The Exergamer Project

Who am I?

I am a life long video gamer. My love of video games started with the Atari 2600 and is still going strong. I love all types and styles of games but it is a passion that has not always encouraged activity. About 10 years ago while in college I first saw Konami's Dance Dance Revolution. It was then that I decided to use my passion for gaming as a way to help me be more active and healthy. It wasn't a quick and easy decision for me though. One of the first and largest of the obstacles I had to overcome was my own fear of embarrassment. I was very afraid of looking silly while "dancing" to a video game. The second obstacle was technical how / were can I play this game. Thankfully that was easy to overcome because home versions were available to me for the Playstation. After I overcame my obstacles I was ready to play and exercise.

What is the Exergamer Project?

The Exergamer Project is a continuation of my passion for video games combined with my need to be a healthier active person. I have struggled with my weight most of my life and it has always been difficult for my to find physical activities that I enjoyed. When I was younger I tried organized sports but I was never good enough to be competitive and as I got older I was not able to keep up with the better players and it removed the fun for me. With exergames the only person I need to compete with is myself, I strive to beat my high score or finish the next song. After 10 years of playing these games I still enjoy them just as much as the first day.

Goals

The purpose of this project is to both keep myself motivated and inspire others to try to get healthier.

Equipment

When I first started exergaming the options were very limited but now there are a plethora of options. To start this project I will use the games that I already own. For dance pads I use Red Octane Ignition soft dance pads, which are unfortunately no longer being made. The pads that come with an official bundle are good but thin. The Ignition pads have a nice thick foam pad that makes playing longer easier and more comfortable. There are other makers of foam dance pads but I can not speak to their quality. Over time I will add more games as I can and will provide my opinions of them. Below are links to the games that I currently own. You can use these links to start you own exergaming experience. Another easy way to get started with exergaming on a budget is to checkout Craig's list.

• Playstation 2

• Xbox

• Wii

Nutrition

I believe that nutrition is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and that exercise alone will not be enough to achieve my goals. For the nutritional component to this project I will be following the Weight Watchers program.

What will this blog contain?

Every day I will post my nutritional intake and on days that I exercise I will post the games that I played. Every Tuesday I will post a full breakdown of my numbers (Weight, Body Fat Percentage, Chest, Waist, Neck, Arms, Legs, and Hips)