Videogame players are stereotyped as a bundle of unhealthy habits, one of the biggest obstacles to more people accepting esports as sporting events. Esports teams, sponsors, and fans are combatting this stereotype and medical conditions caused by sedentary hobbies by improving health habits. None of the tips and tricks for improving health are quick and easy at first glance, but when you start small, you can quickly build habits and see tremendous results. You can even find health checklists and articles published by esports champions and officials.
Food and Nutrition
While the gamer stereotype shows a lot of sugary sodas and bags of chips, reality shows a more varied diet with a mix of healthy and unhealthy foods. To improve your nutrition for your activities, it is essential to see what common health conditions develop for those in that group. For instance, many gamers will develop back and joint problems from poor posture and extended periods of sitting. To counteract this in your diet, you will want to add a collagen with dermaval supplement, which improves joint and bone health.
Sleep and Time Limits
Setting limits for your game time benefits your joints and posture as you ensure you get up and move around periodically. Use these limits to rest your eyes from the screen to combat eye strain and the headaches that can cause. Having a scheduled time to stop playing for the day can also improve your sleep, which will help improve your overall health and wellness. Sleep is essential in waking up for appointments the next day, repairing damaged cells, and letting your brain “reset” between days. Sleep deprivation can be deadly, so set gaming limits designed to nurture healthy sleep habits.
Posture and Physical Activity
Whether you work at a desk all day or play games while sitting for extended periods, you can develop poor posture, back problems and circulation issues from your body settling into the position. To counteract this effect and prevent those issues from developing, standing up and moving around every twenty to thirty minutes during a session is beneficial. This can mean leaving the setup to get a drink or taking a more extended break, but it can also mean standing at your station and moving or stretching your legs while playing. Investing in ergonomic chairs, keyboards and mouse sets will also help optimize your posture for health.
Warmups and Stretches
It is crucial to remember that various government health and work-related agencies suggest that you do warmups and stretches before beginning any work or activity, even if you will be sitting at a desk or on a couch for the duration. Not only does this help stave off the harmful effects of settling into one position for extended periods, but it can also release tension in your neck, arms and shoulders that you did not realize you had and keep you from feeling stiff and sore after gaming.
Rewards and Relationships
One key health factor is forming and maintaining healthy relationships, not just with the people around you, but with hobbies, work and other tasks. An unhealthy relationship with gaming does not have to mean an addiction to it; you can also have an unhealthy relationship with a game if it leaves you feeling tense and angry if you hyperfocus on it without meaning, and if it interferes with other relationships in your life. To combat this, you can use game time as a reward for different tasks or for meeting benchmarks and goals in other aspects of life.
Being a gamer is often associated with an unhealthy lifestyle. This association is becoming less realistic as more esports teams and casual gamers focus on improving mental and physical health. You can boost your health by warming up before long sessions, standing and moving around often and having proper nutrition. There are even advice articles from esports professionals on improving your diet, exercise and posture to compete internationally.
Leave a Reply