Wii FIT?

Is playing Wii really a fitness activity?

Docshop.com shared the experience of their reporter who(from the article she sounds to be a fit, probably younger woman) burned 180 calories in an active half hour playing Wii boxing, 170 calories playing Wii tennis for 30 minutes and 39 calories per half hour playing Wii bowling. The key here is an ACTIVE 30 minutes, its not sitting moving the remote for gentle racket play, its playing as you would competitively play the real game.

I think the real point here is anything can be fitness and burn calories which is approached as fitness. Strolling around the block after dinner three times a week is not a bad idea, but its not fitness. Deliberately going out and walking three mornings a week for exercise counts as fitness. The difference is approaching something as an exercise activity most likely increases the intensity of the activity and burns more calories.

What separates an activity considered exercise from any other activity is INTENSITY. For a cardio activity like walking, the goal is to increase your heart rate and keep that increased level for a sustained period of time, say 20 to 30 minutes, working the heart muscle, training it to become stronger and more efficient.

So is playing Wii exercise, absolutely, if its done intensely which most likely is not how it is played by anyone seeking to use it as their only exercise, but, included as part of an exercise routine, approached as exercise or with some intensity, I’d say its exercise, otherwise it is just fun, and that’s ok too.

PS - You can burn 44 calories in 30 minutes just sitting and reading too.

www.docshop.com