Exercise With Video Games?

I have a confession to make. You may not know I had to stop exercising for a year, while undergoing treatment for Lyme Disease but it’s true. When I did get back to exercise it was with video games. GASP. 2009 was the year of Lyme treatment and no exercise. By May of 2010, I was healed enough to start working toward a normalish life. Aside from walking in Manhattan, which wore me out and laying on Miracle Balls, there was no movement practice. Once I was cleared to exercise I knew I had to be consistent and careful. I knew I needed motivation and it had to be fun. If I didn’t get back to exercise my atrophied muscles would continue to get worse and I could relapse. Getting back to exercise after a year without it and a lifetime of movement, would be a huge mountain to climb.

The Nintendo video game system, the Wii, had been out for a while and they had released the Wii Fit. There was a bundle on sale. I didn’t have a lot of money but I knew if I invested in this, I could get back into the habit of exercising. I could also work on my hand eye coordination. I had hope that using this game made for kids would eventually help me stop falling in the floor after sitting too long at work and stop bumping into things. Spoiler alert, it was the first step toward achieving that goal.

I started slow, every few days doing a little bit of a game. Sometimes it was just a balance test, other days a mini-step game. Even just trying to follow the movements on the screen and get my former dancer body to cooperate with the coordination was a challenge. But I accepted my new normal and kept going. I knew this wasn’t the best quality and I needed an actual human to help me out. But I couldn’t afford that yet and 15 minutes was still too much. I added in some Pilates on my own. I kept up with the games and slowly increased my stamina and strength. I had a long way to go but I wasn’t going to stop.

I eventually got back into a Pilates Studio and started my teacher training. But getting back to my movement practice started with a video game in my bedroom in Lower Manhattan. I was able to do what I could do on my own schedule. I was able to train my hands and eyes to work together again. I eventually stopped falling after sitting at work once I got back into Pilates. I stopped dropping things all the time. I was able to judge my distance better and stopped running into my bookshelf and the door frame of my tiny Manhattan kitchen. I had a lot less bruises and a lot more confidence in my body. I was able to reach for something and pick it up on the first try, instead of the tenth. I could hold onto it instead of dropping it and having to start the process over.

I still play video games sometimes. I’ve even beaten a few! I got the new Ring Fit Adventure for Christmas from my husband. Even though I’m frustrated Nintendo gives zero credit to Joseph Pilates who invented the Magic Circle they use for the game, I play and it’s fun. I don’t judge people and their path to movement because my path has been varied. Movement is important. How you get to making movement a habit is not important to me. Moving your body is what is important. If you exercise with a video game, good for you! Do what works for you. If movement based video games are what gets you to take your movement out into the world, and challenge yourself in a different way, even better. I’ll be over here cheering you on. Have you every tried a movement based video game?