If you spend time watching one television series season at a time, you could say you are exposed to the binge-watching phenomenon. Binge watching means watching television continuously until sometimes you don’t remember the time. In this increasingly sophisticated era, you no longer have to wait too long to wait for the next episode of your favourite series.

Thanks to streaming service providers, you can keep watching episodes from start to finish at once. It makes it easier for someone to watch his favourite movie series or wide-screen. Not a few people later become addicted.

Learn more about Binge Watching

Streaming service providers for feature films and series are starting to change how we watch. The words “To be continued…” at the end of the episode are no longer a problem for you.

Simply by subscribing to streaming services on various platforms, you can access thousands of movies and television series that you can watch anytime and anywhere. There are no ads and a maximum limit on how many episodes you can enjoy.

These streaming services make many people spend time watching for hours at a time, without a break. This phenomenon is also known as binge watching and can occur in all ages.

When you watch a television series or movie you like, your brain subconsciously releases the hormone dopamine. This hormone will make you feel comfortable and happy, which leads to satisfaction.

The more you watch, the higher the dopamine levels in the body. When one episode is over, you may feel addicted to getting the fun back and eventually moving on to the next episode.

You can repeat the cycle every time you finish a watch and start with a new watch. If left unchecked, this circle can hurt your health.

The impact of binge watching on mental health

For those of you who have a hobby of binge watching, you should start reducing it. The reason, this activity can be detrimental to health.

The following are the consequences of binge watching that might occur.

Bad behaviour and antisocial traits

If binge-watching starts as a child, it can affect how they interact with other people. Children who spend more time watching movies tend to exhibit antisocial behaviour and other personality disorders.

In adults, binge watching can also affect their social relationships. When you are addicted to watching, a person may not care about the people around him, both family and friends.

The risk of gaining weight to obesity

Watching television series will undoubtedly be more exciting if accompanied by a snack—especially high-calorie snacks, such as buttered popcorn or potato chips.

Don’t be surprised if your scales are growing by eating high-calorie foods and still sitting for hours in front of the television or other devices.

Calories will continue to increase without being able to be removed from the body and become a pile of fat. That then causes weight gain and increases the risk of obesity.

The risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease

Watching television more than two hours per day is said to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The problem is, you’ll just be sitting all the time and barely moving.

This sedentary lifestyle (lack of movement) will make it difficult for the body to burn calories and carbohydrates that have entered. As a result, there will be a buildup that endangers health.

Decreased sperm count

For men, the dangers of binge-watching can affect fertility levels. One study showed that men who spent more than 20 hours per week had lower sperm counts.

It may occur because watching makes a person not move much and does not move from his seat, increasing the temperature of the testicles. As a result, sperm production can decrease.

Early death

Adults who spend more than three hours per day watching can have an increased risk of premature death. This opinion is evidenced in a study conducted on 13 thousand participants and published in the journal of the American Heart Association.

Doing this activity can also interfere with sleep. Not infrequently, people are willing to stay up late to continue one more episode.

Tips to avoid binge watching

If you have a hobby of watching wide-screen films or series without stopping, consider the following tips so that you avoid the harmful effects of binge watching:

• Limit the number of episodes to watch, e.g. stop watching after two or three episodes. Establish this self-discipline, so you don’t watch too much. After the specified episode ends, you should immediately turn off the television or device you are watching and switch to another activity.
• Balance watching activities with other activities, such as exercising, reading, or doing your other hobbies.
  Turn on the light while watching. In addition to protecting your eyes, you can also see the clock clearly and not watch too much.
• Limit your viewing duration. If you find it difficult to calculate the time, you can take advantage of your phone’s alarm or timer feature.
  Choose a healthy snack if you like to eat while watching—for example, fruit or salad.
• Watch with friends or family. This step can help increase your interactions with other people, so you don’t isolate yourself.

