1. There aren’t enough hours in the day! We are all very busy people. How often have you heard someone complain by saying that they don’t have enough time to do things they would like to do? The average American spends 4 hours per day watching TV. What would you do with 4 more hours every day? What would change in your life if you had more time?
2. TV can be bad for your health. The World Health Organization recognizes lack of physical activity as the main cause for approximately 25% of cases of breast and colon cancer, diabetes and ischemic heart disease and fewer than 50% of Americans get the recommended 30 minutes of moderate activity five days per week. One study conducted by University of Queensland Australia found that for every hour of TV you watch after age 25, your life expectancy decreases by about 20 minutes. Wow! not only are we wasting precious time, we are wasting precious years. of our lives!
3. Decrease mindless eating. According to MindlessEating.Org, people who watch 60 minutes of television eat approximately 28% more than people who 30 minutes. It would stand to reason that watching more than 60 minutes of television would be more overeating. It is very easy to underestimate how much you are eating when you are distracted. Brian Wansink in his book Mindless Eating, describes a study in which people entering a movie were offered stale popcorn. When interviewed, people said the popcorn was not good, but they did end up going back to it over and over again throughout the course of the movie. We are so conditioned for mindless eating, we eat food that doesn’t even taste good!
4. TV can lead to lowered self-esteem. Have you ever noticed the underlying message in advertisements? With many products, I hear “you aren’t good enough like you are, but you could be if you purchase our products!†Think about this in terms of make-up, hair products, clothing, and particularly diets. What we buy is a promise that our lives can get better if only we buy what they are selling. Not to mention the fact that most of the actors and actresses on advertisements and television shows have the “ideal†body, but are far from realistic for most people and can even be unhealthy. This can lead to increased body satisfaction and drive us further into the shame cycle associated with weight.
5. Increased TV viewing can lead to weight gain. Spending so much time being sedentary decreases your metabolism. When we are inactive for large amounts of time, our body stores our excess calories that can’t be utilized. The average American gains approximately one pound every year. Think about how that adds up over the course of a lifetime! Staying active allows us to maintain a healthy metabolism and decrease weight gain.
Michelle Lewis
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Michelle Lewis has been working in the mental health field since 2001. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Weber State University and a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Utah. She is passionate about helping others achieve their goals.
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