Nowadays more and more people are becoming overwieght. Although large fast food corporations are often blamed, we must take responsibility ourselves. With the huge variety of foods laden with calories easily available, it is understandable that we find ourselves gaining weight – however we can easily change our lifestyles using simple exercise routines.
When we were younger, children played outside and got some fresh air. Now, a child’s idea of fun is sitting inside watching television or playing a video game. There are also plenty of adults who enjoy a sedentary lifestyle. How do we combat this? Simple – we incorporate exercise into video games! If you are trying to lose weight and are following a low fat diet, a video exercise routine is a fun way of helping to lose extra pounds and shift that belly fat too.
Nintendo Wii
The Wii console, created by Nintendo, is largely attributed to helping bring exercise and video games together. The console was originally released in 2006, and was the first of its kind to truly encourage movement and exercise whilst interacting with the games.
The Wii Fit package centres mainly around the Wii Balance Board accessory. The Balance Board measures weight and centre of balance which are used to calculate the BMI (Body Mass Index) of the user, based on their height and weight. The Wii Fit can then recommend fitness regimes that can specifically target parts of the body that the user is unhappy with, such as yoga to increase muscle toning or abdominal crunches to target belly fat. The exercise plan can be recorded to help bring you down to a target weight; the Wii Fit coupled with a balanced diet can easily keep you feeling healthy.
The Nintendo Wii and its Wii Fit package is only recommended for those that are using the console to try and get some more exercise in their life. If you are committed to intense physical training, then this may not be suitable for you – certainly people with a lot of muscle ratio will gain little benefit from the BMI calculation.
Playstation Move
The Playstation Move accessory for the Playstation 3 console is very similar to the Nintendo Wii controllers (especially the Wii MotionPlus controllers). The controllers are very similar to the Wii’s, therefore they do offer many of the same types of game – whereas the Kinect requires no controllers, the game choices are limited with the Playstation Move.
If you already have a Playstation 3 and not the Wii or Xbox 360 console, it isn’t worth buying the other consoles because of their fitness benefits. The Playstation Move is more than adequate for moderate exercise, even though it does lack the fitness monitoring of the Wii and more interactivity of the Kinect. The Playstation is as eqully effective as other consoles in helping exercise as a complement to a low-fat or general healthy eating regime.
Xbox 360 Kinect
Microsoft were not very responsive when it came to introducing an interactive method of playing games on their Xbox 360 console, but they have now managed to cash in on Nintendo’s success. Launched in late 2010, the console has managed to sell over 10 million of its sensor-input devices to pair with games created for the new device.
Unlike the Nintendo Wii, similar to the Playstation Move, the Kinect does not require any controllers. Instead, a webcam-like device senses the player which has led to a huge demand for dance-style games (such as Zumba detailed below). The device lacks the fitness plans that the Wii boasts, but its increased level of interactivity is certainly a huge selling point. As the Xbox 360 is largely a more popular console than its Nintendo rival, Microsoft have managed to bring fitness to a larger market.
Zumba
Zumba, a Latin dance programme, has been around since the 1990s. However due to the increased popularity of dance and fitness games, there have been three Zumba games released – one each for the Wii, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.
The Zumba game combines the interactive features of each of the consoles, such as the Wii’s controllers, the Playstation Move and Xbox Kinect. It should be considered that to play on the Playstation and Xbox, you do require the additional Move and Kinect accessories to be able to play, which can vary in price.
From the comfort of your living room, the Zumba game will combine international dance steps with Latin music to create a fitness regime that is enjoyable but really works. The virtual instructors will guide you through no fewer than 30 different regimes, so there is no worry that you will get bored!
Hopefully the range of consoles described here will have shown you how easily you can incorporate exercise into your life. With any of the three main consoles listed here, you can maintain a fitness regime that, paired with a diet or sensible eating, will be sure to keep you healthy.