I’m reading Darren Curl’s, “Get there on your bike” blog today. He talks about his kid’s first day at school and how exercise programs aren’t what they used to be when he was a little tacker. Its good to hear a parent blogging in a positive open minded manner about American school’s Dance Dance Revolution programs, instead of blindly assuming we need to return to the past. I rant a bit about that here.
Talking about American DDR programs… When is Australia getting some DDR love in schools? I think we need it, and soon.
I’m utterly sick and tired of hearing people whine and carry on about how exercising with the Wii, or Dance Dance Revolution is stopping our kids from getting outside and enjoying the great outdoors. Something has finally come along to motivate kids to exercise and have fun, and all some people can do is look at the negatives. I’m so sick of it I decided to come up with my purposefully ridiculous 14 reasons why leaving the house to exercise will kill you.
Sun exposure on little Johnny’s skin is more damaging than it is to adults, and might give him skin cancer.
Little Johnny might join a street gang while he’s playing. According to the National Youth Gang Survey Analysis, there were an estimated 25,000 gangs and more than 750,000 gang members active across the USA in 2004, up from 731,500 in 2002. Little Johnny might be 750,001 if you don’t keep him inside.
Little Johnny sees some other kids on a street corner and waves hello. Waving hello is the rival gang’s “sign”, and Little Johnny is shot.
While playing basketball on the local courts, Johnny is approached by some kids who try to hook him on heroin. Johnny is intrigued, takes a hit and has an overdose.
From a World Health Organization report in 2004, 1.2 million people worldwide each year are killed in car accidents. Don’t let little Johnny be one of them.
Unknown to his parents, little Johnny has a heart defect. While running around the baseball diamond at full speed Johnny collapses- his poor little heart can’t take it anymore.
Little Johnny and his friends decide to get a chocolate milk at the local corner store, but while there they unluckily disturb a robbery and are shot.
A local pedophile approaches little Johnny and asks if he wants some candy, Johnny thankfully refuses, since getting in the car would probably be worse than death.
A stray pit bull sees little Johnny round the corner and defends his territory, just like the gang members did, and the result is the same (no the dog doesn’t shoot him, Johnny dies!).
Asthma is a common condition these days, but Johnny accidentally forgets his inhaler, and while playing football with his friends in a newly cut grass field he has a major attack and suffocates.
Its a rainy day, but little Johnny’s parents tell him he should be outside getting some fresh air. Out on the soccer pitch a random bolt of lightning arcs from the heavens and fries poor little Johnny.
In a scene out of Lost, a commercial airliner plummets from the heavens and hits little Johnny as it tries to avoid houses by crashing into the local park.
A meteor from deep space zips through the atmosphere, and while only a tiny amount remains post entry, that little nugget traveling at a thousand miles per hour punctures Johnny’s skull and kills him.
If only the U.S. government had told Johnny’s parents that aliens were real, because if they had maybe he wouldn’t have been allowed outside and abducted and used in their hideous experiments.
Yes I’m getting just a little stupid now. I’ve been stupid the whole article, because you can die in at least another hundred ways no matter what you do. I’m being stupid because I’m trying to make a point:
If your kids are exercising, be happy. If they’re exercising inside, rather than outside, be happy- they’re actually exercising.
Here’s one last way your kids could die, but it won’t be as quick as my 14 reasons above- Its obesity related disease. From www.obesityinamerica.com, here’s a few things your kids can look forward to if you don’t promote or allow their indoor exercise:
Cancer of the kidney, endometrium, breast, colon and rectum, esophagus, prostate and gall bladder
Death
Don’t forget the social discrimination that your children suffer as a result of their obesity. That’s not only bad for their minds, its bad for their bodies too. Social discrimination at school could create stress which may lead to other mental health issues down the road such as anxiety and depression.
Please parents, don’t tell off your kids, don’t even wish they were outside enjoying the fresh air- just be glad they’re doing something, and why not promote it? Check out my “Wii Workout Week” article series for ideas on how you and your kids can exercise together.
Still can’t stand the thought of your kids exercising indoors? How about you actually sit down and do some thinking about how you can get them out of the house and exercising? Henry Ford once said, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.”
Get thinking!
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Following on from my previous article, Exergaming, Easy Effective Weight Loss, I thought I’d compile a short list of the best exergaming authors, bloggers and a few exercisers using their Nintendo Wii and Dance, Dance Revolution to lose weight.
