healthy you:
FAMILY HEALTH
G a i n i n g p o p u l a r i t y
a m o n g a ll a g e s ,
ie s e a c t i v e g a m i n g
s y s t e m s c a n l e a v e
y o u a l i t t l e s o r e .
BY LORI NUDO
Ow-Wii
nteractive video game
systems, such as the
1
Nintendo W ii, have
revolutionized game play
and gotten a generation of
kids breaking a sweat by
throwing themselves into
the action. Adults, too, have found
W ii
S ports—a.
game w ith highly physical
baseball, bowling, tennis, golf, and
boxing sim ulations—so enticing that
they’re also jum ping in. Th at’s good
news after years of games that once
only worked people’s thumbs.
But you should know that virtual
play can lead to real injuries, such
as a pulled back or tennis elbow.
“Too m uch, too fast, too soon and
you run the risk of an overuse injury,”
says Dr. Robert E. S allis, president
of the A m erican College of Sports
M edicine and director of sports
m edicine at K aiser Permanente
M edical Center in C alifo rn ia.
Be aware of that, but don’t let it
stop you. “Th e benefits trem endously
outweigh any risk of injury,” says Dr.
Sallis. Just bear in m ind a few sim ple
precautions to stay in the game.
GO TH RO U GH TH E M O TIO N S
“Being in great shape doesn’t mean
your m uscles are ready to play these
video games,” says Josh Trout,
assistant professor of kinesiology at
C alifo rn ia State U niversity, Chico,
and researcher in video game
exercise movement. H e suggests a
five-m inute warmup, followed by a
few slow practice rounds.
Q U IT W H ILE YOU’RE A H EA D
Lim it your gam ing tim e to 30 to 45
minutes—less if it’s your first tim e in
the boxing rin g Stay ahead of the
pain, if not the competition.
SW ITCH IT UP Rotate your play
among games that use very different
motions to avoid repetitive-use
injuries. Break up your tennis game
w ith a bit of batting practice.
H EED OLD IN JU R IES If you have
a bum knee or a bad back to begin
with, you are going to be more
susceptible to in ju ry if you play
these video games too aggressively
or for hours on end.
I 7 6 AUGUST 2008 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
G e t F it
in a S p lit
T h e n e w
W ii F it
is a
r e v o l u t i o n a r y w a y
t o e x e r c i s e .
Im agine, if you w ill, two teenage
boys w ho—lik e th e ir peers—are
very concerned w ith not looking
dorky. Now im agine those same
two boys, brows sweating, fighting
w ell into the evening for bragging
rights to a hula hoop championship.
A strange and alternate universe?
No, ju st the enthusiasm generated
by the fitness-focused games on
N intendo’s new
W ii F it
for the W ii
gam ingsystem . Choose from over
40 strength training, aerobics, yoga,
and balance train in g activities and
clim b aboard the w ireless W ii
Balance Board,
b e lo w
, a unique
controller that senses weight and
movement changes to control
the m otions of your
character on screen. Th e
game also rewards you
w ith new activities the
more you spend tim e on
the system. (So who
won that hula hoop-
athon? Th e boys’
mother, who elbowed
them out of the w ay
for her turn at the fun.)
F in d
W ii F it
for about
$90 at stores that sell
video games or online
at sites such as
am azon.com .
P H O TO S : (T E E N ) VEER; (W O M A N ) N IN T E N D O O F AM ERICA IN C .
