Now, you might be thinking to yourself, “Summer is when I’m going to show everyone that I have changed for the better, but for now, True Blood is on, and I have to watch this new episode.”

Summer is a time when we can expand on our potentials, where we participate at our internships or have a summer job to make some cash; however, I’ve seen and personally been a part of the other side of summer and its laziness.

It’s funny because right after school is out most of us are in that relaxation state of mind for a little while before we start our summer jobs or internships.

Take my story for instance. I have a summer job and an internship close by, but I’m not always scheduled to work and my internship isn’t every day. Also, most of my friends are in another state for camp, work, internships and anything else that people do when they go away for the summer.

I found myself being lazier than I anticipated – not that I haven’t gotten any work done, but sometimes work is too fast and nothing becomes a very slow reality. Sometimes we work, but afterwards, we have nothing to do except one thing: sit around and think about what we want to do.

During my lazy days, I decided that this is not how I anticipated my summer to go. I have to find myself something to do to kill some time and to be productive as well because I had discovered that sitting around can actually be hazardous to your health.

According to an article written by National Public Radio, if you’re sitting, your muscles are not contracting, except while typing. However, major muscles, like those in your legs and back, are just relaxing. Your metabolism slows down when these major muscles aren’t moving.

We as people need to be active. We can’t always find something to do; it can be out of our control, but there’s always an activity. If you find yourself with nothing to do, go try and work out, or go swimming.

Still haven’t found anything? Try taking up a new hobby. I recently took up drums and have found myself jogging more often now, and I feel great. Most hobbies will get you off the seat, but most importantly, you’re literally improving your life.

Summer laziness can slowly kill; it’s all a matter of what you can actively do to prevent this from happening.

Seth Cohen is a senior news major.

Contact him at [email protected].