7 ways to practice healthy TV-watching habits

The more TV you watch, the higher your odds for being overweight and developing type 2 diabetes. In one study of over 9,000 women and men, normal-weight people watched about 2.3 hours of TV a day, while overweight people watched 2.6 hours and the obese watched three hours or more. A Harvard School of Public Health study of 37,000 men found that those who watched lots of TV — 40 hours or more a week — were three times more likely to develop diabetes as those who watched less than 10 hours a week. Here are some ways to cut down on your TV time.

• By turning TV time into active time, and by committing to a healthy TV/activity balance, you can burn more calories, become more fit and reduce your odds for related health problems quickly.

• Follow the 2/30 rule. Experts suggest watching no more than two hours of TV a day — and doing at least 30 minutes of exercise every day.

• Turn on the TV only when there is something you truly want to watch.
• If you are turning on the TV without any particular show in mind, take that as a sign that you need to be more active.

• Never watch something you've watched before.
• If you find yourself watching that same ol' cop show or prison movie late at night, instantly turn it off!

• See more friends, do more interesting things and stimulate your mind every day.

• Empty wastebaskets, vacuum a room, put in a load of wash … it can add up to 20 minutes worth of calorie-burning chore time every hour.
• When you're finished, your home will shine — and you will have saved hundreds of calories by moving instead of snacking.
• Added bonus: You won't have to watch all the food commercials designed to make you want to overeat.

• Walk in place, do sit-ups, while your show is on.
• Drag your treadmill into the TV room and move while you watch your favourite show.

• It's far too easy to eat hundreds of calories worth of chips and barely realize it.
• In fact, many weight-loss programs smartly advise you to never allow food to go beyond your kitchen table.
• That also means no snacking in bed, and no chocolate bars while paying the bills.