Before taking part in the 30 day no tv challenge, I admit that I used to watch way too much tv. I would get home and watch 4-6 hours of Netflix or cable. I decided I needed a change. So in August I said I wouldn’t watch any tv at all. I did pretty well. Out of 31 days, I went 30 days without tv. Only once I watched tv, it was a soccer match.
The first few days were really tough! I missed tv so much. I felt like I was going through withdrawals. It got better as the time went on. It helped that a few days into the no tv challenge I went to Las Vegas, so that was a distraction for me. I did watch tv once while in Vegas because we were waiting to get seated and the restaurant we were at just happened to have a Real Madrid friendly game on.
Whenever I would tell people that I was giving up tv for the month, they would tell me that I was crazy! They couldn’t imagine not watching tv for so long. It’s such a normal thing to go home from work and school and watch tv. People who decide not to watch tv for whatever reason are seen as being odd or weird.
Even though watching a lot of tv- or Netflix, Hulu etc- is what many people in the United States like doing in their spare time, it’s not very healthy for us. Here are a couple articles I found online talking about the bad effects that watching too much tv has on our health.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/health-risk-of-watching-tv_us_56200c55e4b06462a13b5eb4
http://time.com/5023129/tv-blood-clots/
By the end of the challenge, I didn’t really miss watching tv at all. I really enjoyed having more time to workout and read. I even started writing more. I really felt much healthier and better overall because I wasn’t glued to the couch all the time.
I have started watching tv again, but not like I used to before. Now I might watch only 2 hours of tv a few times a week. I have found much better things to do with my time like reading or walking or just spending time with my family.
If you want to cut back on tv or do a no tv challenge like I did, here are some things you can do besides watch tv.
Play board games
Go to the gym or workout at home
Run
Walk
Read
Write
Spend time with family
Volunteer
Organize and clean your house
Start a blog
Go to a museum
Sporting event
Have a picnic
Start a business
Learn a new language
Learn to play an instrument
Plant a garden
Go to the park
Learn new recipes
90s California Runner Mom 