When the Wii Fit came out, I was among many who wondered, "Is this a fitness tool or a video game?" After buying the Nintendo system and trying a few of the games (and experiencing the soreness the day after), my opinion was that, yes, the Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus are definitely tools that can benefit fitness and facilitate weight loss.

Turns out I'm not alone. The UK Department of Health has decided to give the Nintendo Wii Fit Plus its approval, reports BBC News. This marks the first time the UK Department of Health has ever given a nod of approval to a computer game.

The biggest change consumers will notice is the addition of the Change4Life logo to the Wii Fit Plus. Change4Life is a campaign in the UK aiming to keep people from becoming overweight by encouraging them to exercise more and eat healthy.

There has been plenty of speculation about how, exactly, Angelina Jolie got her body back into such amazing shape so quickly after giving birth to twins, Knox and Vivienne. Did she have surgery? Or was it through diet? Most recently, the story is that she's getting in shape by doing Pilates using the kids' Nintendo DS.

"Let's Pilates" is a game in which you -- you guessed it -- do Pilates. There are ways to customize the workout and reportedly, Angelina is already on the toughest level. By following the routines for an hour, three times a week, Angelina has quickly regained her pre-baby body.

Angie's not the only celeb who's found Pilates to be a fabulously effective workout. Check out the gallery below to see which other stars have a body by Pilates.

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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?

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Before I begin, I think it's only fair for me to admit that I'm not a big gamer. I don't mind some of the racing video games, but for the most part, they could all disappear and I would be happy as a clam. My husband, on the other hand is the exact opposite -- he could sit and play a game for hours.

Fortunately, he's in great health and good shape and still manages to come to the gym with me occasionally, so this habit doesn't really hurt him. But it drives me nuts to think about the people who surely miss workouts because they're so involved with their games -- has that ever happened to you, or a loved one?

Today's Fit Gadget provides a solution -- the PCGamerBike requires the player to pedal in order to make his character move. The character could be a person, an airplane, a car, or anything else, and pedaling forward acts as the up arrow while pedaling backward acts as the down arrow.

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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.

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For the parents out there: do your children spend a lot of time in front of a screen most of the day? If you have teenagers (or happen to be one) then "screen time" is another term for "hobby." I played sports as a kid, but even back then I tried to absorb video games and TV like a sponge. Well according to Canadian researchers, some teenagers spend as much time in front of a screen as it takes to be employed in a full-time job.

That's in the ballpark of 40 hours per week. Over a thousand teens were studied for half a decade beginning in 1999 to assess habits related to watching TV, playing games, and using computers. Collectively, this was known as screen time.

Guys are the big offenders, over half of whom absorbed over 40 hours in total time spent in front of a screen. Only about a quarter of the girls spent that much time soaking up the technology. It's always interesting to see connections like this drawn, even if they refer to teens of a different region. Judging by activities back in the States, things are not drastically dissimilar over here.

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It's not hard to see how some people would identify the physical therapy initials "PT" as "pain and torture." Trying to recover after a surgery or broken bones can be very unpleasant. Having gone through a few sessions myself, rehab is boring too! If only Nintendo had released their Wii gaming platform back when I could have used it for rehabilitation.

Does using a video game for therapeutic purposes sound strange? To some people it might, but to others it's a way to get outside the box and have fun while staying healthy. Many of the movements that the Wii gaming system require players to do are similar in nature to those demanded by physical therapists. But instead of a rote boring routine, this is actually fun.

The great thing is that this loosens up limbs and gets people active without them really being aware. Sure, they obviously know that they're exerting energy, but by playing the Wii they are avoiding having to painfully stretch, lift and pivot that much more. Even though Nintendo's console is a supplemental rehab device used in this particular setting, it could also be a great way to bring the therapy home -- especially if the costs of traditional PT start to stack up!

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Men can sometimes take flack for playing too many video games, but it turns out that it's just the way we're made! According to this article, gender actually contributes to guys' ability to get "hooked" to games like Halo. They use strong words like "addicted," but clearly it's just in our genes and not a problem (at least I'm going to keep telling myself that).

Interestingly enough, Stanford researchers hadn't meant to address video game habits with this study. Originally, they were trying to figure out territorial tendencies among the two genders. Twenty-two guys and gals were monitored while playing a special video game that was meant to gauge whether or not men were more territorial than women. It was a customized game where each player tries to gain as much territory as possible.

The results showed that the men's brains reacted differently than women's. When they were playing, the area of the brain that's connected to the feeling of reward and addiction was active -- and even more so when they gained territory! This proves that we're wired differently when it comes to video games, as much as the industry would hate to admit it. Now guys can arm themselves with science next time they catch and earful for spending too much time behind a controller.

