This morning the joint announcement from Nintendo and the American Heart Association may not have been about the Vitality Sensor, but it does mark a step forward in fitness by preventing heart disease. The organization has stated that they will proudly place their heart logo on the Wii console box. This initiative will allow gamers, and parents, to notice the health benefits of a motion based console, as opposed to Nintendo’s couch confining competitors.

AHA and Nintendo have also created a website, ActivePlayNow, which promotes physical activity. It recommends both Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort as great ways to have fun and be active.

As part of the deal, Nintendo is donating $1.5 million dollars to the AHA over the next three years. Both the AHA and Nintendo hope this initiative targets those that haven’t exercised in years, and will use the Wii to slowly get back into it. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft’s Natal or the PlayStation Move can generate the same type of positive reaction by the AHA when they both launch later this year.

ABCNews
ActivePlayNow

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From JoWood and Dreamcatcher comes another way to get your ohm on.

Slated for a November 2009 Wii release, Yoga will educate users on the basics of (what else?) yoga, while optionally utilizing the Balance Board to gauge their progress. The game bills “top international model” and yoga enthusiast Anja Rubik as your personal guide through various poses, techniques, and routines. It also has “four beautifully designed levels with a wide selection of yoga rooms” to fully immerse the player in a soothing but optically stimulating setting.

In one stand-apart feature, the game’s developers boldly boast of Yoga’s potential health benefits, citing specific routines for common ailments such as back pain and headaches:

“For instance, the back pain routine would consist of the following poses –the cobra, locust and corpse – all of which help strengthen back muscles. Other symptoms and areas addressed in the game include arthritis, common cold, abdominal weakness, headache and heart.”

While yoga itself has health perks that are well documented, you have to wonder if its possible to Warrior Pose your way to wellness without the benefit of a live instructor. As it stands, Yoga has an uphill battle in differentiating itself from the other Wii fitness titles, so hyping special features designed for vague and almost universal health problems might be a smart hook.

And the lull-you-to-sleep graphic design and Nordic model sure don’t hurt either. Hit up the Yoga official site for screenshots and more.

London, England. September 24th 2009 – JoWood Productions and DreamCatcher’s Yoga for Wii™ incorporates specialized routines for users suffering from back pain, common cold, headache, arthritis and other ailments. In a recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health, participants experienced a reduction in chronic back pain from practicing yoga regularly. These same benefits can be achieved through practicing Yoga for Wii’s specialized routines.

Yoga will be available this November on Nintendo Wii. For more information visit www.yoga-game.com.

“In designing Yoga for Wii, we wanted to make sure that players are walking away with not only a great workout for the body but also for the mind,” says Markus Reutner, Marketing manager JoWood Productions. “We’ve done extensive research about yoga and the way it can affect different pains and incorporated that into Yoga for Wii.”

Yoga for Wii combines skillfully designed yoga routines with carefully researched information that provides an authentic yoga experience. Players will be able to participate in routines that target a specific ailment or pain. For instance, the back pain routine would consist of the following poses –the cobra, locust and corpse – all of which help strengthen back muscles. Other symptoms and areas addressed in the game include arthritis, common cold, abdominal weakness, headache and heart. Along with the pre-set routines, players will be able to explore the Yogshala and get an accurate understanding of the various techniques and benefits of yoga.

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Looking for Physical Education credit at the University of Houston? They’re now offering a class that centers around what the Wii has to offer. Now, this isn’t the first time schools have used the Wii in fitness-related activities, but I’ve never heard of a course being built around it! Here’s what the program’s coordinator, Jessica Wheeler had to say:

Our department conducts a host of research into the epidemic of obesity, not only its root causes, but ways to combat it and the diseases related to it. Using the Wii games can be both fun and an effective tool.  We anticipate that many students will want to take this class.

According to the NBC article, they’ll use games that “will teach posture, center of balance, and to improve knowledge of health and fitness.” Sound familiar? That’s because they’ll be using Wii Fit, along with Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, and Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party. It’s not all fun and games, though – students will still have to take written quizzes on health and fitness, as well as document their calorie intake and physical activities.

NBC Philadelphia
via Destructoid

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