Exercising with Your Video Game System

If you are hip to the latest fitness crazes, then you may have heard of exer-gaming. And if you haven’t, not to worry, it’s easy (and fun!) to jump on board. The latest trend of exercising with your video game system is shaping up to be one of the most unique ways to work out.

If you are ready to try it out yourself, read on to find out what you’ll need.

Benefits of the box
Exercising with a video game is not only fun, it burns a lot of calories. Exer-gaming includes a variety of games and activities that build strength and cardiovascular ability. The beauty of these exercise video games is that they are convenient, challenging and often less expensive than a gym membership.

Working out at home makes it simple to fit in a few minutes of fitness every day, and you can exercise with family and friends. It’s also less intimidating to try a new activity like yoga or boxing when you can do it in the privacy of your own living room.

Here are some options for in-home video fitness fun.

All systems go
All of the major video game consoles offer some form of exer-gaming. Nintendo’s Wii system has Wii Fit, which features exercise video games that use a Wii Fit Board or other accessories to play. Many of these games simulate playing a sport like skiing, skateboarding or boxing.

Playstation offers up Playstation Move, a system which uses a special controller to experience games like tennis, ping-pong, golf and many more.

Xbox introduces Kinect, a motion-based approach to video game fitness. Kinect doesn’t use controllers because it scans your body and matches your body movements with the action on-screen. This allows you to really get into the game and torch calories by increasing your range of motion.

All of these exer-gaming systems provide a wide variety of activities to choose from. You can really mix up your workout with yoga, dance, aerobic activities, strength training, and more. Some systems like Wii Fit even have a built-in personal trainer who will measure your progress and keep you on track. Now instead of you yelling at your TV, your TV can tell you to do 20 more knee lifts!

Trust your team
With so many cool exer-gaming systems on the market, how do you decide which one is for you? Ask your friends. It’s likely that someone at your office or in your circle of friends — or even an online acquaintance — is already using video games for fitness. Inquire about the pros and cons, and ask which systems your friends recommend. Read online reviews and stop by your local electronics store to ask the sales people which games are most popular.

Since these are all great gaming systems, you might want to consider additional benefits of each gaming console. Which system has other video games you like to play? Will it connect with other gamers on the Internet? Can you play Blu-Ray DVDs on the system? Weigh all of your options and then make your decision. No matter which one you go with, you are bound to burn calories and get fit.

So get in the game and try the newest trend in video exercise fitness. Just be sure to move your living room furniture out of the way before you get started (or just go ahead and read our article about buying new lamps for your apartment!)

source: http://moving.apartmentguide.com/apartment-living/exercising-with-your-video-game-system/