The idea of making fitness fun has been talked about for years. Many companies have taken note of the trend, and in the past several years, many entertainment products have been brought to the market and featured in FM. Playstations and Xboxes were added to some cardio equipment in the past several years. And, products like Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution, Cateye’s Game Bike and Cybex’s Trazer were introduced. But, while these products are great, most are single stations which make them impractical — providing a workout to one member at a time vs. to a group. Could that be changing?
Recently, Nintendo joined the ranks of those companies that are offering fitness entertainment products. An MSNBC article, Tired of spin classes? Try Wii workout station, published July 24, featured a Canadian health club, Studio 55, in Vancouver, B.C., which now has a Wii workout station. “Clients at the health club are encouraged to use the Wii as part of circuit training, warm-up or cool-down, with the system set up in a 400-square-foot theater room with a large projection screen,” says the MSNBC article.
Now, Ninento is developing a new system called Wii Fit, which the company plans to release in 2008. Wii Fit is a video game that allows individuals to perform different forms of activities, from yoga to aerobics. From the looks of it, facilities could house this system in a group exercise setting, and allow members to follow along.
As people become more in tune to being entertained during their workouts, fitness facility operators need to bring these types of products to their members, just to stay competitive. But, manufacturers will need to start looking at how these types of products can be most cost-effective and practical for fitness facilities. So, for those of you who have wanted to add the entertainment element to your menu of exercise options, the future could be promising, and practical.
2 comments:
Tired of Spin classes...Try the Nintendo Wii workout??? Is this a joke?
It's nice to see an attempt being made at offerinf "some" movement to these video games...but has anyone actually TRIED these games or seen how much activity is involved with the Wii or the soon to be released Wii Fit? lol
There must be an aircraft carrier parked outside anyone's place to have the balls to compare a spinning class to a geriatric level workout...and even at that, I may very well be insulting the geriatric ward.
This is yet another great example of how credible news has completely lost out to info/entertainment.
Next you'll tell me you actually believe that Pilates is great for fat loss!
Forget the "exertainment" fad!
My clients get results the old fashioned way- through hard work. They achieve results that nobody talks about.
In example, the average high school girl I train adds 6 inches to her vertical over the course of 3 to 9 months- depending on outside influences. And they double their power clean strength in the same time period.
Yes we do traditional Olympic lifts but we do it smart and safe by using Cormax Ballistic Training Equipment. This is the cutting edge stuff that NFL and NBA teams use to safely improve the power performance that these athletes need to for that extra edge.
Oh and the parents and grandparents enjoy using the Cormax equipment as well.
One) it's safe- no need for a spotter even with maximum efforts.
Two) it works by combining strength training with high intensities.
Not high weights but maximal effort by actually releasing or jumping / throwing the weight [we coin it as similar to doing sprints].
The only electronics we use with the machines is a SpeedCheck that measures in velocity how fast the user moves the weight. Which we can figure how powerful the user was and has become.
The next big thing isn't with how to be distracted while exercising.
The next big thing is the same old thing- focus on your performance.
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