Xbox Kinect as Fitness Tool

Gone are the days when console gaming means just sitting down and exercising your thumbs. Since the Wii was launched, console gaming has never been the same. From Wii, Playstation and Xbox followed suit.

We were lucky to have gotten an Xbox with Kinect and as promised it has helped me greatly with my fitness routine. What I like about Kinect is that there’s no need to hold anything to be able to play (unlike Wii and Playstation Move). It just makes you look silly sometimes, but it’s all in good fun! Here’s a list of the few games we have.

1. Kinect Adventures – This is included in the package. It’s a fun party game and Reflex Ridge will really get you moving.

2. Dance Central – I love this! I used to dance when I was younger, but when I turned into a blob, I’m ashamed to move my body. This is coming from someone who used to go to bars and actually dance (in our younger days)! I downloaded the trial version of Dance Central first to see how it would be like, and I loved it! The movements are divided into 3 levels, you can go Easy, Medium or Hard. The good thing about this is that the game actually teaches you the movements and its names so you can do it properly. The trial version has 3 songs and the first dance I learned was Pitbull’s I Know You Want Me. But the first dance I memorized was Poison by Bell Biv Devoe. It was such a fun song to dance to! We finally bought the actual game and now have countless songs to dance to! The hardest one I tried so far was Crank That by Souljah Boy!

3. Kinect Sports Season 1 – games include boxing, bowling, table tennis, soccer, beach volleyball, track and field and some mini-games. Bowling is a good party game, I think up to 6 players can play. Boxing is like shadow boxing, but will still exercise your arms. Volleyball will burn you a lot of calories since there are moves where you have to jump. While table tennis is pretty laid back. Soccer and track and field will target your legs.

Trial Versions

1. Zumba – I really like this. The trial version has 2 songs, but if you dance each song 5 times each, you will really really sweat!

2. Hole in the Wall – This is a pretty steady game and will test your balancing skills.

As a whole, I really enjoy Xbox Kinect! I hope they develop more games for it that is enjoyable and at the same time will keep your butt off the couch!