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Plug in, pump up, slim down

Unless you’ve been working out at Mullah Omar’s Cave of Iron, no doubt you’ve heard of Nintendo’s “Wii Fit” phenomenon, which wirelessly tethers the new Wii Balance Board to provide onscreen sets of strength training, aerobics, yoga and balance games.

Indeed, if the Wii console has gotten Gamer Nation up off the couch, “Wii Fit” just might take a few pounds off its collective butt.

But the competition for your extra fat is heating up. Consider just a few of the recent exergaming additions:

Balancing Acts

“Biggest Loser” drill sergeant Jillian Michaels and snowboarding superstar Shawn White have taken the balance-board breakthrough for the Wii and run with it, introducing their own exercise titles.

Wii as Coach

Another new Wii title, “My Fitness Coach,” features virtual trainer Maya taking you through nearly 500 exercises with customizable workout locales and music. Although it does not tap the new balance board, reviewers say “My Fitness Coach” provides a more intense workout than “Wii Fit.”

Dancer ... exer … gaming

The “Dance Dance Revolution” franchise released unique titles for three major gaming consoles to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its mat-stepping empire last year, each with its own twist. The Playstation 2 version sports a calorie-counting workout mode, for example, while the Wii version taps the wireless controllers to bring hand movements into the mix.

With “Wii Fit” leading the charge, exergaming is expected to muscle out a $6.4-billion share of the gaming industry this year, according to the gaming watchers at iConnecto.

Future Fit

Set for release this spring, Electronic Arts is unleashing “EA Sports Active,” designed to take on “Wii Fit” as king of exergame hill. Company officials say it will adopt a more “western approach” to workouts, dumping the Zenlike focus on yoga and balance in “Wii Fit” training, for example, in favor of more heart-pumping cardio blasters.

Endorsed by Oprah’s fitness guru, Bob Greene, the game will come bundled with a resistance band and strap to attach Wii controllers to your body to allow virtual trainers better visibility on how you’re performing various exercises.

Also expected this spring, a sequel to the original Wii game, “Wii Sports Resort,” will be the first game to incorporate the new Wii MotionPlus sensor designed to more accurately reflect complex movements in game play.

Small-Screen Sweat Shops

Cell phones and hand-helds are getting into the action, too. “My Weight Loss Coach” for the Nintendo DS leverages a bundled digital pedometer to download workout data and track goals.

Nike and Apple have teamed up to provide a similar workout marriage linking the iPhone and some iPods with a wireless sensor that may be inserted into a new line of Nike running shoes. The result: Rock and run, with real-time voice feedback overlaid onto your favorite workout music playlist.

Meanwhile, “Get down and give me 20” takes on a whole new vibe with an iPhone strapped to your arm counting off the reps.

Tapping the phone’s accelerometer, “PushupFu” provides real-time feedback on form and pace — go too fast or not low enough and you’ll hear about it. “Training” is designed to take you to 100 push-ups and beyond, while “Battle Mode” and “League Play” promise to keep you motivated by competing against the masses online.

How Wii measures up

Think Wii is for wussiis? Maybe, but a recent study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise finds that “Wii Sports” — now the best-selling video game of all time — brings the burn. Duh, not as many calories as the real sports it plays on TV, but a ton more than button-mashing your way through Halo.

In calories per minute, here’s how it breaks down:

                            Real world       Wii world

Golf                     3.9       3.1

Bowling              7.2       3.9

Baseball              7.3       4.5

Tennis              8.1       5.3

Boxing              10.2       7.2

To put it another way, playing 30 minutes of “Wii Boxing” burns 216 calories, which is 51 calories more than power walking. Another study is under way to see how “Wii Fit” compares.

Source: American Council on Exercise

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