That's Fit

We all know the stereotype of a typical video game geek: pasty-skinned and overweight, never seeing the light of day, except for a brief glimpse when opening the door for the pizza delivery guy.

But according to recent research, the average 'gamer' isn't unhealthy -- in fact, gamers have lower BMIs than the average adult in the U.S.. The average BMI among gamers was 25 -- just on the border of normal and overweight. What's more, the average gamer engaged in physical activity once or twice a week. Gamers did, however, show larger instances mental health issues, including depression and substance abuse.

Are you more or less physically healthy than a gamer?

Jacki told us a couple of weeks ago that Jessica Alba dropped the baby weight by using an elliptical machine and treadmill at her home. Now, it looks like she's added another machine to her home gym -- a high-tech Expresso exercise bike.

What makes this bike unique is that the bike's program" allows her to collect points -- it's a lot like a video game," explained Ramona Braganza, Alba's trainer. This allows the svelte new mama to focus on achieving a high score, rather than worrying about calories burned or minutes passed.

I don't know about you, but any time I use a machine with time, calories, and distance on the display, I like to play a game with myself -- get to a certain distance by a certain time, or burn a certain number of calories over the course of a mile by upping the intensity, so I can see where using points would add interest and help the workout to go faster. Sounds fun!

Our pals over at DS Fanboy have taken an in-depth look at the pros and cons of practicing yoga guided by a DVD (Yoga for Beginners) versus using the Nintendo DS game, Let's Yoga. First, there was an awesome review of Let's Yoga, and overall, they were fans.

However, as with any at-home automated guide (including a DVD), it's easy to cheat or do poses incorrectly. The game itself sounds like it's easy to navigate and follow, and it has lots and lots of short lessons, so you can tailor your yoga workout to fit into your schedule.

After reading the review, I checked out the comparison, and, long story short, the game totally won. To demonstrate the differences, DS Fanboy provided a chart highlighting similarities and differences, so if you have a particular concern (like you don't want an annoying instructor), you can easily see which option would work best for you. I'm not normally a huge fan of video games, but this sounds like a cool way to get involved in yoga without dragging your karma-challenged butt to a class.

I finally had a chance to use a Wii. After getting over some initial embarrassment, I had an awful lot of fun! I tried the tennis game and, sadly enough, I'm as bad at virtual tennis as I am on an actual tennis court. While the Wii was certainly more active than playing any other video game system, it wasn't nearly the same type of exercise as a real sport.

Both Bev and Bethany have written about the exercise potential in the interactive gaming system before. And, compared to sitting like a lump playing regular video games, the Wii is a great thing. But it doesn't take the place of real exercise. The active games are a great alternative to regular video games. Also, many of the games aren't violence based -- as a parent, I know I appreciate that. They also offer hand-eye coordination benefits. And, for kids (or adults) who aren't active at all, the games may be a stepping stone for developing interest in real sports.

So the Wii isn't a bad thing at all. But don't count time spent playing interactive video games as exercise time. It's just not the same as the real thing. The CDC recommends that kids be physically active for at least an hour every day. So put away the video tennis, grab a racquet, and play a game of REAL tennis with your kids.

With Nintendo's Wii Fit getting ready for release in 2008, and with the growing number of other fitness-friendly games (such as Dance Dance Revolution), there is clearly a concerted effort being made by developers to lift the couch potato stigma that is typically associated with video games.

As part of this effort, exercise machine manufacturers are also jumping on board, as exemplified by the new S2u stationary bike from Expresso Fitness (www.expressofitness.com). This exercise bike takes the incredibly redundant and dull practice of riding in place and turns it into a fun-filled video game. Attached to the bike's handlebars is a 17-inch LCD screen, on which a bicycle rider makes his way through a Grand Theft Auto-esque set of situations. To propel the biker forward, and to manipulate the course he takes, you must pedal faster and turn the handlebars.

Physically interactive games are all the rage lately, with the most common examples belonging to the Nintendo Wii game system. But pretending to swing a golf club and play the guitar are one thing while arm wrestling in a Japanese arcade with the "Arm Spirit" game is something else altogether -- you could end up with a broken arm.

Game makers insist that the mechanical arm players "wrestle" with quote "isn't that strong," but they still can't explain how 3 different players ended up with broken arms. They're recalling the 150 "Arm Spirits" from arcades around Japan to check them for malfunctions, although a rep says "We think that maybe some players get overexcited and twist their arms in an unnatural way."

Yikes. Did they get their quarters back?

A gym in Vancouver is being credited as the first gym in North America to officially incorporate the Nintendo Wii into its physical fitness offerings. Set up as a workout station in a 400 sq ft room with a projection TV, club members are encouraged to use the game console for everything from warm-ups and cool-downs to entire workouts. One session of boxing, tennis, or bowling on the Wii is thought to be equal to a brisk walk and burns 75-125 calories, so depending on what you're looking for it can definitely be a fun part of an overall fitness plan. Sounds more interesting than the treadmill to me!

Via Wii fanboy

This is definitely one for the 'what will they think of next' category. A company called ProForm has come up with a elliptical trainer that is also a video game -- you can actually kill aliens while you pedal away. The game is actually built into the machine, so it's not dangerous like playing a Gameboy on the machine would be. AND the best part is, the harder you work, the easier the game is -- you'll be so focused on winning the game, you'll hardly notice how much you're sweating.

I was skeptical at first, but let's face it -- working out on a machine can be b-o-r-i-n-g! Anyway to break it up and find extra motivation to work hard sounds like a great idea to me. What do you think?.

Kids with cancer now have a new tool for understanding and fighting their disease. Re-Mission, a new video game created by HopeLab, is a "3-D shooter" that takes kids through the bodies of young patients with different forms of cancer, and it's having an incredible effect on patients.

The idea is that it's much easier to learn when you're playing and having fun. Through playing the game, the kids learn information about the disease, quality of life, self-effacy (which the company defines as being able to take action in a challenging situation) and how to adhere to their medication.

By winning the game, the kids feel like they can win their medical battle

According to an outcome study conducted by HopeLab, the overall self-effacy score of patients increased dramatically, and Re-Mission players maintained higher blood levels of chemotherapy and showed higher rates of antibiotic utilization -- thus, the method was helpful in 80% of patients.

What an amazing idea!

[via Neatorama]

Videogames have taken a lot of flak over the years. If they're not unhealthy and agents of laziness, then they are dangerous by causing people to kill each other left and right. Everyone has an opinion about them, whether founded or not. However, every once in a while a new game comes around that challenges the notion of it as an "unwholesome" activity.

Back in the day it was Tetris. The popular puzzler had everyone twitching at the thumbs. However nowadays there is a new game in town which could make a great stocking stuffer for just about anyone. Brain Age for the Nintendo DS is shaping up to be the next mind tickler. Their target demographic is 40 and 50-year-olds for crying out loud! And having seen the appeal it has on youngsters too (I'm pretty hooked myself), the results suggest that there isn't anyone that can't have fun with this game.

So what is it anyway? Well, Brain Age keeps you focused in order to utilize your cognitive and memory abilities. In other words, it features small games that get you to count, keep track or memorize things while somehow making it addictive and fun. Instead of wrapping up a knit sweater this season, give them something spontaneous that may even do their brain some good.