TV Turnoff Week

It's not surprising that excessive TV viewing is one of the biggest causes of obesity in America. Not only do we eat poorly, we spend hours in front of the television and hope our excess weight will somehow melt away.

Want to lose weight? Really?

Then give your intentions some traction and turn off your TV. Or, better yet, just get rid of the damn thing.

I admit, I should take my own advice here. My family doesn't watch much TV at all. And I would have ditched our television long ago... except it was a wedding gift from my in-laws.

I'm very appreciative of the gift because Stephanie and I like to watch one or two movies a month. We have self control when it comes to TV.

But now we have a two-year-old daughter and a four-week-old son. We have let my daughter watch cartoon movies (like Finding Nemo and Ice Age) once or twice a week. But even that limited diet is enough to cause my daughter to throw fits when we tell her she can't watch a movie. And, I can imagine, it will only get worse the longer we have the TV around.

A great way to start watching less television (or cut it out altogether) is to participate in the national TV Turnoff Week. It's right around the corner: April 25 - May 1.

If you really want to lose weight, and have the stomach for it, then participate in the TV turnoff. See what kinds of activities you take up to fill your time. And watch how much better family life becomes.

Of course, one week is often not enough to get television out of your system. If you're really serious, try turning the TV off for a month. The changes you observe in your weight and family life could very well shock you... in a positive way.

Comments

[Ken Dix]

In "Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television," Jerry Mander writes that people can't imagine the idea of eliminating a technology like TV now. It's like an addiction. Of course, one doesn't have to eliminate it completely, as you indicated. Kids, especially, need to be encouraged to do other things -- like reading, which engages the imagination. But that's hard when families, in general, don't ever turn their TVs off.

I'm glad that you continue to write about this topic as a health issue. Keep it up!