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Riley

Escape From Technology

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A study done at Baylor University has found college women are on their phone 10 hours daily and college men about eight hours. Professor James Roberts, Ph.D. said, “As cell phone functions increase, addictions to this seemingly indispensable piece of technology become an increasingly realistic possibility.” Technology is a huge part of the 21st century: it is how we communicate, do research, watch entertainment, keep up to date with politics, see recent tweets or Instagram posts, and so much more. But there are ways to take a step back from all the technology that surrounds us and immerse ourselves in real life.

1. First thing in the morning: make time for yourself, not the phone.

First thing when waking up, what comes to mind? Is it “I need to check Twitter or Instagram” or “I need to check my text messages or my missed Facetime or phone calls?” Well those thoughts can wait. In the mornings it’s a time for yourself. Some ideas include doing yoga for five to ten minutes, taking a nice shower to get up, or write out goals and aspirations for the day. Whatever it may be it should be a time for you. All throughout your busy day you have time to easily swipe up on the phone to see those notifications, but what there isn’t time for is self-love and giving yourself the time to be you. Don’t lose time on technology when the time could be better well spent.

2. When in conversation with someone don’t even think about pulling out the phone.

Sometimes in restaurants I look around to see people glued to their phones and not saying anything to each other. Now that’s sad and embarrassing to rather be talking to someone else and not to someone you love and care about. It allows for a deeper connection to make eye contact, to see their reactions to certain things, and be in their presence. Maybe try to shut off the phone completely or leave it in the car if you know you’ll be tempted. Any way that could allow the phone to not be a distraction. Life is more than screens and updates on Twitter. It is about the relationships we build through real life interactions, about the real laughs not the LOLs. It’s about being able to grow deeper connections with others around you.

3. Making time to shut off the technology to be present.

It’s hard to shut off the phone and deal with that the temptation, but there is a way to change that and it’s easy at the touch of a button. Moment is an app that works to help you unplug and use your phone less to create a balance between technology and real life. There is also a feature on the new iOS 12, Screen Time, that shows you how much time was spent on the phone and certain apps. This is an awesome feature to show how much time is wasted on the phone. It seems even Apple is realizing that smartphone usage is getting out of control and needs to be addressed.

4. Before bed turn off the phone. Don’t even have it under the pillow. It’s not a good idea.

Technology has produced so many temptations. We can stay up late binge watching Netflix and Hulu or Facetiming family, friends, and significant others. There is so much we can accomplish just at the touch of a button from our beds, but at times it can hinder us of the basic requirements of sleep. Minnesota State University research found that a sample of undergraduate students sleep four to ten hours nightly and on average get 6.9 hours of sufficient sleep. About 70% of college students get five to seven hours nightly. A very high 92.9% of sampled students said to have always or very often used electronic devices before bedtime. The statistics from the participants in this study show that usage of electronics before bed can affect the amount of sleep someone receives. Sleep is very important, especially in college, and we need better sleep to feel better and look better, too.

Escaping from technology can be difficult, but taking time to follow these steps could be beneficial in the long run. They can allow more time to relax, disconnect, achieve better sleep and better health, and allow an increase in productivity daily to accomplish your goals.

Fitness Background

Best Fitness Apps for College Students

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If you’re looking to mix up your training routine or trying to get into better shape and improve your health, fitness apps are a cheap, easy, and fun way to improve your physical fitness. Whether you’re trying to find time for a workout in between classes or trying to stay in shape while on vacation without your gym equipment, here’s a list of the best fitness apps that are perfect for college students.

Strong

Available on the App Store and Google Play for free. Strong is great for keeping track of your workouts and progress you’ve made in the gym. You can log how many workouts you do a week to help measure your progression. If you don’t know where to start, the app provides example routines for legs, chest and triceps, back and biceps, or a mixed full-body workout.

If you’re looking for something more individualized, the app allows you to create a custom workout where you can add specific exercises of your choice. The app gives you the ability to select exercises based on categories like machine, cardio, bodyweight, and more, or you can select exercises based on body parts like core, arms, back, and chest for example.

What’s nice about the exercises you can choose from is the app gives you step by step instructions on how to safely and properly perform the exercise along with a video that demonstrates how it’s supposed to be done.

There’s also a feature where you can log the weight and reps from each exercise, so you don’t forget the next time you go to the gym.

Although this app doesn’t have a lot of cardio options, I’d highly recommend it if you’re trying to bulk or hit the gym more. It’s a great way to learn new weight lifting exercises while keeping track of your progress.

7 Minutes

Available on the App Store and Google Play for free. This app is fantastic for travel or if you don’t have a lot of time to go to the gym regularly. You don’t need any gym equipment — all you need is a wall and a chair for bodyweight exercises. The 7 Minute Workout consists of 12 high intensity bodyweight exercises that each last for 30 seconds with 10 seconds of rest in between.

The timer runs itself, so there’s no need to stop and start to restart your phone timer. Exercises consist of jumping jacks, wall sits, push-ups, crunches, squats, tricep dips on a chair, planks, high knees running in place, lunges, push-ups and rotations, and side planks to get your whole body moving.

There’s also a Glamour Magazine edition created by celebrity trainer Ngo Okafor. You can also unlock an alternative 7 minute workout or a 7 minute pilates workout for an additional dollar.

What’s great about this workout is all it takes is 7 minutes of motivation in the morning or whenever you have time during the day to squeeze in some time for fitness. Alternatively, you could repeat the workout to create an intense 30 minute workout if you’re looking for something more.

Nike Training Club

Available on the App Store and Google Play for free. This is by far the best fitness app I’ve used. With over 100 workouts, you definitely don’t get bored of doing the same thing over and over again. You can select a workout based on intensity and duration. Everything is already laid out and timed, so you don’t have to focus on anything but your workout. There’s a trainer that guides you through the entire workout on a video, and sometimes they have guest trainers like Olympic Medalist Allyson Felix which makes it super fun.

This app is great for beginners who are looking to get into shape or athletes who are looking to step their training up. What’s great about this app is the variety of workouts it offers. If you take it to the gym, you’ll never wander around asking yourself “Hmm I wonder what I should do next?”

The ab workouts are killer. I woke up the next day after a 30 minute workout, and my legs and abdominal muscles were super sore. It’s a great way to jumpstart your fitness plan without having to spend money on a trainer.