I miss Dance Dance Revolution. I don’t know why: I have most of the PS2 games in my collection and two fully-functioning DDR pads. Probably because no one wants to play with me. Something to do with us getting older and not being able to move as well as we used to. Meh. I think I’ll dust off the ol’ system and bust some moves!
Huh. Apparently the arcade version came to the US in around the 1999-2000 era (I checked Wikipedia; it’s a lot more reliable than my teachers used to claim). I don’t think I got into it until the end of high school or mid-college, but that still means it’s probably been 15-20 years since I started playing. Goodness, I was thinking it was maybe 10 since I’d begun playing. Maybe I’m getting too old to play DDR…Hah! Not a chance!
Honestly, there were a handful of songs I loved listening to, and dancing to the beat made it easier and more fun to get some cardio in. I don’t think the calorie counter was ever as reliable as it made you feel, but man was it a great way to work up a sweat! I know there were other games that came out and relied on more genuine human movement; the first one that comes to mind is Just Dance. I’ve never been good at rhythm games or with actual dancing, so I didn’t do so well on those. But DDR made you react with your feet in ways similar to quality dancing and helped you get a feel for it. Plus, some of these players were amazing at their reaction speed. I remember one of my friends could get up to 12 or 13 feet at like a B or A rating. I don’t think I ever made it past 6 feet at A rank. Though I had one friend who didn’t have the coordination to keep up with the rest of us, so he always got frustrated when I did succeed at improving while he struggled to manage the beginner levels. I don’t blame him for being frustrated, and it must have been tiring for the rest of your friends to want to keep playing when you want to participate but can’t do it on the same level.
Still, staying active as you get older is vital in maintaining your health. Since I needed to go on some meds, I’ve noticed a consistent rise in my weight and stomach size. I’ve started committing to regular workouts, even if I barely have the strength to handle most 15-20 minute HIIT workouts at my job’s gym. But hey; there are fitness opportunities all around you, if you take advantage of them. For example; I don’t have a yard, but I have an active dog. She gets me out of the house 3-4 times a way; we probably walk about 2 miles a day. It helps to manage my weight and keep my energy levels higher than they used to be, but there’s got to be a better way to exercise, right? Maybe I can locate a local fencing or knife throwing group. Or archery! I keep forgetting I have an unused bow that I need to take to the range.
That’s all this week. Hope you all have a safe weekend!