Maintaining a healthy lifestyle in The Sims 4 can be challenging, but with the right knowledge and strategies, you can ensure your Sims live long, fulfilling lives. This guide explores various aspects of healthy eating and well-being in the game, drawing from existing game mechanics and suggesting potential enhancements for a more immersive experience.
The Core Concept: A Health Bar System
One innovative way to enhance the realism of health in The Sims 4 is to introduce a hidden "Health Bar." This bar would function similarly to the existing weight/fatness mechanic, remaining unseen unless a Sim undergoes a check-up. The Health Bar would range from 0 to 1000, with 1000 representing the healthiest state.
Health Points: Food, Activities, and Decay
Each food and drink item would be assigned a Health Point value. Healthy foods, like Garden Salads and Fruit Salads, could increase health points, while unhealthy options like Hamburgers, Steaks, and Hot Dogs could decrease them. Similarly, activities like swimming, jogging, running, and playing basketball would contribute to increasing health points.
To simulate the natural decline in health, the Health Bar could decay by a set number of points each day. This decay would encourage players to actively manage their Sims' health through diet and exercise.
For example:
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- Healthy Foods: Increase health points by 30.
- Unhealthy Foods: Decrease health points by 30.
- Exercise (per hour): Increase health points by 20.
- Daily Decay: Decrease health points by 10.
These numbers are merely examples, and the exact values could be adjusted by The Sims developers to achieve the desired balance.
Consequences of Poor Health
When a Sim's health points drop below a certain threshold, they would begin to experience negative effects.
- Below 300 Health Points: Sims start to feel sick and may occasionally throw up.
- Below 50 Health Points: Sims feel extremely sick, throw up more frequently, and may pass out randomly.
- Prolonged Sickness (3 days): If a Sim remains extremely sick for three consecutive days, it could lead to death.
To combat these negative effects, players would have options to seek medical treatment.
Medical Intervention
Players could choose to send their Sims to the hospital (even if it's a rabbit-hole) to receive treatment. Alternatively, they could purchase medicine to increase their Sim's health points. However, overuse of medicine could lead to negative consequences, such as an overdose, which would negate the beneficial effects.
The Simwell Health Club: A Hub for Wellness
The Simwell Health Club app serves as the central hub for all healthy lifestyle interactions in the game. This menu is accessible on both your Sim and on the phone. Sims who have memberships do not pay for classes and programs or the gym, spa, or health center.
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Membership Options
To fully utilize the facilities and services offered by the Simwell Health Club, Sims need to sign up for a membership. Membership options include:
- Single Day Memberships: Grants one-day access to the spa and gym amenities for the Sim and their household (if they are also present).
- Signature Memberships: The most varied and affordable option, with specific types for different Sims.
- Student Membership: Available for university students.
- Senior Membership: Available for elders.
- Individual Membership: For Sims who are not students or elders.
- Family Membership: Covers access for the entire household.
- Signature memberships only cover access to the local spa and/or gym in the Sim's neighborhood.
- Premier Memberships: The most expensive and beneficial option, with two choices.
- Individual Membership
- Family Membership: Covers all Sims in the household.
- Premier members enjoy deep discounts in the health shop and when buying from partners like The Sage Carrot Health Foods Co.
Membership Management
Memberships automatically renew every 30 days (monthly). If there are insufficient funds to cover the auto-renewal, Sims will be notified and given the option to extend payment for 24 hours or cancel the membership. To stop auto-renewal, Sims can switch to a month-to-month membership. A few days before a month-to-month membership expires, a staff member will remind the Sim to pay their dues. If payment is not received by the end of the 30 days, the membership will expire. Sims can change tiers, billing, or cancel their membership via the Simwell Health Club hub.
Fitness and Wellness Activities
Depending on their age, Sims can participate in various fitness and wellness activities. These activities help Sims gain skills and react to their time in class. They also invite others.
Calorie Rebalancing and Metabolism
To create a more realistic and challenging health system, the calorie content of all in-game foods and drinks has been rebalanced. This rebalancing ensures that Sims need to eat a varied and diverse diet to maintain a healthy weight. Junk foods are high in calories, while vegetables and fruits are lower in calories. A few foods even have negative or zero calories.
Metabolism Types
Sims now have one of three metabolism types:
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- Average
- Slow
- Fast
This addition makes it so that almost all foods resulted in calorie gain because sims didn't have a base metabolism.
Venue Revamp
The game's Spa and Gym venues have been revamped to encourage Sims to sign up for Health Club memberships.
Nutritionist and Gym Trainer Programs
The Nutritionist, Yoga Instructor, Massage Therapists/Reflexologists, and Gym Trainer have new interactions unique to them. You can ask the Nutritionist and Gym Trainer about the Simwell Health Club's Healthy Habits program. They will decide if it's appropriate for your sim based on their fitness level/weight.
Personal Fitness Training Program
The Gym Trainer now offers a three-session personal fitness training program that cycles between cardio, strength training, and circuit fusion days. To sign up, you must first obtain a membership and speak to the Trainer at your home gym (Signature member) or any gym (Premier member). After hearing about the program, you can sign up if the Trainer deems it a good fit. Each time you visit the gym, you must speak with the Trainer to begin a training session.
Weight Loss Program
The weight loss program is administered by the Nutritionist and lasts for ten days. It officially begins the day after you sign up. To participate, you must have a membership and speak to the Nutritionist at your home gym or spa (Signature member) or any gym or spa (Premier member). The program includes periodic check-ins with the Nutritionist, daily progress reports on weight gained/loss, diet choices, and physical activity. These reports inform Sims of their progress and provide goals for the next day, along with opportunities to participate in group workshops for motivation and support.
The Sage Carrot Health Food Co.
To support Sims in making healthier food choices, The Sage Carrot Health Food Co. offers healthy meal and drink options through both a la carte orders and a weekly subscription delivery service.
Ordering Options
Sims can order smoothies and meals a la carte or sign up for a weekly subscription. When subscribing, Sims can specify whether they want to receive breakfasts, lunches, and/or dinners, as well as the quantity of each. Breakfasts range from $10-15, lunches from $15-20, and dinners from $20-25, with discounted subscription prices.
Addressing Common Misconceptions
It's essential to avoid common misconceptions about health and fitness. Not all exercises are created equal, and a balanced approach that incorporates both cardio and strength training is crucial. Similarly, relying solely on "diet foods" without considering overall calorie intake can be ineffective.