I Just Felt Like Running p.3

It wasn’t all running for me, though that was the bulk of my workout.  On the off days, I did do a little weight lifting and other types of cross training such as Yoga and Pilates.  I would give myself breaks but overall I was getting to be pretty active.  Not because I felt it necessary, but because I wanted to.  The better I felt, the more I wanted it.  


I like to play video games, so I decided to find ways to make working out fit into that hobby as well.  For example, my current obsession is Dark Souls – the spiritual successor to Demon’s Souls.  How can I make working out fit into a sit down activity?  As I’ve seen people do with other games, I started with 5 minutes of working out every time that I died in the game.  If you’ve ever played Dark Souls, you know death is often.  I would essentially be getting 30 minutes of workout in about an hour of play time.  This created a “oh no, I’m can’t die!” feeling.  When I did die, I would do pushups, sit-ups, and pull-ups.  Once the time was up Iwould rush back to play more.  It was an extremely rewarding balance that is unbeatable.  Another thing I would do was see how many sit-ups or push-ups I could do during loading screens of other games.  A favorite is to use a cycle trainer while playing, which can be found fairly cheap.  It’s pretty easy to add activity to daily routines.  Try parking your car at the back of lots when you shop and give yourself a little extra walk to and from the store.  Walk around when you're talking on the phone or when waiting for something.  While at work, I'll walk around the kitchen area essentially doing laps while waiting for my food to heat up.  Little things that don't seem like much really start to add up in the long run and gets your body used to moving.


-Aaron