Here they are, with a quick review of each:
www.wiihealthy.com - a news blog dedicated to keeping readers abreast of all things Wii & healthy. Regularly updated.
www.wiiweightlossplan.com - The author, J.R. started this website to help himself lose weight, and found the best thing was that it was fun. Well written & interesting, the author is losing a lot of weight.
www.abqtrib.com- On Aug 9th, Willie Jefferson Jr has vowed to lose almost 100 pounds. Stay tuned.
www.wiiwii.tv- Another good exercise with Wii website, dedicated to a wide variety of news on using games to exercise… and other things!
www.wiifitchallenge.com - Another blogger using the Wii to exercise & lose weight, they’re currently waiting for the Wii Fit’s release to begin a new plan.
www.ryanmercer.com- Billing himself as the Jared of Nintendo, Ryan has some progress shots up, and forums for people to speak Wii.
www.workoutwithwii.com- Slowing down with the updates a bit now, but some good info there on how much the author worked out with the Wii, and how much weight loss he experienced.
www.wiiplayable.com- Has a great list of flash games you can download & play on your Wii (not sure yet how good they are for exercise), and a “news blender” which shows news from other sources.
www.videogameworkout.net- A female blogger for a change trying to lose weight with a combination of Wii, DDR, and other games, and not only that, she’s now pregnant! Read about how she’s going and check out the forums for other people’s weight loss stories.
www.wiiweightloss.com- A site with a bunch of reviews on Wii sports games, and how effective they are to work out with. Interesting tips here, too.
www.traineo.com- A weight loss tracking and motivation site, traineo has a Wii weight loss group that you might want to join. Very cool!
www.sporle.de- A German Wii site! Daily news on exergaming products and trends.
Got any of your own favorite links or websites you tune into? Let me know!
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Exergaming is the cure to a frighteningly overweight population, childhood obesity, boring workouts, and lack of motivation everywhere.
First, lets define it. Exergaming is a combination of exercise and video games. Thats all!
It may sound simple, but exergaming has the greatest chance of helping kids (and the rest of us) get a leg up in the battle against the bulge. Why? Because its fun. You’ve noticed how many people out there love video games. There’s a lot of us out there, and because exergaming has such great fun and incidental exercise potential, it also has the greatest weight loss potential when we look at society as a whole. Sure, we might not get many people losing 20 kilograms of body fat in 6 months just using the Wii, but half an hour a night is just what the world needs to keep off millions of tons of collective body fat.
“Exercise can be very boring! It takes real determination and long term commitment to drag yourself off to the gymnasium and put yourself through the paces. It is so easy to lose interest when you fail to see immediate results.” -Roland Rocchiccioli, in Fat or Fiction.
That quote, from Donna Aston’s excellent Fat or Fiction, highlights the number 1 problem for exercisers. I believe people have great difficulty staying motivated to work out, and any motivation they do have evaporates due to lack of results and boredom. We can use goal setting to help us stay motivated, however most of us either haven’t been taught effective goal setting methods, or dismiss the idea before the next ad break finishes and Law & Order resumes.
Exergaming provides you and I with an easy, perhaps irresistible urge to exercise. Again, its because its fun, addictive fun! Plenty of us bemoan the demise of children getting outside and getting some sunlight, but we can either go with the flow, or fight it, and any parent with teenagers knows how well that can backfire. Why not join your kids or parents in a game of multiplayer tennis, and build up some family spirit, rather than spouting the same “go outside and get some fresh air” that today’s kids (and plenty of adults!) dread hearing.
In their current form, exergaming machines like Nintendo’s Wii and Konami’s DDR provide excellent “incidental” or “accidental” exercise. People aren’t playing their Wii games or DDR to get healthy and lean, they’re playing it because its social, challenging, and fun. Lots, and LOTS of fun. If you accidentally burn some energy and fat while playing computer games and having fun with friends, why not capitalize on that as much as you can, rather than trying to use brute will force to get yourself to workout like Roland and so many others do?
If you know anyone with a Wii, or Dance, Dance Revolution, have a go- you might get hooked and go down a belt notch.
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Lets get down to business. The business of having FUN while you work out.
This list of easy, quick, brainstormed ideas will have you out of your chair and into a workout before you can say, “Working out is boring!”.
Whatever you do, do it with a friend. Friends are the best way to motivate yourself to exercise. Squeeze in socializing time while you walk, pump iron, or play your Nintendo Wii boxing game.
Bring your dog along. Combine with number 1, and number 1’s number 2. Hmm. That sounds all wrong! Anyway, take your pet along for your walk, pets are great stress killers, can do amusing things while you’re out walking them, and you never know when they’ll help you meet someone special!
