Binge watching

On May 15, we will be graduating from ECQ majoring in Social Distancing but a new course, GCQ, is being introduced in high risk areas like Cebu Province and its cities. Of course, GCQ comes with guidelines but for reasons defying logic, some people just refuse to understand, comply and make things complicated.

With an extended quarantine, we get more “prison” time inside our own homes, with the possibility of parole dependent on the sanity of the selected few mentioned above. Confined, we had almost ran out of options on what to do and next best thing is to sit in front of the TV and  go on marathon viewings.

Accordingly, binge watching is described as spending more than two hours in front of the TV.  Health practitioners say that we could be harming our bodies with all the time spent getting comfy on our sofas.  They offer some tips to at least minimize adding some numbers to our waistlines and of course, our weights.

There’s a strong chance we’d be munching on a family-sized bag of chips while switching from reruns of Fernando Poe to Lee Min Ho to J-Lo to Vico Sotto.  Health experts say we should opt for single-serve bags or better yet, have popcorns as it’s whole grain, loaded with fiber and have fewer calories since they are less in salt and fat.

Sitting for so long can lead to some health concerns because there might be some changes in the way our bodies use fat and sugar as we burn less calories.  This could lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems. Pulmonary embolism is a risk also because it could cause a blood clot in our legs that could go to our lungs and block blood flow.  Best thing to do, experts say, is to drink plenty of water, wear loose fitting clothes and walk around every 30 minutes to avoid it.   Prolonged sitting also puts strain on our back muscles, neck and spine and it was advised that we sit straight on chairs that supports our back.

Granting that we had done all of the above, it does not mean that we can go all night and stay up to 3am.  We need at least 7 hours of sleep and lack of it also causes health issues.  It would be better to limit screen time.

Let’s give our eyes some rest.  Too much TV gives us blurry vision because they get dry and sore.  Wide screen TVs should be at least 5 feet away and the brightness dimmed to reduce glare.  Blinking keeps our eyes moist.

That’s about it, fellow inmates.  In this time of quarantine, binge watching is one major boredom savers.  But the monotony and flatness of the situation make others tempt fate and make hide-and-seek with authorities.  Let us keep our sanity intact and stay home to prevent the spread of this virus.  It’s the least we can do to help our medical frontliners and essential workers who risk their own lives so that we may live.