Wii games can be an effective at-home workout that will also occupy your mind. You can also engage the entire family in this living room activity for a health-and-wellness bonding experience. Depending on your exercise goals, Wii has different video game options available. You can play sports such as tennis or boxing or perform traditional strength-training or yoga workouts.
Cardiovascular
"The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness" says that playing Wii video games meets the American College of Sports Medicine's guidelines for developing cardiovascular fitness or maintaining your current cardiovascular fitness level. Cardiovascular exercise is measured by increased heart rate. The American Council on Exercise, or ACE, measured heart rate responses for five of the Wii sports games. For tennis, average heart rate increased to 111 beats per minute. For golf, heart rate average was 94 bpm. Bowling showed an average heart rate of 98 bpm, baseball 103 bpm, and boxing had the highest at 139 bpm.
Strength
Although ACE did not study the strength-training effects of the Wii Fit system, researchers from the University of Wisconsin believe that you should experience similar results as if performing the strength training exercises without the platform, according to their study published in the November/December 2009 issue of "ACE FitnessMatters" magazine. Your body responds to strength training by increasing muscle tissue, so when you perform squats, lunges or push-ups during the video games, your body will respond. The researchers suggest that if the video game gets you up off the couch and performing exercises more often, this exercise adherence tool is effective.
Calories
One reason you may participate in exercise is to burn calories in order to lose weight. Wii games will help you burn calories. The ACE study reports that 30 minutes of golf, bowling, baseball, tennis or boxing will use 93, 117, 135, 159 and 216 calories respectively. Some of these activities are more than what you could do on your own. For example, boxing with Wii sports for 30 minutes burns 51 more calories than a 30-minute brisk walk. On the other hand, actual bowling burns twice as many calories as Wii bowling.
Suggestions
To get the most out of your video game exercise workout sessions, ACE suggests replicating the sports moves as if you were actually participating in the activity. You may want to exaggerate your movements for more calorie-burning potential. If you are a competitive person, awaken that characteristic by including others in your workout routines. For example, challenge your friends to a boxing or tennis match.
References
- "ACE FitnessMatters" Magazine; As Good as the Real Thing?; Mark Anders; July/August 2008
- "ACE FitnessMatters" Magazine: Wii Fit -- or Just a Wee Bit?; Alexa Carroll et al.; November/December 2009
- PubMed.gov: The Cardiovascular and Metabolic Responses to Wii Fit Video Game Playing in Middle-Aged and Older Adults
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