Get the music pumping. Music has proven affects on our mood and on motivation. Key your favorite music on your ipod or on your home gym’s stereo and get sweating. Remember, pumping motivational music works best! Check out Apple’s website for iTunes content, or do a net search for down-loadable music.
Take a different route. A change isn’t as good as a holiday if you ask me. I’d much rather go to France than walk or bicycle around a different block, but doing that has its advantages. Changing your surroundings and going through a different part of town, a different beach, or a new nature trail can refresh your batteries and give you something new to suggest to friends… That is if you’re not taking them with you to begin with!
Make it an event. Once a week, or once a month, grab a big bunch of friends and try something new. Shared experiences are great friend and relationship builders- just ask friends who have been to a large sporting event, been in a dangerous situation together, or experienced something magical together, and they’ll tell you all about it.
If you’re a gym junkie, change your routine around. You should know yourself if you’re into big biceps that changing reps & sets have a positive effect on your muscles. So help out your motivation as well as your arms, you never know when you’ll find a new favorite routine.
Combine a passion with exercise. This one might require you put on your thinking cap. What do you love to do? Can you combine that with breaking a sweat? I bet you can- take my t.v. watching audience reading this right now. Get down and bust out some squats, some push ups, or some nice minute long abdominal planks (yeah, ouch) while you watch t.v. Want a little extra motivation? Why not envision yourself with the body of your favorite (fit!) t.v. personality, then work towards it. They all workout a lot, I guarantee it.
Find a new hobby that you can enjoy, and that gets you out and moving.
Heres a list to start you with:
Gardening
Sailing
Kite flying
Bicycling
Nintendo Wii or DDR playing
Soccer/Basketball/Tennis/pick a sport!
Bush walking
Dragon boating
Bird watching
Woodworking.
It doesn’t matter what you pick and how small you believe the exercise, something which gets you off the couch, and actually using your neglected postural muscles is GOOD- in many, many ways!
Just mentioned above, the new series of games that has you up and moving is one of the most effective tools you can use to get yourself out of your bum-groove and moving again. Why? Because its lots, and lots of fun! I highly recommend the Nintendo Wii, and Konami’s Dance, Dance Revolution, otherwise known as DDR. You’ll get your best workouts for the Wii using Wii Sports: Boxing, baseball, and tennis. Big hint- Add a bunch of friends to your Nintendo Wii workouts and if you’re even vaguely competitive you’ll really get a workout to be proud of.
Take the kids along. We’ve all seen how much energy kids have compared to us. You can harness that to charge up your workouts and help you break a sweat and have a bunch of fun at the same time. One suggestion for you is to take the soccer ball, cricket set or volleyball out, and let them go nuts. Add pets to the mix and who knows what could happen. Kids just have this way of making fun out of any situation, try and learn from that and enjoy their antics whenever you can.
Make records and compare them with friends family & colleagues. Got 10 bucks a week spare? Like a little competition? If so you’ve got quite the recipe there for increased workout productivity, and plenty of fun, too. Take measurements of your waist, hips and chest, weigh yourself, and see who makes the biggest losses. If you’re into facebook, check out the workout application, and share with your friends.
Ever notice how much more fun you have when you’re in a relaxed situation? Take movies at home with friends. Fun and relaxing right? You might find you enjoy life a bit more if you try and extend your ability to relax throughout your day, and beating stress is a very good way to help your body lose weight. With that in mind, here’s another quick list of activities that can help you relax at any time, and are fun and good exercise to boot:
Yoga
Tai chi
Meditation (ok you got me, you don’t sweat much with this one)
Pilates
Yogalates
Pilateyogis
Taipilateyogitation
6 and 7 don’t exist yet, but you never know what the future will bring!!
Find yourself a gym that has a range of exergames, where you can sit and pedal in competition with others, watch a graphical representation of your progress, or anything which takes your mind off the grind of aerobic exercise.
If you’re into weights, take a week off, and do some cardio. That thing beating in your chest is important too, and the more efficient it is, the harder you can push yourself on the weights. You’ll enjoy the change, too. Just kidding, I hate cardio…! But if you add a few of my ideas from this article, you might enjoy yourself more than you think, and the health benefits to your heart are worth it.
If you’re into cardio, take a week off, and do some weights! I’m a big weights advocate. Increasing muscle density only slightly will increase the rate at which your body chews through calories while at rest, and in my book, the more calories you’re burning off while not actually exercising the better! Burn more calories while you sleep, for real!
Have you got any ways you make your workouts fun? Let me know and I’ll add them to future Fun and workout idea articles.
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