The most prominent form of entertainment and socialisation today is screen time. Whether watching a show or scrolling social media, our reliance on screens is both a blessing and curse. While there are untold benefits to modern technology, there’s no denying that their easily accessible nature and their portability make them somewhat addictive. It is important to recognise when your screen time is leeching into your active time, as it can lead to an excessively sedentary lifestyle.
Fortunately, there are solutions to the issue. Fixtures such as a walking pad, or even a switch-up in routine can provide excellent health benefits, and the screen itself can even turn into a tool to help you mitigate excessive sessility during screen time.
Re-Thinking The Screen
Part of the reason that people give up their activity when a screen is involved is because some forms of screen encourage a lack of movement. The television is a large, difficult-to-move oject that we often use to watch movies or tv shows that encourage a long sit as you observe the story. Even phones with easy access to short-form content provide small boosts of serotonin that keep us still, mindlessly doom scrolling for hours until we just have to move.
But things don’t have to be that way.
If you want to watch TV, go ahead! There’s a lot of great media out there. And you can keep active while watching it. Set an alarm for the half-way point of a movie and stand up, do some stretches or light exercise, then continue the movie. Or go through some yoga exercises or weights while you watch. You can even use a treadmill or walking pad, or other stationary exercise gear while watching your movie or binging your favourite show.
Screen time can also be used to bring some liveliness or incentive to otherwise boring, tedious, or difficult tasks. Using your phone to play your favourite music or podcast while cleaning or doing other work can provide a little boost in motivation, or (Mary Poppins style) can even help you turn the dreary work into an activity! Try getting certain tasks done within the duration of a song, or set the task to its rhythm.
Incorporating Movement Into Digital Work
People like to believe that working means that we have to sit still at a desk and just grind away until we’re done. We like to believe differently. While working is beneficial, there’s no rule anywhere that says that it has to be sedentary, even if you’re working a desk job.
Furniture such as standing desks or adjustable workstations are brilliant for encouraging movement and activity while working, and sometimes after hours of sitting, standing for a while can really help your body feel natural again, and reinvigorate your mind to continue working. Of course the desk doesn’t just magically make you stand every so often, but if you set reminders every half hour to stand up, or take a walk around the office, your body will be very thankful.
Active Entertainment Ideas
Of course, keeping active during screen time doesn’t mean completely ignoring the screen. As we said earlier, you can exercise during your viewing time, or during housework. However screens can also be the cornerstone of your active time.
Using television for workouts is incredibly common. People have been doing it since early-morning television programming contained aerobic workout shows. Nowadays, with youtube and other streaming services, there is a wealth of freely accessible workout guides that people of all body types can use to maintain their activity. Even dance classes are available online, with K-pop dance instruction videos particularly popular today. Additionally, there are also video games and VR games that focus on physical activity, or working out.
Family-Friendly Active Screen Time
Minding the kids? No problem! There are loads of ways you can make screentime active. Find video activities that you can get involved in with the kids. Additionally, you can turn advertisement break time into movement time! Challenge your kids to a race around the house during ads. Whoever wins gets to pick the next activity, or the next video that gets watched.
Turning screen time into active time isn’t about eliminating screens from your life. After all, the reason screens are popular is because they’re convenient, and you can turn that convenience into incentive and instruction on how to use your active time, or even as a supplement to it.
Just like everything, moderation is the key. The same is true of sedentary/active time. Screens can encourage stillness, but also movement and energy! It’s ultimately up to you which one you engage in.
