How Virtual Reality (VR) Helps Me Stay Fit

As most of you can tell by now, I’m a casual gamer at most. The titles I play are dependent entirely on my mood but they range from horror to RPGs and the occasional (mostly) indie title here and there. So where does VR come in? Well, I lead a very sedentary life but after acquiring my first VR headset which was the Oculus Rift, I started to notice some changes.

I was moving without meaning to or at least my brain didn’t perceive the sweating, adrenaline rush and arms feeling like lead as actual exercising. The game in question was Beat Saber along with a nameless song. This was no fluke as I stayed hours playing through songs. Beat Saber was one thing but I decided to further test this by playing a game that its simple mechanic is for you to do as many squats as possible. This is a free game that can be found in Steam labeled as Hot Squats. 

Whenever I try to do squats, the most I can get out of my body is 10-20. I fired up the game with zero expectations. Midway into the game, I realized that despite the burn in my legs and piling exhaustion, my brain was fully convinced  I was still playing a game. Despite doing 75 squats, the core motivation wasn’t to exercise but to play a video game or at least that’s how the mind interpreted it. I don’t know the science behind it. All I know is that despite its simple mechanics and visuals, Hot Squat has become a fun routine for me. I can exercise without feeling like I’m exercising and therefore my brain doesn’t attempt to boycott my progress. I’ve gone from 75-105 squats and i can see rapid progress.

These simple changes are motivating me to move around a lot more and I feel as if I’ve become more energetic as opposed to lethargic or fatigued all the time. I now purposely seek out VR titles that force me to physically move and leave the other titles for my gaming PC. 

What works for me might not work for you but I’ll be the first to say exercising is a drag. Once you start to move more and become active, your perspective starts to shift but the head start is always the hardest part and staying motivated is the main culprit to the disruption of any healthy routine.

On an unrelated note, Virtual Reality used to be inaccessible but that’s no longer the case. If you are just starting out, there’s no shame in picking up a second-hand device such as the Oculus Rift (which I own) for $200 or less or the budget-friendly newer version which is the Oculus Quest (priced at $399 when I first purchased it. In the event that you picked up a used device, it is absolutely recommended that you change the face mask. 

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and I get no commissions from your purchase of a VR headset. I just wanted to inform my readerbase about how VR has helped me stay fit or motivated me into exercising more.