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Have you ever heard of the game Second Life? It's a virtual world experienced via the computer, much like popular video games. People immerse themselves in this world by trying to build an online persona called avatars. In fact, lifetime accounts can be purchased for $225.

But unlike other games, Second Life offers a world where people's avatars can do just about anything -- even seek therapy. CBS has a remarkable story about a woman who suffered from agoraphobia, which kept her locked inside unable to even go shopping at the grocery store. But after signing up for an SL account and building a character named "Baji," Patricia sought help.

She took virtual therapy sessions from a real life therapist, right there inside the game. Patricia was able to engage social interactions with other residents in ways she could never do outside this virtual world. By using Second Life as a testing ground for new experiences, she overcame the fear that kept her from living a fulfilling life. In case you were wondering, psychologists charge about $100 a pop for these online sessions. We live in changing times, and it's comforting to know platforms like Second Life exist that can reach people who may never have been able to seek help otherwise.

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Anyone who thought video games were a waste of time have probably been surprised about Nintendo's latest and greatest, the Wii. It gets people active by using their arms and motions to simulate sports such as tennis, baseball, even bowling. But it doesn't stop there! A new useful application is emerging: surgical training.

Resident surgeons were found to perform better on simulated operations after playing a bit of Wii than those who opted out of the fun. How much better? They scored nearly 50 percent higher on tool control and performance.

Of course, not all games are going to improve coordination. Games that require subtle movements and precision are obviously better than those that require you to swing a bat. But this approach could be a very valuable medical training tool for countries which can't afford higher-end solutions. They are developing special software for the console, which costs only $250, that could hone surgical skills even more. Imagine bringing home your own copy of "Surgery 101" in the future!

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So much for video games being easy. Thanks to Nintendo's Wii Fit, you can turn your living room into a virtual gym.

Wii Fit can calculate your body mass index (BMI) and then provide you with a customized workout plan to help you achieve what it also calculates to be your ideal BMI. Using a pressure-sensitive balance board, Wii Fit allows you to enjoy over forty types of physical fitness based games. From ski jumping to yoga, the Wii Fit makes a home workout, dare I say, fun.

But, you'll at least have to wait until after this holiday season to find the Wii Fit, as it will not be hitting stores until 2008. Until then, maybe you can play some of the current Wii games that are available. Research from a UK study revealed that playing active games on the Wii for thirty minutes a day can improve cardiovascular health and help a person lose up to 27 pounds over the course of a year.

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I've been hearing a fair bit about so-called healthy video games lately, but I have to wonder -- is there such a thing? If you're sat in front of the computer or TV, you're not burning calories or getting active no matter how many healthy things the game might teach you.

But here's a video game with a twist: The Incredible Adventures of the Amazing Food Detective teaches kids about healthy eating a exercise, and here's the catcher: it turns off if you play it for more than 20 minutes, and it won't turn back on again for at least 60 minutes.

I think this is an awesome idea, and something that all kids' video games should do to get kids moving. Of course, it should be the parents' job to make sure their kids are getting active, but I think some parents might be slacking in this regard, so it's nice to see a video game take the initiative. What do you think?

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If you're interested in taking a yoga class, there's no need to head to the studio anymore -- A Japanese video game maker has developed a digital yoga instructor, who can guide you through a series of postures and offer advice on stretching. If the Pilates is more your thing, they offer than too.

The digital Yoga instructor was showcased at Asia's biggest video game expo, which happened last weekend in Tokyo. And for those of us who are more comfortable doing yoga than slaying dragons and blowing up bad guys, the show featured many other lifestyle-oriented video games. Expect to see more and more at stores near you.

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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?

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Because I grew up in the company of my older brother, who taught me to build tree forts and play "war" in the 10-acre woods behind our home, and because I am the mother of two girls, I was one of those women who got her nose bent when The Dangerous Book for Boys came out a few months ago. But as I read more about the book, I couldn't help but agree with the premise behind it: Kids today are spending far too much time inside with technology rather than outside being kids.

The danger of childhood, claim the authors, lies not in slingshots and the possibility of cuts and scrapes and the odd broken bone, but instead in a childhood spent indoors using solitary (and most likely violent) video games. The authors say they wrote the book to help boys rediscover what it means to be a boy, to reconnect fathers and sons, and to bring kids out of the house and back into discovery play again.

I can't argue with any of those notions, and I was gently reminded that just because it has "boys" on the cover doesn't mean I can't teach the same skills to my girls. I guess what saddens me the most is that my generation even needs a book in the first place to help us remember what it was like to be a kid. It's a reminder to me to keep the TV off and shoo my kids outside (and get out there with them) every chance I get. What do you think?

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