On January 18, 2026, I played in the Arizona Women’s State Pinball Championship. I finished 2nd place, but something else interesting happened during the tournament.
My Fitbit was quietly recording the whole day.
A lot of people assume pinball is just standing around pushing buttons. After seven hours of tournament play, my Fitbit tells a different story.
The Tournament Format
The event was structured as a best-of-seven bracket against four different competitors.
Each player selected three machines:
– Classic
– Mid-era
– Modern
Every round tested a different set of skills. Old machines reward control and patience, while modern machines often require deep rule knowledge and careful mode progression.
Most matches went six or seven games, which meant a lot of time standing, walking, waiting, and staying mentally locked in.
By the time the day ended, we had been playing for seven and a half hours.
What My Fitbit Recorded
Here’s what that tournament looked like in numbers:
Total time: 7 hours 30 minutes
Steps: 5,954
Distance: 2.71 miles
Active Zone Minutes: 66
Average Heart Rate: 94 bpm
Calories burned during the tournament block: about 1,253
So even though I wasn’t running or lifting weights, I still ended up with the equivalent of a long, low-intensity endurance day.
Pinball Is Sneaky Exercise
During a tournament you are constantly moving in small ways:
– walking between machines
– stepping back to watch opponents
– pacing while waiting your turn
– leaning, nudging, and shifting during play
Individually those movements are tiny. Over seven hours, they add up.
This is a great example of what I like to call incidental exercise.
You’re not working out on purpose. You’re just living your life in an active way.
Pinball tournaments are basically a long stretch of light physical activity mixed with intense mental focus.
The Heart Rate Graph Was the Most Interesting Part
My heart rate averaged 94 bpm, which is elevated but steady.
As the tournament progressed, the graph slowly crept upward. That’s what happens when the stakes increase and the competition gets deeper.
It wasn’t stress in a bad way. It was more like focused excitement.
Anyone who plays competitive pinball knows the feeling:
You’re standing over the machine, the ball is in play, and everything else disappears for a few seconds.
Endurance Matters in Pinball
After several hours of play, the real challenge becomes mental stamina.
You still have to:
– stay calm
– make good decisions
– control the ball
– avoid rushing shots
Fatigue makes mistakes more likely.
That’s why tournaments often feel less like a sprint and more like a slow endurance event.
The Bigger Picture
When people talk about exercise, they usually picture gyms, running shoes, and workout plans.
But sometimes movement shows up in unexpected places.
On January 18th, my exercise came from:
– standing at pinball machines
– walking around a tournament venue
– focusing intensely for hours
– competing with a group of talented women players
Seven hours later, I had almost 6,000 steps, over an hour of active zone minutes, and a second-place finish.
Not a bad way to spend a Sunday.
Incidental Exercise Receipts
Here are the Fitbit “receipts” from the tournament.
And yes… it still counts.
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