...now, the most common resolution made for the New Year is to improve physical fitness - and the most common way for that to occur is for people to join a gym...and this is where my pet peeve begins. How commonplace is this scene:
...you see it at just about every gym - and I am not a fan...let me explain why...
...TV is bad...especially when exercise...in fact, your brain is more active when you're asleep than when you're watching television...
...here is a schematic of your average brain wave function when you're reading (these images are taken from this site):
...and here is the schematic when you're watching TV:
"...okay Caolan, they're some pretty pictures but what does it all mean??"
...it's simple - television watching slows the function of your brain, and tends to place it in an unfocused and overly receptive state...so, why is this a problem when you're exercising??
...if you're lacking those higher brain functions whilst exercising, you're doing the following to yourself:
- you're deadening your bodies response to external stimuli, and therefore your body is not responding to exercise as it should - reducing the effectiveness of your workout
- you're reducing the cognitive learning centres of your brain - meaning that your body is not properly learning any new skill you're attempting, and may actually mean that you are ingraining poor exercise habits
- you're essentially making your body addicted to the stimuli provided by television rather than a healthier addiction to exercise and it's biochemical response within your body
"...great, so I have to do this boring exercise without the distraction of TV - thanks for spoiling all the fun of my workout Caolan..."
...okay, if watching TV is the highlight of your workout, I'll spell something out to you: FIND ANOTHER ACTIVITY, this one obviously isn't for you...and if you really find TV that exciting - I have one image for you...
...for more information on the effects of television on the brain, I suggest visiting these sites:
