The other day, I was watching my
niece and nephew, and they wanted to play videogames – nothing out of the
ordinary there. I was expecting the usual dragons and sword fighters, but to my
surprise, they had something I didn't even know existed: exercise-based video games.
If you're like me, you were
incredulous at first… but these games really go beyond what we think of as videogames.
Here are the games my niece and nephew showed me. They were each a ton of fun!
Wii Fit
In this game, you follow a
personal trainer who is a clay-like figure with a very soothing voice. There is
a balance board you stand on during the exercises. The Wii Fit trainer teaches
you yoga poses and strength training
exercises. At the end of each activity, you get a balance score. This is
really helpful, since the solid number can help you keep track of improvement.
The game can also measure your BMI!
There are also sets of aerobic and balance games. For example,
it has a mini game similar to step aerobics where you use the balance board as
the step. While I was playing this game, I could tell it was designed with all ages in mind. It had so much
variety and cute little characters, with one that looked just like my niece.
Another great thing about this game is that it is also recommended to relieve
insomnia and other menopausal symptoms!
Dance Dance Revolution
Another game my niece had she
called DDR. It had a pad with arrows on it to direct your dance steps. This game has a lot of Asian songs that I’d never
heard of, each about a minute and a half long. The arrows on the screen are
hard to follow at first, but my niece was a whiz with this game! The harder the
difficulty level, the better workout it is because you move more. But, it also
has beginner and light difficulties, making it suitable for different fitness
levels. A great feature of this game is that it tells you how many calories you burned at the end of each song! You just have
to get past the odd music selection.
Xbox Fitness
Not wanting to be outdone by his
sister, my nephew showed me his system too. It was a different one, a black box
called Xbox. The fitness program on his system has famous, real-life personal trainers that give you
"customized" advice. It features workouts like cardio, Zumba, and tai
chi. My nephew explained that it picks up your movements with a camera thing
that attaches to the box. Amazing the things they have come up with these days!
I never knew there was more to
videogames than monster fights. You can also get a great workout! A Wii may
seem like a big purchase, but it's more or less equal to a month or two of a
class at the Y. Spending time with my
niece and nephew made me realize something:
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| Source: http://www.macafem.com/blog/grow-old-stop-playing/ |
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