Good Media
Fitness Games to Overcome Winter Doldrums
Andrea Rock, contributing editor
Did you and your family over-indulge during the holidays? Do you live in a part of the country where winter weather limits your and your family’s outdoor exercise time? Well, fret not! There are a fitness games available for your Wii or Kinect, that will help overcome past bad habits and present winter blues! And predictably, there are choices available for all ages.
Preschoolers: Nickelodeon Fit
A package of physically active, designed for preschoolers, mini-games featuring characters from different Nick Jr. TV shows: Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, Ni Hao Kai-Lan, and the Backyardigans. Can be played with the Wii Fit balance board controller, although more exercise is achieved just using the Wii remote.
Criticism: an underlying message about “watching Nick Jr.”
Age 10 and up: Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout
Boxing simulation only—players work out with equipment, and don’t actually face real opponents! Creates the atmosphere of a gym cardio class.
Criticism: it has taken the name of a national gym chain, and includes a coupon for an introductory membership to Gold’s Gyms.
Age 10 and up: Wii Fit Plus
Contains the original Wii Fit, adds more content. Can be purchased with the Wii Balance Board or as a separate disc if you already own the Wii Balance Board. Adds new games for a total of over 60--including yoga, strength training, aerobics, and balance games. Ability to create your own workout and to play multiplayer, making it good for all ages.
Criticism: Parents with kids who are sensitive about their weight or body image, please note: this program uses Body Mass Index (BMI) to label users who have created profiles as either underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. Our children grow so fast, that these labels may be inaccurate. And you probably want to handle weight issues in your own way, perhaps with your pediatrician, anyway! So if you are concerned about these labels, have your kids play in Trial mode or in Multiplayer mode.
Age 12 and up: NFL Training Camp
Isotonic and isometric exercises. Can be done by two players, but only one set of monitors and one rubber band (used for resistance exercises) come with it. Single fitness sessions, customized workouts, and a 60-day challenge can all be tailored by the individual user. The game can also be used with a Wii Balance Board.
The criticism: players accumulate points toward purchases from the NFL virtual pro shop.
Age 12 and up: EA Sports Active 2
Workouts and games on three different platforms: Wii, Xbox 360 using Kinect, and PlayStation 3. All operate hand-free. Includes a heart rate monitor, allows player to track progress over time. The Wii version can use the optional Wii Balance Board.
Parents, I’ve been reading reviews of a number of other such games that gave a “thumbs-up,” but with reservations: ones that rule them out in my mind. First, several games received strong reviews, with the caveat that kids would do better if they could attend a class—yoga or Pilates or exercise—to get real instruction from a real teacher. That says to me that the fitness game will be lost on our kids! The other caveat that jumped out for me was the notation that some music for the routines has suggestive lyrics, or “minor” references of violence or sex appeal. Once I see those warnings, I rule out the games. Our kids are exposed to enough sex and violence in the media, without having such references in their workout routines.
As always, monitor you kids’ use of these games. And if you are budgeting the amount of time they use media—and I hope you are—be sure to include this within their time allotment!
The First Lady says it best: Let’s move!
