I was surfing the blogosphere, wishing I had a Wii and seeing how much fun other people were having with theirs. I came across this guy, who is using the Wii as a fitness tool. I’m sure he’s not the first person to use the Wii in such a way (there’s the whole fitness mini game as part of Wii sports, right?), but if it works, good for him. He’s using wrist weights, which should help with the actual exercising aspect of his plan.
But what really caught my eye was a link he has on his latest update, a link to a studio by the Mayo Clinic (a rather reputable source) that basically says that video games (of the physically interactive persuasion, like DDR and Eye-Toy games) can be beneficial. The study was of a small group of children, but showed postive results. What surprised me the most was this:
Screen time (both TV and video games) now averages eight hours a day among children.
That sure seems like a lot of time in front of the TV. I’d say the first step in getting kids to exercise is to get them away from the television. Nevertheless, this is good news, that people are recognizing that video games can be a healthy part of a kid’s life. Let’s hope the trend continues.
This has also prompted me to keep an eye out for more positive stories like this. I’ve often commented on stories that show that video games aren’t harmful, but now I’m more interested in stories that show video games are helpful. I hope there will be more to come.
I am a fitness instructor who would love to design a work out program for WII Fitness. Who d I talk to?
Sgt. Griffin – As far as I know, there isn’t a formalized program designed around Wii Fitness, but I’m sure there will be people working on creating a way to integrate the Wii in their workouts. I’ll be keeping an eye on this, so check back to see what else is out there.