Combating Zoom Sedentariness

By Victoria Caruso

This semester, many Villanova students, as well as students at other colleges, have multiple classes and activities taking place on Zoom. As we know, this is to decrease campus congestion and maintain social distancing. We used to have the mobility of walking to and from our classes, dorms, club meetings, and other events. With most of these events canceled/reverted to Zoom this semester, we truly are “zooming” nearly all day long, which means we are sedentary nearly all day long. It is essential for our health and well-being as students to work to combat the sedentary effects of Zoom. 

The first thing we can do is utilize the longer time breaks in between classes. This semester, Villanova mandated 20 minute breaks in between classes to allow for ample time to clean the classrooms being used for in-person lectures. If you have 20 minutes in between two Zoom classes, you can do a lot with that time! You can take a quick walk outside and call home. You can cook up a snack or a quick meal. You can even take a power nap if your body calls for one! 

The second thing we can do is utilize the fitness options on campus, even though they are somewhat different this year. The fitness centers on campus are still open, and booking an appointment isn’t a complicated process. If you don’t use the fitness center, you can still stay active in the great outdoors. Year after year, Villanovans run, walk, and jog up and down Lancaster Avenue or around the nearby neighborhoods, individually or with friends. The pandemic doesn’t need to prevent us from staying active and healthy. The fitness center and outdoor runs are still accessible options! 

Lastly, we can prioritize walking instead of driving when possible, or walk around instead of remaining in our dorms. For instance, when you have work to do, it’s easy to remain sedentary in your dorm room. Instead, walk to Bartley, the library, or somewhere else on campus to get in a small but beneficial number of steps. If you’re planning on driving somewhere, strive to carve out time to walk when you can. Off-campus places often visited by Nova students like Starbucks and Qdoba are no more than a mile away from the campus, and such walks are doable for sure. 

These three tips might help you carve out your day differently, keeping an intent to stay active present in your mind. I hope everyone can benefit from these small yet beneficial suggestions to help us all be well this semester and combat the sedentariness of Zoom. :)