Just Dance Craze

I came across my fellow classmate's, Eric Einbinder's, blog and couldn't help but comment on the fact that my little cousins too have caught on to the various video games that can help our youth stay active in the Winter. It is clear to see a child's enjoyment and enthusiasm when playing video games such as the Wii and Kinect and they probably don't even realize the healthy benefits they are receiving from "playing" these games. Dance video game players span a wide demographic range, across age, gender, weight level, and fitness level. The West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency funded research to determine whether use of DDR will reduce healthcare insurance costs for its 215,000 members. One of the studies they funded investigated the health and fitness outcomes of young people who played DDR at home for six months. Another study identified the impacts of the game on students in 20 West Virginia schools that used DDR in physical education and health classes, and found that some of the students lost five to ten pounds after playing the game every day during the first few weeks. Well, this past weekend I had the opportunity to meet my family at our house in Montauk Point on Long Island and it was a weekend filled with Just Dance. My little cousins have turned it into a family competition and they really push themselves to get the best scores. I, on the other hand, have turned it into my own little entertainment and take videos every time. Here's one from this weekend.