Turning it OFF will Turn you ON

Here’s a reality sequence that may sound familiar: You come home from a long day at work. You put your stuff down, look in the fridge, scrounge up some dinner -- and sit down in front of the screen. Doesn’t matter what screen it is – TV, laptop, family PC, iPad. It’s a screen. You sit in front of it. It’s a habit.

Perhaps this is obvious, folks, but in case it’s not: Screens are a habit. The bad news is, they’re a sedentary habit. We SIT in front of our screens.

The good news is, just like rules, habits can be broken. We look our screens day in, day out, week after week, month after month. We get tons done! Right? (And they’re a plausible refuge, right? “I have to work.”)

Get UP. Stop thinking so much. Move your body. Push your body! Go for a walk around the block, for starters, or pretend you’re a Marine. Drop and gimme 50! (Ok, 10. To start.)

Head too busy? Ok, get out another tool: Your music. I often work out with my iPod. It doesn’t quiet the brain’s restlessness, in making lists and multi-tasking, but it can drown it out for a while.

Or, go to the farthest extreme: Unplug. Disconnect your satellite or cable subscription, and back off on the Hulu and the YouTube, too. Go look at the bugs in your garden. Count the bees. Pull a weed or 10. Bitch about the Miller moths, this time of year. Just keep your eyes off of the screen.

The best way to become a former couch potato is to stop spending so much time there. End up there, instead of starting there.

Whatever you choose to do, understand that it's not all that bad, but like anything good it’s best for the physiology of your body to choose moderation over excess. That goes for the screens, too.

So here’s an alternative. Come home from work, put your stuff down, and change into something more comfortable. Something you’d wear to, say, go for a walk, or a run, or a hike, or a bike ride. If your brain is too busy, plug in to some tunes.

This isn’t news to you, right? You know this, and you know what to do. I’m just here to remind you to apply some discipline. Get your eyes off the screen. Turning it off you will turn it ON!!!!! Try it. Tell me what happens.