The Danger of Television

If you assume that vegging out in front of the television is not the healthiest way to spend your time, you’re right. But you may not have a clue as to how unhealthy it is. A study from Spain shows that watching three or more hours of TV per day may double your risk of premature death. But wait — it gets worse. This study wasn’t done among senior citizens but among more than 13,000 young Spanish college graduates. These were relatively young people felled by too much TV!

Strangely, the study found that spending an equal amount of time sitting in front of a computer or while driving didn’t amount to a death threat. Could it be that the TV is emitting death rays? Nope, this is life, not a science fiction movie. We all know what the problem is — it’s all that sitting and, probably, the noshing on stuff you shouldn’t be eating.

More bad news about sitting comes from Germany where researchers found that too much of it raises the risk of certain types of cancer. These investigators looked at studies that included more than four million people and found that being sedentary was associated with a 24 percent increase in the risk of colon cancer and a 32 percent higher risk of endometrial cancer. Worse, for each two-hour increase in time spent sitting the risk for colon cancer went up by another eight percent, the risk of endometrial cancer jumped 10 percent. And if the sitting took place in front of the TV the colon cancer risk went up to 54 percent and the endometrial cancer risk climbed to 66 percent. Here, the researchers suggested that an added risk probably was all the soft drink sipping and junk food snacking that goes on in front of the tube. To make matters worse, the researchers reported that the risks applied to everyone, including those who were physically active.

There are plenty of alternatives to sitting in our daily lives. This doesn’t necessary mean you have to give up your favorite show, but it does mean you may need to be creative if you want to keep time on your side. The trick is to get out of zombie mode while you’re channel surfing. Also, show up prepared with a list of delicious, nutritious treats that won’t put you into an early grave. Being healthy is easier than it’s ever been. Start by losing the soda and junk food and add a smoothie to your diet! Get started today. Try my plant based protein powder in your smoothie. It has no artificial colors, sweeteners, flavors, soy, dairy, sugar or GMOs, and delivers 22 grams of complete protein! Remember to use code TANA21 to get 21% off.

 

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