new sport, go canoeing, etc.
- You can get your recommended 7-8 hours of sleep if you go to bed earlier by not watching TV.
- Strengthen the relationships by cooking for your family and enjoying a family dinner.
- Do things you wanted to do but did not have time for.
- You can volunteer at social groups in your locality.
- Join a class of drawing, woodworking, sewing, anything that interests you.
- A vegetable garden or planting flowers can add more relaxing activities in your daily routine.
- You will get time to take a trip to the grocery store, compare labels, and find better foods and healthy snacks.
- Go for a walk with your pet or play a game of Frisbee.
- Visit a friend or a family; write a letter to near and dears whom you haven't seen in awhile.
- You can also prepare healthy bag lunches for the family.
Be innovative to use the new found time and feel the difference
In relation to a follow-up survey by TV-Turnoff Network, 80% of TV-Turnoff participants said they liked to alter their viewing habits and now watch less TV. They were startled by the facts that a little less TV had a great impact on them and their family.
There are actually more than thousand possibilities as to how you wish to spend the time when not watching TV! Give it a try…you can even start by one day TV Turn-off. And see how tremendously you are benefited by using that amount of time you would otherwise have spent on that idiot box. You will love to try it once in a while or more frequently thereafter. |
