I am taking a break from sharing my experience with the Canadian healthcare system to write about something that lifted my spirits during the holidays. Spoiler if you’ve been reading about my journey so far: I had endometriosis surgery less than a month before Christmas and spent all of December recovering. I was advised to not lift anything heavier than ten pounds and to avoid strenuous activity, so I spent most of my time watching all the shows I saved on My List on Netflix. From Netflix to Crave, Crave to Discovery plus, I did what I was told – rest and watch TV shows until the characters started to appear in my dreams, all the while complaining that I missed my Pilates classes and wished I could do some light cardio.
Before my surgery, the boy asked what I’d like for Christmas. I said I prefer to be surprised. Gifts should not be about value, they should be about thought so I told him to think away and have fun while at it. A few days before Christmas, he told me he was going in search of my Christmas gift and he was excited because it was something we could do together for cardio. I don’t know why, but my mind immediately went to one of the walking pads I had seen on Amazon. I was plopped on the sofa in the living room buried in blankets, watching Supacell on Netflix, when he returned from his shopping trip. He snuck the shopping bag past me and grinned from ear to ear when I tried to prod him for the contents.
Fast forward to Christmas day, he emerged with a box that certainly did not look like it could be a walking pad. ‘Is it some kind of skipping rope or one of those mini-steppers?’ I thought. I unwrapped it to find he bought me a Meta Quest 3 headset. Now, I’ll admit I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do with it. How does this help with cardio and how do we do it together? The boy ran into his home office and unwrapped his own Quest 3 headset. Two headsets, one excited boy and a confused girlie. Christmas was off to a great start.
One of the fun things about living with a boy who has a very boy job (video game developer) is that I get to try new tech and video games even though I would not describe myself as a gamer girlie. . Regardless, I was excited to see how the Meta Quest 3 could help me get fit. I’ve only ever used VR at work conferences to view renditions of reactors and the likes, but I have never had my own.
The Meta Quest 3 is not like the VR headsets I tried before. It is mixed reality, which means you can see the environment around you, create a boundary which will allow you to safely immerse yourself in VR without walking into a wall. That had me sold and I was soon jumping with excitement.
First things first, we downloaded Beat Saber. I had seen people on tiktok slicing boxes in dark studios and had thought Oh OK… I guess that’s fun. But fun is only half of it. It is an intense and enjoyable workout. I had to do most of it on Easy Mode, with No fail modifiers so I wouldn’t contravene my doctor’s orders. My favourite thing about it is that I can play with the boy while focusing on my fitness. It’s a great way for friends and family members to get fit together without necessarily being in the same place. You can also gift the game to your friends. There are testimonials of people online who say they lost weight playing Beat Saber three to four times a week. Come on post-surgery summer body!
After trying Beat Saber and catching my breath (I was sweating like a nervous donkey), we downloaded Supernatural. I was not ready for this workout and I have to say it is my favourite one. For starters, in Supernatural, you can choose between boxing classes and Beast Saber-like slicing workouts. Secondly, the locations change for each round of the workout. One minute, you are standing by the Great Wall of China, the next you are in the French Alps. And the boxing? Ten out of ten. A 12 minute class had me calling for my mom. 17 minutes felt like I had run a 5km race.
Since then, we have downloaded Walkabout Golf, Real VR Fishing, and an Escape Room – all games we engage in instead of mindlessly scrolling on our phones. Our mornings now begin with energetic shrieks as we slice boxes in Beat Saber or box obstacles in Supernatural. The Meta Quest 3 has reduced the activation energy needed by both of us to work out and get fit. It’s like having a home gym, except with this one, you can escape your room for a few minutes and enjoy a great workout in a different world.
It is without a doubt the best gift for my Cardio needs. Thank goodness I did not offer any suggestions when he asked what I’d like. I don’t think any of the things I had in mind would have beat the awesome-ness of the Meta Quest 3. If you find the cost of the Meta Quest 3 prohibitive, the Meta Quest 3S offers the same functionality for a small sacrifice on display and available memory (128 GB vs 512 GB in the Meta Quest).
This offer includes Batman:Arkham shadow and a three-month trial of Meta Quest+
