If you are a gamer, you’ve probably heard the same sentence over and over again, “Get up and work out more, start living a healthier life.” It’s either your parents or your inner voice, but whatever the case, these thoughts prevent you from relaxing and having a decent gaming session.
So, I have decided to share a few things about how to spend a lot of time playing video games and not feel guilty about it. At the same time, I’ll give you some useful tips to help you stay healthy and fit.
Common problems
First of all, there are problems that occur due to a lack of physical activity, and there are problems like common illnesses, which can still prevent you from having some quality gaming time. Both problems are common with gamers, since most of the day, they spend their time sitting and playing. An unhealthy diet and lifestyle are very likely to cause them to come down with some sort of illness.
It is important to build up a good immunity system so that you do not go down with things like a common cold, a fever, a headache, stomach pain, back pain, obesity, etc. Luckily, there are easy remedies for all these common problems that can help you live a little longer, so there is nothing to be too alarmed about, if they do happen.
However, these problems may be tolerable now, but as far as the future is concerned, you should be alarmed. In order to secure a healthier future, you will have to alter your routine a bit and adopt a few healthier habits.
Of course, the point of all these tips is to still allow you to enjoy video games, so that you can win on both fronts. The point is to maybe lose some weight and prevent obesity and get more activity in general. Sitting is really bad for your heart, and you do need a more resilient immune system.
Hydrate
You might spend hours behind a screen and drink maybe two glasses of water at best. That’s really not even close to how much you really need. So, always have a bottle of water right next to you, and one of those vitamin pills, or magnesium pills. One glass of water can be consumed with the pill, and you should do your best drink some water every half an hour. When you need to go to the bathroom, use that time to stretch a bit and to take a small break.
With the constant intake of new fresh water, you reduce the chances of headaches and your body is more active in terms of filtering out all the bad stuff. Also, you need to replenish your supplements, and magnesium is one of the most important elements for our metabolism.
Staying active
As you can see, simply taking more water won’t solve your problem, and even with couple of extra bathroom breaks, there is still a long way to go. You probably love to invest in gaming equipment, like chairs, mouse pads, new keyboards, etc. Well, if you play on consoles, you can get an exercise bike and paddle as you play.
You are still in one place, your legs are more active and it will hardly make your gaming time more difficult. Furthermore, you will remember to hydrate since your body will want water. In case you feel like it is difficult to play video games as you paddle. It’s simply a new challenge and an obstacle to overcome.
As far as PC gamers are concerned, there is a treadmill desk you can try out. It’s a bit more challenging than a bike, since you don’t get to dictate the pace, but again, it is noting a true gamer cannot manage. With this kind of play time, you get to level up with your character and gain strength and stamina together, so it’s definitely worth a shot.
Stretch
As mentioned, sitting is really doing a number on your health, and you need to get the blood running. Luckily, games nowadays give you plenty of time to take a small break and stretch. There are loading screens in each game, so you have a time window to stand up and move a bit. There are waiting queues, where you wait other players to join in a multi-player game, and you also wait for them to either pick a character, or manage other features until the game starts.
Also, in games, you die and wait for the respawn, so put that time to good use. After all, it’s a nice incentive to stay alive longer in game if you punish yourself with 5-10 push-ups after each death.
Sleeping
Considering how your eyes are constantly exposed to the screen, it is not too surprising that you are having a hard time falling asleep. By following the tips mentioned before, you should get a bit more exhausted, and therefore, you’ll be able to fall asleep more easily.
Unfortunately, that may not always be the case, and even if you are tired, falling asleep on time might prove difficult, and if you are to stay healthy, you need to have a healthy sleep cycle. So, you should stop playing one hour before bedtime to allow your eyes to rest. This gives you some time to do a 10-15 minute stretch exercise and relax.
You can also eat food that will help you fall asleep more easily, but make sure you eat at least 2-3 hours before you turn in. You can eat some light snacks like cheese and crackers, almonds, walnuts, lettuce, or pretzels. Canned tuna, cereals and rice are good options for dinner meals, if you want to fall asleep quickly.
You can add chamomile tea or passion fruit tea as an after meal drink. Sweeten your tea with some honey, and you’ve created an awesome “sleepy time combo”.
Workout games
Finally, the games you choose to play can also reflect on your lifestyle and health. Gamers tend to frown upon video games made for Nintendo Wii and for Kinect, but these are actually really fun games to play with your friends. They require you to stand up and move around, and they will have you sweating like crazy in no time.
Like I said, these are fun games to play when friends are around, since there is little joy or entertainment when you jump in your room all alone. In other words, you should organize friendly gatherings more often and play some of these games. You will see how they will slowly draw out your competitive side, and very soon, you’ll find yourself actually trying to be better, and you’ll be putting in extra effort.
Well, we hope this helps you out and inspires you to alter your lifestyle a bit. As you can see, it will only take up a small portion of your gaming time, but you’ll be far more active, healthier, and you will socialize more. Games are truly an amazing art form and we should all enjoy them, but let’s not forget about our health, since it is also kind of important.
Featured photo credit: https://pixabay.com/en/users/superanton-303885/ via pixabay.com
