These so called ‘exer-games’ can provide quite a work out, as long as you put enough effort in during play. If you play the game intensively, it can help you burn calories just as any regular form of exercise would do.
So what are the top games for keeping fit?
Zumba Fitness World Party
The great thing about playing Zumba Fitness World Party is that you won’t feel like you’re doing exercise just for exercise’s sake. Using the dance fitness Zumba moves, the game allows you to work your entire body in the comfort of your own home and during the process you’ll learn new dance routines too.
You can play this game by yourself or with a partner, which is a bonus for those of us who don’t like to dance alone. On this one game there are 45 fitness classes which use over 30 different dance styles – such as salsa, hip-hop and Bollywood. You’ll dance to tunes from artists including Pitbull, Daddy Yankee and Lady Gaga. Variety is one of this game’s strongest features and it’s available on Nintendo Wii and Wii U, Xbox One and Xbox 360.
Kinect Sports Ultimate Collection
The two games in this collection are about games first and fitness second. They’re family-friendly games where you follow your avatar through a total of 13 sports, including golf, soccer and skiing. So if the coverage of this year’s edition of the biennial golf competition – the Ryder Cup – next weekend gets a little dull at any point, you could practice a few of your own golf swings on the Kinect Sports game.Team Europe are the current favourites to win the event, but whatever the outcome, you can recreate your favorite moments with the help of the Kinect system. Adding to the fun, the game will capture photos of you mid-exercise – always good for encouraging you to do more exercise!
Nike + Kinect Training
There’s no hidden exercise routine behind a game here. Nike + Kinect Training is all about fitness – starting players off with a fitness test and then customising a workout for them based on the results. One thing to bear in mind with this fitness game is that you need plenty of space to do the workouts accurately. However, if you’re limited on space, you can always turn the Xbox tracker off and follow the routines without it.The great thing about Nike + is that you can pick and choose between short gym routines of 5-15 minutes and longer workouts that take about 40-45 minutes.
Wii Fit U
One of the first exercise games on the market was Wii Fit. Now known as Wii Fit U, the game offers players a mix of cardio, dance, balance, yoga and strength-training workouts. To see how well you’re doing, clip on the Fit Meter activity tracker. The sessions are easy to follow and there are over 70 different workouts to choose from, so there’s plenty of variety. For work on the core, you’ll need to buy the Wii Fit U Balance Board to complete the moves for abs like planks and V-sits.
Just Dance 2014 for PS3
Like previous versions of Just Dance, this is a game where the exercise goes on at a subliminal level – it’s more about having fun and cutting your moves! There’s a huge array of songs and tunes on Just Dance 2014 and none of the individual songs are locked – all can be played from the first go. The only thing that is locked is different types of choreography. You start off with classic choreography, but can unlock different types such as On Stage, Extreme and Battle, the more that you play the game. For real work out benefits, choose the Just Sweat mode where you can play a number of songs in a row for a 10, 20 or 40 minute workout. Free mode will also show you how many calories you’re burning in any of the songs.
So take your pick; any of these five games will help you keep fit – as long as you don’t stay sitting on the sofa as you play them!
(Photo Credit: Cha già José - Flickr)
