~Research: Wii Fit (TM) Video Games Shown to Improve Health and Fitness

A lot of people have video games at home and use them to have fun and relax.  Most people also know that they should be exercising for the health benefits but often don't feel they have the time. Wouldn't it be great to combine the two? A recent study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that you may be able to have your fun and exercise too.  

The study looked at two games that come with Wii Fit^TM videogame system, Step and Hula. Both "games" were shown to provide enough exercise to improve health and fitness according to the researchers. They looked at a variety of different measurements associated with the benefits of exercise including oxygen consumption, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and calorie expenditure. At the beginner levels of the games there weren't significant levels of oxygen consumption or perceived exercise intensity (how hard you feel you are working). However in the intermediate to advanced levels, these exercises produce the energy expenditure equivalent to a brisk walking pace of 3.5 mile-per-hour. Of the two games, Hula was the best aerobic activity, and burned the most calories. 

While the study involved only a small number of healthy women, it does suggest some overall benefits of short periods of exercise using the Wii Fit^TM games. The exercises were performed in three short bouts of 10 minutes.  Ten minutes of exercise is usually a "doable" amount of activity for someone who is unfit or dealing with pain.  For example, one of the things that has been shown to significantly help people with fibromyalgia is aerobic exercise.  Due to the pain involved in doing too much exercise, most people with this condition do not like to exercise.  It must also be done on a consistent basis.  Commonly they will overdo an exercise program, increase their pain, and decide never to do it again.  The exercises could be done in a slowly progressive manner to prevent the painful aftermath and then built up slowly over time.  This would be easier for someone with pain to do so that they get the benefits without the drawbacks.

 A good way for someone in pain to use these games is to start with the beginner levels for 2 minutes.  Then progress as tolerated up to 10 minutes.  When this gets easy, start at the intermediate level for 2 minutes and progress up in time as tolerated.  Repeat with the advanced stages.  You could also do multiple short bouts of exercise at the same time with rest periods in between or do several short periods of exercise multiple times a day.  The convenience of having this type of game at home makes it easy to do.   If you have an increase in pain that lasts more than a day after exercising, this is your body telling you it is not ready for that much exercise yet.  Do not give up, just dial the intensity or frequency down and then slowly work your way back up again as you can tolerate. 

The Hula and Step programs on the Wii Fit^TM are fun and can be done in the comfort of your own home. This means even if it is raining or snowing outside, you can still get the aerobic benefits of that brisk walk mentioned above.   If progressed slowly and consistently, they can potentially improve fitness, burn calories, and help people with pain increase their activity levels.  As with all exercise, it is good to check with your health care practitioner to determine if you are safe to begin this or any exercise program.  Once you get the go-ahead, start stepping or hula-ing your way to a better you.