Pokemon Go.

Pokemon. It’s a kid’s game right? Well yes, but a lot of adults play too (including me!). As a kid, I used to play Pokemon on various Gameboys (and consoles – shout out to anyone who played Pokemon Stadium on the N64) throughout my childhood. They were fun times and like anything you grow up with, it will always have a place in my heart.

Jump forward to summer 2016, and Pokemon released a mobile game, Pokemon Go. For anyone that doesn’t know, you walk round in the real world, catching Pokemon (digital animals) and interact with real world landmarks. When the game released in the UK, I didn’t have a phone with a data contract, so I missed out playing the first few months, which sucked (sad I know). Anyway, I got a phone (with data) at some point and the hype around the game had gone. No-one I knew played anymore and when I tried to, my phone couldn’t really run the game and the battery ran out too quickly.

Anyway, in February of this year, I bought a new Iphone XR. The battery was good, the game ran without any issues, I had data and I was ready to relive my childhood. A huge part of the game is walking. The game encourages you with rewards for walking certain distances in a week (up to 50km). A quick side note, I have a hereditary condition called HSP (hereditary spastic paraplegia) which makes it hard for me to walk (another post coming in the future about this).

Before February, I was very inactive. There were days (multiple in a row sometimes) where I wouldn’t leave the house. In a way, Pokemon Go transformed my life. I’ve been out the house everyday (apart from a couple) since February. I went from struggling to walk, to enjoying it. AND my anxiety is improving. I’ve since bought a FitBit too to track my activity more accurately (and to hold myself to account).

I would encourage everyone to download it and give it go. Sometimes walking can be boring, but when you’re playing a game, it can make it fun. You may also lose weight, get fitter and feel great!

See you later.