59 replies to this topic

[Lazmira]

Wow fantastic thread! I'm really proud to see some gamers on here care about other people's health risks when the game goes live! xD Also great ideas! Some of the comments are amazing as well! Good job guys!

I think I should try the nuts snack trick as well since I usually eat bad snack foods ! But I do usually stretch and get up! For me if i'm sitting in one spot too long my body shouts at me that i'm being horrible to it. So I usually  just have to move about for a little bit so I can sit back down again!

Edited by Lazmira, 02 August 2012 - 03:25 PM.

[leongrado]

Guys let's not have any news headlines with "Man dies from playing GW2 for 40 hours straight" on it.

[Hanzo]

This thread makes me laugh. But don't get me wrong, I'm certain there are loads of people that might forget such basic needs like eating or sleeping while staring at the computer screen. I'm sure Anet is thankful that you remind people of these important needs so they won't get bad publicity for indirectly killing people with their game

[Trei]

Dry run and practise in T-minus 03 hours and 28 minutes.

[Specialz]

I am pretty much not going out of my way for the head start. I will treat it the same way I treat my weekends.

[Skein]

Anzuri, on 02 August 2012 - 07:26 AM, said:

The time is almost upon us and we are all excited. I would assume that most people here would have pre-purchased and are all geared up to go on 12am PST 25/8/2012.

Sleep

Launch is midnight for you US folk

The timer on the GW2 site suggests a noon pre-launch on Saturday the 25th.  I'm in Pacific Time and the 23 days, 3 hours, 8 minutes puts me right at noon(it's 8:52 AM here)

[TheGizzy]

Skein, on 02 August 2012 - 03:38 PM, said:

The timer on the GW2 site suggests a noon pre-launch on Saturday the 25th.  I'm in Pacific Time and the 23 days, 3 hours, 8 minutes puts me right at noon(it's 8:52 AM here)

ANet has already stated on their Twitter that the clock on the website is showing Noon for everyone, because it's counting down based on your system's clock.  Official launch time is Midnight Pacific.

[Skein]

TheGizzy, on 02 August 2012 - 04:16 PM, said:

ANet has already stated on their Twitter that the clock on the website is showing Noon for everyone, because it's counting down based on your system's clock.  Official launch time is Midnight Pacific.

I don't follow twitter, but good to know.

[Vanity]

Skein, on 02 August 2012 - 03:38 PM, said:

The timer on the GW2 site suggests a noon pre-launch on Saturday the 25th.  I'm in Pacific Time and the 23 days, 3 hours, 8 minutes puts me right at noon(it's 8:52 AM here)

The timer is wrong. Announcements on the FB and Twitter have stated that the game launches at 00:00 PST on the 25th.

---

The OP is great. The tips are wonderful help for people that could use the guidance. It's super important to take care of our bodies and yes, there are people that can learn from this.

Lots of good talk about good food. I love to cook and my crock-pot is my best friend for long gaming sessions. It's so easy to make super healthy and yummy food, there's no excuse to eat junk when you have one of them!

Along the same lines as Gizzy's Santa Fe Chicken, our families favorite is Spicy Peach Pork (works great with chicken and pineapple instead of pork and peach, too!). 1 1/2c homemade (or your favorite) salsa 1 large fresh peach, peeled and diced 1/4c peach preserves (or orange marmalade if using pineapple) 1/2c froz. corn 2 cloves garlic, smashed 1 1/2 lbs pork loin (or chicken breast) then add spices to taste : Salt, Pepper, Cayenne, Paprika, Chipotle Chili Pepper, Cumin (if you don't have these, you can substitute 1/2 a fajita seasoning packet). Throw it all in and keep it low and slow all day!

It's great with brown rice or in tortillas!

Edited by Vanity, 02 August 2012 - 04:32 PM.

[Linfang]

I am a athlete and work at a job 40+ hours a week sitting at a computer so I know all about health and long gaming sessions. The article was spot on. Personally I added bananas in my diet because they are a great snack, and give much needed potasium to go along with the hydration you need. The potasium helps circulate the water through your bloodstream/body, and sitting all day does not help your ciculation to begin with. You could also drink a gatoraide/poweraid that has some electrolites that will help you in your gaming marathon.

[Senap]

Great post!

I was thinking about getting loads of snacks and fizzy bubbeleh, but after reading the OP I am reconsidering. Loads of fruit and water will be better.

