Checking email 10 times a day. Tweeting 20 times a day. Texting 50 times a day. It's all a ginormous time suck, that's for sure. And "not enough time" is the No. 1 excuse people use for eating junk and not exercising.

But, wait! There are terrific fitness programs online to help you train smarter, eat cleaner and exercise more. Tweeting has its upside and downside, as well. It dumbs-down deep thinking, but it also lifts up the spirits of people fighting for freedom. Facebook fosters instant, global connections at the same time it redefines and degrades what it is to be — truly, personally — a friend. And sexting — raunchy messages and porno pix mostly sent between kids — seems to be a growing menace, but menace is a word from the fuddy-duddy era of manual typewriters, while sexting is now celebrated by teens as a form of safe sex.

I'm too young to give up. I have to Facebook up to my confusion and struggle to find the middle way between too much social media and not enough. We all do. And that's why I found Lori Deschene's tweeting advice in the spring edition of Tricycle magazine so helpful.

"The greatest lesson we can all learn is that less is enough," writes @Tiny Buddha, founder of www.tinybuddha.com. "If you propose to tweet, always ask yourself: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?"

Deschene believes in using social media mindfully, as opposed to endlessly. Are you obsessively addicted to email? Do you feel too tied to technology while squeezed for time to live the life you want? Here are some of her tips to help you calm your brain, save your thumbs and get back in balance:

— PRACTICE LETTING GO. It may feel unkind to ignore some tweets or updates, but to be kind to ourselves, we need downtime — time away from technology. Give yourself permission to let yesterday's stream go by.

— BE YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF. Talk/tweet/email about the things that really matter to you. If you need advice or support, ask for it. Ego-driven tweets focus on an agenda; authenticity communicates from the heart.

— OFFER RANDOM TWEETS OF KINDNESS. Every now and then Deschene asks on Twitter: "Is there anything I can do to help or support you today?" It's her way of connecting personally to followers, her way of giving without expectations of anything in return, both very nurturing to the spirit.

— EXPERIENCE NOW, SHARE LATER. Next time you're inclined to snap a picture with your phone, upload it to Facebook or email it to a friend, pause and reflect: This is keeping me from being in the moment. The less digital narration, the more present you can be.

— BE ACTIVE, NOT REACTIVE. Instead of having your day constantly interrupted by activity alerts on your social media accounts, decide to choose when you want to join the conversation. This is another way of saying, use social media sparingly.

— ENJOY SOCIAL MEDIA. Social media is here to stay. Our job is to use it in a way that helps us feel present and purposeful, not obsessed and addicted. Have fun with it. Follow your instincts. If you're mindful when you're disconnected from technology, you have all the tools you need to be mindful when you go online.

If these tips sound good to you, but you're not sure how to start, follow the advice of Tim Ferriss, the celebrated author of "The 4-Hour Workweek," a smash hit of a book that has some very good ideas about how to make life less stressful, more healthy. To cope with the constant crush of email, Ferriss suggests you set up an automatic reply that tells senders you only check your in-box twice a day, at noon and at 4 p.m. WHAT! What will people think?

Don't worry. They'll get over it. They'll think you're trying to get your life under control.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! MY IDEA OF GLEE-MAIL

"Thank you for your email. Sadly, it will be deleted. To regain sanity, I am taking a break from email until March. If it is still relevant, please email me again in the month of March." — Timothy Ferriss

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com.