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Video games get kids off couch Fitness machines that combine exercise and video gaming are now a popular way to get kids moving
BY JIM HALL Local schools and fitness clubs have learned that they can get kids moving and combat childhood obesity by combining vigorous exercise with a generous helping of gaming technology. Attach a video game to an exercise bicycle, for example, and kids will pedal in order to play. Install an arcade version of Dance Dance Revolution, or DDR, and kids will tap their toes. As Garrett Heflin, 7, said this week as he worked out at the Rappahannock Area YMCA in Stafford County: "You have exercise and you learn to dance." The YMCA and other local gyms, such as American Family Fitness in Spotsylvania County, have discovered "exergames," the interactive fitness machines for kids. In Stafford County, more than a dozen of its schools have joined the movement with everything from the popular DDR dance game to Wii Fit programs and exercise videos by Billy Blanks and Christy Lane. "If it's got a technology twist to it, if it's got a video gaming kind of feel to it, the kids like it," said Michael Justice, coordinator of health, physical education and driver education for Stafford schools. The fitness clubs hope to please parents by offering something productive for "tweeners," the children who are too old for day care but not old enough for full floor privileges. The YMCA opened a youth room last year called "The Interact Zone." At American Family Fitness, it's simply "The Zone." The games offered in these rooms are in addition to the regular menu of sports camps, lessons and leagues. Organized games tend to be seasonal, said Barney Reiley, chief executive officer of the area YMCA. "We felt like we wanted to offer children something constructive and physical all the time," Reiley said. A corporate sponsor helped the YMCA purchase its games. It has a Trazer, a Sportwall, two Dance Dance Revolution machines and four Gamebikes. The Gamebikes are similar to the exercise bicycles in the adult workout room. One difference is the video screen mounted to the wall in front of the bike. The user operates the game by pedaling the bike and steering the controls. Stop pedaling and the screen stops.
Read more stories about Fredericksburg Date published: 12/16/2008
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