Yesterday evening, I had a first date. I won’t go too far into that. I mention it because it was the first time I met this person and a found my self admitting to a new bad habit… I have started watching way too much TV. I venture to guess many of my readers could probably admit to the same bad habit. Too much time on the computer would be a similar bad habit.
I remember back in the day when I was a kid we actually played outside. I never sat for long periods of time watching TV and there was no computer. Now both children and adults are logging in hours at a time sitting at a computer or sitting on the sofa watching TV. And chances are, you are sitting on that sofa with a can of coke in one hand and a bowl of chips in the other.
I have decided to decrease my time watching TV and thought you might want to do the same. Here are a few things you and your family members can do instead.
1. Get out of the house and go for a walk. If you have a dog, they will love you for it.
2. Jump Rope – Yes, I said jump rope. Instead of sitting around being lethargic, get moving. Jumping rope is also fun for kids in the family.
3. Turn up the music and rock out. Dance around the house or get some housework done to the beat.
4. If the weather is nice, get out to a park or other social venue, a walking path for example.
5. Play a game other than a computer or Internet game. It can be an outside game like two square or kickball if you have children or an indoor game, like Scrabble or Pictionary.
6. Read a good book. Yes, I realize this isn’t very active, but it pulls your eyes away from a screen and gets your brain chemistry working differently. It’s also important to get children in the family, excited about reading. If Mom and Dad call a reading time and stick to it, the child will more than likely pick up the habit and grow to love books. One day they will be able to leave a movie and say, the book was so much better than the movie. Those are words I personally love to be able to say.
Good luck pulling yourself and/or your family away from the TV and computer. Cutting back on anything can be a challenge! Bad habits aren’t limited to overeating and not exercising.
With Karen's education and eighteen years experience in the preventative health, nutrition, and fitness fields and personal experience battling weight, she could not ignore the growing obesity epidemic, especially after the announcement by the surgeon general stating, this would be the first generation to die before their parents due to obesity. This is not a legacy Karen wants to leave behind.