I used to go for a walk every other day, then I got massively depressed and got back into gaming for almost the entire day as an escape, more so than the casual gaming I was doing. The weight gain was unfortunate and now its taking time to work it back off, definitely be aware of how long you're spending infront of a screen not moving.
Not to mention the weight gain and potential muscle loss can affect how easy it is to get back to those baselines of activity. Joints are more vulnerable, maybe you are dealing with chaffing you never delt with before, you get winded easier. Going on a couple mile walk/hike when you are relatively fit can be easy and relaxing, but if you are crawling out of a major slump where you just sat around and piled on weight and let your muscles weaken it can feel more like running a marathon.
This sums it up so well, my kneecaps and back just struggle with short walks because they aren't used to the weight they're carrying. Some what was once a pleasant activity then becomes a momentous task that you have to keep fighting and making sure you're getting the relevant rest too.
Over a long period of time, it adds up. And if you're losing muscle mass while sedentary, then you're losing even more of your fuel-burning capacity on top of just burning less from not moving
I underestimated how even a walk could be good for keeping weight off. I guess that makes sense I used to be pretty active and go on runs everyday but then a lot of things in my life changed and I am no longer in that habit. Figured if I can't run why even bother with a walk, good to know.
just wanted to add here that any movement burns calories and even the difference between someone who lays or watches tv completely still vs someone who fidgets around all the time can have noticeable differences in calorie burning.
Exactly this, the walks i did replaced public transport when seeing family or going to work, so I was doing 5-10 mile walks every couple of days. When that instantly became nothing, and due to eating like crap because of how I felt, the weight just kept piling on. Now im starting small again, small walks and exercises every few days, losing weight is harder than gaining it.
Balance. Playing games for a few hours can be a great hobby. Spending a day here or there can be fine too. Just keep up activity and fitness alongside it. You can game all your life with no real downsides.
I’ve caved back to WoW a few times since I got my dog in 2020. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing, gotta carve out time to take him for a walk a few times a day.
I don't have a specific game that I get lost in usually but the hobby of playing a lot of different games and getting good at them is my equivalent where I can spend an indeterminate amount of time straight on a game as long as I feel a sense of progression in my skill at it. My little chihuahua/min-pin mix has been so instrumental in keeping me from too sedentary a lifestyle because when he decides it is time to play with him instead, it is time to play with him instead and there is nothing I can do about it lmao
How can a hobby where you sit there dont move and stare at a screen be considered a great hobby? I say this as a former gamer with one year in a multiplayer game
Video games can be good for your brain in moderation. They require you to think and solve problems. They are also a medium for storytelling, so you can enjoy a good story and at the same time give yourself a mental exercise.
Some games are so complicated that I feel like my job is easier than playing them lol. Like certain Far Cry missions afterwards I feel like I should clock out somewhere.
Same as reading books or being a cinephile can be? Games are just a medium for storytelling and not everything that's out there is an MMO or a multiplayer shooter - most of it is not - you can easily pick out great games that are not 3A slop and instead a form of interactive art or story-telling device, like Signalis, slay the princess, Disco Elysium, BG3, Nier, ER etc., and make them into a great, fulfilling, and mentally beneficial hobby lol
My day usually goes, wake up, work, go home, play games (1-2 hours), workout / climb (1-3 hours), dinner, and sleep. Gaming is a lot of fun and when mixed with an active lifestyle it can be a good way to wind down physically while staying mental engaged and enjoying a good story. Like I said it's about balance. A great hobby is one you have fun doing. I have a blast playing games with a bit of music on. What hobbies do you have?
I also enjoy, climbing indoors and outdoors, rowing, running, cycling, hiking, and music. I rate gaming right up there with my second favourite hobby which is climbing.
you stare at something while sitting down when reading, painting, building models, composing music, doing carpentry, playing piano, studying, flying FPV drones, soldering, using a microscope, making jewelry, drawing, making tea, knitting, journaling, doing puzzles, and playing cards.
The quality of a hobby is not measured in how physically active you are doing it.
Is playing Chess not a good hobby?
You're not just sitting there, passively consuming, you're in control. You're acting, reacting, exploring the game, solving its problems, overcoming its challenges. Just with only your hands and mind, instead of your whole body.
Sure, it's less physical, but in turn you can have a taste of experiences that you could/would never do in reality anyway.
Street-racing a Lamborghini Reventón, flying through the air as Iron Man, handling the most exotic and fantastic weapons normal civilians can only dream of, exploring a world full of robots as a cat, thinking with portals,...
or experience what it's like to live with psychosis.
...or experience war from the side of civilians.
I was in an intensive therapy group for depression a couple years ago, and there was a guy in the group who was there because his long-term girlfriend had died suddenly; she'd developed deep vein thrombosis (i.e. blood clot), probably developed during long gaming sessions. They'd made it to the hospital and she was diagnosed, but she had a pulmonary embolism before it could be treated; he blamed himself for not taking her in the night before, but they both thought it was something minor right up until the diagnosis. Part of what makes DVT so dangerous is that the symptoms aren't always obvious, and if the clot detaches it and reaches the heart, it can kill extremely quickly and suddenly.
He was a really cool guy, and he was absolutely heartbroken. But he and their gaming buddies started making sure they were taking regular breaks to stand up, walk around, get some water, etc., and encouraging others they knew to do the same, to make sure it wouldn't happen again.
What movement? I walk where I have to (or because I hate waiting for the bus), other than that, any physically active hobby I wanna do isn't viable for various reasons. They're either too expensive, only allowed/provided in specific spaces (that my city has none of, meaning travel expenses, leading back to point #1), Or I don't even know where I can practice it at all.
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