Is Too Much Screen Time Making You Tired and Dull? Here’s How to Counteract the Effects
One thing is certain following the pandemic – everyone’s screen time is up. We have so much to thank our electronics for – on some days it became the only way to see loved ones. But is the shift to online taking its toll on our minds and bodies? YouTube physical and mental health expert David Florence certainly thinks it is, declaring in a recent video to more than 20k subscribers, “Too much tech has definitely made Dave a dull boy!”
Dave isn’t one to let an unwanted change happen, so he’s increasing his physical activity with a plan alongside this to give his body exactly what it needs to best repair itself as well, ensuring he “practices what he preaches”. Talking about the impact of increased activity he says, “Any kind of physical stress, of course, is not injury, but it can result in tiny tears to the muscle then, of course, you want some kind of recovery programme to aid the process of hypertrophy which happens a lot when you are doing a lot more physical exercise”.
One trick Dave hasn’t needed to change is to keep moving generally throughout the day; “If I'm working in front of a computer, every 45 minutes to an hour I step away and I do something that moves the blood around my body - I use the spiral staircase to do some pull-ups, or I do some push-ups or I'm using the worktop in the kitchen as a place to do dips”. As we are at NMN Bio, Dave is a big fan of prioritising time in nature as well; “When I'm going outside for a walk, I'm doing some breath work in nature and touching nature”. Whilst Dave builds this into his life already, he recognises it’s no longer enough because of the increased time “in front of electromagnetic frequency devices” which has led to seeing his “creative mojo disappear”.
To fully counteract this, Dave has upped the amount of intense physical gardening activities he does, such as “chopping, digging, hedge-trimming, lifting”. Previously one day a week, this has upped to three days per week and Dave knows this takes a toll on his body, meaning he is “definitely going to have to look at other ways of improving the recovery period or rather optimising that recovery period”. And this is where Dave’s expertise really shines, as he talks us through what he’s got planned.
Dave has been an NMN Bio fan for some time now, because of the benefits he’s noticed both mentally and physically – check out our previous blog here on the full range of benefits Dave quickly saw after his first six months taking NMN. A recent benefit he mentions is “an increase in my muscle and that's before me actually starting this three-day physical week and I think that it's got something to do with the NMN and the TMG, more specifically the NMN”, adding “it’s definitely improved things cognitively as well as physically”. Whilst Dave acknowledges he can’t say it’s definitely the NMN that led to muscle increase, he notes “I haven't changed anything else in my physical activity” and recognised the NMN “improves the oxygen uptake to muscles so that could be the reason why.”
TMG from NMN Bio is new on the block in Dave’s routine but he’s quick to point out the benefits, “TMG I've been taking now for a couple of months it improves things like methylation. If you improve your methylation, then you are effectively improving your neurogenerative, cardiovascular, reproductive and detoxification systems in the body so that's a really good supplement to take.” Click here for the science behind why TMG is the perfect accompaniment to NMN.
Alongside NMN and TMG, Dave adds in other supplements to boost his wellbeing and aid recovery, including collagen which he describes as “the glue that holds the body together - it even helps your digestive system because it helps to improve the gut lining so it's a really good thing to take”. Dave also takes vitamins D3, K2, C and zinc for their overall wellbeing and recovery effects – and includes electrolytes in the mix. Another supplement Dave takes regularly, as recommended by NMN Bio founder Dr Elena Seranova, is L-glutamine. L- glutamine is a great supplement to take post-workout, as it aids with protein synthesis.
Creatine makes Dave’s list because “it will help improve muscle repair and bone density”, and also improves “neuroprotection, brain function, energy production, reduces muscle wasting, supports methylation, boosts workload, lowers blood sugar and also cell hydration and injury rehab”.
Hot on Dave’s tips to aid recovery is also using a red light, giving the example that “last night was amazing I definitely had some aches and stiffness in the body - I've shone that pretty much everywhere, it's definitely helped for today”. Already fitting in the five Tibetan rites in every day to work mobility into his daily routine, Dave will be looking to maintain and add to this as well.
Dave’s also just begun taking red panax ginseng, an adaptogenic herb known for “increasing energy levels” – the jury is out on this one though as it’s new to Dave’s routine, so we’ll have to wait and see the results. If you’ve experienced very stressful times recently one of Dave’s top recommendations is ashwagandha, which “proved invaluable during some pretty traumatic times”, insisting you get a good source. Our advice at NMN Bio is the same with all supplements – it’s key to check where the supplement is sourced and its purity, so you know you really will get the full benefits.
Fasting is something we actively recommend here at NMN Bio – founder Dr Elena Seranova regularly fasts for the well-known longevity benefits - and Dave‘s a fan too, mentioning he often fasts until midday on weekdays. Dave knows when it’s time to listen to his body though, acknowledging even he knew he had to break a fast the other day, treating himself to “a good protein source and vegetables” and admitting he did sneak in some pork crackling too – because sometimes the body will just tell you what it needs!
As a qualified SOMA breath instructor, Dave knows precisely what he’s talking about when it comes to breathwork – and he’s certainly not going to skip this priority to aid his recovery. “To counter the stress that I've increased I will be doing more of the parasympathetic exercises in the form of breathwork, meditation, mindfulness. When you think about all stress as long as it's not chronic - chronic is bad for you - small amounts of stress both physical and mental are very good for you because they cause adaptation and change in the body and mind. However, to make sure it doesn't turn to chronic you do need to make sure you balance it with parasympathetic activity.”
We strongly recommend breathwork for longevity as well - part of our The Foundation of Longevity and Life Extension online course looks at understanding the connection between your health and your breath because research shows it's so key to wellbeing.
Dave really is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to taking care of yourself mentally and physically. One of the reasons Dave has been stuck in front of the computer more and is now making these changes is he is in high demand for his online programmes, group work, breathwork sessions and one-to-ones – check out Dave’s channel for more info.
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