[TheGizzy]

Linfang, on 02 August 2012 - 04:34 PM, said:

I am a athlete and work at a job 40+ hours a week sitting at a computer so I know all about health and long gaming sessions. The article was spot on. Personally I added bananas in my diet because they are a great snack, and give much needed potasium to go along with the hydration you need. The potasium helps circulate the water through your bloodstream/body, and sitting all day does not help your ciculation to begin with. You could also drink a gatoraide/poweraid that has some electrolites that will help you in your gaming marathon.

I used to love bananas... such a fantastic food.  Unfortunately, about two years ago, bananas stopped loving me.   I have what feels like (physically) an allergic reaction to them - skin flushes and itches, throat tightens, and then I feel hugely bloated and nauseous until I'm finally able to throw up - which can take hours.  It's horrible, and seriously makes me sad.  Supposedly, this is an early sign of a (potentially) developing latex allergy.  All I know is that I consider it a HUGE loss!!

[Eqo]

TheGizzy, on 02 August 2012 - 04:40 PM, said:

bananas stopped loving me

My wife is allergic to almost all fruits. I'll stock up on them - hidden behind my computer - so she won't be tempted to eat one and suffocate while I'm gaming.

[Amority]

This is a great thread. Recently my husband and I started eating healthier and trying to get into shape. So far he's lost almost 30 lbs and I'm going on 35 lbs lost. We are determined not to fall back into the bad eating habits once GW2 is released. We've been MMO free for going on two years now and that's contributed to our healthier lifestyle, along with having a little one that we want to be healthy and active.

We don't plan on gaming 24/7 (especially with our two year old daughter) but we want to spend as little time cooking and doing normal household work as possible that weekend. That way we can spend all day with the little one and when she's napping/sleeping we can play without feeling guilty about it.

It's great to see other gamers that are interested in eating/living healthy. I think it's fascinating that as our gaming generation is getting older/growing up you hear more about people eating healthy and balancing a prosperous life/work/family with playing video games and less about people eating Doritos and Mt Dew while gaming all weekend. Everything in moderation.

I'm stealing that recipe for the Santa Fe Chicken for one of our launch meals, it sounds delicious! And I'm a fan of crock pot meals for gaming. We plan on having plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts and low fat proteins for snacking. We cut out soda a long time ago and mostly drink water with a bit of Almond Milk thrown in there.

We also plan on making Hobo Packets, which traditionally is a seasoned hamburger patty with potatoes and whatever sauce you prefer wrapped in a tin foil packet and cooked, but we will be having it with a low fat patty (93/7 beef or turkey), with carrots, onions, green beans and mushrooms (really you can throw whatever veggies you like in there). Quick/easy to prepare (can be made ahead of time), easy cleanup and healthy

[mdapol]

"Get the Survive"?  What does this post even mean?

[frags]

Amority, on 02 August 2012 - 05:24 PM, said:

This is a great thread. Recently my husband and I started eating healthier and trying to get into shape. So far he's lost almost 30 lbs and I'm going on 35 lbs lost. We are determined not to fall back into the bad eating habits once GW2 is released. We've been MMO free for going on two years now and that's contributed to our healthier lifestyle, along with having a little one that we want to be healthy and active...

That is great to hear Amority! Eating healthy just gives me so much energy throughout the day. I am very happy for you two!

[Amority]

frags, on 02 August 2012 - 06:05 PM, said:

That is great to hear Amority! Eating healthy just gives me so much energy throughout the day. I am very happy for you two!

I agree! You feel so much better physically when you eat healthy, you feel 'lighter' even when you haven't lost weight yet. I also noticed a mental alacrity and alertness that I'd not had before since I started eating healthy. It's also much easier to eat a small portion and feel satisfied. Your body is happy when it eats nutritious food. I was starving my body (even though I was ingesting plenty of so called 'food') my body wasn't getting the nutrition it needed so it would just scream at me to eat more! It's hard fighting/arguing with your body all the time, so just listen to your body and eat healthy

[shortref]

The mini guide:

- Take a dump when you need to take a dump
- Piss when you need to piss
- Drink when you are thirsty
- Eat when you are hungry
- Sleep when you are sleepy

[Incendia]

Well firstly these are some pretty good tips. Some of them didn't come to my mind.
But secondly, Jesus Christ this isn't Bear Grylls. Your not being plonked down into a jungle and left with no food or water for 30 days.
I understand that people will be excited for GW2 but it doesn't mean that they'll forget how to eat, drink and sleep. I think people are overreacting slightly, they think that they won't be able to leave their freaking seats when GW2 comes out. Now this next bit might seem a bit harsh but why would you need to 'prepare' food? Just go AFK for a few minutes and fry up an omelette or something.

