Last Updated on May 21, 2023 by Michael Brockbank
I am still a big fan of playing games on the Xbox to burn calories. But as it’s been a while, I’m finding it difficult to catch up to where I was. This was evident as I smashed into my limits playing Kinect tennis.
I need to remember that I can’t do the same things I was doing in 2018. Not only have I gotten a few years older, but I haven’t been the most active since then.
This means strapping on 2-pound wrist weights and grinding out 25 minutes was a bit much.
I Found My Limits Playing Kinect Tennis
Kinect Sports Season 2 is one of my favorite games for the Xbox 360. Actually, it’s the tennis game that I play the most. With decent lighting in the living room, it’s one of the most sensor-sensitive games for the Xbox.
At any rate, Kinect tennis is among the biggest contributors to helping me lose weight, back when my limits were much greater.
Why did it burn me out so fast this time around?
Pushing to Play for So Long
I tried to play the same amount of time I played back in 2018. Now, when you’re not very active and haven’t put in the effort to maintain physical activity, you can’t expect to do the same exercises three years later.
After about 20 minutes in, I knew I should have stopped. But, I felt that I could keep going. And I did, by turning myself into a sweaty mess who could barely move afterward.
Extremely Active when I Play
When I play games on the Xbox Kinect, I really play. This means I am incredibly active and throw myself into the game. When it comes to tennis, I am all over the living room.
Between the movement and the weights, I put my body through the wringer most of the time. However, if you don’t use it, you lose it.
And how I feel today definitely demonstrates to me how I lost it.
Lots of Leg Work
As I said, I am all over the living room when I play. I test the limits of what I can do in Kinect tennis by adding things like squats, jumps, and flailing my arms around a bit.
Needless to say, I get a lot of leg work when playing most games on the Xbox. After the session, my inner thighs felt like they were on fire.
Aside from the hard difficulty in Virtual Smash, I think tennis is the most intense workout for the legs on the Kinect. Well, at least from the way I play.
The Weights Added to the Meat Grinder
I add weights every time I play the Xbox Kinect. They add to strength, stamina, dexterity, and amplifies the intensity of just about any workout. But when I played tennis this last time around, the weights pushed my boundaries.
I’m even feeling it across my shoulders and back.
It’s just a reminder that I am perhaps trying too hard to catch up to what I used to do. I can’t expect the same limits today when playing Kinect tennis that I had back when I was playing twice per day.
Got a Little Dizzy When Playing
By the end of my session, I was starting to feel a bit dizzy. This usually happens when my blood sugar levels plummet, and when I push myself way too hard.
It’s nothing overly concerning. I just need to ease back into playing instead of trying to do it all at once.
It’s going to take a few weeks to get back to the point where I was a few years ago. And I just need to keep reminding myself of that fact.
How Do I Plan to Adapt to My Limits in Kinect Tennis?
So, it’s painfully obvious that I’m not going to be able to play like I used to. Well, at least not at the moment. It’ll take a couple of weeks to get back into the groove.
What am I going to do to adapt to my limitations?
Switch to the One-Pound Weights
I suppose a good start would be to switch back to the one-pound weights for now. I need to build up strength and stamina before slapping on the heavier set.
It’s a bummer, really. But, I really don’t have anyone to blame but myself. I could have kept up with exercising over the years. This is what happens when you have to start over after a long hiatus.
Start with a Lower In-Game Goal
Before, my goal was to play tennis until the Xbox said I burned 120 calories. In reality, this is closer to 350 – 400. Still, it may be too much for me at the moment.
That’s because the Xbox doesn’t take a myriad of physical attributes to display an accurate calorie burn. Things like age, gender, weight, and other unique attributes will also dictate how many calories you can lose.
Next time I play, I’ll aim for 100 in-game calories burned. This is about a 20-minute workout, which is still not bad, all things considering.
I should still be able to burn through 300 calories in that time.
Play More than Just Once Per Month
Perhaps most importantly, if I want to surpass my limits while playing Kinect tennis, is to play the game more than once per month.
At one point, I was playing twice per day for over two months straight. That was back when I was starting to show some great progress in my arms, chest, and abs.
This shouldn’t be all that difficult to do, really. After all, it’s part of my 12-week fitness challenge. I have no doubt that I’ll be able to play like I was within the next couple of weeks.
Got a Lot of Work to Do
Kinect tennis is just one game that has clearly laid out my limits. I can’t even play Virtual Smash, my favorite game, at the level I was back in 2018.
Am I disappointed? Absolutely. But like I said, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have been a slacker when it came to exercising in general.
But, when you live a sedentary lifestyle for the past year, you can’t expect instantaneous results. I just need to keep working and get back to where I was.
Well, sans the passing out part.
About Author
Hey man, you’re doing great. Don’t worry about not being at the same level that you were at a few years ago. No logic in that. Just keep making progress.
As I was reading about your struggle to maintain intensity without falling over dead, I remembered back when I was into running (can you believe I actually did a little running back in the day?). Not a lot, but anyway. When I was into triathlons, I researched how runners structure their training. And I bet you could benefit by using that approach here.
Most runners don’t just go balls out every day they go running. They’ll typically have one long run a week, where they go for a submaximal, long-distance run. Not trying to break records, just going long.
Then they might also have a strength day once a week where they’ll do hill running our intervals, alternating faster paced intervals with slower intervals.
Then the other days they go running that week, they go for short, easy runs and recovery runs. These are low effort runs. They’re literally just going through the motions without pushing too hard. But it’s not a waste of time at all. By cycling high-effort days with low-effort days, they are gradually building their aerobic capacity and endurance without pushing to injury and burnout. It’s all about the total volume of work spaced out through the week and through the month. It’s not about going for broke every damn time.
Anyway, I thought of that and figured I’d share it. Food for thought.
Okay, have a great week! Keep it up!
In the past, I did something similar. I would cycle through different difficulties of games depending on what level of intensity I wanted. This day in particular, I was more or less finding my limits thanks to being away for so long. It’s sad, but I gotta start over. 🙂