Sprinter burns calories with Wii Fit

How much of a workout can Wii Fit deliver? After spending time with Nintendo’s hottest fitness-oriented offering on the Wii, sprinter Sabina Astarita was able to answer such question. Find details pertaining to her sessions on the Wii Balance Board and what she had to say at the full article.

It’s slowly becoming a well-known fact that the upcoming Wii Fit isn’t really a serious attempt by Nintendo to venture into the physical fitness field, but more of a fun way to get off the couch and play the Wii. However, there’s no reason to doubt the Wii Balance Board being a good gadget for exercise. A real athlete tried it out, and admitted she burned plenty of calories while playing.

Sabina Astarita, a 21-year-old sprinter from Glasgow, took the offer of testing the Wii Fit before everyone else in Europe gets it. Her heart rate and calories burned were then tracked as she indulged in 20-minute workouts.

Results didn’t fail to satisfy. Several exercises managed to get Astarita in action while enjoying what she sees on screen, with five routines scoring over 150 calories burned. The Cross Trainer game took 204 calories, followed by Rowing Machine which expended 188.

In the end, Astarita found the Wii Fit as a recommendable product. The sprinter said she will definitely get it along with a Nintendo Wii, but not for serious training. Her heart rate only averaged over 140 in some exercises, while the rest stayed below 120.

Astarita explained:

I’m surprised some of the Wii exercises burn so many calories but they don’t raise the heart rate as much as the rowing machine or treadmill, so you’re not really working your heart as hard.

It’s a really good device but it’s not a full substitute for gym work. It would be fantastic fun for all the family… for people who might be overweight and not used to working out, as well as people who feel self-conscious in the gym.