Smash Your TV and Get Off Your Duff! - by Don Neske

So how do you get off the couch and out into the world? First thing to do is turn off the TV. Donate it to charity. Lock it up and throw away the key. Take a sledgehammer and smash it to bits!

For most people in America, this is worse than leaving your family. In fact, I’d bet my life savings thatn more people leave their families every year than decide to go without television in their house. Shameful.

If you want to be successful at anything, losing your TV is one of the best places to start.

According to a University of California Berkeley study, “Activities Contributing to Total Energy Expenditure in the United States: Results from the NHAPS Study,” Americans spend an average of 170 minutes every day watching TV or movies, that’s nearly 3 hours. And we spend an additional hour and 25 minutes on activities sitting quietly. That’s 4 and ¼ hours doing almost nothing. That’s just about an entire evening after work!

86% of the population engages in no leisure-based physical activities!

We spend the rest of our time on commuting and working. Is that the American dream? Americans work more than most other people in developed countries, according to the study, – for example, in 2001, 1821 hours compared with 1467 hours in Germany [11]. And 33.7% of us commute for more than 30 minutes every day, and this was from data collected over 10 years ago. It’s gotten worse for everyone I know.

We spend only 5% of our time on leisure-based physical activity.

Weight loss and cardio vascular health are directly attributable to an individual’s energy expenditure. If someone is consistent in burning enough energy, which can be measured in the form of calories, they will lose weight and have better overall health. This is common sense.

Does anyone listen to the Surgeon General?

Of course not, but take note, the Surgeon General's report on physical activity clearly makes the point that a lack of physical activity can hasten your demise. There is an increased risk of death from coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, colon cancer, diabetes, obesity related maladies, and mental illnesses like depression.

And even if you take a fatalistic view along the lines of, “when God wants you, he’s going to take you no matter what,” your life will be vastly improved by being more active. By being physically fit, you’ll feel better, and you’ll be able to have more fun, while you’re waiting for the invisible hand of Death to catch up with you. You’ll see and do more things.

Where can you start?

Simplify. Most of us cannot quit our jobs or even shorten our commutes in the short run, but we can begin to takes steps to free up time – quality time that we can spend with those we love.

Turn off the TV. Limit your daily intake of TV to one hour. Is that so hard? You’ll really appreciate the shows you do watch, and you will free up about 2 hours to do other activities to improve your life, like exercise.

Learn to be more efficient at work. Stay off the internet, unless it’s specifically for business. Set time aside for concentrating on important projects. Let all external phone calls go to voicemail, so you can decide who’s important enough to spend time on. (Great advice unless you’re a salesperson.). Keep track of your accomplishments, and report them to your manager regularly. Do more work than ever and best of all get out on time!

Organize home chores in the same way. Prioritize. Work as a team. Get it done quickly, so you can get outdoors.

Share your time with loved loved ones. Get your family and friends involved in your exercise activities, and go out and have some fun! Go for a walk, take a hike, chase your kids around your yard or the local playground. Being with your family and friends means you aren’t sacrificing important relationships, in fact you’re improving them.

In the final analysis, the Institute of Medicine recommends that we get 60 minutes of moderate exercise every. We can do that, right?

Did you smash your TV, or lock it up? Or maybe you just got a TV after years of not having one? Share your experiences with your GettingOutside friends!

** As with any exercise, you should consult your doctor before starting, and try not to over do it. Exercise with your head, not over it.*