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Physical recovery from binge TV-watching gets harder as we get older

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Re: Physical recovery from binge TV-watching gets harder as we get older

#32
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reading a book is probably just as harmful to your ability to walk.

Probably not. Books are not hypnotic to the same extend as multimedia or interactive media.

Maybe it's because you did not find any enjoyable book then. A good book is hard to give up.

Re: Physical recovery from binge TV-watching gets harder as we get older

#33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I beg to differ. I've been far more addicted to a good page turner book than I've ever been addicted to a TV show. And when I finally put the book down 10hrs later I can barely focus on anything further away than 20-30cm. With TV I can also do other things not give it my full attention by checking email or browsing the web but I can't do that with a book

I really envy your ability to get hypnotized by a book, and I've heard others have similar binge reading sessions quite frequently. I love reading. I read every morning and night, but I can only read for about an hour at a time. I do read mainly non-fiction, and I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it. However, I'm drawn towards non-fiction more, so wouldn't I prefer longer reading sessions for the books I'm…

I enjoy both quite a bit, and I wouldn't find it implausible that it's easier to get lost in fiction than nonfiction, even if you prefer the latter. I feel like when I read nonfiction, I generally like time away from the book to digest it, compare the new models I'm forming with existing ones that I have, integrate external information into the stuff I'm learning about (e.g. by Googling or talking to friends).

With certain kinds of fiction, I'm much more able to get completely lost in the world created to the point that I lose track of what's going on around me.

Re: Physical recovery from binge TV-watching gets harder as we get older

#34

I'm curious to know if using a standing desk for four to five hours a day (but not moving around much) is equally unhealthy.

Just look into literature on any standing occupation, not constrained to just standing desks. There are plenty of hazards to take into account.

Re: Physical recovery from binge TV-watching gets harder as we get older

#35
post #9

Though the headline does not say so, I presume that this 'toll' is only contributed to by the prolonged sitting; the "binge TV-viewing" presumably is only harmful to "ability to walk" inasmuch as it is correlated with an increased amount of prolonged sitting. One assumes that binge tv-viewing would take no toll on ability to walk (or even be beneficial to it) if one was walking on a treadmill whilst watching televisi…

I haven't read the full text to see how they parse it out in either the rationale or the analysis, but it might be related to the fact that a lot of studies on the effects of sitting actually use data about TV watching. This study might have asked about them separately to gauge the correlation between the two, or just to provide a basis for direct comparison to the TV-based studies.

Re: Physical recovery from binge TV-watching gets harder as we get older

#36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be clear, the hot coffee warning is there because a particular McDonald's franchisee elected to keep their coffee at boiling levels and then serve it to unsuspecting customers at the drive-thru. This practice resulted in extremely serious burns to the genitals of the woman who famously sued. I take your larger point, but I feel your example is one better suited to Seinfeld or a comedy act.

Just to add to this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Restau... One of the most misunderstood cases in american history and the misunderstanding means that many states created laws to limit exposure which IMO is extremely bad for the average american.

Yep, its really sad how people think of the hot coffee lawsuit.

For a quick lightish hearted overview in video form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9DXSCpcz9E

Re: Physical recovery from binge TV-watching gets harder as we get older

#37
According to this article, the study found those who watch 5 or more hours of TV a day while sitting were 65% more likely to lose mobility in the period tested than those who watch < 2 hours per day, controlling for all other variables. I am skeptical the study was able to control for all other variables. Maybe those who watch 5 or more hours of TV a day are less likely to get activity during the day e.g. from taking the stairs, making dinner, chores, etc. To be frank, these sound like exceptionally lazy humans. They may be less likely to cook for themselves and eat healthy meals, or to take good care of themselves in other ways also. It's hard to control a study like this for all possible complicating factors. What is clear is that if you're sitting and watching TV with all your free time instead of being active, that's probably not healthy, but hey, it's your life.

Re: Physical recovery from binge TV-watching gets harder as we get older

#38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I beg to differ. I've been far more addicted to a good page turner book than I've ever been addicted to a TV show. And when I finally put the book down 10hrs later I can barely focus on anything further away than 20-30cm. With TV I can also do other things not give it my full attention by checking email or browsing the web but I can't do that with a book

I really envy your ability to get hypnotized by a book, and I've heard others have similar binge reading sessions quite frequently. I love reading. I read every morning and night, but I can only read for about an hour at a time. I do read mainly non-fiction, and I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it. However, I'm drawn towards non-fiction more, so wouldn't I prefer longer reading sessions for the books I'm…

My n=1 data point.

I read non-fiction and fiction books in similar amounts, but only the latter trigger binge sessions for me. With non-fiction, my brain usually gets tired after an hour or so, and I feel an urge to take a break. But with good fiction books, I frequently ended up reading an entire series of books over a week, with the only breaks being sleep, food prep, hygiene and the dayjob. Those sessions were more intense than binging TV series, which is something I am prone to do too.

Re: Physical recovery from binge TV-watching gets harder as we get older

#39

According to this article, the study found those who watch 5 or more hours of TV a day while sitting were 65% more likely to lose mobility in the period tested than those who watch < 2 hours per day, controlling for all other variables. I am skeptical the study was able to control for all other variables. Maybe those who watch 5 or more hours of TV a day are less likely to get activity during the day e.g. from taking…

> crash into your recliner for another three to four hours,

Sure it's lazy, but I'm asking myself how it's even possible. If you work full time as in the example, how do you even squeeze in that much TV watching between family and various chores.

Re: Physical recovery from binge TV-watching gets harder as we get older

#40
post #9

Though the headline does not say so, I presume that this 'toll' is only contributed to by the prolonged sitting; the "binge TV-viewing" presumably is only harmful to "ability to walk" inasmuch as it is correlated with an increased amount of prolonged sitting. One assumes that binge tv-viewing would take no toll on ability to walk (or even be beneficial to it) if one was walking on a treadmill whilst watching televisi…

Reading a book is probably just as harmful to your ability to walk.

Books have the benefit that they are usually not fixed in place. When I read, I tend to change my posture quite a lot.

Of course you can get similar mobility watching videos on a tablet/smart phone.

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