Claim: TV Set Makes You Heavyset?

All of us need leisure time; time where we throw off the cares of the world and focus our attention on things that we enjoy. Some get their enjoyment out of exercising, where their able to unleash their frustrations and stresses through jogging, cycling or weightlifting. Others like to bury their head in a good novel, getting caught up in the drama of the story’s protagonist. And for a good many of us, watching the boys of summer turn an inning-ending double play at the ballpark is just what we need to take our minds off the daily grind.
But for far too many, the television is one’s primo source for leisure. Polling organizations like The Harris Poll indicate television viewing to be consistently among Americans’ favorite leisure time activities. So much so, that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that the average American consumer in the United States watches eight hours and 11 minutes of television a day! That far surpasses the country taking silver in frequent television viewing, Turkey (five hours per day).

If prolonged television watching didn’t have any adverse effects, the OECD’s finding wouldn’t mean much. After all, you never hear about the negative effects of reading too much. But the truth is, frequent television watching contributes to weight gain. And this isn’t some random opinion; this is a fact backed up by research.

According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who watch more than three hours of television per day are more likely to be obese than those who watch an hour of television or less per day.

Researchers came to this conclusion after studying the viewing and eating habits of a group of participants between the ages of 26 and 36. Each of the participants provided the researchers with information regarding their average time spent in front of the television, how much and what kind of food they ate while watching television and whether or not they performed any kind of activity while watching. Participants also had their waist sizes measured.

What the researchers found was that an overwhelming 89 percent of women who frequently watched television – i.e. watching more than three hours per day – were more likely to be overweight than their lesser-viewing counterparts, while men were 50 percent more likely to be wide around the belly.

Now, one could reasonably suspect that other factors might have played a role in their weight gain. But according to the researchers, after controlling for such variations, they didn’t have much of an impact on the overall finding that increased weight gain was correlated with high television use.

Researchers aren’t exactly sure what explains the linkage between food, television and weight gain. Some suggest that the mindlessness associated with watching television prompts our brains to make us believe we’re hungry. Whatever the reason, frequent television watching is an unimaginative, unhealthy way to spend leisure time. There’s nothing wrong with watching television every day for two, even three hours. But anything more than three is excessive.

And when you’re watching television, why not make it a more “mobile” experience. For example, instead of plopping on the Barcalounger to watch, watch and listen while on a stationary bike or when cleaning up or when making dinner. I even have it on when I’m reading a book for ambient noise.

The research says we tend to gain weight when our central focus is the television. Why not change our internal “channels” and make associating with our families, exercise and interactive hobbies (model cars, sowing, fishing, etc.) our favorite leisure time “stations.”