How to Improve Your Fitness When Online Gaming is Your One True Love

Online gaming is a hugely popular hobby that can actually have many benefits for you. Playing online games has been shown to reduce anxiety and panic attacks and being able to immerse yourself into the world of a game can do a lot for helping you relax after a long and stressful day.

However, online gamers need to be careful that they are not inadvertently damaging their health, for example by sitting or staring at a screen for too long. Thankfully, if online gaming is your biggest passion, there are several options to consider for improving your health and fitness without having to give up or even cut down on playing. 

Choose Brain Games

There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that some strategy games can help you exercise your brain and improve your mental sharpness. Playing games like poker, Tetris, and other strategy games can help improve your cognitive function and reduce your risk of developing conditions such as dementia later on in life.

However, it’s also a good idea to remember to get up and stretch your legs every once in a while, as you don’t want the adverse health effects of sitting for too long to counteract all the hard work you’ve been putting into exercising your brain. 

Get a VR Headset

Virtual reality games are one of the newest and most exciting options in the gaming industry today. VR gaming is fully immersive and allows you to lose yourself completely in the game.

And the best part is that VR headsets are becoming more and more available in the mainstream, such as the Oculus Quest II that you can buy for just a few hundred dollars.

There are plenty of VR games you can play to keep you moving and get loads of physical activity while having fun, including Pistol Whip, Beat Saber, Superhot, Fruit Ninja and more. 

Outdoor Games

Outdoor-based games like Pokémon Go are a fun way to keep you moving and tear you away from your gaming chair and computer screen. Pokémon Go really took off when it was first released a few years back, and it’s still going strong today with many dedicated players looking far and wide to find the rarest Pokémon.

Along with being a fun way to encourage yourself to get outside, go for a walk in the local park and get some fresh air, playing Pokémon go can be a fun and social experience with friends and family too. 

Consoles and Fitness Games

Many consoles today such as the Nintendo Switch or an Xbox with a Kinect accessory are perfect for playing fitness games to get you moving.

Ring Fit is a fun option if you like boxing since it allows you to experience all the movements of being in the ring without getting knocked out. Or if you like to dance, the Just Dance games for Xbox are perfect for making moves in your living room. 

Online gaming might get a bad rep for having people sat down for hours at a time, but there are plenty of fun ways to use gaming to get yourself moving more.