The NBA All-Star Weekend recently ended and March Madness will soon be upon us, so I have been playing a lot of 2k19 to prepare. When I'm not posterizing the NBA's greatest, I have been game hopping. Call of Duty Black Ops 4, Apex, and Marvel's Spider-Man have been the trio of games that I cycle through. When I need a break from draining three pointers (2k19) I swap to something where I can go head-to-head in a gun fight or surround and conquer with my squad (COD Black Ops 4 and Apex), and when I need a break from that I web swing through New York City to take in the scenery (Spider-Man).
I have been doing more live streaming and collecting gameplay for a video competition. But when I eventually need to step away from the console, I exercise. With my basement "gym" and a new Planet Fitness membership, I am dedicating more time to another passion. Fitness. All-day long I am exposed to individuals who have reached a level of health and fitness that I desire to be at. I subscribe to various online news sources and websites that provide me with new workout ideas, updates on injured professional athletes, and times of upcoming sporting events. Athletes like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Tom Brady, Mat Fraser, and Kaelin Poulin make their way into my newsfeed daily.
When I get home, I see video game characters that have insane speed, strength, and stamina. My gaming room is covered with posters of Marvel superheroes and on the tv screen, I see Kratos (God of War), Spider-Man, Zangief (Street Fighters), and Zarya (Overwatch) battling foes with blinding speed and bulging muscles. Regardless of whether the people I am seeing are real athletes or video game characters, they serve as inspirations.
As gamers are we geeks? Nerds? Dorks? Maybe... probably... I know I am, but that doesn't mean we need to fit the stereotype from the 90s and early 2000s. We aren't dungeon monsters living in our parents' basements, covered in acne and pizza grease, too fat to make our way upstairs to see the sunlight. We may live in our parents' basements (hey, we're money savers), we may have acne (life's a bitch sometimes), and we might be a little chubby in places (FOOD IS DELICIOUS), but we are individuals who are alive and enjoying life.
I am setting a goal for myself, not to become less of a geeky gamer, not to change who I am, but to change some of my habits. Fitness is truly a passion of mine, I am currently working on attaining my personal trainer's license, but I also want to live a healthy life. Why?! So I can continue playing video games up into my 80s! I am not trying to change you either, but I am going to challenge you. So here is my challenge:
1. Find a notebook, piece of paper, sticky note, or gum wrapper and write down two goals. One gaming goal and one health goal. Example: I would like to stream for at least ten hours this coming month and go to the gym every day for at least one full week.
2. Tell someone your goals. It's always good to have your squad for backup.
3. Plan how you could achieve your goals. Don't go guns blazing right into battle. This isn't a battle royale. Formulate a strategy to reach the objective.
4. Work towards your goal.
Try this for two weeks and see what results you get. Do you accept my challenge? Try it. Pretend it's a new game series you've never played before. You've heard good things about it but haven't had the chance to try it... until now. Be you. Be healthy. Be a gamer. Be great. If you try this challenge and really try, I guarantee you'll see results and positive changes in your habits within two weeks... a fortnight. You'll be fit in a Fortnite. Good luck and may the force be with you.
"Age of the geek baby!" - Alec Hardison
*If you're looking for some exercise ideas check out the photo section below.
Some great at-home exercises include crunches, sit-ups, push-ups (different variations), lunges (different variations), squats, burpees, jogging in place, and mock jump roping. Look around online for "bodyweight workouts."
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