The answer is YES according to a new study conducted by the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.  The Pediatrics journal reported that active gaming provided as much or more exercise than a moderate or intense walk. Boys and girls ages 10-13 were asked to perform activities including watching TV, playing Dance Dance Revolution and Wii Sports (boxing and bowling), and walking on treadmills. The results concluded that video game playing required three times the energy as watching TV and burned roughly the same amount of calories as walking on the treadmill.  “An important feature of exergaming is the entertainment factor, which may motivate some users more than traditional exercise modes,” wrote the authors of the study. “Active games such as DDR or Wii may offer an alternative to sedentary screen games and could be incorporated into more structured exercise programs as a complement to activities such as walking and cycling.sFor young children and teens, the study good news for parents knowing their kids are burning calories while having fun playing video games.  If you don’t enjoy video game playing, stick to getting your aerobic exercise on your treadmill to burn calories.

Are you looking for cardio fitness equipment for your home?  If you’re thinking about purchasing an elliptical trainer or a treadmill but not sure which one is better for you here’s some information to help you decide.  Both treadmills and elliptical machines can give you a good cardio workout and burn fat and calories in the security and convenience of your home.

Most elliptical machines provide a total body workout exercising both the arms, legs and glutes with little impact on your joints.  The upper and lower body movement involves several muscle groups during exercise, resulting in less perceived exertion for calories burned.

Treadmills are less intimidating due our familiarity with walking, jogging, and running.  Exercising on a treadmill forces you to keep moving due to the motorized belt.  Treadmills also provide impact to your body which is offers bone density benefits.

The Bottom Line is that both elliptical machines and treadmills provide superb cardiovascular workouts.  It really comes down to personal preference.  The best choice for you is the one for they will use!

Lifespan’s commitment to living heart healthy is evident in its products.  LifeSpan treadmills, elliptical trainers, and exercise bikes let you monitor your heart rate as you exercise, by using contact heart rate sensors or a chest strap.  Most LifeSpan cardio fitness equipment pieces also include heart rate control exercise programs that you can customize to use your heart rate effectively according to your physical condition and activity level.

You can also track and monitor your heart rate and blood pressure online, using your personal LifeSpan Fitness Club account.  A LifeSpan Fitness Club membership is included with purchase of any Lifespan i treadmill, elliptical or health monitor.  The LifeSpan Blood Pressure Monitor includes a USB data port, enabling users to save blood pressure and heart rate readings to a USB device, then quickly and easily upload the results to their online fitness club account.  LifeSpan i treadmills, elliptical trainers, and exercise bikes also saves heart rate readings to a USB device, every 20 seconds as you exercise.

By tracking your heart rate and blood pressure readings in your online LifeSpan Fitness Club account, and using heart monitoring and programming features on LifeSpan fitness equipment, you can become more aware of your heart health and make good daily decisions that impact your life.

Did you know Indoor Cycling is one of the fastest growing aerobic exercises people choose?  The 2008 sports and fitness participation survey conducted by the SGMA (Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association), reported stationary cycling (spinning) increased 34.1% from 2000-20007. This increasingly popular exercise that originated with spinning classes at local gyms and is now an excellent aerobic exercise for you in your home.

The Appeal of Indoor Cycling – You get the feel of riding outdoors, and simulating mountain and road bike conditions.  Indoor cycling lets you ride up hills and through valleys.  Users stand up and pedal thru difficult sections, and sit back and recover on easier sections.  With indoor cycling bikes such as the LifeSpan S2 Indoor Cycling Bike now available to home exercise enthusiasts, you can bring your indoor cycling class into your home and enjoy the comfort, convenience and security of riding in your own home.

Upright Bike vs. Indoor Cycling Bike – An upright exercise bike is designed for the user to sit on the seat and use built in programming.  When the flywheel spins the pedals don’t move without pedaling.  An indoor cycling bike is designed to simulate outdoor cycling on a mountain or road bike.  When the flywheel spins, the pedals will move.

Checkout the full line of LifeSpan exercise bikes:  upright, recumbent, and indoor cycling bikes.