Weight loss is all fun and games

As a parent, I languished over the fact that my kids, like most in their generation, spend two to three hours watching television, and another one to two hours on the Internet. It seemed that warp speed entertainment was far more enticing to them than the swimming pool, soccer field, trampoline or boxing ring.

Since I was resigned to the fact that my children were not athletic like me, I was determined to find something that would provide them with fun and regular exercise. While I did not immediately buy into the once popular Dance, Dance Revolution (DDR) craze, I got my daughters a set several years ago after discovering that my two nephews, who both weighed at least 200 pounds, each shed 50 pounds on the gadget. The weight loss provided them with energy and confidence that led both to be varsity basketball players. Several websites such as www.diet-blog.com, www.generation-fit.com, and www.getupmove.com are full of testimonials on DDR weight loss plus information on exergames (or exercise games).

Heather Renz, a grade four teacher in Oregon, even won a Microsoft Innovative Teacher Award for her work on integrating DDR in a Generation-Fit program of Vern Patrick Elementary. She was awarded for integration of technology in student learning after a year-long experience of using a dance video game as a fitness and brain-training solution. The students increased their skills in eye-tracking and patterning, collaboration and leadership, appreciation of varied aptitudes and learning styles and, of course, increased fitness levels. Heather even walked the talk, losing 35 pounds in the first five months of playing DDR, while gaining more energy and focus.

Starting three years ago, US news teams like Fox and CNN have featured how kids are losing weight by going on the dance pad. Just this month, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) released a study on DDR and how it gives children a good workout with the possibility of weight loss if used regularly. I am sure it could no longer ignore the growing cult following of the dance video, not only as a game but as a weight loss tool. This is positive news for parents who are constantly looking for suitable toys to provide their children especially after being hit with a lot of negative press on toy recalls worldwide.

ACE is not the only one taking DDR seriously. Early this year, in West Virginia, it was announced that all 700-plus public schools will have DDR integrated into their PE curriculum. Since its release in Japan in 1998, the arcade phenomenon now has 90 official versions and has even been registered as a sport in Norway. It has sold over 6.5 million copies, a million in the United States alone.

Intense physical activity programs have consistently yielded positive effects on academic achievement, including increased concentration, improved mathematics, reading, and writing test scores. Surprisingly, US schools have attested to the fact that academic achievement improves even when physical education reduces the time for academics. Experts explain that when humans exercise, “the body-brain goes into a homeostatic state, balancing brain chemicals, hormones, electricity, and system functions. When the body-brain is out of balance because of poor nutrition and lack of physical activity, the student is not in a good learning state.”

Studies further show that even just 10 minutes of rhythmic aerobic activity, prior to a cognitive task, improve academic success. There are other pluses. Physical activity, they claim, creates a positive social setting conducive to learning. Active kids also grow new brain cells faster and are happier due to the body chemicals released by exercise known to balance behavior. Exercise also triggers the release of BDNF (brain derived neurotropic factor) that enables neurons to communicate with one another. Students who sit for longer than 20 minutes experience a decrease in the flow of BDNF, according to the study of Kinoshita in 1997. And while I perfectly understand parents who have lambasted video games as a negative influence for their children, you will be surprised to know that studies show that the ever-changing screen patterns of the DDR and other video games, including a whole body response to the screen trigger, develop eye tracking and expectation skills, including peripheral vision. These in turn improves one’s reading ability. So that what we believe prevent our kids from reading are the same tools being used creatively by the academe to make them better readers. The quick pace of the DDR also improves reaction time or turning thinking into action, as well as develops balance and coordination. While I do agree that nothing beats playing real sports outdoors, where you can have sunshine and fresh air, there are growing options out there, yes, even in video games, to convert our sedentary kids to active citizens once again.

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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph.