Video games and weight loss
5 July,2004
By Dr. Sanjay Gupta
The dancing game can help players lose
weight.
You don't usually think of video games as a tool for weight loss, but a game that's been out for a few years is actually encouraging kids to get more active.
Videogames, lots of hours on couches, teenage obesity; they all seem to go together.
John Polchowski, 17, used to spend up to 3 hours a day playing videogames alone in his room.
Then he got hooked on a game called Dance Dance Revolution.
"As I kept on playing I got better and realized that it would be a really good workout. And I tried to use that to make it a goal and lose a lot of weight," Polchowski said.
After playing the game for 1 to 2 hours everyday for a year, he started to lose weight. And along with eating healthier John eventually lost 70 pounds.
"I'm always able to do it whenever I want. I don't need to get other people," Polchowski said.
Some video games can help get teens active.
His mother knows that he probably couldn't have done it without DDR.
"It's hard to lose weight without exercise also and this was something he enjoyed," John's mother, Marianne, said.
Dr. Richard Adler is a pediatrician who has been tracking active videogames and their success infighting obesity.
"We've never had a tool like this. It's vitally important that we find things that work to keep kids from being overweight or obese," Adler said.
There are no official numbers on how many kids have lost weight with these games, but manufacturers are developing more interactive games involving skateboarding, fighting and more dancing. Maybe other kids will see some of John's success.
"I feel a lot better. I have a lot more energy. I'm more outgoing. I can go out and do stuff and enjoy it a lot more. I'm not really confined to my house like I used to be," John said.
The video games that for too long have kept kids housebound might now help them get up and get out.
Source:www.news8austin.com
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