It’s no secret of the dancers are among the greatest athletes out
there, and they have some of the best bodies, as well. But can you get
as fit as a dancer in your living room or den with one of the new
interactive dance video games?

If
you’ve been dancing with the stars and breaking a sweat, are you
getting any fitter? Does it take the place of regular exercise? Will
you get that dancer’s body?

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) has helped answer some of these questions.

Specifically they asked: Can a video game make your kids more fit? ACE then put Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) to the test.

Researchers
at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, focused on quantifying DDR’s
potential physical benefits and determined that it is comparable to
many other aerobic activities and could result in significant weight
loss if used regularly.

All subjects showed a significant
increase in exercise intensity as they participated, with adults
burning more overall calories than kids (based primarily on expected
differences in body weight).

How much exercise did they actually
get? According to ACE, the participants burned: 5.9 kcal/min on light
mode (comparable to an easy walk on a treadmill), 6.7 kcal/min on
standard mode (equivalent to riding a bike about 12 to 14 miles and
hour) and 8.1 kcal/min on difficult mode (similar to the benefits
obtained with high-impact aerobics). They used the Sony PlayStation
version of the game for this particular study. You can get more
information on the ACE website.

Obviously,
different versions of this and other "interactive" games, especially
those developed for use on the Nintendo Wii, have different potential
levels of activity that one can experience.

Much depends on the
level of intensity that the user provides. I have personally been
impressed with the Wii. I’ve watched my kids in perpetual motion for
hours at a time. Many of the games kept me moving as well, and they
even offered some very basic fitness training and testing routines. I’m
sure we’ll see more of that.

Bottom line, it won’t replace
regular exercise any time soon but it sure beats sitting on the couch
and being totally sedentary. I don’t think you’ll be seeing it in any
upcoming Olympics, but you can experience a modest work out, while
having fun, and enjoy the associated health benefits.

It also
may have a place in activating certain diehard couch potatoes - both
young and old. I have even witnessed, with my own patient population,
that the appeal crosses a wide range of age groups from kids to their
grandparents. They are enjoying this "movement" together.

I
would encourage the video game industry to get even more creative in
terms of activating our population. I believe the technology world in
general has alot to offer in this regard and that we have only seen the
beginning of a whole new positive use of technology for fitness and
health.

Do you think these new video-active games, or as some
have called them, "exergames," have a place in the world of exercise?
What games would you like to see?