Loose Weight Without Leaving Your Home

With winter in full swing, snow on the ground and temperatures below 30 degrees, getting to the gym may be more difficult than planned. So what are your options for staying in shape while staying indoors and having fun? Gaming consoles may be the answer.

New research has shown that gaming consoles such as Wii Fit, Xbox Kinect and Playstation Move are part of a movement that is getting people off the couch and moving without leaving the comfort of their own home. With a plethora of sports ranging from bowling and golf to tennis and soccer, these games will get your heart rate up and calories will start being burned. Wii Fit also has options such as yoga and running to improve toning your body and cardio. In addition, the low impact activities provided by these games are especially helpful for people with bad knees, backs, ankles, etc. Wii Fit in particular is used in some physical therapist offices to help people recovering from injuries and the elderly to slowly regain mobility and strength without requiring the use of bulky equipment.

To compliment the activity provided by these games, Wii Fit also offers users access to a chart measuring how often you workout, the amount of weight you have gained or lost and even allows users to enter the amount of calories they have eaten, and any exercise they have done outside of Wii Fit. This tool can help users track their progress which is encouraging and better than standing on a scale each day. Keep in mind that because muscle weighs more than fat, if the Wii Fit scale says you have gained weight after a couple weeks it could mean you are simply building muscle.

With many options available this Holiday season with the new release of Xbox Kinect and Playstation Move, choose the gaming console that best fits your lifestyle and comfort level. Playstation Move is similar to Wii in the sense that you hold a remote in order for the console to track your movements. Wii Fit requires you remain standing on a weight and motion sensitive board, limiting your movement. The Xbox Kinect is the first of its kind to not require the use of any hand held controls or boards. This motion sensitive control allows users to have bigger movement such as kicking and jumping and moving as though you were playing the game within your home. Depending on the amount of space you have available in your home one console may be better than another, but in the long run, your health and entertainment is most important.