101 Changes: Change 7: Watch Less Television

I am writing a series of 101 small changes that we can make to make the quality of our life better and build and lead a more happier life that is in tune with our heart and mind. These are small changes that I have made and am working on right now, so I know they are possible for anyone to do.

If you have not read previous posts, check out a few posts on the changes from the past:

101 changes: Change 4 – Plant something
101 changes: Change 5 – Smile when you wake up
101 changes: Change 6:: Read a book – Benefits of reading
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“I wasn’t worried about freedom. I was worried about people being turned into morons by TV.”
— Ray Bradbury in 2001 talking about his book Fahrenheit 451

According to Reuters (September 22, 2006)The total average time per household in 2005-06 was eight hours and 14 minutes per day. I am sure that has increased much more in year 2010. We as a nation watch a lot of Television and that is nothing to be proud of.

Once upon a time Zenguy and I not only used to watch Prime time TV but also had cable in addition to Indian ethnic channels as well. Whatever we could not see, we used to record it to watch it later. We used to come home after work and crash in front of TV to eat dinner and watch late night show with Jay Leno or David Letterman.

We have cut down on TV watching to almost none. We occasionally watch PBS shows for kids and some times a rare selected programs for adults on PBS such as cooking show, documentary or master piece theater program or occasional DVD movie watching (without ads). Many people says that TV has a many benefits including educational and entertainment value. But, let us look at a few benefits of not watching TV.

Instead of watching TV for 4 hours, you can do following;

  1. You can start a blog or part time business
  2. Play with friends, children
  3. Have a date with your significant other
  4. Learn to play piano
  5. Read your favorite novel
  6. Cook delicious meal for loved ones
  7. Exercise, get in shape
  8. Clean up clutter, organize
  9. Spend quality time with your family and friends
  10. Catch up on sleep, nap
  11. Relax, enjoy
  12. Go out in nature, enjoy sunset, sunrise etc.
  13. Garden and grow veggies, fruits, and flowers
  14. Paint and create a master piece artwork
  15. Learn new skills

TV watching and internet are two of time wasters in our modern lives. We have fast food, fast cars, fast services only to use up that time for watching Idiot box called Television.

Here are some of the quotes by famous people about influence of TV and Media on us.

“Do you know we are ruled by TV?”
— from the poem An American Prayer by Jim Morrison

“American children and adolescents spend 22 to 28 hours per week viewing television, more than any other activity except sleeping. By the age of 70 they will have spent 7 to 10 years of their lives watching TV.”
— The Kaiser Family Foundation

“You watch television to turn your brain off and you work on your computer when you want to turn your brain on.”
— Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer and Pixar, in Macworld Magazine, February 2004

According toTurn off your TV Website , The CDC notes that “one-fourth of children in America spend four hours or more watching television daily and only 27 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 engage in moderate physical activity at least 30 minutes a day on five or more days of the week.”

According to the CDC, lifestyle behaviors is one of the major factors contributing to obesity in children and adults. Genetics does play a role, however, many health risks have been proved to significantly diminish when physical activity increases and diet improves. One major suggestion by health officials is a reduction in “screen time.” The VERB campaign promotes a decrease in time spent in a sedentary-TV-watching position and replace it with positive physical and pro social activities.

“The average tween spends four and a half hours each day in front of a screen. This includes watching television, video-tapes or DVDs, playing video games, using a computer or browsing the Internet. Television is the medium with which children spend the most time — two and a half hours each day.

* 26 percent of U.S. children watch four or more hours of television per day.
* 67 percent of U.S. children watch two or more hours per day.
* Almost half (48 percent) of all families with tweens have all four of the latest media staples: TV, VCR, video game equipment and a computer.
* The bedroom of the 21st century child is a multimedia environment. Of children 9 – 13 years old, more than half (57 percent) have a TV in the bedroom; 39 percent have video game equipment; 30 percent have a VCR; 20 percent a computer and 11 percent Internet access.” (VERB Fact Sheet)

As we can TV can be entertaining but if you watch too much, it is not good for children or adults alike. If you can not kill off your Television completely, at least watch less or selected shows without violence or advertisements. Watching selected shows fromPBS , or watching selected DVDs of movies and shows will fill the need for entertainment for many.

That is way, many of us can get benefits of educational and entertainment without the disadvantages of too much Television or Media viewing.

Check out following sites for more information;

TV Turn off week Information
TV Ratings for Family If you watch any TV, do check this out

Image Source: NewYorker Cover, Thanksgiving 2006

Check out next in series101 changes: change 8 – Stretch your comfort Zone .

101 changes: Change 1- Reduce Drinking Soda

101 changes: Change 2: Getting to email Zen

101 changes: Change 3: Slow down- Slow blogging movement

101 changes: Change 4 – Plant something

101 changes: Change 5 – Smile when you wake up

101 changes: Change 6:: Read a book – Benefits of reading

101 changes: Change 7 – Watch less Television and Be more productive

101 changes: Change 8 – Stretch your comfort zone

101 changes: Change 9:  Drink to your health- Benefits of Drinking Tea

101 changes: Change 10: Bring out the artist in You AKA be creative

101 changes: Change 6 – Read a book (Benefits of reading)

I am writing a series of 101 small changes that we can make to make the quality of our life better and build and lead a more happier life that is in tune with our heart and mind. These are small changes that I have made and am working on right now, so I know they are possible for anyone to do.

