Health & Fitness Tools

My Exercise Regimen Involved Playing Video Games

12th March, 2011 - Posted by health news - No Comments

For many years I struggled with my weight. The extra weight never seemed to go away even though I tried several food regimens that said they would work. I joined a gym at some point, but let my membership lapse. The fitness club was something I would pass by without bothering to go in. The way I looked was set in stone and I was not going to be able to get to a healthy weight no matter what. Suddenly I was given the opportunity to make a difference.

I was reading an article and in the article was a advertisement for how to get a free xbox 360 and rather than ignoring it like I normally would I checked it out, filled out the information and a month or so later was notified that I had won and I would be receiving my new Xbox in just a short while so I decided that I would look into the best ways for me to use this new system so that I could get the most out of my unexpected windfall.

I had played video games when I was a kid, but this was something new. These games were more interactive. The way I moved controlled the action on the screen. It required more than fast thumbs to succeed with this system. That meant I was going to get some physical activity. I figured that if the games were fun it could be a way for me to get the exercise that I so badly needed. I checked out the various fitness titles for the gaming system and was able to settle on one.

I decided to do a little extra work. I started to do some research on the right way to lose weight. I watched the Biggest Loser and saw people change their lives and drop a lot of weight. Knowing that others have been successful made me want to succeed also. I found out that through a good diet and exercise a person can get into shape. I knew that I had to make those changes to get healthy.

I decided to modernize my program by including the advancements that science had provided me with. By using a motion controlled game, I could not use some of the excuses that I had used before. No longer could I use the excuse of waiting until it was nicer out if I wanted to start exercising. It was going to be done in the comfort of my own living room. I also started to use my computer to keep a journal. I could write about what was going on with my fitness regimen. In the computer, I wrote what I hoped to accomplish. I also recorded the results of what I did. It was repetitive because the game I was using did some of the same things.

My wife and kids became involved when they saw how much fun the console was. Anytime I turned the game on to workout my children would be moving right along with me. Another person who decided to join in was my wife. We were going to get healthy as a family.

The next step we took was to find ways to eat food that would help us get healthier and did not have any trouble finding this information. The recipes were lower in fat and calories. A family diary was created to monitor what we ate. Knowing what we were eating made it harder for anyone to cheat. We found out that we actually could cook and it was something that was a lot of fun to do.

Many months have passed since we received our kinect system and it has been great as I have taken off much of my extra weight and kept it off and because the system was free and we did not spend much on games, and due to the fact that eating healthier was actually cheaper, we are in better financial shape as well. That is always a positive.