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Better Fitness Through Gaming

Ben Kuchera has an excellent article posted over at Ars Technica, in which he tackles a subject that has been on everyone's mind since the release of the Wii, that being gaming and fitness. Unlike the Wii Sports Experiment, Kuchera avoids the Wii itself, opting for more fitness oriented games like Dance Dance Revolution, Yourself Fitness, and to a lesser extent, Eyetoy Kinetic. He adjusted his diet and worked out using the games for 45 minutes a day, 4 days a week, for two months. I don't want to spoil the result, but let's just say he did not gain weight.

I'd suspect the adjusted diet has a great deal more to do with the weight loss than anything. You'd be amazed at home many calories some of things we eat and drink. I myself lost nearly 50 pounds earlier this year simply by taking a walk every day and switching to diet soda. Of course I gained half of it back after I started writing for Kotaku, but the extra weight just makes e that much more cuddly.


Gaming your way into better shape
[Ars Technica]

12:45 PM on Wed Jan 17 2007
By Mike Fahey
276 views
16 comments

Comments

  • Image of jayntampa jayntampa at 03:26 PM on 01/17/07 *

    ... I'm embarassed to admit it, but I like Yourself!Fitness.

  • There was a study done that showed diet soda to cause more weight to be gained than it's better tasting counterpart. Quitting soda altogether is most assuredly the best option.

  • I've spent the last eight months on a diet and I've actually lost like 80 pounds, while I admit that Wii Sports Boxing does seem to raise my heart rate, it can't compete with actual excercise.

    I've never actually played DDR (nor will I ever) but I suspect that it would work fantasically as excercise when done consistantly.

    The big thing to remember is that diet and excercise go hand in hand, you have to alter your eating habits to lose any kind of significant weight.

    Myself, I prefer to bike at the gym with my DS and a copy of any RPG, level grinding Final Fantasy 4 or 5 works perfectly.

  • Khanstant,

    I've heard someone else mention a study like that, but I've practically lived on Diet Code Red for the last 8 months and have lost a lot of weight.

  • People talk about the Wii as a new fitness toy, but man, nothing makes the gym more bearable than a DS. That's probably responsible for more weight loss than any of the game systems combined. ;)

  • I've lost about 10 pounds in just the last week on a diet. I'm mainly doing it because my wife gets made when she diets and I eat delicious things in front of her, but hey -- being a bit more fit is a nice bonus. :) That said, controlling your diet definitely makes a big difference for weight loss.

  • Khanstant:There was a study done that showed diet soda to cause more weight to be gained than it's better tasting counterpart.

    Source?

  • Fitness games are a move in a good direction.

    If you are concerned about your diet or health...check this out ->
    http://www.newstarget.com

    "Eat your vitamins, say your prayers, be a true American"
    -Hulk Hogan

  • baberg: check out these articles...

    http://www.newstarget.com/soft_drinks.html

  • @Domin4nt

    I don't see it. Want to link us directly? Also make sure your source says this is because the diet soda is worse for you... not because it "makes you hungry" or lulls you into a false sense of security that makes you drink more.

    Personally, since I'm already drinking some soda, I can only lose weight by switching to diet soda and maintaining the same drinking habits.

  • There is this study:
    http://www.webmd.com/content/article/107/108476.htm
    Which doesn't prove anything but I doubt drinking diet soda will help you lose weight. Drink water instead.

  • but don't drink too much water!!

  • Huh. I never even thought about taking a DS to the gym. Maybe that'll persuade me to try a meat market... nah, I doubt it.

  • For two months I was burning 400 calories a night with DDR in workout mode, and I felt great! Then I got Guitar Hero.

  • Heres hoping new and imporved fitness games come out. Like some other commentors I hate to admit I have used Yourself!Fitness. Aside form the fact that it gives me advice for my time of the month, (You do indicate sex when you start up so I'm thinking the creators of the game are calling me a woman!) the program has definately worked. I started using it when i balooned up to 220 (at 5'9 thats alot) and managed to lose 30 pounds in 3 months. It is however just a starting point since it led me to take up running and join a gym. Now 5 months later im close to 180, dropped 3 waist sizes, can easily run 5k and have built up a good amount of muscle mass.

  • Honestly... I loved Yourself!Fitness.

    Nothing to be ashamed about there. I used it every other morning or so to wake up and felt better all day. Didn't quite keep up with it as much, but I'm starting again this Saturday after I've moved.

    It's a great program even for those people like myself who don't have any interest in weightloss, but would like to stay fit.

    Sad that they got hit with a lawsuit I don't quite understand. A new Yourself!Fitness would have been awesome.

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