Health: Take a Break!

A healthy mind and body are essential in any sport and e-Sports is no exception. I have decided that every Wednesday I will try to promote one tip that all gamers should become familiar with and practice in order to stay healthy, fit, and on top of their game. Did you know that Starcraft pro gamers work out regularly as part of their professional training? If you are serious about getting good at any e-Sport game whether it is World of Warcraft Arenas, Call of Duty or Starcraft 2 you need to take care of your body before you expect it to perform at a professional level.

Today's tip is a broken record for most but still an essential baby step towards a healthier lifestyle for any gamer. One of the biggest health dangers we put ourselves in as amateur gamers is the extensive period of times we can spend sitting idly at our desktops game after game after game. If I am any sample of the population of gamers in the world I have had some times where I would easily sit for 6 hours straight grinding 3v3 matches on WoW, going on a SC2 ladder marathon, or playing games of DotA, LoL or HoN. It is so easy for us to get preoccupied with raising our MMR or practicing our PvP build that we forget how much time has actually passed. Many studies and even more studies have shown that sitting too long can be a major health risk and in some cases fatal.

You might be thinking, "Wow, I do the same thing... Where do I start?" Talking from experience, a simple behavior like this may seem easy to do but it is very easy to get sucked back into the virtual world and forget about taking a little break. Try to start by taking a short walk to the kitchen for water. If you drink a lot of water while you play you should try to get only half or quarter cup that way by the end of your next game you will need to go get more. Maybe you don't want to stop your team mates or friends from queuing, that's ok you can stand up at your desk and do some jumping jacks like Day[9]. The goal is to stop your body from sending harmful signals that result from excessive sedentary behavior.