Posted in: Games, Video Games, VR | Tagged: Exercise Your Demons

Get ready to take down demons through the power of exersize, as players can take them on with Exercise Your Demons, coming out soon

▶” style=”border: 0px;” allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; fullscreen;” loading=”lazy” src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/kJw1K8SSnZI?feature=oembed” title=”Youtube Video”>

VR developer and publisher Vyersoft revealed their latest game during PAX West 2024, as Exercise Your Demons will be coming out before year’s end. The game will have you enter the gym of the Netherworld as you look to lose weight in one of two ways, either by hard training of through stretches and yoga. Both offer a wide array of challenges, from simplistic to hardcore. All with the goal of getting you to exercise while you play. We passed by this game’s booth several times throughout the event and were pleasantly surprised to see people excited to be doing a fun workout. The game doesn’t have a release date beyond the idea that it will be out before the end of 2024, but you can wishlist it now for Meta Quest 2, 3, and Pro.

Exercise Your Demons

Tricked by the dastardly Demonomicon into opening a portal between the Netherworld and the human realm, demons now roam the Earth. Head down to the Infernal Gymnasium to team up with personal trainers Ash and Zephyr to get into shape and stop the demon invasion. With the help of fiendish fitness instructors, don DeGauntlets and wade into the fray across underworld hellscapes from the Poison Blossom Park to the Ultimate Demon Derby. Put up dukes and swing away, taking down the unholy scourge, including Brimstone Bikers, Hellfire Hooligans, and Infernites.

Duck, dive, weave, bob, and SMASH a path to victory with intuitive mixed reality controls. Persistence is key when it comes to health and fitness. Create a consistent routine by engaging the demonic forces on a regular basis to steadily progress and save the world. Collect Impcoins and Soul Bars by advancing through the story to level up and unlock cool cosmetics. Break a sweat, burn calories, and rise to the top of the leaderboards while setting personal records within the comfort of the living room.

• Single Player Workouts: Get your swole on as you battle through the netherworld. Clash with the Doomer Army across nine distinct stages designed to push you to your limits!
• Trainer Huddles: Forge unbreakable bonds with your demonic trainers. They’ll motivate you, challenge you, and keep you coming back for more with their unique storylines and devilish hijinks!
• Competitive Leaderboards: Compete against your friends and rivals in fierce leaderboard battles to climb the ranks and claim your seat on the throne as the ultimate gym warrior.
• Unlock New Equipment: Collect the latest cutting-edge equipment from the netherworld and crush the opposition in style.

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!

No matter how you look at it, fitness is a key part of healthy aging. But you can’t just skate into your golden years looking great while doing minimal amounts of cardio. You should be focusing on anti-aging exercises that can help you boost your strength, balance and mobility. In turn, this can help you sustain healthy habits as well as your independence as you get older. You can’t discount exercise as a way to help you maintain your brain health as well.

Regular exercise can also prevent you from relying on others for daily assistance with your activities. However, your workout routine will change to accommodate your changing needs. To figure out which anti-aging exercises older adults should focus on to maintain wellness, we spoke with experts. 

Is exercise safe for older adults?

A common misconception among the aging population is that exercise is unsafe and should be avoided. This is untrue and works against older adults’ desire to achieve and maintain optimal health. Fitness is key to healthy aging, even when it comes to brain fitness. 

An unfortunate fact is that aging increases the risk of many diseases, per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Regular physical activity helps to reduce the risk of the same conditions, like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and dementia. 

Physical activity is safe for older adults when done correctly and is necessary for a healthy life. The benefits of exercise among the aging population are strongly supported by the CDC, physical therapists and personal trainers across the globe.

Kevin Robinson, a physical therapist and professor of orthopedics and kinesiology, shared some general guidelines for safe exercising for older adults: 

• Focus on minimal-impact activities, like water exercise, recumbent stationary bikes and ellipticals. 
• Join SilverSneakers programs, which are often offered at local health clubs. These are usually covered by insurance and are designed specifically for older adults. One benefit of these programs is that you can also make friends, which will help you attend consistently. 
• Focus on certain muscle groups like gluteals (butt), quadriceps (thighs), biceps and abdominals, and know your limits. 
• Make stretching and balancing exercises part of your regular exercise program. 

The best anti-aging exercises for older adults

The best exercises for you will depend on factors like your current fitness level and medical conditions requiring a limited or modified approach. It’s never too late to begin a good exercise program. 

The CDC recommends the following weekly physical activity for adults aged 65 and older:

• 150 minutes a week minimum of moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, like jogging. 
• Two days a week minimum of strengthening exercises, like lifting weights.
• Balance-improving activities, like balancing on one foot.

Here are some examples of what that exercise routine can look like for older adults. 

1. Moderate cardio 

The CDC defines moderate aerobic activity, also known as cardio, as a 5 or 6 on a scale of one (sitting still) to 10 (working hard). Some activities that are light cardio for one person may be moderate cardio for another.

Walking is a common form of moderate cardio, especially popular with older adults. “Walking can be a great activity,” Robinson said. “But many people with arthritis cannot tolerate walking for distances. This is because the average ground reaction force going through the knee is 1.2 to 1.5 times the person’s body weight. So, what seems like a minimal impact activity can be too much.”

Robinson recommends water exercise for patients with arthritis in their legs or feet. “This reduces the forces through the knee by 50% to 75% as compared to walking on land,” he said.

