Last Updated on May 21, 2023 by Michael Brockbank
So, I got back into playing the Xbox Kinect after quite the hiatus. And, I can say with absolute certainty, that I took way too much time off away from the game system. I hurt from my traps all the way down to my thighs. Virtual Smash with weights really does me in.
The hardest part for me is remembering to take it slow. I’m not going to be able to do what I was capable of a couple of years ago. I’m severely out of practice.
It’s a shame, really. I was on a hell of a roll back in 2018.
The Pains of Taking Time Off
Although I played the Xbox Kinect a few times over the past year, I haven’t done as much as I should have. And because of my lackluster performance, I’m a hurtin’ unit this morning.
It’s kind of depressing. At one point, I was capable of doing far more while playing Virtual Smash. Yesterday was just a sad reminder that I am both: a) out of shape, and b) getting old.
Lacking the Stamina
In March of 2018, I was able to tear through 18 rounds of playing Virtual Smash. It would take around 35 minutes and burn around 400 calories.
Yesterday, I had to really push myself to finish 13 rounds, the last of which gave me a head rush from low blood sugar. That’s one of the biggest things I need to watch for, actually. I have a habit of pushing too hard to the point of passing out.
Handling Less Weight
A few years ago, I had three pounds strapped to each arm while playing my game. At one point, I was starting to look pretty good all-around as Virtual Smash is close to a full-body workout.
Nowadays, just the one-pound weights were more than plenty. If you want to realize just how out of shape you are, strap on one pound to each hand and play 30 minutes of Virtual Smash moving as fast as you can.
Taking too much time off has seriously hindered my strength development.
Building Forward Momentum
Although it’s quite disappointing to discover just how far I’ve fallen in terms of fitness, it’s all part of the game. I have to build up that momentum all over again. But if I want to reach my goals in 12 weeks, I need to get things moving forward.
This includes not pushing myself to the point of absolute exhaustion, though.
Starting with Fewer Rounds
If I remember right, I started off with 12 rounds of Virtual Smash every day…twice a day. I was keeping track of my scores and calorie burn for a case study I was doing.
Every week or two, I increased the rounds by one. Eventually, I was able to crank out five rounds of easy, six rounds of medium, and seven rounds of hard difficulty levels.
I suppose until I am capable of handling more, I should stick with 12 total. Trying to get that last round out of me yesterday almost put me into hypoglycemic shock.
Stick to 1lb Weight Gloves for Now
With how bad I feel from just using one-pound weighted gloves, there’s no way I could strap on three and expect to get far. I still have to work throughout the week!
This is probably one of the worst parts about taking so much time off. My arms, abs, back, and shoulders were looking awesome for a few months. Then, I kind of just let myself go.
What’s funny is that at one point, I was looking for five-pound wrist weights to play Virtual Smash. There’s no way I’m doing that today. But, I will eventually get back to that point.
Get Back to Playing Every Day
Since I’m doing more case studies for playing on ColoradoPlays.com, I need to get back into playing every day. Even on days when I’m sore, I find that pushing through made me feel tons better.
I’ll probably mix it up a bit, though. For instance, I’ll play Virtual Smash in the morning and then perhaps tennis in the afternoon. At least until I recuperate from taking time off from workouts.
Like my fitness spreadsheet on this website, I’m doing something similar on ColoradoPlays. Since it’s gaming information, I figured it would be useful as people could see the data I collect while playing the Xbox.
Eating Better
And lastly, I need to start getting back into eating better. I binged last night, which really didn’t do much for the weight-loss part of my 12-week fitness challenge.
That’s OK, though. It happens. I just need to make sure it doesn’t happen today as well. Right now, I’m on track to lose around five pounds this week. I don’t want to screw that up with Snickers bars.
I’m actually debating on trying Keto for a week. Mostly because I would love to write an article about how it made me feel and how much weight I lost while on the diet.
Paying Attention to My Workout Alarms
I really need to start paying attention to my workout alarms. I set these so I can squeeze in a quick workout twice per day on top of my Xbox play. But, taking time off kind of messed up my whole rhythm.
Yesterday, I finished playing Virtual Smash just in time for the alarm to go off. At that point, I was like, “Nah…”
I just gotta get back into that rhythm I had in 2018.
Let’s Get Serious, Now
Time is ticking. The first week is almost over and I have a lot of work ahead of me still. On the upside, I’ve averaged more steps this week than I have since living in the hotel last year.
Taking time off from fitness sucks when you’re trying to get back into it. But if I want to reach my goals, I need to push myself a bit harder than I have been. Well, aside from going into shock, that is.
There’s a lot more riding on the success of this experiment than just having a summer beach body. I don’t want to jinx it, but let’s just say that a whole lot of goodness is going to come at the end of this 12-week challenge.
Providing I can stick with it.
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