E3 2010: Spice Girl Does Fitness Game

Do you Wannabe in better shape?

When we first read that a former Spice Girl wanted to do a fitness game we assumed it would be Sporty Spice. Then we read it was Mel B and our thoughts were confirmed, but actually Melanie Chisholm, a.k.a. Mel C, is the former Sporty Spice. Melanie Brown, or Mel B, a.k.a. Scary Spice is the one who is actually going to be working on a title for the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 Kinect and PlayStation 3 Move.

“I have always been passionate about videogames and then when I grew up my preferences moved towards fitness and wellbeing.” she said in a press release. “Today I can finally mix together my two big passions, it’s been like a dream.”

The title from Black Bean Games will feature Brown as a celebrity trainer in Get Fit. It will build on the publisher’s previous Fitness First titles and will feature six types of aerobic disciplines and more than 100 exercises. The Brown fitness game will arrive for the holidays

Black Bean Games

E3 2010: UFC as a Fitness Game

UFC Trainer will arrive for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii in January

There is no denying that anyone entering the cage to compete in mixed martial arts is ripped and probably works out a lot. And we mean a lot. Video games on the hand tend to work out a little and play games a lot. So what if you could somehow marry the two in a way? THQ is on it with a UFC-inspired fitness game for Microsoft Xbox Live Kinect, Sony PlayStation Move and the Nintendo Wii.

And in an interesting twist, unlike many other fitness games this one is actually going to be targeted primarily at men. UFC Trainer won’t actually make it in time for the holidays however, so gamers will have to find some other way to stay in shape this summer and fall, so we suggest turning off the console for a bit.

 But from the official line from THQ’s executive VP of core gaming, it should be worth the wait. “We want this thing tuned to perfection without lag. And I’m not going to ship it until it’s the coolest fighting thing in the world.”

THQ website

E3 2010: Zumba Gets You Shaking

One big problem with some workout games is that you need to be in the mood to work out. That’s why a good alternative can be to dance, and Zumba Fitness will get you moving. The company already has a full line of Latin dance and reggae flavored DVDs, and this year at E3 Majesco announced plans to bring the unique fitness program to the video game world.

In Zumba Fitness players can learn and perfect nine different dance styles, ranging from salsa to hip-hop to rumba and reggaeton. The dance game will be accessible to all ages and feature a “learn to steps” training, plus beginner, intermediate and advanced routines. The game will be compatible with Kinect for the Microsoft Xbox 360 for two player fun, plus a four player version for either the Nintendo Wii or the PlayStation 3 Move. Zumba Fitness will arrive this holidays, so get shaking.

Zumba Fitness website

Majesco Entertainment

E3 2010: Exercise Games Coming to More Platforms than Wii

EA Sports Active 2 is heading to the Xbox 360 and will be compatible with Kinect

The Wii and exercise games have made great companions the past few years. However with Microsoft Kinect on its way, the video game workout may get a whole lot more active. Electronic Arts’ follow up to EA Sports Active is expecting to add more activity to both its Wii and Microsoft Xbox Kinect versions. More activity also means ore sensors and gear however. A demo at EA’s press conference showed wireless activity for EA Sports Active 2, heart rate monitors strapped to the upper arm, and weights and bands added for strength training.

Expect more variation in workouts. The demo included an intense cycling sequence, weight lifting and boxing. The Kinect version measures movement of the entire body versus the Wii version, which measures arms and legs through holding the controller and leg straps.

An online log on EA.com is an added component. Workout data is stored so you can evaluate your progress and fitness goals.  You can also share your results and compare progress of others.

EA Sports Fitness 2

 

Phone it in to the Tour with new iPhone App

This week LIVESTRONG.COM and RadioShack have announced the official release of the Team RadioShack free mobile app for the iPhone. This could be the next best thing to heading to France for the Tour next month, as it offers users exclusive behind-the-scenes coverage of Lance Armstrong and the rest of the team as they take part in the greatest race in cycling.

The free app offers instant, on-the-go updates and news, exclusive content and photos, behind-the-scenes Tour de France coverage, and video blogs from Lance himself, as well as expert commentary from the entire team. The updates can be accessed with a tap of an app, and easily shared via Facebook and Twitter.

The Team RadioShack iPhone app is available fro free download from the Apple App Store and from the LIVESTRONG.COM website.

Weigh In With Wi-Fi

The Withings Internet Body Scale

For many of us progress isn’t the distance we went, the time we spent or even the fun we had. At the end of the day, or more likely first thing in the morning, we judge our results with a scale. The problem with this madness is that the method can be flawed because we only judge what the scale tells us at that point. To get a fuller picture we need to track gain and losses with the activity we did. After all, how can you judge fat lost vs. muscle gained?

The Withings Internet-connected Body Scale ($159) lets you track your results by sending the data to a web account via Wi-Fi. The thin black-metallic scale features a backlit display to provide your pounds clearly for you, while wirelessly sending the data to a Withings Web account. Here you and up to seven others can track progress over time – and you can (when you reached a goal or mark) post the results to Facebook and Twitter. Alternatively, if you need a push you can send them to DailyBurn and RunKeeper to monitor your progress over time. Time to weigh in.

Withings Internet-Connected Body Scale from Withings.com

Let a Waterproof Case Grace Your Workouts

Sweat, rain and sea water can’t leak through the Grace Digital Audio Eco Extreme waterproof case for your MP3 player. Whatever your outdoor activities are this summer, if it requires music, the Eco Extreme will come out to play. The case is designed with enough space to fit just about any MP3 player and plug into the 3.5mm audio jack to provide sound to its 3″ full range forward firing speaker. The speaker runs off 3 AAA batteries. Secure the Eco Extreme to your bag or belt loop with the included 2″ carabineer.

