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The Wii Fit: Can It Make You As Aerobically Fit As a Real-World Workout?

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The Wii Fit: Can It Make You As Aerobically Fit As a Real-World Workout? 12 | Fitness | Aug/Sept 2011 CARDIO TRAINING The Wii Fit: Can it make you as aerobically fit as a real-world workout? Does the Wii Fit live up to Nintendo’s claim that daily use can lead to improved health and fitness? Christian Finn puts it through its paces. he Wii Fit is one of the first energy cost of a given activity as a multiple energy expenditure during the six most products to be marketed as a of your resting metabolic rate (RMR). challenging activities featured in the Wii Fit ‘fitness’ game with four training One MET represents the energy (Free Run, Island Run, Free Step, Advanced categories aimed at improving expended during quiet sitting. Two METs Step, Super Hula Hoop and Rhythm Tplayers’ muscle condition, balance, indicates the energy expended is twice Boxing). flexibility and aerobic capacity. You might that of resting levels, three METs are triple When played for 30 minutes, Wii also have seen TV adverts claiming that the the resting energy expenditure, and so Fit’s Free Run and Island Run burned an Wii Fit will help you lose weight. on. MET values range from a low of 0.9 average of 165 calories, which was the So, is the Wii Fit a suitable alternative to (sleeping) to a high of 18 (running at 17.5 highest calorie expenditure of the six regular workouts? Or is it just another in kilometres per hour). activities tested. Rhythm Boxing expended a long line of fitness gadgets that promise The average MET values of all activities an average of 114 calories, followed by much but deliver little? included in Wii Fit and Wii Sports ranged Super Hula Hoop, Advanced Step and from 1.3 METs (Lotus Focus) to 5.6 METs Free Step at 111, 108 and 99 calories, Energy expenditure (single-arm stand). The average MET respectively. As you might imagine, doing Researchers from Japan report that one- values in yoga, balance, resistance and the real thing as opposed to the virtual third of the activities included in Wii Sports aerobic exercises of Wii Fit Plus and Wii one leads to significantly higher calorie (golf, bowling, tennis, baseball and boxing) Sports were 2.1, 2.0, 3.2, and 3.4 METs, expenditure. and the Wii Fit Plus (yoga, resistance, respectively. For example, even the Wii Fit advanced balance and aerobic exercises) can count Roughly two-thirds of the activities step game burned only 25% of the toward the daily amount of moderate- (67%) were classified as light intensity (less calories of a regular step aerobics class of intensity physical activity recommended by than 3.0 METs), while 22 activities (33%) the same length, mainly because of the the American College of Sports Medicine were classified as moderate intensity low height of the Wii Fit Balance Board to prevent weight gain and provide (3.0-6.0 METs). There were no vigorous- that’s used as a step. modest weight loss.1 intensity activities (greater than 6.0 METs). “I guess a little is better than nothing,” The study measured energy expenditure Research commissioned by the says study lead author John Porcari PhD, in terms of the metabolic equivalent American Council on Exercise (ACE) has “but we were a little underwhelmed with of task (MET). METs are used by some also examined the impact of the Wii Fit on the intensity of some of the exercises. The physiologists and involve expressing the calorie expenditure.2 The study measured Wii Fit is a very, very mild workout.” Fitpro www.fitpro.com Aug/Sept 2011 | Fitness | 13 Special populations bilateral spastic cerebral palsy.5 Average When you buy the Wii Fit, you also get energy expenditure during Wii Sports a Balance Board. As you step onto the game play was 4.5 METs for tennis and 5.0 board, it interprets the movement of your METs for boxing (3.0-6.0 METs is classed feet, sensing your weight and balance, as moderate-intensity activity), while two and bringing your motions to life on the participants attained energy expenditures screen. Using the Wii Fit Balance Board, greater than 6.0 METs (vigorous intensity) researchers have been able to design tasks while playing Wii Sports’ tennis or boxing.5 that both train and test balance in older As with most forms of exercise, the adults, particularly those unable to take benefits of Wii Fit will depend largely part in regular exercise due to the risk of on the individual. It might be a good falling. start for someone who is sedentary, or When compared with a laboratory- to supplement a more vigorous exercise grade force platform (which are often routine. The feedback provided by the prohibitively expensive), the Wii Fit device may also give it an edge over Balance Board has been shown to provide traditional exercise DVDs – the Wii An earlier study by Porcari 3 suggests the average clinician with a balance provides a range of statistics, personal that Wii Sports, the suite of games that assessment tool that is inexpensive, widely targets, charts, and so on, which help includes tennis, boxing, golf and bowling, available and accurate enough to be used to keep you motivated once the initial is a far better way to meet the minimum in a clinical setting.4 Studies are now enthusiasm has worn off. While the Wii intensity guidelines for exercise. underway to see if the Wii Fit Balance Fit shouldn’t replace existing workouts, “You’re better off doing Wii Sports Board can improve balance in patients who particularly for those who are already fit, than Wii Fit,” he says. “In Wii Sports, have suffered a stroke, have Parkinson’s it’s certainly better than the alternative there’s more jumping around and you’re Disease, and also in healthy elderly subjects – sitting on the sofa hunched over a not constrained by having to stand on at risk of falling. controller pressing buttons. fp the balance pad. I just think there’s much Wii Sports’ tennis and boxing have more freedom of movement and you get a also both been shown to provide at least To view the references, visit better workout.” moderate-intensity exercise in adults with www.fitpro.com/references www.fitpro.com.
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