Wii Fit Explained!

BY Kelly Marshall
BSc (Hons),Dip PT, NASM, SFS, IFS, CES

Benefits of Wii?

Increased activity levels and suggested benefits for weight loss - A study involving 13-15 year olds was conducted by the Liverpool John Moores University and found that players used 2% more energy than by playing on other consoles. They concluded that although it was no substitute for real sport it could contribute to weight management (BBC news, 2007).

A positive influence and alternative way of spending time with family and friends - it has been recognised for its ability to provide a bonding experience among family members and giving a greater opportunity for interaction then that sometimes achieved with regular TV. Wii Sports has even become so popular that residents at senior centres and retirement homes have formed leagues using Wii Sports Bowling! (Collins, 2007)

An additional method of tracking your daily physical activity - the Wii Fit allows individuals to log activities they do outside of their gaming, similar (though more simplistic) to Nutracheck's activity log. It classifies varying activities as light, medium or heavy, i.e.:
- Light - guitar, piano or stretching
- Medium - cleaning, gardening, walking or painting
- Heavy - sports such as football (soccer), tennis, swimming, cycling or dancing

Disadvantages of Wii?

Complacency - there is a concern that individuals may come to view the Wii as an alternative to exercise / sport which has large scale global health complications. It should be recognised that Wii Fit / Wii Sports are forms of active gaming, an alternative to thumb-based gaming and not a significant solution for weight loss or alternative to actual exercise / sport (Anders, 2008).

Injury - After Wii's initial release, individuals and household items (i.e. TV's) began to incur injuries through accidentally hitting players or objects while using the Wii Remote or through the accidental release of the remote whilst gaming. In fairness to Nintendo they did respond by recalling 3.2million Wii Remote wrist straps and producing new straps that were almost twice as thick!

Summary

The Wii appears to be leading the way in advanced gaming technology and its only potential drawback could be the addictive enjoyment which might distract individuals from using their time for real exercise / sport to achieve their personal fitness / weight loss goals.

Useful Website Reference Articles

Crossley, R (2009). "Wii Fit Tops UK Charts". Edge magazine. Accessed at: http://www.edge-online.com/news/wii-fit-tops-uk-charts

BBC News Website: "Wii players need to exercise too" December 2007; accessed at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7155342.stm

Collins, J December 2007 - "Seniors becoming old hands at Wii". Marketplace. Accessed at: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/12/11/old_wii/

Anders, M (2008) "As good as te real thing?".ACE fitness matters. Accessed at: http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/studies/WiiStudy.pdf

Disclaimer
You are advised to seek medical advice before beginning any exercise regime and/or weight loss programme. Nutracheck is only intended for use by healthy adult individuals and specifically not by under 18's, pregnant women, or individuals with any type of health condition. It is the responsibility of all users of this website to satisfy themselves as to their personal medical and physical condition in determining whether or not to use or adapt the information or content provided. Notwithstanding the medical or physical condition of a user, no responsibility or liability is accepted for any loss or damage suffered by an individual as a result of the use or misuse of any of the information or content in this website.

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