World Of Warcraft: Fat-bottomed boys, you make the gaming world go 'round

You are not chubby!

You're just well-fed.

Maybe you are like me, in that, one day, after a few years of playing multiplayer online games, you looked down and saw something you had never seen before: a spare tire that seemed to be inflating before your very eyes!

Cripes!

I was devastated. I had never been overweight before. Hardcore gaming was beginning to take a severe toll on my body and I was beginning to feel the effects. I started becoming tired more often even though I had plenty of sleep throughout the week. I began to feel aches and pains I never felt before. I had dark circles under my eyes. I quit smoking around the time I first started playing online games, yet a few years later, I still had the same winded feeling I used to have if I climbed two or three flights of stairs. Something had to change.....and SOON. My lifestyle, eating habits, and attitude were all directly affecting the way I felt and they were beginning to affect my mood.

Gaming was not really the culprit. It was my addiction to them. That opened the doors to other addictions. I used to really enjoy smoking, drinking coffee, or eating a snack while I played, but I was overstimulated and distracted and did not realize how much I was indulging passively. My excersize equipment started collecting dust, compounding the effect.

Finally, I had enough!

I was sick and tired of feeling bad all the time. I wasn't about to let poor health creep up on me anymore, and I wasn't going to give up gaming to do it. I made it a point to myself to use my excersize equipment before I even turned on the computer, to enjoy the foods I always loved (in moderation), and to find a better balance between how much time I was spending in online games and how much time I was spending in real life with friends and family. I began researching what makes people feel better physically and emotionally, and this is what I found:

( Disclaimer - I am not a health expert or nutritionist, but I will share with you the things I found that really helped me feel better and look better without giving up too many of my favorite past times.)

1). Before I did anything in the morning, before I ate, read the paper, checked e-mail, etc, I did at least 20-30 minutes of good cardiovascular excersize. I would go for an early morning walk, ride my mountain bike, or if the weather was bad, I rode an indoor stationary bike.

Why?

Cardiovascular excersizes set your metabolism for the day. This helped me burn fat much faster, and is the reason I did it before I ate in the morning. Sit-ups alone will not help much. Once I had a good cardio workout, the food I ate was used more efficiently in my body. Personally, I would do a cardiovascular excersize then I would do a morning workout routine that was designed for the results I wanted, THEN I would eat. I would follow up later in the day with a little more excersize.

2). I ate healthy 5-6 days a week and let myself eat anything I wanted 1 or 2 days a week. This taught me more self-control, but I found the transition easier than I anticipated. I substituted snacks for things like oranges, apples, but especially yogurt (which I often shook hard in the container then froze it, to eat it like ice cream). I quit drinking coffee every single day. I ate 5 times a day instead of 3 times a day. I did because if you eat smaller portions throughout the day more times during the day, you use your food as fuel better and produce less waste.

3). I allocated a certain amount of time to my gaming then I was DONE. "Hey guys and girls, it's time for me to go. See ya later!" In the past I had spent a lot of time being lethargic within the games. I started using my game time more 'efficiently' without sacrificing any fun. Sometimes I would get up really early in the morning (5-7 A.M.) and do my excersize routine, then PK some people while I ate breakfast before work and level up later in the day for a couple hours with some friends.

4). I wrote down a weekly and daily list of things I needed to do and made sure I didn't play until I had at least finished most of the list. I felt a great deal better about the time I spent gaming, knowing I had accomplished something for the day.

5). I made it a point to add something new to my life on a daily and weekly basis. I didn't want to follow the same routine of going to work, gaming, and seeing a friend, family member, or girlfriend in there occassionally. I started getting out of the house more and doing more things like visiting museums, learning a new software program, new skills, a foreign language, or I would just read a book at a coffee house. The more things I did different in my life, the more significantly my life began to change as new opportunities arose.

6). I learned how to breathe better. Yeah, I know, this sounds a bit silly, but it is so crucial to good health. I heard something that really impressed how important good breathing is: Most computer users atrophy not just in their physical appearance, but also in the way they use their lungs. While sitting still for long periods of time, their breathing becomes very, very shallow adding to that lethargic, tired feeling. They don't take in enough oxygen deep into their lungs like someone who does regular cardiovascular excersize. Have you ever sprinted and felt you had a super-charged adrenaline rush? Or perhaps you got on your excersize bike half awake and half in a dream at 6 A.M. and when you got off 30 minutes later, you felt awake and ready to get on with your day?

I started researching breathing techniques when I heard a few facts about the effects of poor breathing on the body. The more oxygenated the body and bloodstream are, the less chance there is of malignant cells that can potentially become cancerous. I started doing breathing excersize 3 times a day, and felt my energy level skyrocket because of it.

7). I drank a TON of purified water and used fruits and vegetables for sources of pure water. Water made me feel full when I was hungry and since our bodies are made up mostly of water, it is the most important thing your body needs to survive (next to breathing).

8). I put some barbells next to my computer. Everytime I had to sit my character down and wait for endurance, power, or mana, I did a few arm curls. Think about how often you sit and wait till yer powered up in online games; think about how many arm curls you can do!

9). I started reading and listening to self-help books, MP3's, and other media. My lack of control of my body was due to the lack of control I had over the way I felt. Reading books by and listening to people like Anthony Robbins and Robert Kiyosaki really helped me simplify and get my life back in focus. Most everything by these people I heard were things I already knew, but had forgotten or had been lost to me by distractions over the years. I got my focus back.

These are just some of the things I did that helped me personally. I did also try some things like high protein/low carbohydrate/low fat diets with a regular excersize routine with the help of metabolic enhancers and creatine, but I would never recommend something like that to just anyone. Any kind of new diet or supplement should be discussed with a physician.

I am a much happier and healthier gamer these days because I eat better, accomplish more, have better relationships with my wife, family and friends, and use my gaming time more wisely. Maybe you can too if you find out what works for you. I have never met a person who couldn't use some improvement in their lifestyle or attitude. Hopefully something I have said will have some impact or at least get the gears turning!

On a final note, I would just like to express my enthusiasm about World of Warcraft because, considering everything I just stated above, I believe WoW to be the first game to really cater to people who have a REAL LIFE! Blizzard is boasting casual gameplay and they intend for us to maximize our gaming experience whether we have "30 minutes or 30 hours to dedicate to one play session." I am very hyped up about the amount of content they will have, their character and world design, their professionalism, but most of all, that casual gameplay really sells me. Far too often we have spent countless hours trying to get one 'bubble' of experience or just sat there staring at the screen while waiting for that painfully slow mana gauge to raise high enough for us to stand back up and play till it runs out all over again. I don't know about you, but I feel at a loss when I have spent several hours to gain that little bit of experience I sought when it carries no weight in the real world. Gaming is addictive, but instead of completely removing our obsession for MMORPG's in pursuit of being healthier and living longer, I just think (IMO) it's better to moderate and balance the fantasy with reality.

So, until we meet again,

"Get on yer bikes and ride!"