Netflix, I love you, but you're killing me

The link between TV viewing and mortality

While I have my personal issues with Netflix and their corporate greed, I recently resubscribed and found a number of movies and shows I genuinely enjoyed. Perhaps too many.

Last Saturday evening, I realized I had neglected to take my daily walk because I was too engrossed in Zac Efron’s latest flick, and then so intrigued by Julianne Moore’s recent film. It had been a balmy 80-degree-day, I had no excuse. Thus, I knew things had gone too far. *Subscription canceled.*

For every two hours of sitting and watching television, our prospects of healthy aging decrease by 12%.¹ While TV shows aren’t killing us, sedentary lifestyles are, and television watching is the main culprit.

What’s happening to your body on your X hour of viewing?

Prolonged sitting, as with TV viewing, impairs skeletal muscle functioning and mitochondrial activity, making it difficult for our bodies to create and expend energy. Meanwhile, binge-watching is commonly accompanied by binge-eating, typically of unhealthy foods…