As a PC gamer, you know how easy it is to sit in front of your computer and let four, five, or six hours pass without even glancing at the clock. And while it may be fun to enjoy a lengthy binge session of gaming, it’s certainly not healthy.
To establish some healthy balance in your life, you must make smarter choices when it comes to diet, fitness, and your overall lifestyle.
Making Healthier Choices
According to a study of more than 1,000 self-identified gamers, most are quick to admit that gaming isn’t great for their health. In fact, just 14 percent of survey respondents say it has a positive impact on their health. Nearly 61 percent of gamers believe their video game habits hurt their overall health – and they would be correct.
Separate research shows that video game addiction is a real problem in American society – particularly among children and adolescents – and it’s creating an unhealthy escape/distraction from the real world.
But it’s not just the mental health side of things that worries health professionals. The adverse impact on physical health is equally concerning.
If you’re a gamer – meaning you spend at least five hours per week playing video games – then it’s time to think about your health and how you can live a healthier lifestyle.
Here are a few suggestions and strategies we recommend implementing.
- Change Up Your Posture
“Posture has an important role in muscle efficiency, breathing, mobility and injury prevention,” 1HP.org explains. “When we have poor posture, our muscles have to work harder to hold our bodies up, we have more labored breathing, our overall mobility is affected and we increase our risk for several musculoskeletal injuries.”
Unfortunately, most PC gamers have poor posture, which includes a hunched back, rounded shoulders, and forward head. Over time, this posture creates back and neck problems, shoulder pain, and even trouble breathing. By adopting a more upright posture, you can alleviate most of these issues. The cure for this would be to find some legit brands of gaming chairs.
The spine should be parallel to the back of your computer desk chair. Your shoulders should be pulled back, which will simultaneously push your chest out. Hold your chin up and keep your wrists level (your keyboard should be at the same height as your chair’s armrests).
- Eat Healthier Meals
Most video gamers have poor diets. In order to save time on preparation, they either pop frozen meals into the microwave or have some type of fast food delivered (neither of which are healthy options). Unfortunately, a poor diet impacts everything from digestive health to focus and concentration.
By eating healthier meals, you can fuel your body with the right vitamins and nutrients to promote regularity, reduce chronic pain, and keep you energized. It’s also recommended that you eat four or five smaller portioned meals throughout the day, as opposed to two or three large meals (which your body has trouble properly digesting).
- Take Nutritional Supplements
Even with a proper diet, there are certain vitamins and nutrients that you may need more of. As someone who spends a lot of time inside, vitamin D is likely on this list.
“Vitamin D is one of the four fat soluble vitamins needed by us and works on a number of important factors in our body,” explains Lyfboat, an online platform that connects patients with reputable doctors. “It not only plays a significant role in maintain bone density, bone mineralization, muscular strength, immune function, but also for regulation of other biomolecules and regulatory genes.”
In order to balance out a vitamin D deficiency – or any deficiency for that matter – take nutritional supplements. When combined with a healthy diet, this is a great way to get your health back on track.
- Get at Least 30 Minutes of Outdoor Exercise
Finally, make sure you’re getting at least half an hour of physical activity per day – and preferably outdoors. Whether it’s a walk around the neighborhood, a bike ride, or playing tennis with a friend, there’s something powerful about going outside and getting your heart rate up.
Living a Healthier Life
It takes effort to live a healthy lifestyle. However, if you’re going to continue playing PC games on a regular basis, you must do something to counteract the negative impact it has on your mental and physical health. By applying some of the tips outlined in this article, you can take practical steps toward living a happier and healthier life. Don’t delay!
