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How I Used Video Gaming Research to Get Healthy

Lee Falin
Elemental
Published in
6 min readAug 30, 2019

Photo: Edward Berthelot/Getty

AA few months ago I was at a health and wellness fair, mostly looking for free swag for my kids. I sat down at a cholesterol and blood pressure screening booth and the nurse told me that my blood pressure and cholesterol were both high for my age.

Hearing the words of the nurse and realizing that I was in my forties and my oldest child was 17, I knew that I needed to make some changes. Would I be there to see my eldest daughter’s wedding? Would I still be around to help my youngest son make the transition to college?

I knew that if I were going to make real and lasting progress in health and fitness, it had to be for reasons other than shame.

I had developed more than a few unhealthy habits. My work as a computational scientist and software developer meant that I spent a great deal of time sitting at a desk reading or typing. When I was stuck on a difficult problem or feeling stressed, I would usually reach for some kind of sugary snack. Over the years, the effects of these habits compounded, and I knew I needed a reset.

Finding my motivation: the 6–11 framework

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Elemental
Elemental

Published in Elemental

Elemental is a former publication from Medium for science-backed health and wellness coverage. Currently inactive and not taking submissions.

Lee Falin
Lee Falin

Written by Lee Falin

Scientist & Storyteller, you can find my books and stories here: https://LeeFalin.com

Responses (4)

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Oh, how I hate exercise and oh, how I need to not hate it.
Ok, I will never not hate it, but I hate not being fit almost as much.
Thanks for the info on the 6–11 framework. Time to get the motivation and positive feedback loops working.

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When I had a stroke, I started gaming to get coordination back in my hands and it helped out so much.

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Hey there,
Video games have a vast array of benefits to human health so I’m not surprised by this article, although pleased to read it.
I remember when the Wii first came out and was adopted by the retirement homes of the country — the results…

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