The 30-day "No TV" challenge!                                                      April 2010

The Olympics and Paralympics are over, but I noticed in the weeks that followed that I had gotten into the habit of turning the TV on to catch the day's highlights, and then keeping the TV turned on. Now, I have noticed how easy it is to just come home after a long day at work and just turn on the tube for mindless entertainment and escapism - and there really isn't much uplifting or inspirational programming on TV.

Don't get me wrong: I have no issue with television per se. I enjoy shows like Grey's Anatomy, Survivor and Castle as much as the next person, and I sure enjoy the "water cooler" chat that follows the next day, but when you throw in Dancing With the Stars, Entertainment Tonight and the Celebrity Apprentice into the mix as well, it's turning into a lifestyle. And that just doesn't work. Not when there is life out there to be lived, and bigger goals at stake!

Will watching TV make me any better today than I was yesterday? Will it bring me more of the things I say I want in life? I'm pretty sure that the Olympians and Paralympians whose spirit and determination I admire so much aren't sitting around watching TV on a regular basis!

I know myself well enough to know that my willpower is weak, and I dislike and resist giving up things that I enjoy (be it booze, bacon, butter, TV or whatever!), so I know it takes a dramatic measure to get me to change my habits - for my own good! I called up Shaw Cable and had them turn off the service for a month, as a kind of behavioural experiment on myself.

What will happen once I no longer have access to TV? Will I go out for evening walks after work? Will I write more? Will I exercise more? Will I read more? Will I finally get enough sleep on a regular basis?

All the behavioural scientists say that it takes at least 30 days to form a new habit, so I am hopeful that this next 30 days will be a great kick-start to a healthier lifestyle and a new beginning toward a better, more vibrant, more alive version of myself.

And maybe, just maybe, it'll inspire a few people to get off the couch too!