School is virtual. Talking with friends and family is virtual. Clubs are virtual. Everything is virtual because of the pandemic! However, with all that screen time, one thing you need to remember is the importance of staying active. It is unhealthy for your body and your eyes to stay sitting down somewhere, staring at a screen for the whole day. We already get enough time on electronic devices from the new way of doing school, sports, clubs, and everything in between. So why not give yourself, your eyes, and your mind a break? Disconnect.
Aren’t you tired of it? Tired of staring into a sickeningly bright (or dark) screen the whole day? Don’t you just want a healthy, relaxing break? Because I definitely do. So you should go take a break and help yourself. Although it might seem like you're missing out on something important by taking a break, it is helping you in the long run. Having your eyes glued to a screen tends to make you blink less, and that is bad for your eyes because they can get dry more easily. You should look away from the screen every fifteen minutes for a few seconds, and blink. Make it a routine.
You should also take a more active break every hour or so and exercise whenever you can. Go biking with your sibling (if you have one) or parent, if they can. You could also try to run or sprint if you are up for a challenge. If you are more of a relaxed and chill person, you could do your own outdoor activities like yoga or walking--there are so many options. You could even invite a friend to exercise with you if you have no family members available and you want to use the buddy system. However, make sure you stay six feet apart outside and wear a mask. Although you could do these activities with a friend virtually, we were just talking about how you shouldn’t be on a screen, and the whole point of this active break is to get offline and disconnect. If none of these activities are enticing, then that is okay. Just try out different things, ask for help, find a routine with activities, and experiment to find what suits you!
Planning an outdoor activity might seem unnecessary, but many of us find ourselves stuck indoors unless we intentionally schedule time for an offline break in our day. If going outside is not your thing, then create alarms or reminders to remember to go out. Every now and then, if you’re sore, or if you find yourself out of town, it's okay to skip your exercise alarms. Just find a way to make up for it. Don’t forget to encourage others to exercise as well!
Staying healthy during this time is so important!