Wii Fit vs Gym

By Russ Howe


We have all seen the ads, the toned girls working out at home in front of their Wii Fit, Xbox Kinect or Playstation Move consoles. But today we answer the question everybody wants to know...

How good are tools such as Wii Fit, Playstation Move and Xbox Kinect for weight loss and toning up when they are compared to going to the gym?

As a trainer it would be easy to dismiss this as the latest craze and advise people they'll never get the kind of workout they could in the real gym, right? So that's not what we're going to do here. Because the fact is, this is not a fad and it is here to stay. Every year the technology becomes more advanced. Here are the primary reasons why games console workouts are actually a GREAT thing for your fitness but also the fitness industry in general.

* Tools such as Wii Fit are fantastic for people who lack the confidence to workout in front of others at the gym

* Convenience is important in order to keep up with your fitness regime. This software literally allows a workout any time.

* A games console costs less than a home gym or a gym membership, and has other uses such as keeping the kids entertained.

* The technology we currently see is developing all the time.

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.

Make no mistake about it. If you have never really been one for working out or trying to lose weight in the past, then a Wii fit, Xbox Kinect or Playstation Move will provide you with an EXCELLENT starting block. And the technology is moving forward all the time. As a trainer I cannot wait to see where this leads in the next five to ten years.

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.

I fully expect to see the functionality of weight training workouts integrated into the already great technology we have developed on Wii, Xbox and Playstation. Within five years or so, you will literally be able to do an entire workout at home. If weights aren't really your thing, though, then the progress already made is very good.

If you are thinking about buying an Xbox Kinect, Playstation Move or Wii Fit for weight loss purposes then a as a Fitness Instructor I highly recommend that you do. Not only will you be able to achieve great results with what is already available right now, but it gets better all the time.




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