Now I'm not saying that I'm going to be staying perfectly healthy and calm when GW2 comes out. Of course I'm not, I'm going to be sitting on that chair in front of the computer for the majority of the day. But I still think people are overreacting.

Anyways nice guide I'll sure be taking your advice for extra sleep. And I might have some headache pills at the ready as well.

[Anzuri]

Amority, on 02 August 2012 - 05:24 PM, said:

This is a great thread. Recently my husband and I started eating healthier and trying to get into shape. So far he's lost almost 30 lbs and I'm going on 35 lbs lost. We are determined not to fall back into the bad eating habits once GW2 is released. We've been MMO free for going on two years now and that's contributed to our healthier lifestyle, along with having a little one that we want to be healthy and active.

Great stuff guys! The hardest part is taking the first step and making the change. And those recipes sound great!

Linfang, on 02 August 2012 - 04:34 PM, said:

I am a athlete and work at a job 40+ hours a week sitting at a computer so I know all about health and long gaming sessions. The article was spot on. Personally I added bananas in my diet because they are a great snack, and give much needed potasium to go along with the hydration you need. The potasium helps circulate the water through your bloodstream/body, and sitting all day does not help your ciculation to begin with. You could also drink a gatoraide/poweraid that has some electrolites that will help you in your gaming marathon.

Good point! Love bananas. Not a big fan of gatorade for gaming though. Great for electrolyte replacement but I find they add a lot of simply sugars now for glycogen replenishment. Great on the field but not on the chair IMO. I have a lot of respect for you, being an athlete, working 40hrs and gaming takes a lot of willpower and discipline. Ever checked out Gary Mack's book Mind Gym? That book really opened my eyes to the power of the mind in sport and life in general really.

TheGizzy, on 02 August 2012 - 03:05 PM, said:

I thought of one other important health tip.  If you're using Vent or TS or Mumble or something with a headset... make sure you're giving your ears a rest and time to "dry out."  Either alternate uncovering one ear every hour or so, or - even better - take the headphones off for a while throughout the day.  One of my kids has gotten what is essentially "swimmer's ear" twice from wearing his headset too long!

That crock pot filing is so versatile! I will definitely have to give it a go. And with lettuce wraps sounds yum.

Good point bout the headphones will add it in!

[TheGizzy]

Wanted to share this since I thought followers of this topic might find this as interesting as I did...
http://www.ted.com/t...rs_of_life.html

Incendia, on 02 August 2012 - 06:52 PM, said:

Now this next bit might seem a bit harsh but why would you need to 'prepare' food? Just go AFK for a few minutes and fry up an omelette or something.

I don't think it seems a bit harsh... I think it just sounds a little naive.  Most of us who are actually posting in this thread aren't the ones who are likely to be so sucked into the game that we actually forget to eat or get up and move around, etc.  You're seeing posts from people who generally live pretty healthy lifestyles AND game... and yes, part of what makes that easy for us is thinking ahead.

But there are plenty of people reading who think that eating healthy takes a huge amount of time or effort... or they tell themselves, "I'll just diet before & after the weekend, but during it, I'll hit McDonalds for my meals."  They've got school or work Monday-Friday, they want to maximize their play time on the weekend (not just launch weekend), so they end up in this yo-yo relationship with food... and they're essentially filling their bodies with poison 2 (or more) out of every 5 days.

Spend any time reading posts about peoples' plans for BWEs or launch, and you see tons of comments about "stocking up on munchies & hot pockets & pizza rolls & frozen pizzas... beer...soda...."  They might as well be saying "gonna go farm my neighbor's backyard for dog poop to fuel my body for the weekend."  They're convinced that healthy eating habits are expensive, time-consuming, and nothing more than rabbit food that tastes like cardboard.  And they wonder why they've always got headaches, why they never really feel comfortably full for any length of time, why they're either constipated or unable to leave the bathroom.  It's also a vicious circle... "I don't have the energy to cook...I'll order a pizza..."

I'm a little shy of 6' tall and have the bone structure of a large boned male - despite being female.  My wrists are 8 3/4" without any fat on them.  Fourteen years ago, I was in an accident that left me disabled and unable to be a firefighter any longer.  The weight started pouring on because I didn't change my eating habits to match my new more sedentary lifestyle.  I went from being 190lbs of solid muscle to 350lbs of flab in under two years.  My body did not react well to the "shock" of going from working out 7 days a week to barely being able to walk down a flight of stairs without excruciating pain.  I was essentially eating myself to death.  I was certainly poisoning myself... I NEVER felt good, and it just got worse and worse.  It took me a long time to get serious about getting my health back under control... I struggled to find the energy to do something as simple as get off my duff and make an omelet - so much easier to toss a Toaster Strudel in the toaster oven and sit down while I waited for it to toast.

