The gaming lifestyle, the mere mention almost sounds a bit, well, confounding. What is a gaming lifestyle? Its as simple as someone who games, right?
Sure, gaming is the centerpiece of gaming. But gaming itself often becomes an obsession and sometimes, addiction. This can have repercussions on the gamer’s life. We’re looking into ways to create balance and harmony between the gamer and their inherent lifestyle.
Understanding The Gamer Lifestyle
Gamers dig playing games. They love to play the ones they love, they enjoy finding new ones they love, or don’t love. Gamers are drawn to gameplay because, it’s fun. Also, it’s competitive. It’s a lifestyle that brings in new people, sometimes friends, less times, significant others. You get the idea.
There are many common misconceptions regarding gamers. One is that their antisocial. But as mentioned, many gamers vibe with the social networking aspect that gaming involves. Lots of multi-player games require teamwork.
Another misconception is that they’re unhealthy. The vision of gamers sitting all day in a big swag chair with a massive Monster energy drink and some Cheetos often mares our vision of who the gamer is. Look, gaming has some associated unhealthy aspects, such as the sedentary nature of it. We’re gonna get into that. But many gamers love working out, taking walks or runs, hikes, and more.
Most misconceptions in life are inaccurate due to their widespread engulf of “all.” But that doesn’t mean some aspects aren’t occurring. That’s where we’ll focus.
Balancing Gaming with Work/Study
The obsessive nature of gaming can cause hindrances to work and school. All that time focused on a game is time not working, or not studying. Hobbies are great to have. No one should work or study all hours of the day.
However, one must prioritize the things that enrich our lives, such as our income and our education, at a higher level.
Its a good idea to audit your time and create schedules. Dedicate time to study, time to work, and time to gaming.
Nutrition for Gamers
When you’re hobby is sedentary, it’s pretty easy to pick up bad eating habits. Processed foods are an easy grab when you’re sitting in a chair. Its kind of hard to eat a chicken breast and salad while gaming, but it’s much easier to eat Doritos. And when you feel exhausted, you’ll grab for whatever is convenient and quick.
The key here is to break the bad habits. Once you start eating while gaming, you form a habit that your mind becomes accustomed to. Break the habit by deciding that meals are a separate space in your life. Understand that eating correctly and healthy will help you excell at gaming. Good nutrition gives you an advantage in gaming.
Take the downtime, make sure you eat properly and separate from your gaming console.
Of course, don’t starve yourself. If you’re too obsessed with a game to stop and eat, you need to promptly re-examine your relationship with gaming. Nutrition should always remain a top priority in everyone’s lives, gamers or not.
Physical Activity and Gaming
We go back to the sedentary aspect of gaming. Most games involve sitting in a chair for hours on end. That’s not great for your posture, or your weight, or your heart.
You need to move.
And moving starts with taking walks. Always make sure, as a very basic concept, that you take walking breaks.
Even better, you should schedule in weekly gym time. Daily is best, but find what works for you, so long as it is consistent.
Here’s some pointers:
- Set a Timer: For every hour of gaming, take a 5-minute break to stand, walk around, and stretch.
- Game on the Move: Consider investing in a standing desk or treadmill desk if it’s within your budget. Alternatively, try doing some bodyweight exercises like squats or lunges while gaming.
- Exercise During Load Times: Use loading screens or matchmaking times as an opportunity to do quick exercises like push-ups, jumping jacks, or yoga poses.
Conclusion
It’s not complicated. Get moving. Eat away from your gaming console and make it healthy. Interact more with people in “real life.” The more you pay attention to improving your overall health, the better a gamer you’ll become.