26 Better Alternatives to Watching TV

If there's one thing 99% of Americans can agree on, it's this statement: "There's nothing on TV." How many times have you surfed every single channel over and over again in order to discover, every single time, that there's still nothing on? Yet we keep hoping and surfing, wasting time and wearing out the remote. And, as you've probably heard, you're soon going to pay more and more for less and less of all that nothing.

So, here's an idea. Fight back. Crawl out of the crack in your sofa cushions. Just for the month of February (it IS the shortest month) put down the remote, cancel your cable subscription, and find something (anything) else to do instead of watching your brain drain and your butt broaden.

Think about it. If you spend four hours a day watching TV (be honest), that's more than 180 eight-hour days a year you could be doing something much more constructive, interesting and entertaining. You could get a part time job with that kind of time! Of course, if you've spent years perfecting the couch potato position, you might have a bit of a problem with just what to do, so to follow is a list of 26 alternatives to TV watching, from A-Z, just to get you started.

Adopt something or someone -a cause, a grandparent, a pet, and get involved in something that's always interested you but that you never "had time" to do before. (If my math is correct, you have five full 24 hour days available this month alone!)

Bake something complicated. My favorites are graham cracker pie and red velvet cake because not only will it take you most of a day to find all the necessary ingredients, you'll work up enough of a sweat to make up for the additional calories you'll consume if your creation turns out to be edible. This website will get you started: www.allrecipes.com/

Create something. It doesn't have to be Smithsonian-worthy: candid shots of your family making faces at you, a fort in the living room, a Popsicle stick bird house, a cartoon character made out of Play dough - use your imagination to make something new out of something old (or odd) lying around the house. www.familyfun.go.com/crafts/

Donate something - blood, the clothes you'd never even wear on Halloween, your time, your TV.

Exercise - Dance with your toddler, run, jump up and down, play with your Wii, or clean your house - vacuuming can burn up to 500 calories.

Find a hobby, a new friend, that missing sock, buried treasure in your backyard. Make it a point to discover something new every day. www.notsoboringlife.com/ (Great name for a website, isn't it?)

Get out. Go for a walk, a bike ride, climb a mountain, slide down the snow covered hill in your backyard, visit a church or temple, meet your new neighbors, window shop; whatever it is, it isn't in your living room. {Don't forget to check with your local library or chamber of commerce for things to do in your area - many are free.}

Have sex (this suggestion, of course, is for consenting adults only.)

Invent something to make life easier or more fun. You've got a million ideas, and now that the chatter of the box is silenced, you can put your imagination to better use.

Journal. Since you'll be spending more time doing things, you'll have a lot more details you'll want to remember. Write them down. It'll probably give you something to laugh about later.

Knit a scarf, a sweater, some socks.

Learn something new - take up botany, bird watching, or bagpipe playing, learn to be a trapeze artist, a clown, an elephant trainer, or, start small and get your spouse to teach you how to load the dishwasher or change your sparkplugs.

Meditate - It's a lot like sleeping, but you do it sitting up.

Notice, nurture, and nuzzle your family. They're really amazing and extremely well-behaved, especially in comparison to those people on "Wife Swap" and "The Nanny."

Organize your junk drawer, your car, your pictures, your closets, your life.

Play a game - Get the whole family (or even the whole neighborhood) involved. From Boggle to Twister to Charades to Kickball to Solitaire, there are so many games to choose from, you'd probably never run out. www.funattic.com/game_list.htm

Quit making excuses/procrastinating/putting things off that really need doing. Buy that life insurance policy, schedule your doctor's appointment, balance the checkbook, fix the leaky faucet, untangle your computer wires.

Read a book, a magazine, a newspaper, a blog, the fine print on your credit card agreement.

See a school play, a sunset, a work of art, or your kids when they talk to you.

Take a bubble bath, a ride, a chance.

Use your imagination to come up with your own ideas. You have some, you know.

Volunteer - There are so many worthy organizations that need all kinds of help, whatever your talent or skill. And you know you now have the time. www.servicenation.org.

Write a letter to someone - your grandmother, your best friend, your worst enemy (don't mail it), the newspaper editor, yourself.

Xmas in February - What's really important to you about Christmas? Celebrate that this month.

Yak on the phone - how long has it been since you've called your parents, your oldest friend, your former co-worker, just to talk? Better yet, if they're close enough, go visit them.

Zzzzzzzzzz - Curl up on the couch, take a snooze, and don't feel guilty about it. After all, there's nothing on TV, your dreams are more interesting than the Kardashians, and, as an added bonus, sleeping burns more calories than watching TV.