One of the easiest ways to lose weight and keep it off is to turn off your television. According to the A.C. Neilson Company, the average American watches four hours of television every day, or 28 hours a week—the equivalent to a part-time job.
The Dangers of Sitting
The dangers of sitting were recently explored in “Can the Rat Race Keep You Fit,” ACE Fitness Matters Magazine (March/April 2008). Writer Jim Gerard profiled a study on the dangers of sitting conducted by scientists at the University of Missouri and published in Diabetes (Nov. 2007).
The study revealed that when people sit, lipase, the enzyme responsible for breaking down fat and removing it from the bloodstream, simply shuts down. This leaves fat floating around in the blood, raising cholesterol levels and gumming up arteries.
Worse, when this fat does finally pass through the walls in the bloodstream, it gets sucked right into the adipose tissue, thus adding to fat stores so quickly that even regular exercise isn’t enough to burn it off. The only solution, don't sit for prolonged periods of time.
The Power of Suggestion
According to JAMA's, "The Hidden and Potent Effects of Television Advertising," (April 2006) grocery stores, restaurants and fast food chains and other food manufacturers spent $7 billion dollars on advertising in 1997 which contributed to America's expanding waistlines.
Researchers discovered graduate students who watched TV consumed an extra 163 calories per day and reported eating despite not feeling hungry. Worse, the food consumed was similar to what had been advertised, meaning high-fat, high-sugar, salty, processed foods.