If you have not read previous posts, check out a few posts on the changes from the past:

101 changes: Change 1- Reduce Drinking Soda

101 changes: Change 2: Getting to email Zen

101 changes: Change 3: Slow down- Slow blogging movement

101 changes: Change 4 – Plant something

101 changes: Change 5 – Smile when you wake up

101 changes: Change 6:: Read a book – Benefits of reading

101 changes: Change 7 – Watch less Television and Be more productive

101 changes: Change 8 – Stretch your comfort zone

101 changes: Change 9:  Drink to your health- Benefits of Drinking Tea

101 changes: Change 10: Bring out the artist in You AKA be creative
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Many of us are readers without us knowing it, we read emails, news, blogs, other information sites, magazines, work related and school related books and magazines, novels and other type of reading activities such as reading to your child and so on. Reading a book enhances our imagination and our mind.

With the popularity of internet, video games, movies, TV and other online social, media has put traditional reading in the back seat. There are so many benefits to reading the traditional way and I will show why you should read more books, both fictional and non-fictional, technical and for fun.

Click here to know about my list of classic books that everyone should read at least once and 8 kids books that everyone should read in our life.

Some of the top bestselling books are great way to start reading, exploring and learning at the same time.

I have been a book worm since I was a kid and love reading all types of books. There are many aspects of reading that provide many benefits to us. It does not matter what type of a book you read, there is a book for all of our interests. From

  • comic books,
  • picture books,
  • drama,
  • humorous books,
  • romance novels,
  • historical books,
  • cook books,
  • how to books,
  • self improvement books,
  • technical books,
  • science fictions books,
  • famous biographies,
  • poems,
  • haiku,
  • Joke books,
  • ebooks,
  • travel books and much more. There is something for every stage of readers;

A few of benefits for reading:

  1. It improves your thinking: By reading in general, people tend to improve their analytical thinking and exercise the muscles in their mind. There have been studies done to show that reading improves your mind.
  2. Improves your speech and vocabulary: There is no doubt, the more diverse and varied books that you read, you will improve your vocabulary with words that we may not generally use or hear in our daily life.
  3. It improves your writing: It may seem like a surprise to hear that reading can improve your writing but it is true. If it can improve your mind by thinking more analytically, and improve your vocabulary, it is bound to improve your writing as well.  That maybe why most Language classes made us read books. Great writers are amazing, they can show moving pictures to words that are floating around, making us visualize the characters, feel their feelings and emotions and all that will pass on to you, the reader, especially when you write after reading a master piece book.
  4. Glimpse in to Past: By reading great classic, we can go back in to the past. For example, when we read Pride and Prejudice we can see Austen’s world and culture around that time, how people lived and talked and what was normal, while living in the present.
  5. Glimpse in to a possible future: When we read books like Nineteen Eighty-Four we can foresee a possible future and hopefully we can take steps to avoid some of the worse situations by correcting the way we do things now.
  6. It improves focus and memory: I am very bad with people’s name and driving directions and yet, I find I remember things from my favorite books, the characters all so well. One of the reason being is that unlike the small fragments of issues, a book gives a COMPLETE story which makes focusing easy and improve your memory, especially if the book is engaging.
  7. You can travel around the world from your couch: No need to pack or get a plane ticket, by reading books that are set in different countries, cities, we can learn and virtually visit other places we may not otherwise get a chance to.
  8. Learning is portable: You can take your book or e-reader anywhere as it is portable, be it doctor or dentist’s office, beach or in plane ride. Learning continues.
  9. Can change your life: Have you ever read a book, that completely change the way you look at the world and those who are around you? It can make you a better person, learn a new skill, or give you hope. Not all books are created equal, but there are a few gems that just might change your life for better.
  10. Most time books are better than Movies: As an avid reader and an avid movie watcher, I know 99% of the times books are always better than the movies. Take the example of the Harry Potter book series, movies leave so many things out as it is hard to put everything in 3 hours. Sometimes so much is omitted that it makes it confusing to watch a movie based on a book. Some movies are well made though such as North & South TV series by Elizabeth Gaskell So, next time if you find some free time, pick up a good book to read and go on a time travel journey and learn something you always wanted to.

Some great books to start reading this year, if you have not already done it:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

Outliers: The Story of Success

The Help : Novel

Do you love reading? What benefits do you think book reading gives you? Please share. Image source: Guardian.co.uk

101 changes: Change 5 – Smile when you wake up

I am writing a series of 101 small changes that we can make to our life quality better and build and lead more happier life that is in attune with our heart and mind. If you have not read previous posts, check it out my previous post101 changes: Change 4- Plant something and other 101 changes articles so far.

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A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.  ~Phyllis Diller

The world always looks brighter from behind a smile.  ~Author Unknown

When was the last time you smiled as you were waking up in the morning? I am sure if there any, there a far and few in between them.At least it was like that for me not too long ago, I woke up grouchy with weight of world on my shoulder every day.

I know this very well, even now as when I wake up, I am still sleepy and woken by either my 1 year old or preschooler, smile is last thing on my mind. Many times, I want to sleep still 10 more minutes or remember how much work I have to do today and other never ending to-do list of things to do today.

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101 Small changes: change 1 – Reduce drinking Soda

I am starting a series of posts about small changes we can make it our life to make our daily living and health improve tenfold. If we try to make huge changes, it is often difficult sustaining it and we have sense of  failure but small changes made slowly becomes habits if done over and over again for 21 days.

These are changes I have made or working on it. Would you like to join with me in this journey?
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If you are heavy soda drinker (drinking 2 can or more per day), let’s reduce soda drinking by 1/2 can only.
Soda without sugar is tiny bit better, not a best solution though, so I would not recommend to drink sugarless soda instead, unless your sugar is high.

If you are occasional and social soda drinker (once in a while) you can reduce by smaller amount, or 100% juice instead. You can replace Juice with water slowly.

Key is to do without feeling deprivation, if you really really want go ahead  and drink it but reduce amount for 1/4 or 1/2. With every step, it will become easier and you may never feel deprived of it.

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