The American Council on Exercise (ACE) is a 25-year-old nonprofit dedicated to promoting the benefits of physical activity and protecting consumers against unsafe and ineffective health and fitness products, programs and trends.  They have done extensive research on exercise regiments from pilates to dumbbells.  The latest on their research agenda?  Exergames, including dance pads and the Wii Fit.  Their research question: Does the Wii really help people get fit?

The study sample.

In 2008, the ACE teamed up with the University of Wisconsin to test the potential fitness benefits of Wii Sports.  Here are the details of the study:

• Sample size: 8 men and 8 women, ages 20 to 29 years old
• Baseline: recorded through standardized exercise test with a treadmill, tracking heart rate and maximal oxygen uptake; all subjects were given time to practice with the Wii prior to the study

In 2009, the ACE and University of Wisconsin team reunited to test the potential fitness benefits of Wii Fit:

• Sample size: 8 men and 8 women, ages 20 to 24 years old
• Baseline: same as 2008 study

The measurements.

2008 Wii Sports:

• Subjects were told to mimic the onscreen action as closely as possible (ex: in Wii Tennis, subjects had to swing their arms to hit the virtual ball versus just flick the wrist).
• Each subject played a total of 5 games for 10 minutes each with 10 minutes of rest between each game.
• Researchers recorded heart rate, oxygen uptake, and perceived exertion.  Calories burned were also calculated.

2009 Wii Fit:

• Subjects played 6 of the most aerobically challenging activities featured on the Wii Fit for 6 minutes each.
• Researchers recorded heart rate, oxygen uptake, and perceived exertion.  Calories burned were also calculated.

The results.

All Wii Sports games resulted in calories burned, some more than others.

• Wii Sports Golf – 3.1 calories burned per minute
• Wii Sports Bowling – 3.9 calories burned per minute
• Wii Sports Baseball – 4.5 calories burned per minute
• Wii Sports Tennis – 5.3 calories burned per minute
• Wii Sports Boxing – 7.2 calories burned per minute

All Wii Fit games resulted in calories burned, however, NONE were sufficient enough to maintain or improve cardiorespiratory endurance as defined by the American College of Sports Medicine.

• Wii Fit Free Step – 3.3 calories burned per minute
• Wii Fit Advanced Step – 3.6 calories burned per minute
• Wii Fit Super Hula Hoop – 3.7 calories burned per minute
• Wii Fit Rhythm Boxing – 3.8 calories burned per minute
• Wii Fit Free Run – 5.5 calories burned per minute
• Wii Fit Island Run – 5.5 calories burned per minute

The conclusion.

The bottom line message here is that playing Wii Sports or Wii Fit is better than just sitting at home watching TV.  If you want a workout, try Wii Boxing or Wii Tennis. Wii Fit produced underwhelming results and much less caloric burn.  Why?  Dr. John Porcari, lead scientist both studies feels that Wii Fit constrains players to the balance board.  There is much less jumping around than with Wii Sports.

Getting the most out of your Wii.

According to Dr. Porcari, the key to a good workout with Wii Sports is mimicing the real movements as closely as possible.  No wrist flicking allowed!  Wii Fit is a great way to have some fun while burning calories as well as track your fitness progress such as BMI.  However, if you want to actually stay fit, you need to pair it with something more traditional like a bike or treadmill workout.