So you want to know why I 'prepare' food?  Because I won't let myself get back into those habits... and it's a hell of a lot easier to acquire those habits than it is to break them.  I know - it took me nearly 10 years to do it, and I'm still not back to 190.  I'm close... and still hoping to reach 170 now that I don't need the muscle mass I once did... but it is still a daily battle to keep making the right choices about what I put into my body.  And it is easier to grab a pizza, especially when it allows you to keep doing something fun without stopping except to answer the door and throw money at the delivery kid.

That's why I'm preparing food in advance... because I care about myself & my family... and I do what I can to make certain that the easiest choices are also the healthiest choices, no matter what else we may be doing or involved in.

[Anzuri]

TheGizzy, on 03 August 2012 - 12:11 AM, said:

Wanted to share this since I thought followers of this topic might find this as interesting as I did...
http://www.ted.com/t...rs_of_life.html

Spend any time reading posts about peoples' plans for BWEs or launch, and you see tons of comments about "stocking up on munchies & hot pockets & pizza rolls & frozen pizzas... beer...soda...."  They might as well be saying "gonna go farm my neighbor's backyard for dog poop to fuel my body for the weekend."  They're convinced that healthy eating habits are expensive, time-consuming, and nothing more than rabbit food that tastes like cardboard.  And they wonder why they've always got headaches, why they never really feel comfortably full for any length of time, why they're either constipated or unable to leave the bathroom.  It's also a vicious circle... "I don't have the energy to cook...I'll order a pizza..."

I'm a little shy of 6' tall and have the bone structure of a large boned male - despite being female.  My wrists are 8 3/4" without any fat on them.  Fourteen years ago, I was in an accident that left me disabled and unable to be a firefighter any longer.  The weight started pouring on because I didn't change my eating habits to match my new more sedentary lifestyle.  I went from being 190lbs of solid muscle to 350lbs of flab in under two years.  My body did not react well to the "shock" of going from working out 7 days a week to barely being able to walk down a flight of stairs without excruciating pain.  I was essentially eating myself to death.  I was certainly poisoning myself... I NEVER felt good, and it just got worse and worse.  It took me a long time to get serious about getting my health back under control... I struggled to find the energy to do something as simple as get off my duff and make an omelet - so much easier to toss a Toaster Strudel in the toaster oven and sit down while I waited for it to toast.

Well said. I just did some research for my masters on fast food and town planning. 90% of the research I came across from the planning perspective saw no correlation between food and health. Its a shame but that perspective still holds the majority.

That sucks about your injury, so sorry to hear. Good to see you have overcome some of the initial setbacks and have taken control again. Ever read the book "Mind Gym" by Gary Mack? I highly recommend taking a look, helped me through a lot of tough times.

I'm thinking of making up some home made chocolate and will probably use that as a launch snack. Loaded with cacao and no sugar of course

Will be interesting to see what some of the crafting recipes for cooking brings up! Anyone tried it during the BWEs? I stayed away as it was so complex and would have taken away from the rest of the game

[Nothing Decent]

The fact that Anet release the game 2 weeks before my A-levels start, gonna have to sort out a routine for that, but i shoukd be fine I aint that worried about my health as others may be but i do consider it as i am an amatuer boxer aswell, so fitness is essential for me, and therefore with that and my A-Levels i will have around 1-2 hours of time to play each day and on weekends 3-4 hours a day. Still cant wait for the games release xD.

[Shizu]

After reading what is considered 'healthy food' by some people, I cringe in horror when I try to imagine what their 'unhealthy food' consists of.
Just because you 'cook' it, doesn't mean it automagically becomes healthy.

Do you want a healthy and easy to prepare meal?
Turkey or chicken breasts. Not fried, not boiled, just grill it in a pan, without drowning it in oil or butter like you US fatties usually do.
Bit of salt and it's done.

Mixed raw salad (lettuce, tomatoes, whatever raw vegetable you like).
Again, don't flood it with oil. Oil isn't even necessary if you have a good quality balsamic vinegar (but I suspect suck a thing doesn't exist on the other side of the pond). Or a bit of soy sauce, if you like it.

Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Aftermath: 1 pan and 1 dish to wash.

