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Wii Worked It Out
How does the Wii weigh in against actual activity? We put it to the test to find out.
by Maya Henderson
Since being introduced in America in fall of 2006, the Nintendo Wii has received a lot of attention for its ability to get lazy gamers off the couch and moving around. Over the past year, articles have appeared in various publications touting the benefits of the Wii, including how it helps physical therapy patients cope with the repetitive rehabilitation exercises and movements they must do, actually speeding up their recovery time.
Nintendo is capitalizing on this trend and introducing new accessories for the Wii, including their highly anticipated Balance Board, later this year. But until then, we wanted to see if, in fact, the Wii was as good -- or better -- than real life activities in helping increase heart rate and possibly even help us lose weight -- or just have fun trying.
Wii bowling vs. real bowling
I wore a calorie counter/heart rate monitor throughout my fit tests to give the test a more scientific slant. Excited to start my first round, I put on Diplo's FabricLive 24, assuming that would help boost my energy level and get my heart rate going. By my sixth turn, I'm bowling a 90 -- probably my best game ever -- with an active heart rate of 90 and 12 calories burned. If only my caloric output and bowling score were the same, then maybe I'd consider Wii bowling a decent workout. At the end of the game, my active heart rate is at a 95 and my score is an even 100. I hit three strikes in a row and learned that in bowling, that's called a turkey. Too bad I only burned 15 calories through the whole thing.
Going to the Fireside Bowl on a Thursday night was a sad sight. The place was crawling with underage college students and creepy hardcore bowler dudes (and not like the funny creepy types in The Big Lebowski -- seriously creepy types). Immediately into the game, regular bowling is kicking the Wii's ass. By the third round my active heart rate is up to 117 and resting at an 86, just a bit below the active rate for the Wii. By the end of the game, my active heart rate is 110 and I've burned 50 calories. However, my final score is only a 57 and my shoulder and wrist are throbbing with pain.
Wii Boxing vs. 20-minute boxing with ExerciseTV
After two rounds of Wii boxing, my heart rate is up to 111 and I've burned 14 calories. Not bad for only a few minutes of activity. Five minutes into the ExerciseTV boxing workout and I've already burned twice as many calories. I decide to stop there. It was more fun to punch Chuck Norris on the Wii anyway.
Wii Tennis vs. a round of outdoor tennis
First of all, it's nearly impossible to get a tennis court in this city if you're not a member of a fancy health club, and now I can see why. Playing tennis, even on a cold Saturday afternoon, was not only fun, it was a great workout. I burned over 100 calories and got my heart rate up to a healthy (for my age/body type) and fat burning 130. Not bad for thirty minutes of activity, and if I were a better player, the numbers could have easily doubled. Wii Tennis also proved to be quite the virtual workout. I burned 25 calories and my heart rate sprung up to a 115.
Winner:
The Wii. Sure, you'll burn more calories watching the censored version of Katt Williams, "American Hustler" on Comedy Central, but not having to go to a dirty bowling alley gets major points in my book. And I love kickboxing, so both boxing workouts were fun, but the thought of getting punched back kept Wii boxing more interesting and intense. So, if you hate working out, this isn't a bad way to get into physical fitness -- even if your fingers may hurt after a while.
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