Zombies, Run!

So during the summer I weighed around 187 pounds. Yeah... for someone who is vertically challenged, it is easy to look fat and I truly did look fat. So I started eating right and exercising more. However, it wasn't until around October that I started to lose weight faster than before. That was when my dad introduced me to an app called Zombies, Run! The app is a game where in order to get points, you have to run or walk. The faster you move the more points you get. You also have people narrating the story to you as you move.

So what's the game's story, it takes place in the United Kingdom after the zombie apocalypse. You are Runner 5, someone who goes out into the wilderness to get supplies for Able Township, a safe haven for survivors. Each mission someone narrates what's going on and it can be very suspenseful. The narrator is usually a character named Sam Yao, who works at Able Township's communications. During each mission, you pick up supplies like a tin of food, a baseball bat, or a bottle of pain meds. You also get three material points at the end of a story mission or a side story mission. Supply and material points are used to buy buildings such as a hospital, farms, or housing to build Able Township. You also can upgrade the buildings. Each building will increase one or a combination of three things, population, defense, or morale. Each mission can set to last a certain amount of time or a certain distance. I have my missions on a timer, so I can do a 30-minute run or a 45-minute run. You can change this so that missions can be an hour run or a five-mile run.

What do I like about the game? I like the story, it is great listening to it as I run. The narration scenes will last for about a minute to three minutes then there will be a break. During this break, you can listen to your music until the next scene. The music will quiet until after the scene ends or if the game tells you picked up supplies. I also like that there are also different kinds of missions such as supply missions where you can pick up extra supplies. There are also race missions, two 5K, two 10K, and two 15K races. I like how I can run on a treadmill or outside. It doesn't matter if you run or walk, or if you are going somewhere or staying in one place, it doesn't affect the game at all. Finally, I like how this app has actually help me lose weight and get faster. I'm on season two right now, there are four seasons as of this moment, and I'm able to run faster than I did when I first started out. During season one, the missions averaged at 30 minutes long. When I started out, I was running an 11-minute mile and I would have to switch to a walk for 10 to 15 minutes during a mission. Now, the second season mission average at 45 minutes long and I can run continuously at a 9-minute mile. Not bad for only starting this three months ago. Plus I don't think I would be 25 pounds lighter if it weren't for this app. This game gives me the extra push to go work out so I can find out what happens next in the story or buy an upgrade for my town.

What do I don't like about the game? Well, to unlock all the story missions you have to pay about 15 dollars but I think it is money well spent. Also, the narration scenes can be very quiet and if you are listening to music while you run, you might miss some of the stories. I suggest that for the narration scenes you turn up the volume and turn it down for when it is just the music.

Overall I strongly advise anyone who is looking for a good way to lose weight. If running isn't your thing, you can just walk and still enjoy the game. If you are a runner, get this app and you won't regret it.

I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

New Year Resolutions

So happy New Years everybody! I thought I would tell people my new year resolutions.

1. Keep working out and trying to stay fit. I've been running a lot this past couple of months thanks to this app I got called Zombies Run. I've lost nearly 25 pounds and I want to continue to lose weight. (I'll probably do a blog post about the app sometime in the near future.)
2. Finish my minor in Journalism. I'm taking a class at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL to finish my minor as well as a couple of business classes at Lake Land Community College in Mattoon, IL. I plan on getting all A's in these classes.
3. Find a job and start my career. It is a tough job market out there but I hope I can find one.
4. Find love. I'm going to try to get back into the dating game and hopefully find love. If I meet a woman I'm interested in, I'll ask her out and take the risk of her saying no. After all, "if you're afraid to ask a girl out, you will always be afraid to ask a girl out." My father told my brother and me this, though I don't know where he heard it.
5. Be more communicative with my family. I can be vague when I talk about my life when I talk to my family and I need to be better at that.
6. Finally to keep writing blog posts and writing in general. I don't know how many people are reading this or care about it, but I hope more and more people will read my blog.

I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.