[XgreatArtist]

One more thing that i would add. It may not be relevant to this topic but i think i should still say it
Apart from being healthy, remember that gw2 is just a game and life is more important.
Therefore, those of you school students who have a major exam which decides your future, and it is less than 1 year till the exam, please dont truant school just for guild wars 2. I know my friend truanted today because of the stress test and it is assessment task day. He is so screwed.

Now back to topic.
If you want some snacks, consider fruits/salad with dressing rather than chips. And if you are too lazy like me, who dont even bother to spare 30 sec going to the kitchen to get water, then stock up 2 or 3 bottles of water near you. And dont spill onto your computer.

continuing.
Please ensure that your eyes are 30cm or more away from the computer and that you can see the tiniest words on the screen easily without straining your eyes. Make sure you do not slump on the table or on your keyboard/computer. This always happen after 5min of gaming as you get more into the game. I always find myself staring at the screen 10cm away after 5min of gameplay.

finally
please dont die before or after gw2 launch

Edited by XgreatArtist, 03 August 2012 - 10:38 AM.

[Anzuri]

Seeing as launch is so so close, thought I would revive this. There are some other great guides out there too but these are my 2c.

All of this stuff is common knowledge but when you get playing you will get stuck in the mood, and you're focus will completely be on the game. And your posture, and eating habits will completely go out the door.

This is for launch weekend as that is when most will be captivated by the long awaited release of the game.

So so close to launch!!!

[Tyrant Crimson]

My GW2 day.
- Wake up.
- Exercise, shopping.
- Wait till the launch.
- Pepsi + Kebab and GW2.
- Heat up sauna in evening, shower and sauna.
- Moar GW2.

[KodakMoment]

Zorpen, on 02 August 2012 - 08:38 AM, said:

Well don't get me wrong, but person which forgets about drinking, eating or sleeping while playing is just...insane

When you're so caught up into the game you lose track of time.

[Ghazal]

One tip that may help a few folks:

I never got into sugary sodas or those garbage Gatorade/power drinks, but I did drink a lot of diet soda.  It was hard to kick the diet soda habit because I don't enjoy drinking plain water.  What finally helped was using something I first encountered at a luxury hotel several years ago....they kept huge carafes of water in the lobby that were infused with flavor from fresh fruit, herbs, and even cucumbers. For probably the first time in my life, I had no problems drinking plenty of water every day!

Make the water + fruit early in the day so the flavor has plenty of time to disperse throughout -- you can just use big mason jars if you like.  It'll keep in the fridge for several days, but you'll drink it up before that!  It's delicious, and so much better than the junky 'powerade' or sodas.  You can even buy water pitchers that are designed specifically for fruit-infused water -- these are really pretty.

Some of my favorites are strawberry + lemon, cucumber + watermelon, orange + ginger,  lemon + lime, lemon + lavender, watrmelon + mint, blackberry + lemon, honeydew + cantaloupe, strawberry + kiwi....there are tons of different combinations.

Enjoy, and stay hydrated  

Edited by Ghazal, 19 August 2012 - 02:42 PM.

[Anzuri]

Ghazal, on 19 August 2012 - 02:38 PM, said:

One tip that may help a few folks:

I never got into sugary sodas or those garbage Gatorade/power drinks, but I did drink a lot of diet soda.  It was hard to kick the diet soda habit because I don't enjoy drinking plain water.  What finally helped was using something I first encountered at a luxury hotel several years ago....they kept huge carafes of water in the lobby that were infused with flavor from fresh fruit, herbs, and even cucumbers. For probably the first time in my life, I had no problems drinking plenty of water every day!

Make the water + fruit early in the day so the flavor has plenty of time to disperse throughout -- you can just use big mason jars if you like.  It'll keep in the fridge for several days, but you'll drink it up before that!  It's delicious, and so much better than the junky 'powerade' or sodas.  You can even buy water pitchers that are designed specifically for fruit-infused water -- these are really pretty.

Some of my favorites are strawberry + lemon, cucumber + watermelon, orange + ginger,  lemon + lime, lemon + lavender, watrmelon + mint, blackberry + lemon, honeydew + cantaloupe, strawberry + kiwi....there are tons of different combinations.

Enjoy, and stay hydrated  

Good idea! I'm gonna have to spread that to all my mates that don't drink enough water. I drink heaps by habit. Used to have a mate that never drank while we lan'd and his breath used to stink after. Most people are saying this is common sense but I bet come launch most people will not drink nearly enough h2o. Even I forgot at times during the BWEs especially during wvw