Breaking your scrolling habit will help you feel calmer, happier, and more energized. NPR's Life Kit explains how to get there.
SASHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
When was the last time you picked up a phone? Are you holding it right now? Are you scrolling while listening to this? Too much screen time can ruin our sleep. It is also associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress during adolescence. What can help with this and help you feel better and less stressed is movement. NPR Life Kit host Marielle Segarra offers tips to help us start craving movement the same way we crave our smartphones.
MARIELLE SEGARRA, HOST:
Yes, we are too attached to our phones. I mean, I struggle with this. I don't keep many apps there, but it's still the first thing I look at every morning. I think it's partly a habit I've formed, and partly a craving for whatever shiny new content the apps I have offer me today.
KATIE BOWMAN: You never know what you'll see when you get there, and maybe that's part of what makes it so attractive.
SEGARRA: Katie Bowman is a biomechanist, meaning she studies how forces affect the body, and a movement teacher. She and Diana Hill, a clinical psychologist, are co-authors of I Know I Should Exercise, But…: 44 Reasons We Don't Move and How to Overcome Them. They say it's possible to retrain our brains to crave movement instead of phones. Diana says the first piece of advice is to overcome the urge to scroll. Insistence surfing is a technique that can help you say no to something you crave but want to avoid.
DIANA HILL: What we know about urges is that they are a lot like waves. They rise. They get bigger and bigger and bigger and go down again. And the goal of Urgent surfing is to learn to sit on the board of a rush, ride it, notice that it increases over time, and stay on it without giving in.
SEGARRA: So, when you're at the gym, on the train, or walking down the street and you have the urge to pull your phone out of your pocket, pause. Wait. Instead, try moving around a little.
BOWMAN: Since you've already decided that you value movement and want to practice it more, that desire can be a kind of signal that helps remind you, oh yeah, I wanted to move. And it really helps to identify a few ways in advance.
SEGARRA: Do some stretches or calf raises, jumping jacks, or squats. Dance a little – whatever you want, really. Another method is to enjoy the physical activities we enjoy, because we know that by intentionally enjoying the things we value, we can train our brains to want them even more.
HILL: Most of our minds go straight to the negative. We remember everything we don't like about exercise or movement. So we actually have to resist our mind's tendency to grab onto positive experiences and hold on to them, and that's what we do by enjoying.
SEGARRA: For example, I play softball, and I love the feel of the ball landing in my glove and the feel of hitting the ball with the bat. And for Katie…
BOWMAN: I was rowing this morning and I was just listening to the paddle blade glide through the water and just… I think that's my favorite part right now. I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying it. It's like exercise needs a publicity man.
SEGARRA: She says another method is to add novelty to your workouts and breaks from movement.
BOWMAN: If you take a 10-minute walk, can you go a little differently? Can you go another way? You can say that during this walk I will go through all the cracks. I'll try to add that element of balance or challenge. Can I add some music? Do you know if I can invite a friend with me? Or should I skip the walk altogether and do some vigorous stretching or strength training under a tree?
SEGARRA: Without further ado, exercise will have a hard time winning over your constantly refreshing news feed. For NPR News, I'm Mariel Segarra.
(SOUNDBITE OF BEKEM'S “FEELING GOOD”)
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