Project LIT
The goal of For The Wellness is to break the stereotype of wellness and gaming being on opposite sides of the lifestyle spectrum. All the while inspiring readers to take the small steps to better their health, which leads to the larger life-changing choices.
Today I'm unveiling Project LIT, which stands for Lobby Interval Training (ingenious, right?). I plan to use LIT with a few teams that I'm currently partnered with.
What is Project LIT?
The L(IT) portion of LIT refers to the lobby wait time between games of a gaming session or scrims. This period can be anywhere from 60 seconds to 5+ minutes, depending on the game and rank of the player. During this waiting period, most of us go on our phones or play other games. This "break" isn't an actual break and continues to perpetuate the sedentary behavior and poor posture.
The (L)IT portion stands for interval training (as seen in traditional athletics via high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts), which is alternating short bursts of intense exercises followed by periods of rest, then repeat the process over. HIIT training has been proven time and time again to be a more efficient form of training, and can be easily carried over into the realm of esports for the following reasons:
Beating boredom- I personally struggle with boredom during workouts. HIIT workouts switch up exercises every 20-45 seconds, which prevents me from zoning out and being present throughout the entirety of the session.
Minimal equipment investment- With LIT, you will need a yoga mat and your body weight to complete most workouts. Adding weights will be beneficial, and I would highly recommend doing so, once you master form. https://powerblock.com/
Time-efficient/burning more calories- The format allows you to keep your heart rate up even during rest periods. In doing so, you're able to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. https://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca/handle/10219/3355
Boosting brainpower between games- Yes, you read that right. Mixing in exercise while gaming will help "get the blood flowing" literally. I'll go more in-depth with some studies later in the article. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002561961500052X
The goal with LIT is to promote wellness while gaming, but also boost performance. As we sit for extended gaming sessions or scrims, you will probably notice your gameplay slowly declines as the session goes on. This is no coincidence.
"Most importantly, PA (physical activity) improves cognitive processes and memory, has analgesic and antidepressant effects, and even induces a sense of wellbeing, giving strength to the ancient principle of "mens sana in corpore sano" (i.e., a sound mind in a sound body)." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31533339
Physical activity not only helps you process gameplay better but also provides antidepressant effects (aka you tilt less).
As we know, gaming is all about reaction time, quick decision making, and adjusting to your opponents on the fly. Therefore the quicker you can make decisions or adapt to your opponent, the better. Numerous factors contribute to processing speed and many outside factors that can boost your reaction time. One of which is…..you guessed it, physical activity.
If you could gain an edge on your opponents, you'd take it in a heartbeat. So think of getting up, moving around, and doing some LIT as your personal Aim Bot or Game Genie (aka cheat codes on old school console).
photo credit Tfue Thumbnail
A recent study suggests that brief bouts vigorous physical activity may yield the greatest benefits to cognitive processing speed in preadolescents. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254619300237
Finally, a straight-up quote from a recent article: A short bout of intense cardiovascular exercise before playing LoL improves video game performance. More studies are needed to establish whether these effects are generalizable to other video games, whether repeated bouts have summative effects and to identify underlying mechanisms.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31977638/
I could list numerous articles and studies that validate the notion of PA and Cognitive function, but I know that's not what you came here for. My mission with FTW is to bring information to light while making the experience enjoyable and not a complete snoozefest.
How LIT works
Yes, how does one get LIT🔥? Great question, reader. Let me explain
The goal with LIT is to raise your heart rate, feel energized, and break the poor posture cycle. The exercises that I've included in the article focus on different areas that can be mixed and matched depending on what area you want to focus on.
*As with all medical advice over the interwebs, make sure you consult a medical professional to be cleared and determine the areas you need to improve.
The exercises included in this protocol aren't groundbreaking, nor is the concept of HIIT based training. The differentiation here with LIT is when the exercises are performed and the desired outcome of said exercises. So, let's get into it.
I've broken down the exercises into five different categories, and I'll give a few examples of each. They can be mixed and matched based on how you are feeling at the moment or area of focus. I'd initially start with 20 seconds for each with a 10-second rest between the exercises.
For example, if you pick five exercises with 10-second rests, the format would be 20-10-20-10-20-10-20-10-20-10 for a total of 150 seconds or 2 minutes and 30 seconds. This period is the typical wait time for most mid to upper-tier division in League of Legends.
I’ve listed a few from each category. Some of these exercises are well known while other exercises not so much. For those I’ll provide some GIFs for an explanation.
You’ll notice in the videos below, that I’m decked out in Zenkai apparel. They were a perfect fit for LIT because the tech allows for comfortable transitions from gaming to exercise all the while keeping you cool and odor-free. More info at the end of the post (and promo code to save you some cash).
LIT Exercises
*The exercises listed are only a handful of exercises that can be performed per category.
HIIT/Cardio
Mountain Climbers (bottom left)
Stationary Bike
Burpees
Boxer Shuffle (left)
Jumping Jacks/Front Jacks
Star Jumps (right)
Lower Body
Lunge or Reverse Lunge
Basic Squat/Pulses
Single Leg Squat
Ski or Sumo Squat (left)
Squat Hold
Side Lunge (right)
Upper Body
Walk Downs (top left)
Push-Ups
Pull Ups and Variations
Facepulls (top right)
Reverse Push ups
tricep dips (bottom left)
Stabilty/Core
Back Bow
Swimmers (top left)
Plank High/Low
Supine Plank
T-stabilizers (top right)
Side Plank and Switch (bottom left)
Stretches/Cool Down
Cobra (left)
Child's Pose (right)
Chest Openers
Hamstring Seated, Chair Assisted, Standing
Finger/Wrist self distraction
Now What?
After performing some of the exercises above, you can head right back to playing. As you complete random bouts of LIT throughout a gaming session, you will notice more gamer sweat than usual, but also more energy and an improved mental state. LIT isn't going to take the place of your weekly workout routine (which everyone should have in some capacity), but rather to supplement the sedentary activity of gaming.
If you only have 30 seconds between games then do 30 seconds worth of activity, however, I believe five minutes is the sweet spot. LIT’s purpose is to promote movement while gaming. So, don’t feel discouraged if you’re only able to complete a couple of the exercises, because it’s more than you were doing before. Small nudges in behavior lead to large pushes in wellness for the future.
Zenkai Sports
A huge shoutout to Zenkai once again for collaborating with me on this cornerstone content. I’ve worn a lot of workout apparel over the years and they check all the right boxes.
Shaking up an established sector (my goal at FTW as well)
Heavy on technology and research with Filium (the nerd in me)
Breathable, stain-resistant, and odor-free after multiple uses (no joke I tested 3 days of workouts with no odor)
Eco-friendly by reducing the number of washings and nano-free material (I’m human and I love my planet)
Form-fitting yet comfortable enough to be worn all-day
Go check them out and here’s a promo code for 20% off your order, because that’s money you can now spend on in-game skins.
FTW20
Closing
Project LIT has begun its roll out, and will be expanding to more players in upcoming weeks. Anyone who wants to collaborate, chat about the idea, or let me know how LIT is working for them, please reach out. Project LIT is a continual work in progress, which I’ll continue to tinker with and tweak.
I also want to reiterate the fact that LIT isn’t just for gamers, but also deskers. Promoting movement as we sit at a desk all day is a must. Once again all you will need for some of these exercises is your body weight, yoga mat, and the desire to better yourself.
Let's shake up the way wellness and gaming interact to not only boost performance but also to level up your overall health.