Is Pokemon Go Paleo?

pokeman-pic-279x300.pngI was sitting in my rocking chair, morning coffee in hand, when I started seeing tweets about something called Pokemon Go. As I pieced together things from my Twitter timeline, I started to figure out that some sort of new app had been released, and with it, people were chasing virtual Pokemon characters. Moreover, they were leaving their couches and their houses to do so. People of all ages — kids, teens, parents, and even much-older-than-parents were out trolling the streets, looking for elusive imaginary and invisible characters, with their trusty smartphones glued to their hands, and their eyes equally as glued to their blue-light screens.

Days went on and Pokemon Go did not go away. I started seeing articles pop up on news websites with headlines that implied that Pokemon Go was dangerous (because people could inadvertently walk into traffic) and brilliant (because people who never wanted to move were moving!). People were saying that Pokemon Go was the most popular app, and the first of its kind. It was causing people to exercise without knowing they were exercising. Businesses were getting a boost from being “Pokestops” where people could come, patronize, and pick up a Pokemon.

Now, I confess, I have not tried Pokemon Go. I haven’t even so much as looked at the app. But I have read a number of articles about it, and I have followed a number of people on Twitter who got caught up in this new phenomenon. Through it all, I could not help but feeling sad, and old. I’m only 31, but I remember a day when people went outside to do things because they wanted to be outside. They wanted to spend time in nature, or with friends, or sightseeing. They wanted to breathe fresh air. Now, a number of people “only” want to go places so that they can catch their Pokemons.

walking-outside-with-friends-sm-300x200.jpgPaleo people, our cavemen ancestors are surely spinning in their stone-etched graves. Sure, cavemen arguably didn’t have televisions, internet, or smartphones, but they certainly didn’t find their motivation for fitness or nature time from a smartphone app. While I believe there are many benefits to computers and smartphones and technology, I also strongly believe that we as humans need to regularly unplug. We need to find ways to exercise and connect with nature that have nothing to do with smartphones. We need to slow the pace down, both internally and externally, and we need to disconnect from our need to always be connected.

Am I saying you’re a Paleo fraud if you’ve played Pokemon Go? Yes! (Kidding!)

digital-detox-sm-300x300.jpgIn truth, while I’ve not played Pokemon Go, I am not truly vilifying it. But I do wonder, and grieve a little, at our society that has become so attached at the hip to smartphones and technology that such a dramatic difference in activity levels was noticed because of the launch of an app that may as well have been chasing imaginary friends across town. In an age of over-connectedness and over-sharing, I hope that we can still find time to disconnect, decompress, and delight in the outside world — without a smartphone in our hands.

Aimee McNewAimee McNew

Aimee McNew, MNT, CNTP, is a certified nutritionist who specializes in women’s health, thyroid disorders, autoimmunity, and fertility. She is the author of The Everything Guide to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: A Healing Plan for Managing Symptoms Naturally (Simon & Schuster, 2016). Follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.