My take on Technology

Technology is frequently known for its high percentage of video games, cell phones, computers, and televisions. Most people believe technology is the source of laziness and the reason why our country has had such an increase in obesity over the years. I must admit, I am one of those people. I believe technology has killed and taken over most children’s youth and their experiences of playing outdoors. Before technology children in then neighborhood used to go outside and play games together such as manhunt, basketball, soccer, kickball, and football. Children used to bike ride all over town, skateboard down the streets, and go for swims in the pool when it was hot in the summer. Before technology, children had a very active and healthy life style. Children were not caught up on the latest video games or the drama that was going on over facebook.  Playing outside also brought about many social experiences for children, such as getting to know each other and hanging out on a daily basis. Now children are generally locked in their rooms on their XBOX or play station playing in the latest games. Children are also all over the internet spending hours on social media sites or playing computer games. How did all of these happen? When did technology take over our lives and how did we ever stop being physically active? I believe technology has had a major effect on obesity and the lack of physical activity in the United States. However, I also do believe that technology has several ways that can benefit our health and improve our fitness levels, if used correctly.

There are several sources of technology regarding enhancing fitness available at any given moment to anyone willing to try and learn. The latest phenomenon, the iPhone, provides numerous applications that anyone can easily download. These applications consist of calorie burn trackers, nutrition count tables, pedometers to count the amount of steps taken or how many miles that have been ran. There are also applications that can show how fast one is going when they are running or another application that is available can quickly show someone a great abdominal workout at the tap of the touch screen. These iPhone’s are truly amazing at all the knowledge and assistance in which they are able to provide people all over the world with regarding physical activity, fitness, health, and nutrition. There is an application for just about anything, cardio workouts, the healthiest snacks, and the best post workout meal, etcetera. I was never aware of all these possibilities until recently, which is how my perspective of technology has changed. I do still believe technology stimulates the laziness in people, though if used in the correct manor, I believe technology can have major impacts on people’s lives as well as their future.