Have a Wii go and get in shape

AS a nation of couch potatoes, we've become accustomed to hearing how our sedentary lifestyles are contributing to a rise in obesity and dangerous ill-health.

It is a worry, but perhaps not concerning enough to motivate us to leap from our chairs and into our running shoes.

So no wonder the promise of keeping fit without even moving away from our TV screens is such an attractive one.

Just last week saw the release of the Wii Fit, a balance board device that connects to the Nintendo Wii games console and promises to help participants shed a few pounds.

It also offers the opportunity to learn new fitness disciplines like yoga or pilates, while the virtual gym option aims to inspire you into action by horrifying you with your Body Mass Index and Wii Age.

If those skills are not exciting enough for you, how about trying out skiing, snowboarding or, dare we say it, your hip-swaying hula hooping skills – and all without subjecting yourself to any public humiliation whatsoever. With console fans in the UK currently spending more than 12 hours a week playing computer games, and NHS figures showing that almost ten per cent of children in the Lothians are obese by the time they reach primary one, anything that tempts both kids and adults to take up exercise has got to be welcomed.

Lindsey Chisholm, a team manager for Slimming World in the Lothians, says she knows of children in this area who are attending weight loss meetings and are already using the console specifically to keep their weight down.

She also has personal experience of how the Wii inspires exercise – Lindsey credits it for encouraging her to get out into the great outdoors with her husband Stuart to play golf.

"After playing golf on the Wii, we took up golf lessons, which has just been fantastic, because it's not a sport I would have been drawn to otherwise," says Lindsey.

She jokes: "We also like to play the boxing game because it's a great way of taking out your aggression without hitting your partner!"

Lindsey, 30, of Dalkeith, now plans to introduce the Wii Fit to her household and is particularly looking forward to trying out yoga.

She adds: "I think, together with a healthy eating regime, owning a Wii has definitely helped me to keep my weight down."

Indeed, there is now scientific evidence to back up the hype, with scientists at Liverpool John Moores University finding that regular use can help to shift up to 27lb a year.

After comparing activity levels during gaming using the Wii with those achieved using traditional seated joypad-controlled consoles, the researchers found more active forms of gaming increased energy expenditure to a level which could help lose weight.

Heart rates were also much greater when using the active console, reaching values of 130 beats per minute, compared with 85 beats per minute for the traditional console.

"Any exercise has to be better than sitting around. If this is the first step to persuading you to get off the couch and take up a healthier lifestyle, we're all for it," says Alexandra Howe, commercial director of Scottish Slimmers.

Mike Heatlie – an Edinburgh-based personal trainer who is singer Gwen Stefani's fitness guru – is more cynical though. He says: "With most of these gimmicky things – though they are fun and might have some health benefits like helping the heart to grow stronger – what they absolutely will not do is help you achieve a lean figure like Jennifer Lopez.

"There have been so many gimmicks in health and fitness – as more and more people want to lose weight, there are more and more products out there, some of which are completely ridiculous.

"After Beyoncé said she swore by it, we had the hula hoop workout; we've also had pole dancing and stiletto fit and they're all the same – they're just a fad.

"The only way you can get a lean figure is to follow a very precise and meticulous diet. Weight loss is 75 per cent nutrition and 25 per cent exercise."

What is undoubtedly true, however, is that the Wii, with its wireless controllers that force players to wave their arms around frantically to take control of their computer character, has revolutionised gaming.

Particularly popular has been the Wii Sports package. It has been credited with improving the health of geriatrics keen on virtual tennis and introduced players to new sports like golf and boxing.

With the introduction of the Wii Fit balance board, fitness DVDs featuring stick-thin celebrities could finally be a thing of the past.

When the Wii Fit was released in Japan at the tail end of last year, queues formed outside games shops and it sold a quarter of a million copies in its first week. In the UK, Wii Fit fever accounted for a reported £16.3 million in its first two days of sale alone.

Michael Muldoon, of Pilrig, Edinburgh, has been hooked to Wii Sports for around 18 months and he particularly enjoys the Olympics package.

When the Wii Fit was released last Friday, the 30-year-old PE teacher was one of the first in line to shell out the £69.99 for it.

He has been using the machine to get to grips with the discipline of yoga, which is possible because the balance board works out where you are standing and what pressure you are putting where.

Michael says that he also enjoys the competitive element, in that you can store up points that will later allow you to unlock a number of more challenging bonus games. But while he says playing games on the console does get your heart rate up, Michael, warns that the Wii Fit's benefits are limited.

"I don't think it will make you super-fit, but as part of an exercise regime I think it's really good," says Michael, who teaches in schools across West Lothian.

"I've recently taken up cycling and I've found the Wii Fit is also a good way of warming up first."

He adds: "I've never been one for the gym, I've always enjoyed team sports, and I would say this is a great way of introducing people to exercise who have always been a bit wary of keeping fit."

THE BALANCING TRICK: HOW IT WORKS
LOOKING a bit like a set of bathroom scales, the Wii Fit balance board is completely rigid and uses multiple pressure sensors to detect your tilting weight.

As well as measuring weight, it can also sense the movement of your body so that it can monitor your position, as well as calculating your body mass index (BMI).

There are around 40 activities in total, from yoga, press-ups and ski jumping to step aerobics and circuit training.

Gamers can also get to grips with a number of more traditional sports games, including football.

Also included in the Wii Fit package is the Brian Training inspired Wii Fitness Age, which offers advice on health.