But getting to the finish line before someone online spoils the show is something most people try. If you must binge-watch, here are a few things you can do to reduce its harmful effects.

1. Binge-Watch on the Treadmill

Walking as you catch up with your favorite TV shows is a healthy way of keeping up with your daily step count. You can maintain a very slow or moderate walking pace on a treadmill for a good hour, even if you’re invested in the show, you’re watching.

Since most shows run for 10 hours per season, you can take a break every hour, then hop onto the treadmill again for slow-walking the next hour. This helps you stay mobile while binge-watching, combat weight gain and belly fat accumulation, and other serious health issues from sitting too long.

2. Have Small Weights or Stress Balls by Your Side

When you’re supine or reclining on the couch watching TV, have small weights or stress balls by your side. Use these to strengthen your arms, forearms, and hands and work your radial muscles. Even if you do not have any exercise equipment handy, perform a few easy hand exercises to boost strength and mobility.

It’s not a vigorous activity, yet something manageable that you can perform instead of staying totally immobile as you binge-watch.

3. Eat Before Binge-Watching or Have Healthy Snacks

Binger-eating, carb cravings, and other unhealthy eating habits are some ways too much binge-watching is damaging your health. You can avoid this to a large extent by having a filling meal before you begin your binge-watching session. The temptation to reach for carbs is much lower as you are already satiated. If not completely avoidable, you’ll be eating less than you do.

Alternatively, you can load up your pantry with healthy snacks like fruits, granola bars, etc., so you only have healthy options to satisfy your binge-eating pangs.

4. Try the Leg-Up-the-Wall Pose (Only if You’re Fit to Do So)

People get into all kinds of positions while binge-watching, why not try one that alleviates a few physical problems? Try the leg-up-the-wall pose for 15 to 20 minutes every hour or two to keep that belly fat away. This pose helps relieve stress and foot cramps, calms your mind, alleviates backaches, and provides many circulatory benefits.

5. Track Your Binge-Watching Time

If you’re having trouble controlling your impulses, seek external help with technology. Use free time-tracking tools to record your daily activities. Put a cap on your daily binge-watching duration and set alerts that prompt you to switch off the TV or close the streaming tab when you reach your daily limit.

Take trusted friends or family into the loop by letting them get the alerts to check in on you and ensure you’re following through with your limited screen time resolve.

6. Perform Microtasks

Many microtasks do not require much movement or concentration that you can attend as you binge-watch. Having a list of things to do will make your screen time more productive.

Teeth flossing, manicures and pedicures, oil massages, clipping nails, face yoga, vegetable chopping for meal prep, etc., are a few things you can add to your list to get more out of your binge-watching sprees.

7. Make It a Social Affair

While it’s not always feasible to have a crowd of fellow TV enthusiasts to watch along with you, you can use social media apps to make friends online and create watch parties with individuals interested in the same shows.

Making binge-watching a social affair has better benefits than watching TV by yourself. You’ll be interacting with other human beings, while the follow-up discussions will keep you away from continued binge-watching. It will also prevent you from binge-bonding with fictional characters.

8. Limit Your Binge-Watching to Daytime

Exposure to blue light emitted by screens can lead to premature aging, disturbed circadian rhythms, and negatively affect your productivity. These are three compelling reasons to limit binge-watching to daytime to minimize the stress on your body.

Alternatively, you can use blue light filtering apps to limit your exposure. These apps will also help you sleep better.

9. Avoid Lying Down When You Binge-Watch

Reclining and getting into a supine position help the body relax. While this is good for you generally, staying in these positions for long hours is not good for your muscles. If you’re binge-watching in the supine position, you’re straining your eyes while denying your body the downtime it requires for muscle repair as it relaxes.

Minimize this damage by making it a rule to binge-watch only in a sitting position. This will also help you cut down your screen time.

10. Use an Incentive Spirometer

According to Cleveland Clinic, an incentive spirometer, aka a respirometer, is a device that helps you exercise your lungs and build your upper chest muscles. It doesn’t require much except sitting straight, holding the lightweight respirometer and performing the inhale-exhale exercise. It’s an excellent way to combat the loss of stamina and constant fatigue due to binge-watching for long durations.

Although a respirometer is usually recommended to patients with pulmonary complications, you can use it to improve your breathing and airflow capacity.

Adopt Healthy Binge-Watching Habits

The best way to reduce the harmful effects of binge-watching is to avoid it altogether. Since that’s not possible if you want to keep pace with your favorite shows, make your binge-watching sprees healthier by using the tips shared above.

It’s crucial to pick up good screen time habits as binge-watching can cause many health-related issues that people aren’t aware of.