Start a New Healthy Gamer Lifestyle
You have just begun your new journey! Here, you will learn how to get healthy and change your lifestyle. It will take hard work and discipline so be prepped to grind! If you have ever grinded in a video game, this is similar only here YOU are the character you are improving. Let’s begin.
The Total Health Skill Tree
Below is the Total Health Skill Tree. The main sections are Body, Mind, and Love followed by Social and Creativity. Each section has supporting skills that will improve your health. Scroll further down to read about each and get additional resources like articles, videos and more.
There is no direct path to take to get your body and mind ready to be truly healthy and happy. This is not a step by step process. Everything here works together and affects each other. Work on each thing, and turn your entire health around.
Welcome to the Total Health Skill Tree.
- The Mind
- Mindfulness
- Meditation
- Transcendental
- Focused
- Spiritual
- Mantra
- Movement
- Yoga
- Walking
- Tai Chi
- Qigong
- Dancing
- The Body
- Nutrition
- Water
- Movement
- Strength
- Cardio
- Stretching
- Sun
- Sleep
- Love
- Sympathy
- Empathy
- Compassion
- Creativity
- Social
The Mind
The mind is the key to wellbeing and we must cultivate the brain if we ever want internal peace. You know, happiness! The mind is also vital in observing and making changes to the things that get in the way of this peace.
Meditation and practicing mindfulness will drastically affect all aspects of your health and therefore is the center of the Total Health Skill Tree.
Mindfulness Practice
Mindfulness is a form of meditation. I keep it separate because it can be done anywhere at any time. It is learning to be in the present moment.
This being present involves focusing on your mind and all things around you. Again, just observe and when a thought pops up, watch it like a movie. If a feeling comes up, be with it fully and see how it passes.
The idea is to create a separation from you and your brain.
For example, if you have a thought that creates an emotion, you choose to be with that feeling instead of becoming it automatically. Observing it will let it pass and keep you from suffering from it. This makes it a decision where you are free to choose.
It’s important to also understand that this applies to both bad and good thoughts. With practice, you will pass all labels and be able to fully connect with things as they are.
Meditation
There are many different forms of meditation in addition to mindfulness. There is focused, mantra, transcendental, spiritual, movement, and many more. Some movement meditations include walking, yoga, tai chi, qigong, and dancing!
Begin with 5 minutes of quiet meditation daily and increase your time once you are able to focus longer.
Here are some tips to begin with:
- Keep the sounds, and the sights, even smells, on the down low.
- Get comfortable but keep your back straight, if possible. You can sit on the floor, on a chair, kneeling, lying, or even standing. Your call. Cross your legs, or don’t. If you want to and can, half or full lotus.
- Try to keep your head over your neck, ears aligned to the shoulders, shoulders over the hips.
- If on a chair, try to sit on the edge of the seat, try and keep your knees no higher than the hips, and keep your feet under your knees.
- Relax and breathe. Focus on your breath. In and out.
- Watch your mind. Let the thoughts come and go. Rinse repeat.
Meditation is the magic bullet to many ailments. Above all things in health, I feel it is the most important and least done.
Check out these resources:
Gamer Well-Being 101
The Body
1. Nutrition
Eat mostly fruits and vegetables. This is the key. 80% plus. Stay as natural as possible meaning as little processed food as possible.
Check out these resources:
The 4 + 1 Healthiest Eating Tips for Gamers
Chapter 11: Understanding Food – of the FREE eBook (sign up below)
The SUPER Spinach Smoothie Recipe of Ring Fit Adventure
2. Water
Drink enough water to pee at least 7 times a day. At least. If your urine isn’t very light straw color, drink more water or change your diet or both.
3. Movement
All exercise works. At least an hour a day. The time ratio of exercise to sitting for reduction of major health risks is 1:6 up to 1:3 (see chapter 9 of FREE eBook below for specific details). Everyone is different but what is universally key is to move and move a lot.
Strength training, cardio, and stretching all fit into this as well. Above all, try not to sit too much.