Other forms of moderate cardio include hiking, running errands or doing certain chores (like raking leaves), some types of yoga, bike riding and using an elliptical.

2. Light strength exercises

Erin Stimac, personal trainer and group exercise instructor, says functional movements are the foundation for maintaining independence, reducing the risk of injury and enhancing your overall quality of life. Erin recommends incorporating strength exercises that cover essential functional movements:

• Squatting (sitting and standing): Squatting exercises are vital for regular daily life and contribute to improved mobility and stability.
• Hinging (bending down): Essential for tasks like picking up objects, hinging exercises strengthen the lower back and promote flexibility.
• Pushing (body weight or objects): Pushing enhances upper body strength and supports activities like getting up from the ground or lifting objects.
• Pulling (toward the body): This strengthens the back muscles and is crucial for maintaining posture and balance.
• Carrying: Life often requires you to carry objects from one point to another. Reduced grip strength is closely linked to mortality, predicting risk for early death better than blood pressure. 

Some specific CDC-recommended light strength exercises that can incorporate functional movements include weight lifting, using resistance bands, working in a garden, bodyweight exercises like pull-ups or push-ups, and various yoga postures.

3. Exercises to help your balance

It is common for older adults to have balance problems. Good balance, however, reduces the risk of falls.

“To improve balance, you need to perform balance activities for short periods of time throughout the day, as opposed to 10 to 15 minutes once a day,” said Robinson. He recommends the following balance activities, which can usually be done safely at home:

• Stand on both feet in front of a counter. Let go of the counter to see how long you can maintain your balance without grasping the counter. Repeat this activity three to five times throughout the day until you’ve built up to three 45-second periods. Once you’ve achieved this, move on to the next exercise. 
• Repeat the balance exercise above, but this time close your eyes. 

Yoga is also a common form of exercise known to improve balance, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. 

Advertisement

Exercises older adults should avoid

Are there specific exercises older adults should avoid entirely? According to Stimac, the answer is generally no. 

“Contrary to common beliefs, there’s no need for older adults to shy away from any specific movements,” Stimac said. “The fear of injury should not deter them from engaging in strength training. Instead of focusing on limitations, we should explore what movements are suitable for each individual.” 

If you have a disease, condition or injury that involves physical limitations, you should always follow the guidance of your medical doctor. With proper guidance and modifications, you can still find ways to achieve physical fitness. 

Stimac says there’s no one-size-fits-all approach and that every aging person deserves a tailored program that enhances strength and ability while considering individual needs. “By embracing personalized plans and debunking myths, we empower older adults to lead active and fulfilling lives,” she said. 

A 12-week study shows that low-impact yoga and exercise can significantly reduce urinary incontinence episodes in older women, offering a safe, accessible alternative to medications

It’s more likely than not that personal trainers will work with female clients who deal with incontinence issues, which could be an obstacle on their path to the fitness and wellness goals. Recent research supports the belief that solutions are available, and exercise may be one of them.

A recent study led by Stanford Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco, has found that low-impact exercise programs, such as yoga and general stretching, significantly reduce urinary incontinence episodes in older women. The research, published in Annals of Internal Medicine on August 27, provides promising alternatives for women seeking non-pharmacological treatments.

A Underreported & Common Issue

Urinary incontinence affects more than half of middle-aged women and up to 80% of women over 80 and can interfere with daily activities and significantly impact quality of life. The study examined the effects of a 12-week low-impact yoga program and found a 65% reduction in incontinence episodes among participants.

“We were testing the kind of yoga that just about anyone can do, with modifications for different physical abilities,” said Dr. Leslee Subak, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford Medicine and the study’s senior author. “What I love about it is that it’s safe, inexpensive, doesn’t require a doctor and is accessible wherever you live.”

The research set out to find cost-effective and accessible solutions for a problem that is often stigmatized and underreported. According to Subak, incontinence is mistakenly viewed as an inevitable part of aging, though treatments are available.

“Incontinence is not only common, but it also interferes with people’s lives,” Subak noted. “It takes away independence. Many women avoid staying with their children or grandchildren due to the fear and embarrassment of an accident.”

Study Parameters

The study involved 240 women between the ages of 45 and 90, all experiencing daily incontinence. Participants were divided into two groups: one practicing 16 hatha yoga poses aimed at strengthening the pelvic floor, and the other group performing general stretching and strengthening exercises.

Both groups attended two 90-minute exercise sessions weekly and were asked to practice independently for at least an hour per week.

See Also

Both the yoga and the control groups experienced significant improvements. Participants in the yoga group reported an average of 2.3 fewer daily incontinence episodes, while those in the general exercise group saw a reduction of 1.9 episodes per day. These results are comparable to the 30% to 70% improvement rates seen with medications for incontinence, according to the researchers.

Subak emphasized the importance of regular activity, which is good news for fitness professionals who work with this population.

“One of the take-home messages from this study is ‘Be active!’ I’m impressed that exercise did so well and that yoga did so well,” Subak added.

The benefits of physical activity, including yoga, extend beyond managing incontinence. As the study’s lead author, Dr. Alison Huang, professor at UCSF, pointed out, being physically active helps reduce the risk of other health issues, such as falls and bone fractures, which can be exacerbated by conditions like incontinence.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, with contributions from researchers at Yale University and San Francisco State University.