Eco Extreme turns your MP3 player into an audible sound system, not so much a personal music player. You don’t necessarily want to grab it to go on a run when it looks like rain. But it works courtside for a game of beach volleyball, or camping after a brisk hike. The case also holds a few personal items such as keys, ID, a credit card and a few dollars.

Grace Audio Eco Extreme ($49.99)

E3 2010: Shape Yourself with Microsoft’s Kinect

 

Smile you're on the Kinect camera for the Xbbox 360

Exercise games on the market still require you to grab or stand on a controller to get your workout in. Yourshape Fitness Evolved, just announced from Ubisoft for the Microsoft Xbox promises a much more casual yet engaging workout. Using the video and sound controls of the game console’s Kinect, you just have to make sure  you have space to move. The camera picks up your image and presents it as a polarized image or heat map-like image of you and captures all of your movements. Select cardio, toning or other activities and get to work. Yourshape Fitness turns some workouts into a game where you can kick and punch boxes that come into range. End your workout with a calming cooldown by doing Tai Chi and other relaxing exercises.

Check back all week for the latest fitness related news from the Electronic Entertainment Expo

E3 2010: Kids Get an Exercise Game

The Wii might be the kid’s gaming machine of the house, but most of the exercise games out there target adults, more specifically, women. Kids can take back their Wii with their own exercise game, and maybe get the whole family involved. Nickelodeon and 2K Games partnered to produce Nickelodeon Fit. Kids can keep fit with their favorite characters including Dora, Diego, Kai-lan and The Backyardigans. Nickelodeon says the game has a youthful emphasis on heart health, cardio, strength building and endurance.

With increasing reports of childhood obesity, Nickelodeon Fit is a welcome addition to the game console. Not only can kids get excited about exercise and develop a lifelong behavior of working out and staying fit, it might just get parents and kids playing and working out together.

Take2 Games

Do Fitness Games Pose Health Risk?

Working out with the Wii (iStockphoto)

Ever since the Nintendo Wii debuted in December of 2006, there has been an increase in more “active” games, such as Nintendo’s own Wii-Fit. As the video game companies prepare to showcase the next generation of fitness games at next week’s E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) in Los Angeles, an interesting question was brought up this week by The Boston Globe: can you get hurt by playing the games?

As we’ve noted this week, there have been findings that games are being used more and more as a form of exercise, but this needs to be done as part of an “active” lifestyle. So in other words, just sitting on the couch doesn’t do it. But now the other half of the equation is being presented, and that is whether you can actually over do it by playing games.

There are obviously the repetitive stress disorder type injuries such as mashing away with too much Rock Band, or mouse wrist from shooting all those zombies in Left 4 Dead. But could this lead to other injuries. The Boston Globe reports that a pilot study is “being conducted at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston this summer,” and “may be the first to address the injury problem directly, by looking into the biomechanics of Wii gaming.”

This no doubt comes as bad news to anyone who thought that gaming alone would be the ticket to better fitness. So maybe its time to take the advice offered earlier this week from the University of Essex researchers, and use fitness games as a way to cross train instead.

Via The Boston Globe: Healthy games offer risks, too

Polar and Nike Partner Up for New Heart Rate Monitor

 

These are two companies that just go together so well, Polar and Nike. What’s not to like? So we’re quite pleased to note that Polar and Nike have introduced the Polar WearLink+ heart rate monitor, which will work with Nike+ SportBand and the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit.

The kit will improve the training experience of the Nike+, devices, such as Sportband or iPod. After training, runners can have their heart rate data transferred to the Nikeplus.com website, where it can be tracked to see how long they ran in their target range, and see how their heart rate progress over time. The WearLink+ is also compatible with most Polar training computers (those using 5kHz transmission technology), and this allows for monitoring from both Nike+ and Polar computers to be used at the same time.

The Polar WearLink+ will be available later this month in the United States, and in Canada and Europe in July through Polar retailers, Nike stores and even the Apple Store.

 Polar website

Nike website

Gamers and Athletes Have Much in Common

Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel uses actual exercise to hone his gaming skills

Leave it to the Brits to come up with a study that compares top athletes to gamers. According to British academics, including University of Essex professor Dr. Dominic Micklewright, gamers share many characteristics with those engaging in sports. His findings were part of a BBC Radio 4 documentary, where he noted that games like sports, involve high degree of skill, and both are governed by strict rules.

However, as PC Pro reported, professional gamers tended to be less – well to put to bluntly – “physically able” than true athletes, and gamers often had health problems that athletes don’t have. This is notable as gamers can be a bit more sedentary and at times unhealthy life, as professional gamers can spend as much as 10 hours a day in front of the screen practicing.

What is also notable is that Dr. Micklewright further suggested that gamers actually get REAL exercise, which could in part help improve gaming performance. It was mentioned that top US player Johnathan Wendel (better known as “Fatal1ty”) regularly uses exercise as a type of “cross training” which makes him more physically fit, and possibly keeps him at the top of his game.

Via PC Pro: What gamers have in common with top athletes

Outdoor Workouts Have Benefits

Exercise outdoors does much more than just tone muscle and improve cardio. A recent study released by the University of Essex Department of Biological Sciences and published in Environmental Science & Technology shows an improvement in self-esteem and mood when participants conducted green exercise. The study classifies as activity in the presence of nature. This can be in a field or park, woods, or near water.

It’s summer. Get out of the gym and take to the outdoors. Go for a run, ride your bike, swim. In the summer I like to take advantage of yoga classes outdoors and feel a great lift with a particular class on the Hudson at sundown I don’t get from sweating it out indoors. Look up activities and outdoor classes at your local parks department Web site and see how you can improve your mood this summer.