Try googling for info on video games and physical activity.

Last night I decided I would post today about video games and physical activity. Thus far, I’ve discussed nutrition topics.

Like most people, I just googled using a variety of keywords. Computer games, video games, online games, health, physical activity, exercise, etc.

So many channels and there’s still nothing good on.

I was very disappointed with the results I obtained. Yes, content was lacking about the benefits of video games and health. Yes, a lot of negativity popped up in relation to video games. However, what bothered me the MOST was that all of the content was SO OUTDATED!

Has the scientific community stopped thinking about video games (or at least stopped publishing their results on the web)? Even as sales of the Wii console continue to skyrocket and Dance Dance Revolution is seen more and more in school gym classes, there seems to be a general decline in interest regarding video games and physical activity.

One little study.

I did find one study conducted by the Mayo Clinic that was up-to-date. January 2007…close enough. The study was the first to scientifically measure the energy spent playing video games. Here’s what they found:

1. Children spend an average of 8 hours a day watching tv and playing video/computer games.
2. Watching tv and playing traditional video games expended the same amount of energy.
3. Obese children burned 6 times more calories playing a dance video game than sitting still (ex: DDR).
4. Obese and lean children burned 3 times more calories playing an activity-oriented game than sitting still (ex: Wii Play).
5. Thus, the Mayo Clinic researchers suggest that we should create more video games that require activity.

Good thing that’s what Playnormous is doing!!

Boy howdy do they give you a lot of food at restaurants.

This afternoon I went with four members of the Playnormous team and had lunch at a Brazilian steakhouse. Ever been to one of those? It was my first time to experience so much meat on a stick. They just bring skewers and skewers of meat to your table. They slice, you eat, they slice some more, and you eat some more.

We all agreed at the end of the meal that we had no idea how much we’d eaten that afternoon. That got me thinking. I’ve read a lot about calories and portion size, but how much do I really know?

Were you paying attention last week?

Last week I gave you a little information on portion size. Let’s see how much you remember this week.

Try this question out for size (pun intended).

A cheeseburger 20 years ago had 333 calories. How many calories do you think are in today’s cheeseburger?

A) 560

B) 620

C) 700

The answer.

No clue? Too easy? Test your knowledge about portion size and calories with the Portion Distortion Interactive Quizzes.

These quizzes were created by the US Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

I find myths rather entertaining.

The world is full of myths. They range from somewhat plausible to crazy to just plain silly. Here are some of my personal favorites:

• It takes 7 years to digest gum.
• Our fingernails and hair continue to grow after we die.
• Alligators roam the sewers of New York.
• If a nuclear bomb were to hit the U.S., the only survivors would be cockroaches, Twinkies, and Cher.

The Discovery Channel even has a whole show dedicated to dispelling popular myths called Mythbusters.

Health, technology, and myths.

There are especially a lot of myths when it comes to health. I suspect this is because researchers and doctors learn something new every day.

There are also a lot of myths about technology. This is probably because technology is moving at such a rapid pace that it’s hard for us to keep up.

As a matter of fact, there are so many myths out there that I think I can address one every week. (That’s my goal at least.)

Ready, set, myth-bust!

Ok, here we go…

Health Myth #1: You should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.

The idea that one should drink 8 glasses of water per day to stay healthy is a very prevalent idea. But where did it come from?

According to Newsweek, this myth may have started with an article from the National Research Council in 1945. This article claimed that a “suitable allowance” of water for adults was 2.5 liters a day.

However, many ignore the fact that much of our daily water intake is from the food we eat. Most of us get enough fluids from our daily consumption of juice, milk, fruits, vegetables, and other foods.

Drinking too much water can cause water intoxication. This is where a severe electrolyte imbalance occurs which causes cells to swell with excess fluid and even die.

Just as a little disclaimer, I’m not saying don’t drink water or that water is unhealthy. You and your child should drink water and water is healthy! However, the 8-glasses-of-water-per-day rule is a myth.

Playing online computer games = better health?

After my last post about families getting rounder due to eating more and exercising less, I can only image what you’re thinking.

“How is sitting at a computer playing online games going to make my child healthier? Aren’t video games and the Internet part of the problem?”

Some very valid questions. I’m not a gamer, and I would never have argued IN FAVOR of video games about three years ago

My argument for casual games for health.

Well, I would like to make the argument that Playnormous games can be beneficial. Here is my reasoning behind this:

1. Our games are about health. (This one was obvious.)
2. Games and virtual worlds offer a unique opportunity to promote healthy changes in behavior.
3. Games are engaging and can make an otherwise boring topic, such as health, fun to learn.
4. Our games are tested by researchers who are experts in learning and health.
5. Other researchers have used video games to successfully improve the lives of children such as increase fruit and vegetable consumption and manage diabetes.
6. Many games take hours to play; ours only take minutes.
7. Some of our games require your child to do things in their everyday lives, such as fulfilling a goal, to succeed in the game.
8. Not all sedentary behavior is bad…you make your child do his or her homework, right?
9. If your child spends time online, why not have him or her be on a site that promotes health behavior change?
10. Online games aren’t the only thing to blame for rounder families…

What’s size got to do with it?

We all know that Americans are getting rounder these days. According to a publication released by the World Health Organization in 2004, obesity is at an all-time high, and this is the first time in history that the number of overweight people rivals the number of underweight people.

Sixty-five percent (65%) of the US population…that’s 127 million people…are overweight or obese.

How does this affect my child?

The number of obese children has DOUBLED in the last 20 years (see article for details).

It used to be that children developed Type I diabetes and adults developed Type 2 diabetes. Now more and more children are developing the adult form of diabetes–Type 2 diabetes.

An article in the Washington Post even quoted the Director of the CDC, Julie L. Gerberding, as saying “Obesity is catching up to tobacco as the leading cause of death in America. If this trend continues it will soon overtake tobacco.”

Obesity may surpass cigarette smoking as the number one cause of preventable death!!

Why are families getting rounder?

I suspect that you have an idea as to why American families are getting rounder: we eat more and exercise less. What you may not know is HOW MUCH MORE we are eating. Twenty years ago, food was a bit different. (And when I say “different” I mean “smaller.”)

Check out these sites for additional information on portion size:

• USDA Fact Sheet: How Much are You Eating?
• NIDDK Weight-control Information Network: Just Enough for You
• American Dietetic Association: Growing Portion Sizes