Television Versus Books.. Which is better for you?

According to some reserch i read somewhere, Watching 1/2 an hour of T.V. burns more calories/kilojoules than an hour of reading a book.

Why is this? Is it because we seem to get more physicaly involved with the tv? or because during the ad breaks we get up, go make a cuppa, go to the loo, channel surf etc?

It usualy takes me an hour to read a 'Mills and Boon' type book, so thats about 180-200 pages an hour. if i transfer that to a text book, or something I am realy fascinated by, I usualy go less, more like 150 pages, simply because I go back and re-read sections of the text two or three times.

I watch aproximately 2 hours of t.v.a day on average (most days i dont realy watch it at all, its just background noise). of the few programs I do watch, I tend to get 'involved' with the storyline and as such, my horemones controlling my body take over. if the hero is in danger my fight/flight reflex is activated and i have been known to talk to the person, regardless of the fact it is fantasy. if someone is injured, the nurturing instinct starts up.

HOWEVER and this to me is the interesting part... I am the same way with the characters in books. I have been referred to as "That Crazy Lady reading the book" I feel like the characters become a part of my own reality... If Harry Potter turned up on my doorstep, I would be as calm and collected as if my grandmother showed up. This may be cause for concern as my current book collection ranges from sci-fi, fantasy, horror, action, comedy all the way through to books on classical music/composers, biographies, and the occasional historical non-fiction. I also have text books on panel beating, spray painting, bookeeping, computing, accounting and marketing and human resources management.



OK, OK, I will admit it... one or two romance type novels for light reading.

The Power of Books.

Books are amazing things.

They can make us laugh, make us cry or scare us half to death. They come in all sizes, different shapes and some have nothing but pictures. Some books are for learning complex things like super string theory while others are all about the little things like where butterflies go when it rains.

I am an aggressive and passionate advocate of books. My children Jay* and Tee* both had extensive book collections prior to their births. At Eight months pregnant with Jay, I was playing her the audio versions of Pride and Predjudice, A Tale of Two Cities and anything else I could get my hands on. I did the same with Tee and as a result, both of my children have massive vocabularies for their ages, the comprehension to use the words correctly and in context and at only just eight years old Jay understands (and is getting profficiant in) sarcasm.

Reading is the one thing I believe has saved me from mediocrity. It has enabled me to seek out new challenges, bond with my kids and generaly keep myself grounded.

*names of minors have been change.