What if I told you that a middle-aged adult could decrease the risk of depression with a simple “1-hour swap”? And, if you increase it to a “2-hour swap,” you could decrease the risk of depression even more. What’s the swap? I’m glad you asked.

The swap needed to decrease the risk of depression involved swapping 30-minutes, 60-minutes, 90-minutes, or 120-minutes of TV watching with another activity. One caveat—not all activities were of equal value. For instance, swapping TV for chores did not impact the risk of depression in middle-aged adults. However, according to a large Dutch study of over 65,000 adults, replacing TV watching with:

• sports reduced the risk of depression by 18%,
• physical activity at work or school reduced the risk by 10.21%,
• simple leisure activities reduced the risk by 8%,
• and sleep reduced the risk of depression by 9%.

As you can see, engaging in sports activities seemed to have the greatest impact (18% for a 30-minute swap). A 90-minute swap of sports for TV watching reduced the risk by 29% while a 2-hour swap reduced the risk by a whole 43% for middle-aged adults. That’s an amazing benefit…and it doesn’t require insurance or copays.

Middle-aged adulthood represents a time in which many of us are raising children, teens, and young adults. It is a time that demands our energy and involvement. By simply decreasing TV watching and filling that time with some sporting activity (like basketball, jogging, biking, dancing, swimming, deck hockey…the list is as open as your imagination), you could decrease the risk of depression and have more energy to invest in your family. Everyone will benefit from your investment and positive mood.

Let’s do our families a favor. Turn off the TV and get active. Everyone will benefit…and everyone will be glad we did.