Emma Pappas, 31, runs a
health coaching business with
her sister, Carla, 28. Emma
stopped watching television
nearly six years ago.
“Carla and I were at a conference
and one of the speakers was
discussing the importance
of looking at where you
focus your energy.
At the time, we
were working in
government jobs
that we didn’t
really like. In our
spare time we
blogged about
health and how
people can bring more
happiness into their life
and we wanted to turn that
into a business.
But we’d get home from work,
blog part-time and, like most people,
we watched television. I watched
morning TV while I got ready for
work and again in the evening –
it was always in the background.
But the speaker at the conferencesaid if you watch two-and-a-half hours
of TV every day, by the time you reach
the age of 80 you will spend eight
years of your life watching television.
That statistic shocked me. It seemed
like such a waste and so Carla and
I stopped watching TV that day.
If we hadn’t made that
decision, I don’t think we
would have started our
busines as Pilates/
yoga teachers and
health coaches. It’s
been our full-time
job for the past five
years now.
When we moved
into a new home,
my sister and I didn’t
bring our TV. That was a
talking point when people
visited! Most of them had never been
to a house without a TV. We listened
to more music, read books and
listened to business podcasts. I
started going to yoga in the evening
and learned to meditate. I don’t care
that I don’t know what is happening
in the latest reality TV show.”When her TV blew up, Lisa Ienco,
45, began exercising instead.
“I used to be obsessed with TV reality
shows. I’d throw Big Brother parties or if
there was something like a Michael
Jackson special on TV, I’d throw a party
around that theme. In the morning, I’d
watch breakfast television and put the
TV on again as soon as I came home
from work. I’d watch three or four shows
in a row. I worked eight hours a day and
probably watched TV for the same
amount of time – although I’d never
think about it.
TV definitely contributed to me
gaining weight because I’d order in‘Giving up TV helped me lose 112 kilos’
that interested me. Then my
television died, and my
boyfriend and I decided not
to replace it. We bought a
dishwasher instead!
Giving up television made
a dramatic difference. I started
going out and moving more.
I started doing sit-ups and going for
walks around the block. I also studied
personal training so I could help myself
get fitter. I went to the gym three
evenings a week and on Saturday
to study and work out – instead of
watching TV. When I gave up TV, so
many possibilities in my life opened up.”‘I choose where to focus my energy’
‘I worked eight hours a day and probably watched
T V for the same amount of time’
food while I watched my
shows. I ate a lot of high-
calorie foods and had a
lot of soft drink and it
was mindless eating.
I wasn’t aware of how
much I ate and when I was
full. I weighed over 200 kilos
at that time.
Now I sit at a table and eat with my
partner and see food as fuel for my next
walk or exercise session.
In 2015, I gradually stopped watching
television. Initially it was because a lot
of the programs I watched were taken
off air and I struggled to find anythingbe informed
be nourished
simply be
be energised
be inspired