Wellness U - Working Out is All Play

Beaver Medical Group Patient Newsletter - 2005, Volume 1

 

	Do you find exercising boring? Is it torture to do even 10 minutes? Do you need to have fun while working out? Motivating people to exercise is tough work. Most people know that exercise is good for them, and that they need to do it, but still over 60% of Americans are either totally sedentary or not getting the minimum recommended amount of 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. Electronic entertainment (such as video and computer games) represents a new type of exercise called "exertainment" that will soon be exploding on the scene as the newest tool in getting adults and kids more physically active. The most popular game to represent this genre of games is Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). This is a popular arcade dancing game where you step on the corresponding arrows as they scroll up on the screen. There are stories of teens who have lost hundreds of pounds playing DDR. (See www.getupmove.com for their stories.) Not a dancer and self-conscious about doing this in public? You can get DDR for home use on your Playstation 2 (PS2) or Xbox game consoles and dance in the privacy of your own home. There are other examples of peripherals that you can attach to your game console to play games and get a workout. Eye Toy (PS2) is a camera that senses your arm and leg movements to play certain games. The Cateye Bike (PS2; www.cateye.com) is a stationary bike attached to a game console. You control a racing game by pedaling and steering with the handlebars. Powergrid (PS2; www.powergridfitness.com) is a big joystick that requires you to use your whole body to move and control most racing games. This is the only one that gives you an isometric (strength training) workout. ResponDesign (www.respondesign.com) has a product that is not quite a game, but plays in a PS2, Xbox, or PC. It features Maya, the world’s first virtual trainer. After Maya gives you a fitness assessment test, she then provides over 500 types of exercises such as aerobics, step, pilates, calisthenic, and yoga. What makes this interactive is that Maya will periodically ask how you’re feeling during the exercise. If you’re feeling too winded, she will slow the exercise down or if you need to increase the intensity, she will speed it up. Exertainment is the newest tool we have in motivating kids and adults to exercise. We are incorporating Dance Dance Revolution into our Kid Fit program. Instead of dreading working out, they can now get healthy by having fun and playing video games! For more information about Health Education programs, call 909-335-4131 or go online to our website: www.beavermedicalgroup.com.
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