VR Weight Loss Tips and Oculus Quest Weight Loss Guide
If weight loss is on your mind and you’re wondering how to use VR for an enjoyable weight loss experience, then look no further than this Oculus weight loss guide. Of course you don’t need an Oculus Quest 2 to see Virtual Reality weight loss results, and no matter what HMD you use you can see fantastic results when using VR for exercise and weight loss.
Why The Oculus For Weight Loss?
While you don’t necessarily need an Oculus Quest 2 to see VR weight loss results, using a standalone VR headset like the Meta Quest 2 will give you much greater range of movement, because you won’t need to constantly have a cable tethered to your head while working out in VR.
An Oculus Quest 1 also works as would any other standalone VR headset like the Pico 4. Being able to freely move vigorously is key to a comfortable VR weight loss experience when using VR gaming as exercise.
How Does VR Help With Weight Loss?
Before we get into the details, do note that we are not medical professionals, and that everyone’s body is different. If you are really serious about weight loss then make sure to consult your doctor about your current weight and any underlying medical conditions you may have which might affect your weight loss journey.
That being said, VR is a fantastic way to lose weight by providing a fun and interesting way to exercise. Not everyone likes exercise, and that’s okay. With new advancements in VR technology we now have better and better ways to make moving our bodies a fun and enjoyable experience even for those that are not so inclined.
That’s how Virtual Reality helps you with weight loss, by providing a fun way to burn calories and build muscle. Keep in mind that proper diet and portioning of meals is also a very important factor in losing weight, as well as good nutrition. In this article we’ll be focusing on using standalone, untethered VR with the Oculus Quest 2 to provide you with good and fun exercise that you’ll be looking forward to instead of dreading.
VR Exercise Games With The Oculus Quest 2 - Upper Body
So you’ve got your Quest 2 or other standalone VR headset and you’re wondering where to begin. Naturally we will start with some VR workout games. There’s quite a few, like Supernatural, that are specifically targeted to weight loss fanatics and those who want good exercise. Still, there are much better options that feel less like exercise and more like fun. For instance, do you like boxing?
If you do then there’s a great boxing experience that makes for a fantastic workout in Thrill Of the Fight. Unlike most other VR boxing games you’ll find that Thrill Of the Fight is a very intense experience that forces you to push yourself physically in order to win. Fast punches and quick movement are encouraged in this game, and you will easily find yourself panting and sweating when trying to defeat an opponent. It’s easy to get so lost in the fight that you don’t even realize how much exercise you’re doing.
Thrill Of the Fight is great for working on your arms and cardio. All of the movement makes you work your heart and lungs a lot, and all of the punching will make your arms sore and tired. If you have a big enough play area you can even move around the ring and move your legs a little, though it’s not too much of a leg workout unless you duck and weave a lot.
When playing Thrill Of the Fight be very careful of where you set your guardian boundary so that you don’t punch a wall, furniture, pet, or person. This goes for all VR games. As for yourself, since you’re not punching a physical target it is possible to overextend your arms and pull a muscle or injure your shoulder. So be careful to keep your punches close and not overextend your arms.
If Thrill Of the Fight sounds interesting and you want more background then check out our other article on it here. If you’ve already tried Thrill Of the Fight and want more intense fighting games in VR then Virtual Boxing League gives a less polished but also very enjoyable boxing experience. Dragon Fist: VR Kung Fu is also a lot of fun, though it tends to be a little less intense than these two boxing games, you’ll break a sweat at least though.
VR Exercise Games With The Oculus Quest 2 - Lower Body
While fighting games make for great upper arm workouts and cardio, what about your legs and lower body? They’ll need some love too. While a lot of VR games that are good for exercise and weight loss make you move your legs, there are a few which will really blast those leg muscles and give you a good workout. Chief among these is Pistol Whip.
If you’ve played some Pistol Whip or seen videos about it, you might not have thought that this would be a great game for Virtual Reality weight loss. That’s because Pistol Whip is incredibly easy and slow by default. Just like in Thrill Of the Fight, you’ll need to up the difficulty to really push yourself and get a great leg workout.
Pistol Whip can be really intense because it makes you do a ton of squats. Squats are the best single all around exercise for your legs, and Pistol Whip makes you squat a lot at high difficulties. By setting the difficulty to Hard and putting on some modifiers that make more bullets come at you, you’ll find that your legs will be burning after each Pistol Whip session.
To dodge incoming bullets you’ll need to quickly squad, duck, and contort your body. This gives your legs and even abs a great workout. It’s great cardio too, because all of the fast movements the game forces you to do will get your heart pumping and lungs working.
For more specific tips on how to turn Pistol Whip into an intense workout, check out our Pistol Whip exercise guide here. There are some other games that are great for your legs too. If you love to dance then an intense session of Dance Central VR can be great for your legs. OhShape is a lesser known game that makes you move your legs a lot, and also your arms for more of a hybrid workout.
