The concept of a couch potato has been around for a long time, but a recent Canadian study confirms that children who watch more television are more likely to develop an extended waistline by the time they reach the age of 10. The study said that every extra hour of weekly viewing could add half a millimeter to waist circumference and reduce muscle fitness. Experts noted that young children should not watch more than 2 hours of television per day.
Extra television watching not only had an effect on the waist size of children in the study, but on their physical fitness levels as well. Standing long jump tests were used to measure the children's physical fitness. The study found that an extra hour of weekly TV viewing could reduce a jump by 0.36cm. Researchers said its not yet clear what direct impact TV viewing has on these health and fitness findings, but said, "The bottom line is that watching too much television - beyond the recommended amounts - is not good...Watching more television not only displaces other forms of educational and active leisurely pursuits but also places them at risk of learning inaccurate information about proper eating."
Habits gained during childhood usually become entrenched in the lifestyles of adults. This means that children who are couch potatoes at a young age will most likely continue their sedentary habits as adults. It's recommended that parents encourage physical activity like sports or even time on exercise machines to help instill positive fitness habits.
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