Turn Off Your TV
70% of people say that no matter how hard they try, they never seem to have enough time to do everything they need to do. Are you part of that 70%? If you gave up TV for just one day a week, you could exercise the recommended weekly amount necessary for healthy living, read over 20 books a year or spend more time with your loved ones. Instead of watching reruns of Friends, go make some.
Read Keisha Whitaker's blog!
TAKE ACTION TODAY
Read Keisha Whitaker's blog!
TAKE ACTION TODAY
- Turn off your TV today. Tape a "No TV" sign to all TV screens so that you don't turn it on out of habit.
- Designate certain TV-free times throughout the week to reduce viewing hours.
- Remove TVs from bedrooms, the kitchen, etc.
- Make a list of activities to do besides watching TV—activities like reading, biking, swimming, walking, gardening, or socializing with friends. Then start doing them.
- Avoid using TV as a reward—this only increases its power.
- Be more selective about programming and choose history, travel, cooking, home repair/design and other educational themes.
- 99% of all homes in the United States have at least one TV—50% have three or more.
- 68% of all 8- to 18-year olds have a TV in their bedroom and 49% have a video game player there as well.
- A person watches TV an average of 40 days per year.
- Children spend nearly 2,000 hours a year in front of a TV, playing on the computer, and playing video games, compared to 900 hours in school.
- 200,000 violent acts, including 16,000 murders, will be seen on TV by a child before their 18th birthday.
- Roughly 70% of all shows include some sexual content, with an average of five sexual scenes per hour.
- 57% of parents admit to having some degree of difficulty in getting their teens involved in meaningful conversations; and 74% of parents are not sure their teens are even listening when they talk.
More Ways to Make Your Mondays Matter
Excerpted from: Every Monday Matters: 52 Ways to Make a Difference by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza Copyright © 2008 Every Monday Matters LLC. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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