Xbox Kinect and Wii Fit vs The Gym

By Russ Howe


You've probably noticed the ads with the happy family working out in front of their HDTV, in their perfectly white home, with their latest Wii Fit, Xbox Kinect or Playstation Move software. But today we answer the top question on everybody's lips...

How good are tools such as Wii Fit, Playstation Move and Xbox Kinect for weight loss and toning up when they are compared to going to the gym?

As a Fitness Instructor, it would be very easy to condemn the use of home gamin equipment instead of actually going to the gym however I want to be very clear that the benefits of tools such as the Nintendo Wii Fit or Xbox Kinect certainly has it's place in the fitness community. Here are a couple of reasons we believe this software works.

* Tools such as Wii Fit are fantastic for people who lack the confidence to workout in front of others at the gym

* It's very easy to fit in a workout when you have the tools in your house. Convenience is an understatement.

* A games console costs less than a home gym or a gym membership, and has other uses such as keeping the kids entertained.

* In two years time the technology will have moved forward an awful lot.

As a trainer myself, I absolutely embrace the direction the gaming industry is taking here. While many less secure personal trainers and fitness instructors would openly dismiss the notion of working out at home as they consider it a potential threat to their own income, or even their job, anyone comfortable with their knowledge and customer base can only see this as a great step forward for exercise and fitness in general.

If you are relatively new to exercise and lack the confidence to go to the gym, or simply find it hard allocating the necessary time to squeeze in a workout most days, then Wii Fit, Xbox Kinect and Playstation Move provide an absolutely brilliant way to take care of this dilemma and get you on the road to a leaner, better body. The fact that the technology is always moving forward, too, bodes well for the future.

Is working out via your games console as effective as using a real gym? At the moment, no. But that's not a bad thing in any way. In fact the technology is already great and you can achieve fantastic weight loss results with the range of cardiovascular, yoga and body weight workouts available. Where it is still way behind the gym of course is resistance training. However in five to ten years I can see this being hugely progressed, too.

When it comes to a heavy weights session, or any other form of resistance training, the software isn't in the same league as hitting a gym for real. However, given the constant progress made in the gaming world I wouldn't be surprised if one day you and I met via a Playstation for one of my workout routines instead of face to face.

If you are considering buying a Wii Fit, Xbox Kinect or Playstation Move for keep fit purposes I fully recommend you do so. They are already sound and have proven results but the most exciting aspect is that they get better with every single month which passes by.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment