Poker Fitness

Keep fit while playing poker!

Healthy 'Poker Mind' in A Healthy Body
Poker and fitness are two subjects that don't usually mix. However, it is essential for your long term success and well-being as a poker player that you stay healthy and fit. Playing online poker or poker tournaments inevitably involves long periods of inactivity, "sittin' on your ass doin' nuthin'". It's easy for 2 or 3 hours or more to slip by when you get really involved in playing online poker, especially at night. Poker tournaments can go on for hours with only very brief toilet breaks. This kind of inactivity can lead to weight gain, lethargy, circulation problems and back pain. If you're not exercising and moving your body around, you are going to suffer. If not now, then later... just as sure as playing a bad opening pair right through the river will hurt in the end.

In-Flight Exercises
Just as you are encouraged to exercise and move your limbs during long haul flights, to avoid deep vein thrombosis or blood clots, so you should exercise and move your body to counteract the long periods of sitting during online poker sessions or tournaments. Maybe you could set your watch to beep every 20 minutes so you could do a simple seated exercise, like making circles with your head or doing some shoulder rolls. Or you could add an exercise, like bending and stretching your legs out, after every other hand. Just get in the habit of doing something to keep your joints mobile, get your circulation up and increase your heart rate, breathing and flexibility. It doesn't have to be complicated. You can simple stand up, and march on the spot for 30 seconds. Do arm raises. Wrist rotations; hand shakes; twist around to look over each shoulder a few times. You could do simple deep breathing exercises to increase your oxygen uptake and boost your alertness. Or practice Charles Atlas muscle squeezes -- these are where you just tighten a muscle group, hold it tight as you can and then release. Not only are these 'isometric exercises' a great way to build muscle size and tone, they also help you relax and increase your energy. And during long tournaments, the difference between being a winner and a loser can be down to simply how tired, drowsy or sluggish you feel. Much better to be able to feel relaxed, enegised and mentally sharp -- and you can do that by practising poker fitness exercises.

GET FIT WHILE YOU SIT - Check out this great program which is perfect for poker players' to keep fit, focussed and mentally sharp during long poker sessions!

ALL THE ACES poker column:
Wednesday January 04, 2006: 
Poker Fitness