Why Do We Need Exergaming?
Exergaming, which is also known as exercise games or fitness games, refers to a special type of video games that involve physical training. In other words, exergaming enables people to do sport in their own living rooms. Moreover, you can do everything you want: dancing, boxing, biking, racing, hiking, and so forth. Although it may be hard to get fit using only exergaming (not impossible though), in view of its unique advantages, such kind of training is irreplaceable when it comes to reducing obesity levels, children who prefer a computer to physical activity, and elderly who need to move.
General Benefits of Exergaming
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It does not imply having a certain schedule and does not require a particular number of repetitions or the duration of training. You can do it whenever you want and for as long as you wish, choosing the right intensity. Besides, the weather will never be a problem: it is possible to play tennis or football while it is raining without getting wet.
Secondly, exercise games are motivating. Individuals with low levels of physical preparation may be too shy to go to the gym, but exergaming is suitable for both skilled and unskilled people (Ennis, 2013, p. 153). Additionally, it is more interesting and more likely to induce positive feelings among the participants (Ennis, 2013, p. 153).
Thirdly, there is a wide variety of activities that exergaming can offer, so you will hardly be bored. Finally, such kind of training is not as expensive as going to the gym since there is no need for a personal trainer. Exercise games give you the score and the feedback, so it is possible to track the progress without any trainers at
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(2009) show, such kind of exercises can also be useful for the elderly. Old-aged people need to be physically active and move, otherwise, many adverse consequences will follow. In their article, Diest, Lamoth, Stegenga, Verkerke, and Postema (2013) focus on the poor postural control that can cause falls and, as a consequence, fall injuries. As the statistics provided in the article states, nearly 33% of community-dwelling elderly fall at least one time in a year (Diest et al., 2013, p. 1). Up to 20 percent of those falls have serious consequences, from lacerations to head traumas and even deaths. However, the postural control can and should be improved through training, and one of the best ways to do this is exergaming. In addition to the fact that such kind of training improves the balance abilities, it also increases the motivation and makes old-aged people enjoy their training programs (Diest et al., 2013, p.
Wolf, S. L., Barnhart, H. X., Kutner, N. G., McNeely, E., Cooler, C., Xu, T. (1996). Reducing fraility and falls in older persons: an investigation of Tai Chi and computerized balance training. Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 44, 489-497.
Exercise is the key to a happy and healthy life. Exercise helps maintain or obtain a healthy body weight. It’s also a great way to bond with fellow gym attendees. For all you know, your soul mate could be running on the treadmill next to you. Studies show people who exercise are happier overall. Exercise is important in day-to-day life.
In recent years, western civilization has adopted Tai Chi as not only a physical activity, but also a highly recommended rehabilitation method. Within physical therapy, Tai Chi is looked upon as an intervention to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls.1 Since the aging adult experiences a decline in balance and more than one-third of those 65 years and older experience a fall related incident each year, it is logical to purport that regular participation in Tai Chi may be an ideal exercise program for the geriatric population.2 However, is Tai Chi physically and cognitively suitable for all elderly individuals? What factors should the Physical Therapist consider before recommending Tai Chi? Though the initial idea seems ideal for the geriatric population to improve these deficits, are all geriatric patients truly suitable to partake in this group activity?
...llets under here are a few of the benefits,1; Weir, 2011,14). “The exercise or activity allows one to maintain a healthier weight. The muscles are more firm, they have better shape, they have better tone so when we look in mirrors, we feel better about ourselves so that is the emotional thing,” Kathy Tucker (personal communication, May 7th, 2014). Exercise can also alleviate anger and frustration, as well as, give a person a sense of achievement (Exercise and Mental Health, n.d.,bullets under here are a few of the benefits, 4,6).
When you think of children playing video games you probably think of a child sitting in front of a TV or monitor for hours on end. This is not the case with a lot of games. Now while there may be a fair amount of children who do this there are a lot who know how to moderate their gaming and exercise. Some medical professionals have actually recommend patients to play video games as part of their treatment.
There has been other research done in order to prevent falls. There was a study done in Japan, where the clients were able to exercise their lower extremities. There was strengthening, stretching, toe exercises, and proprioception for the neuromuscular aspect (Kato, Izumi, Hiramatsu, & Shogenji, 2006, p. 109). These little exercises improved balance and mobility along with a decrease in the number of falls (Kato, Izumi, Hiramatsu, & Shogenji, 2006, p.110). This could be
When taking steps to analyze and apply intervention strategies for falls, we must examine the factors that cause these occurrences. There are numerous reasons that falls occur, such as intrinsic and or extrinsic risk factors. Intrinsic risk factors for falls may be due to changes that are part of the normal aging process and acute or chronic conditions. According to Zheng, Pan and Hua et al. (2013), about 35-45 percent of individuals who are usually older than 65 years and other 50 percent of the elderly individuals report cases of fall every year. Extrinsic factors are those related to physical environment such as lack of grab bars, poor condition of floor surfaces, inadequate or improper use of assistive devices (Currie). Patient falls is not an easy thing to eliminate. With many clinical challenges, there’s no easy answer to the challenges posed by patient falls; howe...
