Bowl, golf, box, play tennis or baseball – all in front of your TV. That’s the appeal of Nintendo’s Wii Sports, a video game that’s been popping up not only in living rooms around the country but also in retirement communities and senior centers. Now Nintendo has gone a step further: The Wii Fit is an “exergame,” specifically designed to give you a workout. Instead of the hand-held controller used to play Wii Sports, Wii fitness games rely on a pressure-sensitive “balance board” that you can use to test your balance and body mass index (BMI) as well as do strength training, aerobics, yoga and balance exercises. In Wii exercise games, you can walk a virtual tightrope, ski a slalom and twirl a hula hoop. What other types of home exercise equipment offer you that?
Like Wii Sports, Wii Fit can be good for people with arthritis – yoga and balance exercises can help improve range of motion. Jill Markowitz, an occupational therapist at Hackensack University Medical Center in Englewood, New Jersey, says you might want to take it slow with some aerobics-related Wii exercises – jogging in place isn’t recommended for painful joints, but you could march in place instead – and avoid anything that puts too much pressure on your joints (for some people, that may mean push-ups are off limits).
If you’re a novice at Wii exercise, follow the same precautions you do for “real” exercise. Markowitz suggests “starting with short 15 to 20 minute sessions three times a week and gradually work up to 30 to 45 minutes a day.” Make sure your playing area is clear so you don’t trip, and wear comfortable clothes that don’t limit mobility. Ask your doctor or physical therapist if there are any movements you should avoid.
How much of a workout will you get? Neither Wii Fit or Wii Sports will replace your regular walk or trip to the gym – a study by Cake Media, Nintendo’s public relations firm, found that kids burned about 179 calories per hour playing Wii Sports tennis, while a real game of tennis clocked about 318 calories per hour – but Wii fitness is much better than sitting in front of the TV.
The Skinny on Wii Fit
• Includes balance, yoga, aerobics and strengthening exercises
• Retails for $89.99 (includes software and balance board)
• Wii console retails for $249.99
Now with any fitness program if you're properly committed to the program you will see results, I used the EA Active program and I found that it seriously worked my body in ways the gym never did. But I also found that I slacked off of the program since I only had myself to hold me accountable for my workout. So if you are a self motivated person, then the Wii system, with the right game could definitely serve as a great source of entertainment as well as a great means of exercise instruction as the programs are always well explained and well demonstrated.
Hope this helped some and if anyone could recommend some good Wii games that are good for people with serious knee injuries I would love to hear it as that's what I'm in the market for.
Note that it is stated that for the Wii all you need is a TV, but see that a disc is mentioned also...what equipment is needed to play the disc?
Can anyone help sort this out for me?
thank you
mary
I'm the lifestyle editor for Arthritis Today. Thanks for your comments. It's funny you should ask your question regarding Wii - I just received a Wii game console and Wii Fit package for Father's Day. And prior to this, I too was curious as to what I needed and how it all worked.
Wii will work with just about any TV, as long as it has audio and video inputs. The Wii game console and Wii Fit are both sold separately, along with a slew of other Wii accessories that you can purchase. The Wii game console includes the actual game-player device, one remote control, one handheld joystick, the Wii sports disc (which includes five games - bowling, golf, boxing, baseball and tennis) and all the connection cables you need to start playing. Wii Fit includes a balance board/platform and a disc with slew of fitness games, virtual fitness trainer features, etc.
At first blush, I've realized that from a fitness perspective, you can achieve quite a bit and avoid boredom for quite some time if you have both the Wii game console and Wii Fit. I had my ACL replaced and meniscus repaired in my right knee, so I'm looking forward to using Wii and Wii Fit to continue strengthening those surrounding muscles.
Just remember to always check with your physician and physical/occupational therapists if you intend to start a new fitness regiment.
Best of luck,
Bryan
Thank You
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