The Wii is an innovative video game that allows users to carry out activities that are reflected in the virtual environment onscreen. The gaming system offers exercise options that are advertised as a versatile and effective way to work out in the comfort of your home. While it may not stack up to traditional exercise, Wii could help motivate couch potatoes to get moving.
About Wii
Wii is a virtual active gaming system in which you perform activities with your body and the system senses your actions, registering them onscreen. To play Wii, you first select an avatar that reflects your own appearance, enter your height and then step on the Wii board to record weight and body mass index. Wii games cover a range of physical activities including bowling, boxing, tennis, yoga and running.
Weight Loss
According to a study by the American Council on Exercise, the Free Run and Rhythm Boxing exercises burned the most calories of the Wii Fit exercises, with an average of 165 and 114 calories -- respectively -- burnt during a 30-minute session in each. Although this calorie expenditure is about double what you'd burn during normal sit-down video games, it is only a fraction of what you'll burn in a real running or boxing session.
Exercise Options
Wii Fit offers activities including yoga, running, strength training, balance training and aerobics. Each program gives instructions for these activities and a virtual trainer who gives feedback on your exercises. Wii Sports offers games like tennis, boxing and bowling in which participants can compete against each other. Although Wii Fit is marketed as the best Wii gaming option for improving physical fitness, Wii Sports may actually require more physical exertion, according to a study by the American Council on Exercise.
Encouraging Exercise
A group of students in an exercise physiology class at Dalhousie University compared the Wii with traditional exercise methods. The students each measured their heart rates and level of exertion for 30-minute sessions of Wii boxing, walking outside and a traditional aerobic boxing video and found that the Wii game required more exertion than walking but less than the exercise video. However, the study showed that students accustomed to video games felt they were exerting themselves less during the Wii workout; lower perceived exertion may indicate that the students enjoyed the exercise more and could indicate that -- while Wii games may not substitute for traditional exercise -- they may be a good stepping-stone to encourage gamers to get moving.
References
- Dal News: A Wii Bit of a Workout
- American Council on Exercise (ACE) Announces Test Results on Fitness Benefits of Nintendo's Wii Fit and PC-Based Exergame, Dancetown
- ConsumerAffairs.com: Is Nintendo's Wii Really Good Exercise?
- Wii Fitness: Making Home Exercise Equipment Fun
- American Council on Exercise: Wii Fit or Just a Wee Bit
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