The Secret To Health, Happiness and Success
By Matthew Green
If I told you there was a simple change you could make to your lifestyle that would virtually guarantee improved health, better relationships, less stress, more freedom, more career and financial success- you would be interested right?
One simple but surprisingly difficult change that will improve every element of your life? And what’s great is that doesn’t require any physical effort, expertise or financial commitment. And once you get into the habit, it becomes incredibly easy to maintain. So what is it?
Turn off your TV & Turn off your computer.
Yet most people will struggle to do this one tiny thing that would vastly enhance their lives in almost every way. So why is it so beneficial and why do people find it so hard?
Before you dismiss this as the preaching’s of a spiritual extremist living in a wigwam eating twigs and berries, let me assure you that I watch TV and use my computer on a regular basis. I just make one vital distinction- I use them both for my own benefit and I do not let them control me.
Many people in the West are so completely and utterly dominated by these two little boxes that their lives are drifting away right before their very eyes. Every hour spent watching Big Brother is an hour that could be spent with a friend, with a lover or with your thoughts. Every episode of Deal Or No Deal is 45 minutes (of mainly adverts and absurdly unscientific ramblings about ‘lucky’ numbers) that could be spent exercising and playing sports, learning a language, organising your finances, planning a holiday, cooking a healthy meal, etc.- the list is endless.
When you watch TV, your body is put into a state of stress and your mind into a trance. The content of the things we watch is often depressing and violent and usually completely uninformative and uninspiring. The negative effect that TV has on children is so vast and profound that it would take another article just to address it. Excessive TV watching can cause poor posture, faulty breathing, diminished eyesight, aggressive tendencies and many more.
The greatest hypnotist on Earth is the box sitting in the corner of everybody’s front room.
Similarly, hours spent floating around websites that will not enhance your life are hours you will never get back. The internet can be used to increase the quality of your life in many ways, but do you use it to your advantage or are you used by it?
Why do people find it so hard to ‘switch off’? Mostly it is to do with distraction and convenience. It is easier to lose yourself in a haze of Wife Swap and X-Factor than play with your kids or go see a friend. It is easier to watch fictional Soap characters face their problems than to get off the sofa and face your own. Checking emails five times an hour gives people a tiny bit of excitement that could be achieved by actually getting out of the house and doing something. The feeling of significance that comes with a text message or a list of missed calls could be matched by the feeling of significance that would come with being labelled ‘such a bloody good parent’ because you spend so much time with your kids.
It is about time we started treating TV for what it is- an addiction. Like other addictions it destroys relationships, damages health and fries the brain.
However, unlike other addictions, TV is quite easy to quit. Just stand up, walk over to it and turn it off. And leave it off. As soon as you get into the habit of talking to your family, spending time with friends, going out and doing things and even spending time just relaxing, trust me- you will not go back. Your energy will soar, your mind will regain its sharpness and your social life will improve. And most importantly, you will be given the gift of time- an all too precious commodity in this fast-paced world.
Are you up for a challenge?
Try this and it will revolutionise your life.
You don’t need to stop watching TV- just make a distinction between what will enhance your life and what will diminish it. And be honest- is that episode of Friends you have seen 6 times before really going to enhance you? Get a TV guide at the beginning of the week and circle the programmes that are genuinely educational, inspirational or entertaining- programmes that will improve your quality of life. Some programmes are very educational and some films, documentaries, comedies and dramas can be genuinely entertaining and inspiring. Try this exercise and you will probably find you have circled less than ten programmes.
This summer, stop observing the lives of fictional soap characters or watching so called ‘reality’ TV stars living their dreams and start living your own. Life can very easily be exciting, loving and long - just get off the couch and tell the hypnotist in the corner that you have better things to do.
Matthew Green is a Health and Fitness Coach based in South Manchester and Cheshire. He specializes in bodyweight exercise and lifestyle change. He can be contacted at matthewgreen161@aol.com
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