From nytimes.com (via diet-blog.com):

As nationwide concern grows over childhood obesity and inactivity, fitness products masquerading as toys are being designed to slim and tone the younger segment of the population. In many cases, such items are shrunken, stickered and plastic-encased versions of more mainstream adult apparatus found at gyms or health clubs, such as stationary bikes, treadmills and elliptical trainers.

But, as Trina Edwards, a youth fitness expert and registered nurse found, there are a few notable differences to these kid-appropriate, pulse-quickening contraptions — greater emphasis on safety being one of them. Ms. Edwards, who is the publisher of the online magazine Kids Sports & Fitness, recruited 15 children between the ages of 3 and 7 at the Commonwealth Elementary School in Sugar Land, Tex., to try four exercise products designed specifically for children. She examined workmanship, safety, fitness benefit, and the general level of excitement it generated in the group. Over all, she found that a child’s age dictated the success of one product over another and that, in at least one case, the allure of video wasn’t as enticing as she had expected.

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From multiplayerblog.mtv.com (via gamedaily.com):

A few years ago, that kind of sales misery on a Nintendo console would be okay. For a long time, sports games on Nintendo consoles just didn’t sell.

But given that “Wii Sports” sparked Nintendo’s GameCube-to-Wii console resurrection, it seems like sports games can sell on the Wii.

So why isn’t EA Sports having an easier go of it on the Wii? I recently asked EA Sports chief Peter Moore to tell me what EA was doing right and wrong with sports games on Nintendo’s console.

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From wcco.com:

Education may be potent medicine for keeping Alzheimer’s disease at bay, according to a study in November’s “Archives of Neurology.”

…

Online subscription services such as Lumosity are popping up as well. A wide variety of entertaining Lumosity games challenge recall and reasoning skills. The company’s own research says its cognitive training program significantly improves visual attention and working memory. A company spokesperson says independent, third party research studies are underway.

The process of forging new intellectual pathways in the brain is called neuroplasticity. It can be accomplished in many ways other than high-tech exercises. It can be as simple as learning a new language or taking up a musical instrument.

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From marketwatch.com:

JumpSport, the leading provider of safety-engineered trampolines and safety net enclosures, has introduced an all new trampoline mat surface that turns backyard trampolines into giant game boards. The Jump2it(TM) GameMat looks like a huge round clock face with colorful shapes, numbers and math symbols. It transforms the trampoline surface into a fun and educational wonderland where kids can become life size game pieces in their own backyards.

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From timesunion.com:

Buchanan is a volunteer in a research project being conducted by two Capitol Region professors. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded the researchers $200,000 to see if workouts integrated with video games motivate the elderly to exercise more.

The video simulates the crunch of earth under the tires. A wooden fence blinks and Spandex-clad cyclists throw quick looks over their shoulders as they pass. You can almost feel the competitive juices flow.

“I’m disinclined to exercise by myself,” Buchanan said in slight drawl that belies her Boston roots. “It’s not a lot of fun to exercise by yourself.”

Although video-exercise games have been around for more than a decade, the field was revolutionized by the Wii game system that makes players “feel” like they are really swinging a bat or jumping a hurdle or dozens of other athletic movements.

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From marketwatch.com:

Families looking for an easy, fun and inexpensive way to stay fit have a new, award-winning gift option this holiday season. Kideosyncrasy Vol.2 ( www.kideosyncrasy.com) is a fun tool for teaching kids to dance and get fit. This DVD is jam-packed with live-action; kids-teaching-kids how to easily step into fun dance moves to popular hits. With kids sharing important tips on nutrition and exercise, Kideosyncrasy promotes health and fitness in a fun, learning atmosphere.

“Kideosyncrasy offers kids a cool and easy way to get active and fit, in front of the TV,” says Meredith Mulholland, co-creator with husband, Ed Warnick. Their goal is a fun interactive way to get kids up and moving.

“The children’s couch potato syndrome is now meeting a formidable challenge,” says Tom Pesce, principal at Stratfield Elementary School in Fairfield, Conn. “Kideosyncrasy transforms the media children gravitate to today, music, video, and television, into positive elements for beneficial development.”

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