Gamers, here are 7 health hacks to uplevel your gaming

As Homo Sapiens, we evolved to hunt and swim through waterfalls and make love under the stars.

When was the last time you did any of these things? Yeah, we can’t remember either…

Now here we are, chained to a desk all day. Sometimes by our own choice and other times, well, not so much. 

It’s no wonder that we begin to wonder what’s wrong when we start to feel… off.

While tech is sweet and lets us game all day, choose what to eat or who to meet with in just a few swipes, and awkwardly giggle to ourselves at work because of memes that friends send to us, it comes with some not-so-fun side effects.

It f***s up our body and brain. From digital eye strain to musculoskeletal problems, which in turn, affect health and performance, Meaning, you’ll lose your MMR and your will to game.

In all seriousness though, modern-day life seems to be out to get us. 

Like the bad boss you have to battle 37 times before finally beating, it’s out to destroy our well-being. And wreak havoc on our performance.

Being under constant attack… from blue light, endless notifications and the demons in our head, we’re here to arm you (with a good old reliable SMG, but for your health, if you will) to conquer them ALL.

We could dedicate this entire blog post to telling you how to break free from your desk duties and go chasing waterfalls and hijack dolphins to stop feeling off but that’d just be silly.

Instead, we’ll show you a few simple but almighty HEALTH HACKS, from reducing wrist painand facing your inner battles to being more zen-monk-like by day… All so you can continue to slay! 

Before you roll your eyes, we’re not going to tell you to start wearing a cowl and to perfect your ’OOOOOOMMMM’ amidst fields of cows and grass.

We’re about to give you behind-the-scenes hacks to uplevel your health and performance.

TL;DR

Without further ado…

Here are 7 BTS health hacks to uplevel your HP, and gaming

1. Sit in your gaming chair. Like a BOSS

What happens when the auto market crashes and you’re stuck with thousands of luxury car seats backed by ergonomic science?

Naturally, you turn them into gaming chairs. 

This is what happened in 2006. As Esports grew at a crazy speed, the world saw its first gaming chair.

Today, every pro gamer has one.

Alas, an ergonomic gaming chair will only take you so far. 

Training and streaming in your gaming chair like a BOSS will help support the spine so you can maintain good posture. 

Furthermore, you’ll get higher self-esteem and appear more confident and attractive. So does smelling good. But we’re not here to dish out dating advice.

Now, back to the topic at hand. 

Synchronize your gaming station and uplevel your gaming, and health!

In the words of Montell Jordan, this is how we do it… Or, at least some ways to do it:

1. Ease your hips into the seat pan
2. Plant feet firmly on the floor. Or on an under desk footrest if you’re short and handsome
3. Keep knees at a 90° angle and 8 inches between the seat and desktop 
4. Place a small pillow behind your lower back

Sitting correctly will help you and your joints live happily for longer. 

2. Become a serial notifications killer

Checking a notification, even ‘quickly’, slashes your focus faster (and more mercilessly) than a game of Fruit Ninja!

What if I only check a message? ON-SCREEN?!

*slash!* Yes. Your focus just got EXTERMINATED. 

When the brain jumps between content, like a round of Fortnite and a text, the train of thought has been shattered.

Why’s this so bad? When we’re getting back to what we’re doing, the brain has a hard time remembering exactly where we were… 

And, getting that same level of concentration back… well… That. Takes. Time.

On a bad day, notifications can hit you faster than a game of sped-up Tetris.

Your phone pings. It’s an email from work. Your phone pings. Again. It’s a software update. Now your phone rings. It’s your mom reminding you about family dinner next Sunday. 

Checking notifications may not be the end of the world for many professions, but for pro gamers… It’s costly. 

Challenge yourself to end this madness and boost your mentality. And performance. Once and for all.

Here’s how to outsmart your smartphone and gain focus:

1. Don’t check your phone first thing in the morning. Use the day’s first dopamine for IMPORTANT things only
2. Avoid temptation by keeping your phone on silent in another room
3. Designate a time to check and respond to things of importance
4. Turn off unnecessary notifications, one by one, as they pop up
5. Avoid checking your phone 1-2 hours before bedtime. Sleep is your friend

3. Turn your chores into rituals, in true zen monk-style

Unlocking the power of meditation is a sure-fire way to kick ass and increase your headshot count! 

