I’m going to be completely honest right now and tell you something.
I have a really hard time staying motivated to exercise.
Really really. Like, Sometimes I would rather be doing anything than that… And of course there’s always fun stuff I could be doing like sitting in my comfy chair playing WoW.
BUT exercise is so important to quality of life, to health and well being, and overall happiness.
It’s not something that should be skipped!
So I am all for ways to either make it fun, tolerable, motivating, or just plain doable.
Enter: multitasking. But not like the normal multitasking (which some say are bad for you) but fun multitasking.
People usually try to use a treadmill or exercise bike in front of the TV, but that doesn’t usually work for long. Unless you’re watching something special, it’s just not captivating enough to hold your attention through what is potentially misery, depending on how hard you’re working, or what you’re doing or your energy levels for the day.
What I recently discovered is this:
I could play a match of Hearthstone on my phone while exercising
I’ve played Hearthstone for a while now off and on, but it recently came out on Android phones, hence I HAD to get it.
Sooo… what I got to start doing was play this in-depth, concentration-intense, absolutely a blast (if you like these types of games) matches which takes about 10-15 minutes each, all while sitting in my chair, standing in line, or waiting in my car. Anywhere.
Standing, sitting, laying on the couch… you would think this would spell trouble for productivity, BUT what I discovered I could actually do is an entire leg workout during a match.
Wait, lemme emphasize that real quick:
An ENTIRE Leg Workout While Playing a Game!
While standing with my little game in hand, I could do squats, calf raises, leg raises, side leg raises, push backs, the works!
Switching off, I could get it done in pretty much one game match. And I was having fun to boot!
The next day I tried to get ambitious and do a ab routine during a match, but all of the movement during sit ups and crunches got weird. But it’s totally doable during planks and select other exercises.
So, that makes half of my workouts. Then just upper body during non-hearthstone-match times! Not bad!
Now, I’m not saying that you have to be into Hearthstone or card games for this to work. But most people have smart phones or some time of hand held game. So, just find one that’s fun, *exciting*, and quick to you! Don’t pick something that drags on forever. First of all, because that probably means it’s not intense, and secondly because it will just drag out your workouts.
Pick something quick and intense and have at it! Don’t let anything stop you!
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I can completely relate to this post, Wendy! Multitasking is almost like a way of life for me so it’s so nice to see this applied to working out. I have a pretty short attention span for repetitive tasks so I love the idea of getting physically active while finding something to simultaneously stimulate and engage the mind. That said, I’m off to try a leg workout as per your advice, smartphone still in hand! 🙂
lol that’s great! I take the TV approach; actually I mounted a shelf in front of our treadmill so I can watch Netflix while I walk. I have sucky balance so trying to do anything else physical, like playing a game, is an added challenge. I also find music helps, especially if I know enough words to sing badly to it!
Wendy, what a great idea about exercising whilst playing a game and I love that you are encouraging people to exercise.
As a enthusiastic exercise nut I have no problems exercising, but can see if I wanted to watch a good movie and hadn’t managed to get in the full amount of exercise I wanted to do for the day, I could do what you suggested and do some yoga as, I often neglect my upper body as I am a keen runner and run everyday!
Thanks for the idea
First of all, I wanted to say that I love your site and ideas! As a fellow gamer who is also trying to find ways to stay physically active, this is great!
I am mixed about the idea of playing while exercising… I see it both ways. I am not a huge fan of multitasking (although in this case, I think it’s okay because neither is a mentally stimulating task that needs uber focus, like project work, etc.) and feel that multitasking a workout with gaming could lead to less intense workouts than if one was focused on just the workout. That being said, it also depends on how active the person is to begin with…. If it gets one to move at all, then I think it’s great! Getting up is still better than nothing, even if the workout is less intense. Anything that makes a workout more motivating to do works for me – television, listening to inspiring audio, or gaming. So overall, I do agree that it’s a wonderful idea – it’s more of an exception in terms of my multitasking rules. Thanks for sharing!