This all started because my dad couldn't for the life of him understand why people enjoyed playing Pokemon Go. Among the many reasons, nostalgia was the first to come to mind. However, I also had to consider the other aspects as well. As a business woman, I understood how disruptive products like Pokemon Go changed the way we do things and pushed our boundaries. It's exciting being apart of it and it rallies the masses. Think about other disruptive products which have achieved the same, like Uber and Netflix. They forever changed the way we live.
The fitness side of me saw the great value in taking a video game which would traditionally be played by yourself, and on a couch (potato chip bag adjacent) to instead being up and active. Rather than being sedentary you're on your feet, constantly moving, and interacting with strangers that share the same interest as you. Once I explained it that way to my dad, it all clicked and he asked me when I'd be taking my 8 year old gamer niece.
The Experiment
I wanted to see just how many calories I could burn in an evening playing Pokemon Go. Sure, it likely wouldn't come close to what I could burn during a high-intensity workout in the gym, but any activity is a good activity. If you're having fun doing it, that's even better. Gotta catch 'em all, know what I'm sayin'?
Initially, I planned to use my polar heart rate monitor to track my calories burned, but I couldn't find the chest strap. I ripped my apartment up for 30 minutes, tossing clothes into ceiling fans, and nothing. So instead, I downloaded MapMyWalk step counter ($3) which provides an approximate calories burned.
We Were Unprepared
Our night of Pokemon Go-ing started with everyone's phone batteries at a max 50%. The game is a battery drain, so we needed to hustle. Had I known how badly Pokemon go would ravage my battery I would have brought my portable battery charger. In full cheat meal mode, we stopped and grabbed some ice cream then purchased several bottles of water to battle the heat.
Calorie Burning Turned Up
About an hour in we did a lot of standing around and chatting, but still I was able to burn 64 calories without even thinking about it. The night went on; there was more walking, laughing, playing, and calorie burning. I checked MapMyWalk and had burned just over 200 calories. I thought "okay, now we're getting there." Then one friend suggested we head over to the museum where he thought for sure Pikachu lived. This is where the calorie burning turned up.
We had to hop over a small rock wall to access the museum lawn. Once inside there were several people there already capturing Pikachus. The lawn was a hill outfitted with several sets of stairs which we climbed. Needless to say, I was able to burn even more calories in a shorter span of time. By the end of the night, my calories burned totaled 432. Not too shabby, don't you think? I predict many more nights of scouring the streets for Pokemon, battling for gyms, getting exercise, and having a great time while doing it.
