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Home Workout – 3 active video games that you need to try

With the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in many of us being stuck in our homes due to ‘self-isolation’, it can be easy to fall out of a regular healthy schedule, especially when you consider that you’re no longer able to go to the gym or other fitness-related classes to work out and stay in shape. There are, however, alternatives for those that are desperate.

Video games are an excellent time-sink that many of us will be enjoying during this self-isolation period, and so why not combine them with exercise where possible in order to make the experience as enjoyable and efficient as you can? If you want inspiration on the perfect home workout, here are three active video games that you need to try.

Ring Fit Adventure

A fairly recently-released and unique game from Nintendo on the Switch, Ring Fit Adventure uses a ring-shaped attachment for the controllers to register pressing and pulling motions while adventuring through its levels, and also a leg strap that makes you run in the spot to actually run in-game. This title is one step up from the likes of Wii Fit or Wii Sports from yesteryear, and depending on your skill level can have even the most toned and fit challenged. Many have been posting online their progress playing the game on a daily basis, with some losing a lot of weight.

As you might expect given the current circumstances and people not being able to exercise in regular ways by going to classes or the gym like they usually would, Ring Fit Adventure has proven to be extremely popular with those wanting a home alternative. It seems that people aren’t just working up a sweat playing the game, but also working up a sweat just trying to find it in the first place. The title is largely sold out with retailers in a range of different countries around the world (exasperated by delivery, shipment and manufacturing issues caused by the pandemic), and due to its required attachments for the Joy Con controllers, you can’t just download it digitally.

Finding the right system – Ring Fit Adventure is a Nintendo-exclusive title that requires the Switch to get set up and play, but don’t worry if you don’t have the right hardware, as there are other games out there that should function with what you have. Thanks to game porting services from companies such as Abstraction, no matter what console or platform you’re playing your games on, there will be something for you.

Just Dance

Going a bit stir crazy stuck during self-isolation, and just want to dance? There are a ton of different dancing games out there on different platforms, but the Just Dance series is perhaps the most popular and well known. Dancing competitively to a bunch of different chart-topping songs is always a blast either with friends or on your own, and it’s also a good way of getting exercise without even thinking about it.

Tip – If you still have your Nintendo Wii hanging around somewhere in the house, then the likelihood is that you’ll probably have some motion-oriented games for it too, such as Wii Sports or maybe even Wii Fit (which you might remember came with the balance board peripheral). If you’re struggling for something to play that’s outside of the ordinary button-mashing, then you can’t go wrong with this one.

Brain Training

Sure, staying fit and healthy is extremely important, and what this list is about, of course, but it’s also important to pay some thought to your, well, thoughts. Studies have shown in the past that video games are good for some brain functions such as dexterity and also hand-eye coordination, but there are also games specifically designed for building up your mind by challenging it with simple teasers and challenges. You might remember Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training on the Nintendo DS from a few years back as one that specialises in this, giving you little challenges on a regular basis to improve your ‘brain age’. Again, there’s a new iteration in this series that has recently come out on the Switch, so you can dive back in if this sounds up your street.

Of course, Dr. Kawashima himself doesn’t need to be the only source of your knowledge-building training. If you don’t have a game console or want something simple that you can digest using your phone, there are hundreds upon hundreds of free apps that you can download from the app store to test your brain power. You could even decide to learn a new language, or a skill such as coding in a gamified way through an app.