Check out these resources:
Gamer Lifestyle: The Domino Effect of Sitting Too Long
4. Sun
Get at least 15 minutes of sun a day if possible, maximizing exposure. Even if it is cold, show as much skin as possible and soak in that Vitamin D.
5. Sleep
This differs for everyone, as well, but a minimum of 7 hours is a good start point.
Love
Trying to love all things at all times can, in effect, result in strengthening the Mind and Body sections due to the nature of it. Love can also be a result of improving both, as well.
To put it simply: the more you clear out of your mind through meditation and mindfulness, the more you will connect with and thus love all things, including yourself. This is a reunification process that will make taking care of your body easier, and letting your love out automatically.
Sympathy, empathy, and compassion are all related to love and can influence the user and everyone involved. It is another giant key to the door of collective suffering.
Creativity
Creation of any kind is a huge factor in one’s well-being and health and is often ignored. From art and fashion, to video games, poetry, story writing, story telling, film, music or any other form of expression, creativity is often intertwined with purpose. Even if it is just you helping create a smile on another persons face.
Try to do at least 1 creative thing per day.
Social
Human connection is an important element for us on a physical and spiritual level. We are biologically social animals but also need each other.
Good social interactions may be required to be happy. I cannot define how much time you should strive to be around others per day. Just know it is important.
Completing the Skill Tree
All these skills work together to create not only a healthy gamer, but a healthy person. In time, the tree will expand further to give you additional tools.
For now, just focus on one to two skills per section. Focus on them until they are understood and do them until they become habitual. It’s simpler than you may think, but takes time.
Each main skill is important to your own personal wellbeing. The size of the list may seem daunting but I encourage you to go through and see what you can improve on. In no time you’ll be taking care of your body, your mind, our world, and our universe.
Your Health Journey Ahead
I have more for you and your continuing health journey. There is always more. And the more work I do, the more you will get. In addition to everything above, I have a free eBook for you below, a ton of additional articles on health and gaming, videos and a live stream where I showcase my teachings while gaming away!
FREE Beginner’s Guide to a Healthy Gamer Lifestyle
If you want more detailed info on health, get my FREE 65 page eBook: Pause the Game: A Beginner’s Guide to a Healthy Gamer Lifestyle.
Just enter your email below to join the newsletter and get it. Again it’s FREE and you can use it on your way to improving your health. You will also occasionally receive free health tips, updates on new articles, the stream, videos, and more. Your info is protected.
More Health Resources
Mind, Body, GAMING! is dedicated to help you on your journey towards a healthy video gamer lifestyle. I cover all things from diet and nutrition, physical fitness, meditation in and out of game, and well-being. Click below to find what you are looking for.
Check Out the LIVE Stream
On Twitch, I feature live shows all about the healthy gamer lifestyle. From fitness games, working out, nutrition, meditations, yoga and everything else shown on The Routine list below (besides sleeping).
I play random games, too, with a heavy emphasis on the Samurai theme, of course! Plus, it’s just a fun chill stream made for everyone of all ages, that is positive, safe and fun.
Click below and check it out! And be sure to follow/subscribe if you like what you see and want to support this project.
If you believe in me and the Mind, Body, GAMING! and have an Amazon Prime membership, you can subscribe monthly for FREE by linking your Amazon Prime account with a Twitch.tv account. It’s easy and really helps me out. Just go HERE to set it up.
Following that, just click on the purple button above and subscribe. You should be prompted to use your free monthly subscription. Every month you have a free sub! I appreciate you, either way.
Bonus Daily Health Routine
Below is a daily routine that’s a quick summary of the above to follow for unwavering health and happiness. Do the best you can with each and see where it takes you.
I am Jarod and I created Mind, Body, GAMING! to show you gamers how to improve your health while also gaming your butts off.
My goal on this project is to share all aspects of good health from mindfulness practices, dieting advice, and exercise suggestions, all specifically tailored for gamers. Either by reading about it here, or seeing me talk about it and showing it when streaming and in videos, I hope Mind, Body, GAMING! is a great resource for you on your journey.
Love.