Too much TV or computer shrinks your lifespan!

We live increasingly in a wired world but let's not forget that we need to get a few strides out in the sun.

Photograph: Startup Stock Photos

Sitting in front of the television may be a relaxing way to pass an evening, but spending too much time in front of the tube may take years off your life, according to Time magazine.

Being a TV or computer addict is similar to the harms of excess smoking, drinking alcohol, and lack of exercise. People who watched an average six hours of TV a day, lived an average 4.8 years fewer than those who didn't watch any television, a study by Australian Bureau of Statistics found.

What do the experts recommend?

1. No more than two hours a day

The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends a maximum of two hours of television or computer game for children. This is equally valid for adults too.

2. Get active and be less sedentary

Get out of your house instead of sitting on the sofa and having a television blaring in front. Since we spend so much of our time indoors, it is recommended that you add walking or exercises as part of your daily regimen. It is also a good idea to visit friends and relatives and take a respite from the mobile and Skype chats.

3. Do your own chores

In today's lifestyles either there is a hired domestic help for cooking, washing utensils, mopping floors or we use gadgets like washing machines and microwaves that drastically reduce our participation in these mundane chores.

Experts recommend that we do our own laundry or wash utensils if only to move out of our sedentary groove and get some limbs moving.

If that's not feasible you could walk up to the milk booth or get the newspapers at the stalls than getting it delivered.

4. Use your cars less

It is advisable that you walk to the neighbourhood than use your car. It is not a bad idea to park your car some distance away from your destination, so that you have an opportunity to walk to-and-fro. If possible try taking the staircase instead of the elevators.

5. Be active in your office

Instead of sending an email you may as well walk up to your colleague's cabin and have a chat. We spend an enormous amount of our office time in front of the computer; so let's explore opportunities for our feet to hit the ground.

6. Plan your weekend

After five days of claustrophobic office cubicles and deadlines and office tension, use your weekend wisely. You could go trekking at a nearby resort or go cycling or join one of those jogging groups that are sprouting across the neighbourhoods in major cities and towns.

The idea is 'just move it'.

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