Wii Sports vs. Real Sports: Which Burns More Calories?

I'd be more interested to see a comparison with Wii Fit. Wii Sports has always been sold as an entertainment product, not a fitness product - and it's fairly obvious that it's not really suitable as an exercise regime.

Wii Fit, on the other hand, seems to be really good at getting people to work up a sweat - and it's compelling enough to keep the exercise-shy coming back day after day. I'd love to see a study like this put Wii Fit sessions side to side with real sports or gym sessions, and see whether it's actually as good as it seems.

A more general question this raises is where else Nintendo could take us with the Wii. Already there are headsets on the market for controlling games and it's only a matter of time before we are getting sensory feedback from them - could we soon be making our food taste better with a Wii headset and eating Nintendo branded food? This article suggests how that might work.

Methuselah
Pay Now Live Later

How in Wii sports even close to their real-life counterparts?

I've played Wii sports briefly and can't imagine anyone breaking a sweat in a half hour span.

i love my wii and i can't wait to get wii fit. i got the wii because i thought "11pm on a friday i could still have a great game of golf". but when i actually got it and started using it, you dont just play one minute of any sport, you get a little addicted to it. i played tennis for 2 hours one time and the wii even let me know that i was on there every 30 minutes, and i still didn't realize how much time had passed. it can't substitute the results of real sports or give you the same muscles as at the gym (until they find out how to simulate resistance), but it sure does do a body better than sitting and playing PS3 or XBOX 360 live where the only thing moving is the screen

Wait, why pick on bowling? No one considers bowling to be a workout, but lots of people consider golf to be their exercise and that apparently burns even fewer calories (unless you count walking between holes, which many people bypass with carts). Pick on golfing which is just a way to ruin a good walk! (according to Churchill)

Interesting! No real surprises. It is nice to see that there are some benefits with the Wii. Thanks!

Personally, I play DDR rather than Wii, but it's not my only form of exercise. If you add something like this into an already established exercise program, I'm sure it will help. So if you play Wii Sports rather than just sitting around and watching a movie, that's great! If you use it as an excuse to not go running or lift weights, then it's not serving its best purpose.

Real sports rule - all the time but good for Nintendo for getting people off the couch and into some calorie-crunching activity.

I think that the wii is a good alternative for people that hate gyms or for a rainy day.
Since I live in Montreal and winter here is coooold and looooooooong, I'm thinking to buy one so I can play for 2 or 3 times a week, so I don't need to go out to do exercise every day.

I think wii is a good alternative to not doing anything rather than real sports. If there is no restrictions like the time of the day or bad weather, I'd choose real sports over any gaming tool as to me the fun is not just in burning calories...
But hey, if it is competing against the bloody video games or overrated TV shows, go WII..

I think your first point of the conclusion section is important. Wii Sports should not be a replacement for the real activity in my opinion, but it is better than not doing anything. Any physical activity is a good thing in my mind.

I've been writing a series of blog posts on the exploding use of the Wii in physical therapy clinics. Everyone is quick to jump on the Wii bandwagon, but not so quick to realize just how different Wii movements are to actual function. http://www.npathinktank.com/wiihab/index.html

Wow... I must be out of touch... video games as exercise? I wish I could have sold that idea to my parents when I used to watch the boobtube (for you youngins - tv) during the day and was chased out of the house to go get "fresh air and exercise!" I will stick with IRL (in real life) exercises for now until VR (virtual reality) gets a whole lot better. :)

John W. Zimmer
LeanAnMean.com

Interesting Post.

Tips for Exercise Success:

•Choose FUN activities
•Choose a variety of activities to keep it interesting
•Choose a convenient time and place
•Exercise with a friend
•Surround yourself with supportive people
•Use music or TV as a distraction
•Don’t overdo it!!====You will be in PAIN!!!
•Reward yourself! (But NOT with high calorie treats!!)

Check out www.heart-strong.com for exercise and heart healthy tips

Yeah, Wii Sports is not going to help you very much with losing weight, but it's great to tack a little extra on to your daily calorie burning total.

I can see that playing real sports would definitely burn more calories than playing it on a Wii. The equipment used weighs more and you're propelling yourself through space instead of just jumping around in front of the TV. However, it IS a lot better than sitting around on your behind and giving only your thumbs a workout.

Every heard of yoursself fitness, still awesome.

Wii does have potential in the weight loss area, but mostly it's value comes in breaking the ice at partys

As a boxer, I refuse to believe that the Wii will give you as good of a workout as actual boxing. Did the people in the study actually know how to box when they sparred? Or did they just jump in the ring and flail their arms around for 30 min?

I mean to say "nearly as good of a workout"..

I do the Wii boxing, and since I've never boxed for real, I can't make a comparison, but I sweat and my arms are sore the next day. Obviously, it's doing something.

I also wish they had measured the Wii Fit. I know the Yoga doesn't burn much, but it does build strength and balance (been doing it since Memorial Day, and I AM better at it). The strength exercises are guided calisthenics and use your own body weight as resistance. They have built muscle on me and taken flab off. You get out of it what you put in. Certainly you can cheat, but why bother at all in that case?

What I'd *really* like to know is what the Aerobic stuff burns. I use the running all the time because I find the Hula Hooping frustrating (though it definitely provokes sweating!) and the Advanced Step is much too easy. I like the Advanced rhythm boxing, but it's also become too easy, so now I do the Wii Sports boxing instead.

I'm down 15 lbs. since we got one, and I'm a lot less flabby, so I'm very happy with the Wii Sports and Wii Fit.

I can't see how anyone might think the Wii burns as much as the real sport... but as it says, I guess it's better than sitting on the couch.

Well, there is another indirect benefit. Often when people play conventional video games or watch TV they also eat. The Wii sports and Wii fit make it pretty impossible to eat while playing. So if nothing else, yes, they get people off the couch, they get them moving just a little, AND give them something interesting to do that is not accompanied by eating.

And I have to say the Wii boxing definitely gets my heart rate up. Not nearly as much as the cardio kick boxing I've done before at the Y, but then I can't go to the Y when I have insomnia at 3 a.m.