Gamers Have "The Bodies Of 60-Year Old Chain Smokers"

Ok, it's interesting and all, but for some reason it makes me defensive. I mean, sure, I could be out riding my bike, hiking, or at the gym. But I trade some of that time for the computer.

At the same time, say you spend most days in a boat, drinking beer and fishing. Sure, you're outside and the is SOME physical activity, but there doesn't seem to be all that much criticism of deeply tanned, gigantic beer-gutted fisherman.

And while you could say that there are perfectly fit fisher-people, you can just as easily say there are perfectly fit gamers.

And maybe fishing is a bad hobby to use as an example. But:

Reading
Collecting things - stamps, coins, whatever
Building Models
Board games

Well ***over here in Ireland we call jogging sprinting . At least the County where I'm from lol . So yea jogging is what I've meant ;p .

Oh yeah jogging a mile shouldn't be too much of a problem even if you are totally out of shape. Unless you are like really really really out of shape. Then again I knew sprinters who were in good shape who would whine everytime they were asked to run more than 200 meters at a time.

Really half of running is your mindset. Just pretend it is a Nike commercial and just do it. Or just ride your bike or walk to work some days.

I walk about a mile to the liquor store when it's nice out. So that's like 2 miles 3-4 times/week of exercise. That definitely counts.

Whats the world Record for a mile isn't it like just over 4min?

For average ppl you should be able to run a mile in about 7~8 min.

Not particularly surprising, the Human body is an incredibly efficient machine, in that if you don't "Use it" you "Lose it". There needs to be some kind of constant strain on the body to keep it's fitness (or strength) levels from deteriorating.

Throw in lack of proper rest, often heavy energy drink consumption and a diet consisting of Mountain Dew $ Hot Pockets, and you have yourself some issues indeed.

One thing I would argue, is that being an avid gamer should have a positive effect on your (Car) insurance rates, if we react as fast as a *** Fighter Pilot barreling through the Sky's at 1,000KPH

I'd be willing to bet that there are more healthy gamers than there are people who are eating fast food all the time.

i have to run up and down stairs constantly to get food, bathroom breaks, and the phone while i play FF. Stairs are hard work after all!

I used to spend 8 hours a day on this god damn game thank God account got stolen . Even though I don't play this shitty website holds me back lol . I used to be REALLY REALLY out of shape even though I looked allright . Even an hour walk a day will do .

I don't think they're saying gaming is the devil, rather than gamers themselves can sometimes have some messed up priorities. The article was remarkably fair. The study also seemed to be set up well, if you follow the link to the actual scientific text.

Working in the gaming industry, I'm actually a pretty fierce opponent of anyone who tries to blame video games on unconnected human behavior, like say, violence.

When I actually played MMO's (in addition to working on them) back when I was say... 18-22, I was the sedentary MMO type. I looked healthy. Good body weight. But I couldn't run a mile without stopping. I was, like the folks in this article, "stealth" unhealthy.

Most of my friends were the same way, but once they hit say... 22 or 23, and their bodies stopped growing, (and thus their caloric and dietary needs changed radically), they went downhill fast. Crazy fast. Like, gained 50lbs in two years fast.

It wasn't until I got older, and got higher in the MMO dev heirarchy that I realized the amount of time I was spending trying to get artificially rare, imaginary items, (the same items I created in 20 minutes a month earlier by typing numbers into Excel), was probably an incredibly stupid way to be spending 90% of my free time, and started going to the gym regularly. Got back into kendo, surfing, etc. Ramped gaming back to maybe only about 25% of my spare time.

I still hate running and refuse to do it. God-awful boring. But there are fun ways to stay in shape without the tedium. Plus, the gym work, etc, satisfies basically the same parts of my brain that used to enjoy working hard to get a certain item and then showing it off by wearing it around in town. It's nice to be /check'd in real life too. =p

Think so.

Think 8 min is a little high. I mean bare minimum for someone in there low 20s in the Navy for the 1.5mile was 12 min. And we don't really take physical fitness that serious lol.

A decently fit person should be able to walk a mile in about 10 min if they are speed walking. 15 if they are just walking normal

But then again a large portion of video game players keep local fast food places busy and open late.

Sports and stuff are fun with the right people, go play them!

Everything in moderation my friends...

Pretty much this. Right now I have been getting myself into a habit of walking around town after every meal which does seem to work a bit.

i would have liked to participate in their study, i wonder if it only measured gamers who professed to do little or no excercise? i don't like the way it's written, it subtly suggests that the gaming itself is to blame for the lack of fitness, when it's simply being sedentary

sitting on your *** in front of the tv for 10 hours would have a similar effect. so would working 80 hours a week at an office job.

so what they're really saying here is, "sitting on your *** for 10 hours a day is bad for you!!!!11" like it's some kind
of new information.

i love they way they took ***that everyone already knows, and slapped the video game label on it to get media attention.

Yeah 8 min is a little long, you aren't moving very fast..or you are trying to hard and have to walk to much if you are doing a mile in 8 min.

Running isn't my thing I find it boring, expecially on a treadmill but now that it's nice outside maybe I should try it.

Lol so saving that

if you play 8+ hour sessions of games a day/week but you still find time to go work out or even play outdoor sports, then there shouldn't be a problem.

You don't have to be a world class athlete, but at the very least be able to JOG (not sprint, run, leap) 1 mile back and forth.

Exercise at home is also a ***idea in my opinion . The brain needs fresh air . No treadmill will give you that .

Yeah it is kinda of boring. But that's why I used to try to work it into normal life.

Need to go to the store that is only like .5-1mile away? Jog there.

Competetion makes it better and it's alot easier to make goals/judge distance on a track but really who has the time for that. I mean when I was in track I was in rediculous shape but I don't really feel like 2-3 hours a day 5 days a week beating my legs up is really worth it anymore lol.

Now if only there was some online 3D Wii racing!!!

To build cardiovascular fitness, you have to reach and maintain your target heart rate for around 20 minutes.

I forgot exactly, and it's not the sort of question anyone but a medical professional should answer, but Target Heart rate is like your idle BPM x ~2. But since everyone is different, and the heart is a particularly important organ not to *** up, it's not something you can just stamp on everyone. For example, with my existing condition, my THR is only about 60% more than idle.

I believe the standard back in high school was we had 20min to complete 4 laps around the track, which was a little more than a mile.

Hell though even just walking for 20-30min a day works. Don't have to run, but put a little effort into it.

i thought the whole carrots help your eyesight thing was a myth spread in britain during WWI/II. it was for the airmen so that they could see better in the planes or something.

i'd be willing to bet there's a lot of overlap

Sort of building on Jaerik's comment. A professor once told me, "Play games, make games, have a life. Pick Two."

That's why, as much as I love the game creation process, I'll never get into it as a full career. I enjoy the actual playing of them far too much, as well as getting drunk and making a fool out of myself (Life in a nutshell amirite?!)

amen brother!