Publications
Partners
Video gaming couldn’t get less physical. Sure, it takes a lot of skill and practice but sprinting across the field as Cristiano Ronaldo on FIFA doesn’t help your own fitness as much as you’d want it to. Clearly, fitness and gaming don’t go together.
But let Gareth Scott tell you otherwise. Gareth is a coach for an eSports organisation called xTc, who’s a big believer in regular exercise and sticking to a healthy diet. His passion for fitness led him to start a motivation brand called Level Up. By being involved in both of these worlds, he makes sure that it’s more than just his thumbs that get a good workout.
“Level Up was started in 2016 with the aim of helping anyone and everyone grow within themselves,” he says.
“The goal is to involve gamers and help players live a healthier lifestyle by offering tips on nutrition and staying in shape. I am trying to build a community where people can help and motivate each other. Eventually we’d like to open a fitness centre that focuses on the mind, body and soul.”
Competitive gaming in South Africa has gained an impressive following and continues to grow. There are many gaming events and conventions such as Vs Gaming, Mettlestate, EGE and rAge Expo where top gamers come to compete against each other. The events are also filled with supporters who just enjoy watching or would like to learn more.
“The scene is growing at such a rate that we are starting to see teams hosting gaming houses for their players, some teams are paying salaries and we even have teams going to compete overseas.
“Spectators also come to see new games, gadgets or dress up for Cosplay as their favourite, game, movie or anime characters.”
Read more: Here’s how Michael B Jordan got jacked for Black Panther
The 30-year-old’s love for gaming can only be rivalled by his love for fitness. He proudly breaks the stereotype of a gamer – lazy and on the couch with a range of profanities at his disposal. Just look at his Instagram account, for starters.
“Having a healthy routine is one of the most important things a gamer can do. A competitive gamer plays for about six hours a day on average – if not more. That’s excluding what they do for a living (work, study). That’s a large amount of time sitting in the same spot. This could cause problems for your back, your posture and would be bad for your spine in later years.
“Healthy eating, training and proper sleep reduces fatigue while improving concentration levels. This helps the body run at optimum level, which could therefore make your gaming performance that much more.”
Read more: This guy channelled his inner iron man to better his body in 8 weeks, here’s how
The 20-minute workout for gamers
“It’s not that gamers are too busy. It’s that they are too comfortable, which makes them lazy. An exercise at home that only takes about half an hour should help them escape that comfort zone.”
The following routine works the whole body without using any added weights, and it can be done at home. So gamers don’t have to move too far away from their controllers. Players, get ready.
20 star jumps
This is only the first level, don’t go reaching for cheat codes just yet.
20 high knees
Are you sure your sprint button works?
10 push-ups
Time to power up your avatar!
10 leg raises
Leg days are for legends.
10 reverse crunches
Getting closer to unlocking your character’s abs. Keep pushing.
10 dips
Good news. Your couch can help you out on this one…
20 second reverse plank
But not this one.
10 superman stretch (x3)
Learn to fly! Be sure to do this three times.
Do the routine once a day and your overall stats should improve!
Follow Gareth and Level Up for more:
Insta: @levelup_ct
Twitter: @xTcUndacuva
Facebook: Level Up CT
Read more: Kick-start your morning with this 10-minute bodyweight workout
This article was originally published on www.mh.co.za
Image credit: Supplied
