Wii Fit - Good Workout for Your Heart?

Nintendo’s Wii Fit, an interactive game that includes 40 exercise routines, is set to go on sale in the U.S. on May 21. Its earlier release in Europe was met with much excitement, as athletes and trainers tested the product to find out if the Wii truly offers a good workout.

We asked our Coach’s Corner expert Dr. Ray Browning, an obesity researcher and 7-time Ironman champion, if a Wii workout could elevate heart rate enough to improve health and fitness… particularly in children.

“The data collected on young children doing these kinds of movements show that there is an energy benefit, although the heart rate doesn’t get high enough to really call it aerobic exercise,” said Browning. “Compared to the alternative of sitting and watching TV, however, it almost doesn’t matter if the cardiovascular is high enough. If there’s a three-fold increase in energy expenditure, that in and of itself is important. It’s much better than resting on the couch.”

For children and adults who are overweight or sedentary, the Wii Fit might be a good step toward getting off the couch and becoming more active. Browning recommends that parents strive to take these activities from the indoor TV gaming world to the great outdoors. A heart rate monitor can help determine which activities are giving the best workout.

“If you’re out for a walk with your child, have them put on a heart rate monitor and say, ‘Let see what happens if we walk faster here.’ The heart rate monitor becomes a window into what is happening to their body,” he explains. “You can start by trying things they normally do at play, and see what heart rate it elicits. Then try other activities that are more vigorous.”

For children, maximum heart rate generally falls between 200-215 beats per minute, so anywhere between 120-175 is good for increasing energy expenditure and getting some physiological benefit.

Read more about using a heart rate monitor with children here.