Game consoles such as Nintendo Wii, Playstation or Kinect offer many fitness games that are supposed to help you lose weight in a fun way. How can you lose weight and get fit with video games?

For many people in our society, two things are crucial when it comes to motivating people to get fit: little time and varying activities. Jogging or going for a walk two or three times a week can not only be time-consuming, but also boring in the long run. For such people, fitness games with a games console are a real alternative.
In the games, the body has to work to achieve the set goals. Calories are counted and a virtual fitness trainer provides (or at least should provide) motivation. You can put together your own fitness programme and choose from many activities that are also fun.

Active video gaming burns a lot of calories. Jogging in front of a screen for 20 minutes burns an average of 250 calories.

As a good alternative to classic fitness games such as jogging, squash, boxing or jumping rope (to name but a few), you can also get fit by playing dance games. A selection of music is presented together with one or more dancers whose dance moves you have to copy. It's fun, it gets you fit and you learn to dance at the same time.

If you regularly train with a games console for even just 20 minutes, you will quickly see success and don't even need to leave the living room couch. The chance of staying on the ball is much greater with video games than with "conventional" training methods, because you can train alone at home, if you want, without spectators and don't feel discouraged as a result.

Suggestions for fitness games on the games console:
active 2 (EA games)
Just Dance 3
Wii Fit
Deca Sports

Targeted sports games are also good for building up fitness and as entertainment in the evening. Depending on your taste, you can play football, tennis, golf, hockey and many more.

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