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A recent Nintendo-funded study found that one third of the games included in Wii Sports and Wii Fit boost energy expenditure equivalent to 3.0 METs. On the face of it, that sounds very impressive. 3.0 METS qualifies as moderate-intensity exercise. [1.0 MET is the metabolic equivalent of the energy expended while seated; 3.0 METs is three times that energy].

However, before you rush out to buy Wii Sports or Wii Fit, you and the other 7.9 million North Americans who own Wii Fit [since its debut in 08, Wii Fit has become the third most successful video game of all time] should be aware that new research, funded by the American Council on Exercise, suggests Nintendo may be a overzealous in marketing its product as a viable fitness option.

The American Council On Exercise employed the services of exercise physiologists from the University of Wisconsin Lacrosse team. Led by John Porcari, a small group of 16 male and female university-age subjects played the most aerobically challenging Wii Fit games - Free Run, Island Run, Free Step, Advanced Step, Super Hula Hoop and Rhythm Boxing - for six minutes each. Other activities such as yoga and weight training were not included.

During an exercise routine of approximately 36 minutes duration, exercise stats were accumulated including heart rate, VO2 max (aerobic power) and rate of perceived exertion.

Once tabulated, none of the activities prompted exercise intense enough to maintain or improve cardiorespiratory fitness as defined by the American Council on Sports Medicine.

Free Run and Island Run produced the best results. Subjects’ heart rates reached 60 per cent of the maximum, VO2 max measured 38 per cent and 5.5 calories were burned per minute (165 calories per 30 minute workout). The worst result produced 99 calories burned per 30 minute workout. The results are not impressive. At best, a Wii workout burns the same calories as a brisk walk. At worst, the energy expended would be equivalent to walking at a two-mile-an-hour pace, which is slower than the average stroll.

“In Wii Sports there’s more jumping around, and you’re not constrained by having to stand on the balance pad,'’ Porcari said when comparing the two Wii products. So added benefit is possible with Wii Sports.

However, “A lot of Wii activities are not going to get you into a training zone,'’ said Porcari.

Porcari does believe that Wii fitness products have some potential for the very young and the very old. The fun factor is appealing to children who may benefit from being introduced to exercise in an interactive environment. The low-intensity, low-skill demand of the programs may also suit older adults who find regular exercise physically challenging.

Porcari stated in the November/December issue of Fitness Matters, a newsletter published by the American Council on Exercise, “The Wii Fit is a very, very mild workout.'’

Source

Free Running - Trailer - Nintendo Wii