If you only do it occasionally for a particular duration, binge watching is not a problem. But if done continuously, this viewing activity can be detrimental to your physical and mental health.

By knowing the harmful effects of binge watching, you are expected to be more alert and be able to limit yourself. Don’t let this fun hobby ruin your health in the future.

Article 5 Dangers of Binge Watching for Mental Health. What is Binge Watching? first show on Sumberita.com.

Zumba is a fun exercise because it combines aerobics, Latin dance, and movements to the rhythm of the music. Zumba exercise also focuses on rhythm and speed, so it benefits heart health.

Doing Zumba exercise can keep your body in shape while preventing you from going senile. See a complete explanation here.

Zumba gymnastics for body health

Zumba is a gymnastics originating from Colombia that combines various dance movements, such as cha-cha, salsa, tango, flamenco, and fast musical accompaniment.

The dynamic and varied movements of Zumba allow you to move your entire body for many health benefits.

1. Improve coordination

When doing Zumba, your arms and legs must move in different directions. You also need to move according to the fast rhythm of the music and keep the movement harmonious.

Therefore, if you regularly exercise Zumba, the benefits you can get are increasing the ability to coordinate the brain with hands and feet.

When body coordination is going well, you can move the correct body part at the right time and intensity.

2. Maintain weight

You can get the benefits of this one because every Zumba movement effectively burns calories.

A study published in the Journal of Sport Science & Medicine (2012) states that one session of Zumba exercise helps burn calories as much as 9.5 kcal per minute.

Zumba workouts are generally 40 minutes long. So, burning calories during one session can reach up to 369 kcal.

Ideally, you need to burn 300–400 kcal of calories in each exercise session to lose weight.

3. Maintain heart health

Zumba workouts fall into the category of cardio exercise. No wonder the benefits are good for heart health.

Still, from the same study, Zumba exercise uses 66% of maximum volume and 79% of maximum heart rate.

This figure meets the target of using maximum oxygen volume (40–85%) and maximum heart rate (64–94%) for exercise that is good for heart health.

Not only that, but various studies have also found that the benefits of Zumba help lower blood pressure.

4. Maintain general mental health

Research published in the journal European Journal of Sport Science (2019) states that Zumba for 12 consecutive weeks can improve memory performance.

Zumba involves the coordination of movement, balance, and musical rhythm, thereby stimulating neural activity. As a result, cognitive abilities and memory also increase.

The study also found that regular Zumba exercise reduced symptoms of depression. No wonder Zumba can be a suitable sport to relieve sadness.

5. Improve the quality of socializing

Another benefit of Zumba that you can get is increased interaction and communication with other people.

Zumba is done with a group of several people and one instructor. So, don’t be surprised if you get involved in conversations between group members and instructors.

You, too, are in a relaxing environment. Socializing will also provide benefits such as improving mood, providing a sense of security, and reducing loneliness and isolation.

6. Reduce stress

Physical activity, including Zumba, helps increase the activity of chemical compounds in the brain, namely endorphins.

These compounds help trigger feelings of pleasure and euphoria. The feeling of happiness from this increase in endorphins is similar to feeling happy when you laugh.

As an aerobic exercise, Zumba makes the body feel calmer and lowers the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. These two hormones are known as stress hormones.

In addition to reducing sadness, Zumba is the right option as a choice of exercise to relieve stress.

7. Reduce pain

Another health benefit of Zumba is that it reduces the severity of pain. Indeed cannot be separated from the role of endorphins.

Endorphins are brain compounds that can work as natural painkillers in the body.

When performing complex Zumba moves, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland release endorphins.

So, doing Zumba can make your body feel better in general.

Zumba is an aerobic exercise that involves dance and movements that are pretty complex and fast.

If you do it regularly, Zumba can improve your overall physical and mental health.

To get the most out of Zumba, make sure you do it for 150 minutes a week or 30 minutes every day.

Article 7 of the best Zumba Exercises for Physical and Mental Health first show on Sumberita.com.