You have probably heard all the crazy statistics about how too much television watching and video game playing are making people fat. Well, if you aren’t so keen on giving up the video games – and let’s face it, not many of us girls are anxious to do that – here are some ways you can combine exercise with some gaming – and most of them don’t even require that you put that controller or mouse down!

Pilates ring
Get one of those pilates rings and if you are playing a FPS, make yourself workout your legs by squeezing the ring between your knees or calves while you are waiting to respawn… and it just might make you game extra harder so you don’t have to torture your legs as much!

Have a ball
Get one of those huge exercise balls you can sit on, and then sit on it instead of your chair while you game. Although it might seem like it would be easy enough, you will actually sit up straighter and tone those abs while it keeps your balance.

Squeeze your butt
Butt squeezes are easy to do at any time, whether you are in the middle of a game or waiting in the lobby. The more you do, the better the butt.

Stretch your legs
Sounds simple enough but most of us don’t do it. Simply stretch your legs out and roll your ankles around a bit. And if you are feeling up to the task, do as many leg lifts as you can after you finish stretching.

Take advantage of map changes
Are you waiting for a new map or song to load? Are you already terminated in an elimination match? Use that time to pretend you are jumping rope or just even run in the spot. Even though you might only get 30 seconds in (or up to a few minutes, depending on the game), every second counts and it helps keep you motivated to do it again the next time. But if you think you might do some heavy breathing as you exert yourself, mute your mic so you don’t get any of the inevitable Darth Vader comments… just don’t forget to un-mute yourself!

Avoid gaming at mealtime
How often have you sat down at your console or computer with your dinner to eat? Probably most of us have at least once, if not regularly! Well, you will probably be surprised to know that people who are distracted by computers and televisions tend to eat much more than those who aren’t. So resist the temptation of that extra 5 or 10 minutes of gaming and eat your dinner away from the game.

Avoid the snacks
I know, easier said than done, especially when you end up skipping dinner because you would rather use the time to game. But seriously try to make yourself drink an entire glass of water (no, not one of those little skimpy glasses but a real large glass!) before you can snack. Or make yourself eat a healthier snack over something that is not quite as healthy… or at the very least, eat some healthy stuff before indulging in the junk food so more of you fills up on what is healthy and low calorie before you start eating the pretzels or Doritos.

Be creative.
The guys at Mana Potions figured out how to hook up their treadmills to their computer so they could actually do all the running their characters do in the game as they raced from Shadowglen to Darnassus. And yes, they tell you how they did it incase you want to get your workout by making your own character run. WOW not your thing? I am sure someone creative could figure out something similar for Oblivion or just about any other RPG.

Exercise & gaming combined
You knew this tip was coming… Use a Wii Fit! You have to admit, what is better than combining working out AND gaming and some of the games are pretty fun, even if it sometimes does feel like the game is kicking your butt!

Dance it off
Find using a Wii Fit too boring or you are Xbox or PS loyal? Kick it up with one of the various Dance Dance Revolution games to give your legs a workout… and think of all those Xbox gamer points you could get as you do it on Xbox.

Do you have another tip for keeping fit while you are gaming? Be sure to share it in the comments below!