VR Weight Loss Tips and VR Exercise Tips
These aren’t the only games for VR exercise, if you want more options go to the “Have Fun” tip below for a big list of other games. Now that you’ve got some options for Virtual Reality games to play to get some fun exercise during your VR exercise, here are some more tips and advice.
Have Fun
The best way to get more exercise, burn more calories, and build more muscle, is to have fun. That’s the whole point of VR exercise and why Virtual Reality so so great for weight loss. It makes exercise more fun and makes you want to keep coming back to do it. So make sure you’re having a good time, and if you don’t have as much fun with the games in this article, look a little further. Here’s a brief list of other games that we haven’t covered here that could make for very fun exercise:
Audioshield
Beat Saber (Make sure to swing your whole arm and not just your wrist, or it’s not exercise at all)
BoxVR
Supernatural (Paid Subscription though, a little too pricey unless you really love it)
Holoball
Eleven Table Tennis VR (Great for an after workout cooldown, but not much exercise on it’s own)
FitXR (A lot like a traditional workout)
HOLOFIT (Rowing in VR!)
Ragnarok (Decent for arms)
Until You Fall (Not the most intense either but a lot of fun and can be some exercise for your arms and legs if you play it really quickly)
Get The Biggest Playspace Possible
It is possible to play most VR Fitness games using a stationary guardian boundary, which is basically just a little circle that you can’t step out of, but you won’t have the most fun you could playing this way. Utilize the biggest play area that you can with a Roomscale Boundary so that you have more room to move around. More movement is key, and freeing yourself to move your entire body naturally while playing will not only get you better exercise and weight loss results, but also make everything more enjoyable.
When you’re picking a playspace though, be careful that no natural sunlight hits the lenses of your VR headset. Natural Light will burn the lenses and leave dead pixels on it that will ruin your immersion and enjoyment. Also make sure that your playspace will be clear of pets and other people, and doesn’t have furniture or objects on the floor around you.
Keep Sweat Out Of Your Eyes and VR Headset
Sweat can be a big problem when you’re wearing a computer on your face and trying to exercise. You’ll find that sweat will pool on your face where it meets the foam cover of your headset. This will make the headset slip on your face and make the whole experience uncomfortable. Not to mention that this sweat can build up in the foam and increase bacteria on your skin that may cause skin problems like acne.
To help with this consider getting a new face cover that is made of silicone or another sweat repelling material. This will keep your headset from smelling and building bacteria. There are plenty of different ones out there, but the most reliable choice is VR Cover, that offers new facial interfaces and accessories not just for the Oculus Quest 2, but basically every VR headset out there.
Make sure to clean your face cover with disinfectant when you’re done exercising (but don’t get any on your lenses) and wipe your face and face cover with a clean towel periodically when exercising in VR.
Avoid Injury
Injuring yourself from exercising not only effects your life outside of weight loss and fitness, but also means that you’ll have to take a break from exercise until you heal. Injuring yourself will cause you to lose more exercise and fun VR play time overall. So avoid injury at all costs by making sure not to overextend yourself or hit a wall or object with your hand. Keep steady and don’t fall over either. If a muscle or joint starts hurting then give it a rest. If you ever have a persistent pain while doing VR weight loss or any exercise at all then consult a medical professional.
Try Adding A Little Traditional Exercise
To hit more muscle groups and have a more complete workout you might want to add some traditional exercise to your VR weight loss regimen after you get into the habit of exercise. Exercises that utilize your body weight like pushups and lunges can be a great way to supplement your VR weight loss adventure. You can try having some fun with a VR workout and then moving on to some other exercise, or do some other exercises in between VR sessions to keep your weight loss exciting and different.
Add Weights For Even Harder Exercise
If you’ve been using VR for weight loss for a while and don’t feel the burn quite like you used to you can enhance your Virtual Reality exercise even further by adding some weights. Wrist weights like these here are great because they include a thumbstrap that will keep them from slipping off of your wrists while you’re playing. Ankle weights like these can make movement harder and more intense as well.
Exercise Consistently and Watch Your Diet
If you want to see weight loss results when exercising with Virtual Reality, then you’ll only ever see progress when you exercise consistently. A little exercise every day of the week is better than a lot of exercise one day of the week. Exercise and weight loss is as much a series of habits as it is your desire and drive to do it. It can be helpful to exercise at the same time every day, or to start with just a little bit of exercise and work your way up. Consistency is more important than immediate results, though consistency will bring results if you keep slowly increasing the intensity.
Also keep in mind that all the VR exercise in the world won’t make you lose weight alone. Getting enough sleep and having a proper diet are also very important. Unfortunately there’s no Virtual Reality app yet that can help you with those, though there are plenty that make for a good workout.
Well there you have it, a guide and tips for VR weight loss by using VR for fun exercise. If you’ve read this and found Virtual Reality to be helpful on your weight loss journey then please leave a comment. It would be great to hear from everyone that VR has helped become more fit and lose weight.