Exercise is very beneficial to everyone that wants to stay fit and to keep their health in good shape for the future. I know many people that work out just thirty minutes a day and eat healthy and they are in the greatest shape of their life. So during the times you feel fat and lazy and just do not want to get up off the couch. Think if you go to your nearest gym and workout for thirty minutes to an hour you will feel so much better with yourself, and have so much energy throughout your day.
Exercise can benefit an individual in many ways. Through research I have found several articles which have been written throughout the years that address these benefits. Some of these benefits are to prevent diseases, to improve stamina, to strengthen and tone, to enhance flexibility, to control weight, and to improve quality of life. All of these benefits will be address throughout this paper. However, even though exercise does benefits an individual, it does also depends on their circumstances. For example, exercise can be done to help with a pregnancy and after a pregnancy, to control diabetes, and to help the brain function for achievement in school.
Video games can give players experience and knowledge, but they can also, at the same time, drain energy from a player by taking away vital sleep the night before a game . Video games can be a great source of basic athletic skills, improving hand eye coordination and visual search skills. Young athletes, who have been playing and practicing with sports video games have a greater understanding than older sports stars did when they first began playing a sport, but video games cannot create an athlete. Video games help athletes become better at their sport, but the video games cannot help a person become an athlete. "A better analogy for virtual training [sports video games] could be weight lifting: It’s an activity that won’t turn you into a professional athlete, but if you are one, it will make you better at your sport" (Suellentrop 20). Sports video games impact sports performance positively, but a balance must be found between video games and real life practicing, as video games can cause harm just as much as improvement for and athletes sports performance
Exercises are important activities for people who want to achieve healthy lives. Imagine that John, a person who loved to play tennis. He played tennis every morning before he went to work. However, one day, it rained hard outside and he couldn’t play his favorite sport anymore. He was so sad and depressed. Luckily, he remembered that he had a Wii--a video game console-- that could help him to play tennis with online people inside his house. It’s a big thank to the video game industry, now people can play sports any time they want inside their houses. Not only tennis, there is a ton of exercise game for people to choose: dancing games, yoga games, footballs game, fitness games to name a few. More than that, the video game industry is trying to create new exercise games that are more and more realistic so that people can burn the same amount of calories as they do actual sports when they play video games. In additions, for the first time in century, everyone can actually play sports and compete with people around the worlds inside their small houses. Exercising is more fun than ever before. ESPN channel actually broadcasts video games as normal sports. People can also learn about healthy foods when they play cooking video games. For an example, Cooking Academy, a game where players will play as a chef and learn to cook more than fifty recipes. Players will fry, chop, flip, mash, and more while answering
There are several negative stereotypes associated with video games and those who play them; some of these may often hold true. However, there are plenty of learning opportunities in video games. While the direct purpose of some games is to educate or train, other games that do not directly have this purpose can still become a learning experience for the player. As Ntiedo Etuk, president of the educational video game company Tabula Digital said, “The traditional view of video games has been that they are distractions from the task of learning” (Electronic Education Report 1). Video games are an effective tool for learning and retaining skills both inside and outside the classroom environment. The basic cycle of game play--the introduction to the game, game play, collaboration, improvement of these between each round, and evaluation at the end of the game (Klievink and Janssen 159)--are nearly parallel to the traditional classroom learning cycle of reading a textbook or listening to a lecture, taking a quiz, studying, focusing on items missed on the quiz, and taking a test or exam. Within this cycle, there are many opportunities to develop and perfect both educational, life, and occupational skills.
Video games are used to improve physical health. Playing video games does not mean being inactive. New and improved video games involve and incorporate different types of movement in the actual game. Certain video games can reduce fat causing global weight loss (Recio 143). By turning game systems into exercise, new generation games draw people into activities and get heart rates pumping. Schools have incorporated video games into part of their physical education program. Children’s waists lines have gone down by inches due to playing video games in gym class. In gym, the machines teach things like balance, timing, and coordina...
Exercising helps in many different ways such as gaining muscular strength and ability. A person's desire is to lose weight and have a perfect toned figure, but it also helps ease a lot of other conditions as well. Exercising is considered to be a mood booster. It helps improve self esteem and will lower depression. It will make a person a lot happier, and will help bring a positive reaction in the body. Physical activity is very important for obesity. It is really important for obese children or adults to get some form of exercise in their lives. It can be very beneficial for them and can help prevent long term illnesses. People that exercise on a daily basis do it because it helps them feel more positive about themselves and they will be more energized, motivated and focused for the day. It gives people an excessive amount of happiness.
Improving your mood and boosting your energy also comes from exercising. The physical activity activates different chemicals in your brain that makes you happier and more relaxed. When exercise is done regularly, it can also lead to making a person gain more self-esteem and being more confident in appearance. Also,...