First released in 2006, the Nintendo Wii gaming system was the first of its kind to feature a wireless controller that actually detects three-dimension movement. With the assistance of a sensor bar, the Nintendo Wii functions by tracking the player's movements as he holds the Wii remote. Along with traditional video games, a variety of fitness-related games are available for the Nintendo Wii, which can contribute toward a healthier lifestyle.
Games
As of March 2011, a variety of exercise and fitness games are available for the Nintendo Wii. Many of these games focus on achieving fitness through high-energy dance routines. These games include Zumba Fitness, ExerBeat, Gold's Gym Dance Workout, Dance Sensation, the Just Dance series and the Dance Dance Revolution series. Other Nintendo Wii games follow more traditional exercise routines, such as push-ups, sit-ups, arm and leg exercises, and include The Biggest Loser Challenge, Your Shape, My Fitnes Coach series, Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum series and My Fitness Coach. The Daisy Fuentes Pilates game focuses entirely on Pilates-inspired exercises. The Wii Fit and EA Sports Active games offer an array of fitness activities, including aerobics, yoga, balance, strength training and sports training. Targeted to young children, the Nickelodeon Fit game uses popular cartoon characters to guide kids through jumping, leaping, balance and coordination exercises.
Accessories
Along with the Wii gaming console and wireless remote, many of the exercise and fitness games, such as Wii Fit, require the Wii Balance Board which senses your weight and balance, and tracks the movement of your feet. Some games, such as Zumba Fitness, are designed to be played using the Wii Fitness Belt, which wraps around your waist or thigh and holds the Wii remote. Others require only the Wii remote, which is simply held in the hand as you move through the exercises.
Benefits
Unlike traditional video games, Nintendo Wii exercise games require you to get off the couch and start moving, and although the games might not involve intense activity, they still burn calories. Some of the exercise games, such as Nintendo Wii Fit, are designed to track your progress as you move from one day to the next, recording and monitoring your weight loss and the number of minutes you exercise per day. Upon entering a weight loss goal, the game helps you track your progress as you attempt to reach that goal. As you hit certain milestones, more challenging exercises become available.
Considerations
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that adults perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio, 60 minutes of vigorous intensity cardio and two strength-training workouts per week. Since the Nintendo Wii fitness games do not track your heart rate, it might be difficult to determine the intensity of your Nintendo Wii workout. In 2009, the American Council on Exercise joined forces with the University of Wisconsin La Crosse Exercise and Health Program to observe the benefits of the Nintendo Wii Fit game. Although the study found that Wii Fit games burned twice as many calories as sedentary video games, performing the virtual activities burned less calories than performing the traditional activities. Although Nintendo Wii can help you burn extra calories each day, virtual fitness games should enhance, rather than replace, a traditional exercise program.
References
- The New York Times: Wii Exercise Doesn't Beat the Gym
- NutWiiSystem: The Best Wii Games for Exercise
- American College of Sports Medicine: Physical Activity Guidelines
- American Council on Exercise: Test Results Reported on Fitness Benefits of Nintendo's WII Fit and PC-Based Exergame, Dancetown
- Electronic Arts: Fitness Goes Virtual: EA SPORTS Active Arrives in Stores Offering Benefit of Personal Trainer in a Box
- Nintendo: Music, Fitness & Lifestyle Games
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