Tech journalist Manoush Zomorodi recently shared with Delaney the story behind her new book Body Electric and the citizen science experiment she ran with NPR and Dr. Keith Diaz of Columbia. The 20,000-person study found that five minutes of movement for every thirty minutes of sitting dropped fatigue by up to 28%, lowered blood glucose and blood pressure, and improved focus and mood. Plus, five practical reframes for talking to kids about movement without the eye rolls.
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Manoush Zomorodi, the brilliant tech journalist and host of TED Radio Hour, to talk about her new book Body Electric. (Listen to our conversation here in my latest podcast episode)
Manoush has spent years helping people think critically about their relationship with technology, from her early days at New Tech City and Note to Self to her "Bored and Brilliant" experiment with NPR listeners. She's the kind of thinker who doesn't just report on a problem; she builds a community around solving it.
Her latest focus is something that affects every single one of us who spends long hours in front of a screen: what all that sitting is actually doing to our bodies, and what we can do about it.
It started when Manoush heard about research by Dr. Keith Diaz, a physiologist at Columbia University Medical Center, regarding the minimum amount of movement the human body needs to avoid serious health consequences.
His lab found that five minutes of movement, such as walking, for every thirty minutes of sitting had outsized benefits. He found it cut blood glucose levels, lowered blood pressure, restored focus, and boosted mood and energy.
Inspired, Manoush partnered with Dr. Diaz and NPR to launch a massive citizen science experiment called Body Electric. They enrolled 20,000 people across three groups: movement breaks every 30 minutes, every hour, or every two hours. The results were striking.
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Fatigue dropped by up to 28% for those taking the most frequent breaks, and even those who took a break every two hours saw a 23% drop. 80% of participants stuck with it, 82% actually enjoyed the breaks, and productivity slightly improved rather than declined. The study has since been accepted for scientific publication.
So how do we bring this into our conversations with kids and teens without the eye rolls? Here are a few approaches I took away from my conversation with Manoush:
Releasing this coming September, Screenagers: Generation AI explores what can be done to mitigate the risks artificial intelligence poses to young people's learning, relationships, and mental health.
We wrote about the movie in this recent blog and on the movie's page here.
If your interested in bringing this movie to your school or community in the fall, you can register your interest at this page.
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Register your interest in bringing our new movie to your school or community
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I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Manoush Zomorodi, the brilliant tech journalist and host of TED Radio Hour, to talk about her new book Body Electric. (Listen to our conversation here in my latest podcast episode)
Manoush has spent years helping people think critically about their relationship with technology, from her early days at New Tech City and Note to Self to her "Bored and Brilliant" experiment with NPR listeners. She's the kind of thinker who doesn't just report on a problem; she builds a community around solving it.
Her latest focus is something that affects every single one of us who spends long hours in front of a screen: what all that sitting is actually doing to our bodies, and what we can do about it.
It started when Manoush heard about research by Dr. Keith Diaz, a physiologist at Columbia University Medical Center, regarding the minimum amount of movement the human body needs to avoid serious health consequences.
His lab found that five minutes of movement, such as walking, for every thirty minutes of sitting had outsized benefits. He found it cut blood glucose levels, lowered blood pressure, restored focus, and boosted mood and energy.
Inspired, Manoush partnered with Dr. Diaz and NPR to launch a massive citizen science experiment called Body Electric. They enrolled 20,000 people across three groups: movement breaks every 30 minutes, every hour, or every two hours. The results were striking.
Fatigue dropped by up to 28% for those taking the most frequent breaks, and even those who took a break every two hours saw a 23% drop. 80% of participants stuck with it, 82% actually enjoyed the breaks, and productivity slightly improved rather than declined. The study has since been accepted for scientific publication.
So how do we bring this into our conversations with kids and teens without the eye rolls? Here are a few approaches I took away from my conversation with Manoush:
Releasing this coming September, Screenagers: Generation AI explores what can be done to mitigate the risks artificial intelligence poses to young people's learning, relationships, and mental health.
We wrote about the movie in this recent blog and on the movie's page here.
If your interested in bringing this movie to your school or community in the fall, you can register your interest at this page.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! We add new videos regularly and you'll find over 100 videos covering parenting advice, guidance, podcasts, movie clips and more. Here's our most recent:
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I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Manoush Zomorodi, the brilliant tech journalist and host of TED Radio Hour, to talk about her new book Body Electric. (Listen to our conversation here in my latest podcast episode)
Manoush has spent years helping people think critically about their relationship with technology, from her early days at New Tech City and Note to Self to her "Bored and Brilliant" experiment with NPR listeners. She's the kind of thinker who doesn't just report on a problem; she builds a community around solving it.
Her latest focus is something that affects every single one of us who spends long hours in front of a screen: what all that sitting is actually doing to our bodies, and what we can do about it.
It started when Manoush heard about research by Dr. Keith Diaz, a physiologist at Columbia University Medical Center, regarding the minimum amount of movement the human body needs to avoid serious health consequences.
His lab found that five minutes of movement, such as walking, for every thirty minutes of sitting had outsized benefits. He found it cut blood glucose levels, lowered blood pressure, restored focus, and boosted mood and energy.
Inspired, Manoush partnered with Dr. Diaz and NPR to launch a massive citizen science experiment called Body Electric. They enrolled 20,000 people across three groups: movement breaks every 30 minutes, every hour, or every two hours. The results were striking.
Catherine Price’s “Rebel's Code” focuses on intentional technology use and prioritizing real-world friendship, freedom, and fun. Her book The Amazing Generation, co-written with Jonathan Haidt, introduces these concepts to children through interactive formats and teen perspectives. Research indicates that when adolescents understand how platforms are designed to exploit attention, they show greater motivation to limit their social media use.
READ MORE >
Many adults keep their phones by the bed — it feels harmless, even necessary. But what if that habit is quietly affecting our sleep and the example we set for our kids? In this week’s blog, Dr. Ruston shares two key things every parent should know about sleeping next to a phone, and how small nighttime tech changes can make a big difference for the whole family.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
