Making Fitness Fun with VR

It seems like every year I make the same promise to myself...I'm going to work out and get healthy. Each year I have tried some great ideas, but nothing seems to stick. So this year, my husband and I finally figured out how to make this work. We are both gamers, so what if we could work out while playing games? Thanks to virtual reality headsets, we are doing just that. Thus begins our VR Fitness Journey.

Being tech enthusiasts, we jumped at the chance to get our hands on a Playstation VR and Oculus Quest in 2019. Both headsets have their strengths, and each one comes with some great games that we love. So how does this translate into fitness?

The first game we got for the Playstation VR, and my running favorite, was Beat Saber. This game gives you a great workout when you get to high enough levels or set your difficulty high enough.

After just two days of playing for 30 minutes to an hour each day, I can feel muscles that have clearly not been utilized enough before now. What I love about this game is that you are working out to the beat of fast-paced music that makes it fun. Usually working out for just 30 minutes is torture for me, but today I went almost an hour and a half before I quit for the day.

The Oculus Quest has Beat Saber too, but it also has games such as Vader Immortal (Training in the Lightsaber Dojo), Box VR, The Thrill of the Fight, and others that will give you a workout while you play.

Between our two systems, we have a variety of games that we can play to keep the workout going without it getting too repetitive. Plus, there are achievements that can be earned which is always an incentive for gamers.

For the first time in years, I really feel like our fitness journey is off to a great start and I can't wait to see the progress we make in the weeks and months ahead. Look for some game reviews on the way as well as some new air fryer recipes as we also work to eat better. 2020 is going to be a great year!