Watching the Early Show on CBS this morning — they just did a segment on “exergames”. Like the Nintendo Wii, or that dance video game that has been around for about a decade now.
But they then demo’d the next generation of exergames, which cost a bloody fortune and are an egregiously ridiculous example people of assuming tech makes everything better in the fitness world.
An elementary school had invested in an entire gym filled with flat screens and networked interfaces designed to get kids moving. Like an entire bank of stationary bikes where the kids could race each other on the screens.
At a presumed cost of tens of thousands.
A cheaper idea? Have a gym teacher do some running classes, then pit the kids against each other in some quick sprints. At a cost of zero dollars.
The school had also installed a touch-sensitive disco floor, on which the kids could slide around and play virtual soccer. I don’t see how such a thing could cost less than a school bus.
A real soccer ball? Fifteen bucks.
A doctor proudly explained that the games were getting kids to run 3 or 4 miles every hour.
The long, slow, distance myth of fitness. Fantastic.
A CrossFit Kids certified gym teacher? Currently a one time fee of a thousand dollars for the seminar, and a thousand for the affiliate fee. The kids then turn into actual athletes, and not just little people desperately trying to burn off their breakfast.
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Amen. Couldn’t have said it better myself.