Gaming is hard on the bones – here are simple stretches for long sessions

If you’re not playing fitness games on your Nintendo Switch or PlayStation, you’re usually sitting down when you’re gaming – and sometimes for hours at a time. The only muscles that do the main work then are in the hands, forearms and neck. Without the right exercises, pain or cramps can spoil the fun of gaming in the long run. With these little breathing and stretching exercises, you can stay fit even during longer sessions.

Exercise for the middle back: The “Bent over Twist.” To do this, we bend forward, turn our upper body to the side and stretch one arm upwards while the other hand touches the floor – and vice versa, of course.

Exercise for the wrists: For this we remain seated and let our wrists circle while we clench a fist.

Back exercise: Lean flat against a wall with your butt, back and shoulders and bend your knees slightly. Then raise your hands as if you were being arrested. Now slowly raise the arms towards the ceiling and at the top, when the arms are extended, turn the hands towards each other. Then lower the arms again, making sure to keep the arms against the wall at all times. Ten repetitions and your back will directly relax a bit.Eye and breathing exercises: Yes, fatigue or overuse of the eyes can also be a reason for pain. Here it helps, for example, to massage the eyes or, with eyes closed, to move the eyeballs vertically, horizontally and diagonally. As a breathing exercise, you simply need to inhale deeply through the nose and exhale through the mouth so that the belly visibly goes up and down. Inhale for five seconds, exhale for ten.