Poker is a sedentary game. If you rule out those odd moments where you might have to run to make a tournament registration deadline, then the most exercise most poker players get is standing up when they push in all their chips. In the case of online players, who actually have the better opportunity to keep the muscles moving and the blood flowing while they play, there is often even less healthy movement going on during play. Poker is also a game of endurance, with long hours of sometimes killing boredom having to be endured while you wait for premium hands. In a case like this, there is only thing to do; the poker workout.

The Poker Workout is actually an idea more than a solid set of exercises. Since poker is such a long term game, one that is typically played for hours on end, being healthy while you play is advisable if you plan on being any good at it. If you are just getting together with the guys once a month to fool around, your health at any given moment likely won’t make much of an impact, but if you plan on trying to play on a regular basis your health should become as important to you as memorizing pot odds and how many outs you get with various card combinations.

The two biggest worries a poker player has to face are fatigue and back problems. Fatigue because the more tired you are, the less clearly you think, and everyone knows that poker is a game of decision making. Back problems come whether you park your behind in chair at a casino or in front of a computer at home; hours in a chair in the same general posture will do you damage.

Get up, move about, take breaks and get plenty of sleep; these are the beginnings of your Poker Workout, which you should make a priority.