We all do it, whether we admit it or not. Watch too much TV.
Does this routine look familiar? Get home from work, change clothes, eat dinner, settle down on the couch for a few hours of TV. It happens right? You're exhausted from the day and all you want to do is relax. Unfortunately, I have a few disturbing stats for you.
-People eat 71% more while watching TV
Mindless TV watching, leads to mindless eating. Focus on enjoying your food, not the TV.
-People who watch more than 19 hours of TV a week increase their odds of being overweight by 97%.
If you are eating 71% more and being sedentary for at least 19 hours a week, that is a recipe for disaster.
-For every hour of TV beyond 80 minutes that you watch daily, your chances of developing Alzheimer's increases by 30%!
The brain, just like your muscles, needs to be exercised. If you are turning your brain off for hours at a time during TV viewing, you will not be as mentally sharp.
We got rid of our cable and have not missed it one bit. Yeah, I'm "that guy". Hundreds of channels and nothing to watch. It is amazing how you can fill your time with more worthwhile activities when flipping through channels or catching up on DVR'd shows is not an option. And an extra $100 in the bank every month doesn't hurt either.
If you are in this routine, try something new this week. I'm not asking you to quit TV cold turkey. Take 30 minutes out of your TV routine and go for a 30 minute walk.
Start there and work your way up. One 30 minute walk per week becomes 2 walks per week, then you could add in 15 minutes of stretching. 15 minutes of foam rolling, etc...
It takes burning a little energy to have energy. The more active you are, the more energy you will have. You will notice that you are much more energized and no longer feel like collapsing into the couch at the end of the day. Break out of the couch potato cycle!
