fitness

Sam gets a FitBit and starts thinking about television

Sam B

I’m not a big fan of television. That’s not because I don’t like it. Rather, I like it too much and end up watching more than I want. I’m a lousy moderate about shows I like. With Netflix I try to watch while riding my bike on the trainer but sometimes I sit and watch. See past musings on my failure as a moderate, Moderation Versus All or Nothing.

I’ve been thinking about it lately because I got a FitBit and it’s solved a problem for me, answered an old question I’ve had about TV. I’ve long known that studies show that television watching significantly lowers your metabolic rate. It’s like all the downside of sleep with none of the health restoring, restful benefits.

But I confess I’ve been skeptical. Surely I don’t sit perfectly still while watching. After all, I’m a fidgeter. I stretch. I pet the dog.

Nope. Turns out that I don’t move much at all while watching. I noticed because my FitBit was reporting evening naps! Turns out that they aren’t naps at all but episodes of 3%. Such a good show. You should watch it! But maybe while riding your bike.

And the thing is the FitBit is pretty good at distinguishing sleep from other things one might do in bed, like reading. It never counts reading as sleep. Television is different somehow. 

I’ve blogged about other fave shows, like BoJack Horseman. And somewhere in the archives there’s a post about Once Upon a Time. Anyway, I’ll keep watching but I’ll either do physio while watching Netflix or ride my bike on the trainer.

How about you? Where and when do you watch your favourite shows? What do you make of the TV/health connection? 

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Published by Sam B

Philosopher, feminist, parent, and cyclist! Co-founder of Fit Is a Feminist Issue, co-author of Fit at Mid-Life: A Feminist Fitness Journey, published by Greystone Books.

5 thoughts on “Sam gets a FitBit and starts thinking about television”

  1. I sit in my comfy chair with my feet up when I watch TV. I’m not a binge watcher so I might watch 2-3 episodes of something a week. And I usually knit while I watch, so that counts for something (though it sometimes mean I have to take my knitting apart because I lost track of the pattern)!

  2. I don’t have a TV in 1home but I’m using computer/reading too much on it at home. After leaving work daily from a job that is 80% computer based.

    Then 2nd home, I watch tv there perhaps 1-2 hrs. per day. What is worse watching tv or computer stuff?

  3. I force myself to save whatever Netflix show I’m currently watching (right now it’s Narcos) for the treadmill or bike trainer. Sometimes you just need that bit of extra motivation to get on.

  4. I am equally horrible at moderation, but I’ve started watching shows on my tablet while I cook or sometimes when I’m eating alone. Knowing that I’m not just sitting still helps some. 🙂

  5. To clarify (I just corrected this above): I am NOT a binge watcher when it comes to TV shows. I max out at 2 episodes in a row but most weeks I watch 2-3.

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