Video Games: Let’s Get Physical
Video games: “Exergaming”, which combines on-screen action with physical exercise, shows that gamers need not be couch potatoes
FROM THE ECONOMIST
IN THE heart of Silicon Valley, not far from Google’s headquarters, a new gym aimed at a teenage clientele opened its doors last September. As befits its location, it is an unusually high-tech establishment. As well as the weights and cardiovascular exercise gear, Overtime Fitness has “exergaming” equipment that combines video games with physical exercise. One controller allows ordinary Xbox games to be played using full-body movements: players exert pressure on a padded metal bar, rather than pushing buttons on a plastic controller. With another system, players stand in front of a screen and wear a belt equipped with motion sensors, controlling on-screen action with real-world movements.
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Lengthy, but Interesting…
December 19, 2007, 3:49 pm
Filed under:
14-18,
5-9,
barriers,
cultural,
gender,
movement,
overcoming,
play,
research 
“COMPLETE FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT”: VIDEO GAMES AS GENDERED PLAY SPACES
by Henry Jenkins
[Download PostScript version for printing] A Tale of Two Childhoods
Sometimes, I feel nostalgic for the spaces of my boyhood, growing up in suburban Atlanta in the 1960s. My big grassy front yard sloped sharply downward into a ditch where we could float boats on a rainy day. Beyond, there was a pine forest where my brother and I could toss pine cones like grenades or snap sticks together like swords. In the backyard, there was a patch of grass where we could wrestle or play kickball and a treehouse, which sometimes bore a pirate flag and at other times, the Stars and Bars of the Confederacy. Out beyond our own yard, there was a bamboo forest where we could play Tarzan, and vacant lots, construction sites, sloping streets, and a neighboring farm (the last vestige of a rural area turned suburban).
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Parrellel’s to be Drawn from Guitar Hero…?
December 19, 2007, 3:16 pm
Filed under:
14-18,
19-39,
barriers,
lifestyle,
motivation,
movement,
object,
overcoming,
play It seems for every Guitar Hero video posted by anyone, there will inevitably be comments like, “Go buy a real guitar!”, “What’s the point?”, “Get a life!”, and so on. I think people overestimate how much time it takes to learn how to play these games. If you play other music/rhythm games, the concept is similar and the learning curve is a lot lower. Even if you’re playing for the first time, it’s pretty simple.
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Get Out of the Rut…
Stuck in a Fitness Rut Why it’s bad for you: If you never vary your fitness routine, your body adapts to it after time, and muscle will stop growing, says Pamela Peeke, MD, author of Fit to Live and Prevention’s medical advisor. You’re likely to get bored with your workout if you’re doing the same thing every time, making it easier to find excuses to skip the gym altogether. A University of Florida study found that exercisers who varied the type of exercise were 15% more likely to work out regularly than those sticking to the same routine and 63% more likely than people who had no set schedule or rules.
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Older Adults report…
Barriers to Being Physically Active for the Older Adult
We all face barriers to physical activity – time constraints, energy levels, boredom and so on. Seniors face even more barriers, like…
- Difficulty getting to facilities and programs
- A lack of interest in physical exertion and getting hot and sweaty
- Poorly designed neighbourhoods, or neighbourhoods that are unsafe because of crime or traffic congestion that make it difficult to even just get out and walk
- Trouble finding specialized programs
- Difficulty finding time for yourself because you’re busy caring for others
- Feeling you’re unsteady on your feet
- Stiffness, arthritis, osteoporosis or other medical conditions
- A previous poor experience or injury.
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Urban planning and activity…
By David Helwig
SooToday.com
Sunday, November 05, 2006
NEWS RELEASES
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY
HEALTH BEHAVIOR NEWS SERVICE
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New Saint Louis University research paints portrait of how active communities look
ST. LOUIS – A new comprehensive study by Saint Louis University researchers that flags the top 10 features of activity-friendly communities is a blueprint for improving public health, the author of the research says.
“We wrote the book on identifying the range of different influences that gets people engaging in physical activity not just for recreation but as part of their everyday life activities,” says Laura Brennan Ramirez, Ph.D., adjunct assistant professor of community health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health.
“We outlined what needs to happen and what is most feasible. It’s going to require a commitment toward health and social wellbeing.”
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Teen Girls report…
December 17, 2007, 3:13 pm
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barriers,
body image,
cultural,
gender,
lifestyle,
motivation,
movement,
overcoming,
personal Teen Girls Report Barriers To Physical Activity
05 Apr 2006
Teenage girls perceive lack of time as the number one barrier to physical activity, according to a new study published in the March issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise�, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The three-year survey assessing black and white adolescent girls reveals sedentary habits are mostly linked to internal barriers (interest, motivation), which were unrelated to external factors (jobs, recreation).
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From the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention…
Overcoming Barriers to Physical Activity
“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” —Anonymous
Given the health benefits of regular physical activity, we might have to ask why two out of three (60%) Americans are not active at recommended levels. There are barriers that keep Americans from being, or becoming, regularly physically active. Understanding common barriers to physical activity and creating strategies to overcome them may help you make physical activity part of your daily life.