If you want to meditate like Mohammed Ali, Bill Gates, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, click this link.

If you’re too restless for zazen (sitting meditation), try turning everyday chores into meditative rituals.

 Zen monks have a ritual for nearly all things they do, from cooking to cleaning. 

The key is to surrender your senses and focus on the task at hand. 

Take cooking, for example. 

While the majority of people rush cooking or put it on auto-pilot, try to be present. When you chop, slice, or marinate, try to take it all in… the sounds, smells, and how each texture feels. Whether it’s a utensil or an ingredient.

Meditative cooking, along with eating healthy foods, fuels your brain and boosts health and performance.

Want to boost brain health further? 

Read about all the AMAZING benefits from eating foods high in Vitamin D.

4. Repeat mantras and free your mind

Repeating mantras is boring. Unproductive. Silly.

Maybe it is. 

But, repeating mantras before a challenging event or to cool down after an intense gaming session can help you reduce stress, boost positivity and gain more calm.

Sometimes, the worst battles take place on the inside. When a bad thought penetrates your skull, your mentality suffers. This punishes your performance.

Killing evil, in games or in your head, is HARD. The more you force it to go away, the more persistent it becomes…

Banish bad thoughts and reframe them for rapid change with meditative mantras. 

Replace “I’m not good enough” with “There are things I know how to do, and things I don’t. Nothing’s stopping me from learning how to improve myself.” 

Or replace “Something shitty happened this morning. My day’s ruined” with “I had a bad experience this morning. There’s no reason to bring it with me throughout the day.”

It may sound silly, but you stand nothing to lose by trying, no?

5. Let there NOT be light 

Blue light is the DEVIL.

Especially for gamers. From worsening eye fatigue and disrupted sleep to impairing memory, blue light is a bad egg you won’t want to be associated with for too long.  

Before spending hundreds of dollars on ‘gamer skincare’ and blue light protection eyewear, try to exercise your eyes.

Exercise, ugh… And your EYES… really?

Yes, really. 

Especially if you’re into late-night, or loooooong hours of gaming.

Try a simple hack known as the 20-20-20 rule to prevent eye strain: every 20 minutes of screen time, take a 20-second break to look at a spot 20 feet away.

6. Take care of your ‘tools’

While we’re talking about how to support different body parts, lest we forget the parts that do all the dirty work – our hands and fingers. 

As gamers, our drive makes us forget that using a computer mouse (and repetitive motions) increases the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome.

Make sure your hands and wrists stay as strong as your gaming during a tournament by doing hand stretches.

Wait, why are hand exercises important?

Well, they…  

• Improve blood flow, flexibility and relieve pain
• Reduce the risk of injury and joint damage
• Strengthen muscles for better support

Cool down after an intense gaming session or warm-up before game time with these gamer stretches!

You should feel these stretches. If it hurts, it doesn’t mean you’re super buff, but that you’re pushing the stretches too far.

In the words of Bruce Lee: “Be like water,” which translates to “don’t be stubborn”. Be flexible in both mind and body. 

7. Lest we forget your daily dose of health!

A multivitamin a day helps you slay.

Give the same amount of attention to health supplements as you give to your hardware setup, and thou shall reap the rewards of better health. And gaming. 

Being preachers and practitioners of long-term health for gamers, it’s only natural we end this piece talking about our ultimate gamer multivitamin: Champion.

Champion grants you future gaming success by supporting your:

• Mentality and mood
• Vision and eyes
• Bones, muscles and joints 
• Blood circulation and immune system
• Energy and alpha spirit

Because the world needs you at the top of your game. 

Have you 2 met yet?

That’s it, young grasshopper. 

Are you ready to hack your health?

Just like the very early Homo Sapien, you need your hands and eyes and body to survive in the wild, AKA Open Country.

While your ancestors had to hunt and risk premature death if their ‘tools’ were injured, you risk getting “Error 404” in your overall health and performance. 

Don’t (JUST) go chasing waterfalls.

Instead, take these health hacks as seriously as your gaming. 

Remember, your health is your hardware. Take care of it, and you’ll dominate in life and in the game.

Stay Awesome, 

Health hackers of MADMONQ_^®