Poker provides many benefits to the people who play it including a chance to win major money, entertainment, and a way to meet new friends. However, one thing that poker doesn’t provide players with is the means for staying in shape. Let’s face it; poker is a very sedentary activity where people sit around for long periods of time without burning many calories. 

Add in the fact that many successful poker players travel a lot, and you’ve got a situation where there’s not a whole lot of time left to improve one’s health. But just because poker players sit around a lot and have busy traveling schedules doesn’t mean they should just forget about their health. Here are 5 things every poker player should do to maintain good health and stay in shape.

1. Recognize the importance of health to poker

One big reason you won’t find a whole lot of poker players in the gym is because they don’t think good health has anything to do with winning. After all, you’re not going to be penalized in a tournaments for having a gut. But the truth is that poor health can affect a person’s game when you really thing about it. For example, many of the bigger poker tournaments last for days and those who are out of shape may tire quickly and lose focus during the later parts. On the other hand, a person with good health will be alert and ready at all stages of a tourney.

2. Exercise, exercise, exercise

If you spend long hours at the poker table then there’s a good chance exercise isn’t the first thing on your mind. However, if you want to keep in good health then exercising is a must! Every poker player should be doing cardio sessions of 25 minutes at least 3 times a week. As you get in better shape these cardio sessions should be increased in terms of frequency and/or minutes. When you’re doing cardio, shoot to keep your heart rate above 120 beats per minute so your anaerobic threshold increases. As it increases, you will be able to work out harder and longer.  

It goes without saying that gorging yourself with all kinds of food does not promote good health. But if you are seriously overweight then you might need to turn things up a notch by going on a diet. The key thing to remember with a diet is that you don’t want to overdo things since an extreme diet is nearly impossible to keep up, and puts your body in starvation mode. When this happens, your metabolism slows down and you cease to stop losing any weight. Instead, simply cut your caloric intake by 500 – 700 calories and see how this suits you.

4. Eat as healthy as possible on the road

For the aforementioned poker players who take their game on the road, eating healthy is not always a priority. Few people want to go to the grocery while on the road, and fast food is so much more convenient. But even if you just like to eat fast food while traveling then you should still try to find places that offer the healthiest choices possible. Going to a nearby deli or healthy restaurant is also an option that you should seek out when on the road.

5. Consider supplements and vitamins

You’re not going to keep in shape or maintain good health without dieting and exercising. However, you can provide a boost to your health efforts through taking supplements and vitamins. Vitamins are great because they can ensure that you get all of the nutrients you need which could be lacking in your diet. Supplements are also good because they can boost your workout efforts and allow you to go harder than normal. Whether or not you need supplements and vitamins is entirely up to you, but remember that they can provide something extra in the way of health.