This post is one in a series for a MOOC. You can find similar posts searching under the Category MOOC or searching for hashtag #eteacherTOOL for more about this particular MOOC.

The Challenge:

Digital Citizens must take special care of of their health.  This is easier said than done however!  Time in front of screens is certainly work.  It is not the same kind of work which leaves a manual laborer exhausted, but the digital worker experiences a sense of accomplishment and can leave the digital worker feeling mentally exhausted.  The digital worker might not be willing to add a physical work out to the end of a full work day, so measures must be taken to add healthful activities into the digital workday.

Be proactive about one’s digital health and wellness through a series of steps that ensure mental and physical health…

• scheduling: purposeful, achievable daily tasks
  
• implementing: a calendar/rotating system of introducing healthy habits
  
• documenting: for your health incentives or a of sense of accomplishment
  

In addition to establishing and chronicaling work habits, pledge to technology free times, especially with your children.

Some possible work place modifications might be: substitute an exercise ball for your current office chair, visit the gym before or after work, ride a bike to work, complete healthcare incentives, utilize new technology to help you accomplish this – Up by Jawbone, Fuel by Nike, or FitBit.

Scheduling in time for fitness and healthy activities may feel forced at first, but once a habit is formed it should be beneficial and feel like a treat, not a chore.