Home >> Internet Games >> Xbox 360

Can You Get in Shape With Kinect?

Improving your level of physical fitness is possible through the Kinect gaming system for the Xbox 360, though the degree to which Kinect will help you get in shape is hotly debated by researchers in the health field. Kinect uses a camera mounted to the top of your television to capture your movements and relate them to the game you play. A wide variety of games, including many with an emphasis on fitness and getting in shape, are available for the Kinect system.

Overview
- Kinect's technology allows you see an image of yourself on the screen. As such, you don't need a controller for the gaming experience. You can point to access different on-screen menus to begin your game, and then follow the instructions to navigate through the game. Whether you're fighting, dancing or taking part in gym-style exercises, you get to watch your on-screen self move around the screen.
Exercise
- Because everyone has a different fitness level, it is impossible to gauge how easily you will get in shape using the Kinect system. The fact that you're moving will eventually get you sweating and burning calories. In a 2008 article on "Science Daily," a researcher from the University of Michigan said that virtual video games are not an equal replacement to traditional exercise. However, in 2011, another research team at Michigan State University said that the virtual workout "partners" on video game systems will help gamers yield better results than by working out alone.
Games
- One of the ideal elements about Kinect is that even if you're not playing a video game with a fitness focus, you're still moving around the room and burning calories. Still, many of the Kinect games are designed to help you get fit. The Kinect game library includes "Dance Central," "UFC Personal Trainer," "Kinect Sports," Zumba Fitness" and "The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout." Though these games are touted for their calorie-burning benefits, the 2008 "Science Daily" article, a researcher from the University of Michigan said that gamers can expect to lose 60 to 70 calories per hour of active gaming, which is less than a person would burn during real sports.
Fitness Tracking
- While any game for the Kinect system will get you active, the games with an overt fitness focus will allow you to track your on-screen accomplishments to help prove to yourself that you're getting in shape. On "The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout," for example, the on-screen hosts will put you through your paces in sit-ups, lunges, push-ups and other activities. A research project at Johns Hopkins University used virtual video games to help stroke patients recover, and through regular fitness tracking, the researchers noted results, according to a 2011 "Science Daily" article.

Xbox 360