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...
Just how effective are these keep fit games consoles?
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.
* Have you ever heard anyone say they must lose some weight before they go to the gym? As a trainer, I have, and it drives me crazy. However, if you do lack the confidence to join a public gym, this is now a very god option.
* Convenience is important in order to keep up with your fitness regime. This software literally allows a workout any time.
* The one time cost makes this very affordable. Cheaper than a home gym and a gym membership.
* 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.
Tools like this are excellent starting points for anyone who falls into the categories we listed above, and given the ability to download new workout routines to your console, workout with network friends, and the ever evolving nature of computer games in general I say this particular avenue of fitness is one which is very exciting indeed.
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.
As a trainer I firmly believe that within the next five years we will have the ability to perform a full weights workout via our Wii, Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 console at home. The technology is moving so nicely along that this warrants taking a look at what is already available and sticking with it to see how far it is taken.
If you are looking at a games console such as Nintendo Wii Fit, Microsoft Xbox Kinect or Sony Playstation Move and are trying to decide whether it is worth your hard earned bucks, as a qualified fitness instructor and personal trainer I fully give this software my support.
Just how effective are these keep fit games consoles?
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.
* Have you ever heard anyone say they must lose some weight before they go to the gym? As a trainer, I have, and it drives me crazy. However, if you do lack the confidence to join a public gym, this is now a very god option.
* Convenience is important in order to keep up with your fitness regime. This software literally allows a workout any time.
* The one time cost makes this very affordable. Cheaper than a home gym and a gym membership.
* 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.
Tools like this are excellent starting points for anyone who falls into the categories we listed above, and given the ability to download new workout routines to your console, workout with network friends, and the ever evolving nature of computer games in general I say this particular avenue of fitness is one which is very exciting indeed.
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.
As a trainer I firmly believe that within the next five years we will have the ability to perform a full weights workout via our Wii, Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 console at home. The technology is moving so nicely along that this warrants taking a look at what is already available and sticking with it to see how far it is taken.
If you are looking at a games console such as Nintendo Wii Fit, Microsoft Xbox Kinect or Sony Playstation Move and are trying to decide whether it is worth your hard earned bucks, as a qualified fitness instructor and personal trainer I fully give this software my support.
About the Author:
About the author: Russ Howe is a qualified Personal Trainer. Watch your exclusive video review of Wii Fit vs Xbox Kinect.
