Thoughts: I confess–there was an occasion last week where I didn’t get to bed until nearly 3 am because I installed World of Warcraft on my laptop and logged in for the first time in nearly two weeks to do a little questing and hunting with my then level 4 human warrior girl. By the time I passed out (after logging out properly, thank you), she was level 8 with significantly upgraded armor, shield and weapon.

Obviously I am something of a computer/console roleplaying game game addict as evidenced by this incident, last winter’s obsession with Animal Crossing, the incredible EverCrack addiction of 1999-2000, and the single-minded determination to finish Golden Sun 1 and 2, Wizardry 7, and Wizards and Warriors within one week apiece. I tried the table top pen-and-paper gaming thing once or twice in the past, but didn’t care for it.

Why?

Because it took seven or eight hours of ineffectual putzing around to level up (for those of you who aren’t gamers, that means acquiring enough “experience points” through completing assigned quests in the game, killing enemies, or creative acting/roleplaying to spend on new skills and spells and raising basic attributes that affect your butt-kicking abilities like Intelligence, Stamina, Strength, Charisma, Wisdom, and such). In a computer or console RPG, you can level up multiple times in eight hours when your character is younger.

You’d think that a sedentary hobby like RPG gaming would indicate a personality that could never get into health and fitness, right?

Maybe on the surface, but once you think about what drives the RPG gaming geek and what it takes to stick with a nutrition plan and workout routine day after day, some pretty amusing similarities start to show up.

Just think about it: What is the driving force behind rpg game addiction? For me, it has always been character creation and development. I LOVE to fiddle around with a game’s character generator, tweaking my avatar’s appearance, starting statistics, and skills.

Everything I Know About Fitness I Learned From Roleplaying Games

• If you keep performing the same repetitive actions, you will eventually increase your skills and attributes.
• To maximize your potential, you have to know your stats.
• Every once in a while, you have to rest to progress.
• It’s a lot easier to kick butt when you have friends backing you up.
• In order to excel, you must put yourself first sometimes, even if your significant other starts to whine about your “obsession.”
• Quality equipment makes a difference.
• Progressive self-improvement is its own reward.
• You’ll recover faster if you eat the right foods and get enough sleep.
• Sometimes it’s a good idea to pay for a trainer even if you’d rather spend your silver pieces on more equipment or a flashy outfit.
• Mysterious potions can have beneficial effects on your health.
• Quaffing too much ale may hinder your performance and cause a temporary reduction in your stats.
• If you don’t have time to stop at an inn for a meal, chug down a potion or a packed ration and keep on going.
• Invest in a container big enough to hold everything you’ll need to survive a full day away from home.

So what it boils down to is that the roleplaying addicted, sedentary geek that is currently your husband, son, boyfriend, or brother (or the female equivalent) has all of the proper thought patterns and mental preparation to one day become a complete fitness nut. All you have to do is convince them to turn their focus toward leveling THEMSELVES up, instead of an in-game character.

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Nutrition: SGX Training Day eating pattern
(Details omitted by request)

Regular (Non-SGX) Daily Supplements: multivitamin with iron, calcium 500 + D
Water for yesterday: 12 cups

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Workout:
12:00 PM Leg workout with squats
7:00 PM Steady-state treadmill (3.5 mph / 10% incline / 45 minutes)

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The Awful Truth:
1. Stayed up too late again with WoW. My warrior is now level 15, though.
2. Picked up Kashi GoLean Crunch at Target on sale, even though I swore I wasn’t going to keep that stuff around anymore.

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Brownie Points:
1. Am on target for meals so far today.
2. Didn’t do too badly this weekend.

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Short-term Goals:
1. Cook some chicken for the next few days.