Learning to Like Exercise, part 2

About the same time I started my walking club, I discovered DDR.
DDR, for those of you older than 20, is Dance, Dance Revolution, and fundamentally it is a video game where you dance. Go to YouTube and put DDR in the search engine to see it in action.

Stop laughing, because I know that you know where this is going.

I first saw people doing DDR at an arcade and it looked like fun, but there was no way on God’s green earth I was going to get up there and jiggle my fat rump in front of a room full of teenagers. No way. I wanted to try it, so badly, but I simply never had an opportunity where I would not be performing in front of others. Then one day I was in Fry’s and I saw a kid doing DDR. Turns out she was doing it on a Playstation (Playstation 2, I think). Intrigued, I looked online that night to see if they made a Playstation 1 version, since that is the only gaming console we own, and what do you know? They not only made it for Playstation 1, it was also cheap, because as you probably know, Playstation 1 is “totally old and outdated, man!” I found a used copy of the game and a cheap DDR mat, both on Amazon, and I was in business.

The thing about DDR is: it’s really fun! Kind of like aerobics was fun when I was a freshman in college in the 80’s, and young, and in pretty good shape, but even more so because no one is watching me jiggle. My husband has been known to point and laugh from time to time, but I just say something sweetly sarcastic like, “At least I am getting some exercise. Don’t you want me to be healthy and lose weight, daaarling?” which usually shuts him up.

When I am doing DDR (basic level, because I am in it for the exercise, not for the dance skills) I get really sweaty, and I don’t even mind! Plus, it goes fast – 30 minutes is usually my goal, and it’s not tedious. Sometimes I wish I could have different music (I never was a clubber), and the graphics are seriously garish and annoying (avoid if you are epileptic!), but on the whole I really like it; which surprises me, because, after all, I hate exercise, right? At least, that’s what LVIMH says. Except, oh yeah, she’s a liar!

In addition to burning calories, DDR is great for balance and coordination, rhythm, and mood elevation. You really should try it. I think my total investment (since I have a PS1) was about $25.

Here’s another interesting tidbit about DDR: They have actually developed a version which is being marketed to schools! Check it out! Some of the schools in my district have already purchased these, and as you might expect, the kids LOVE IT! They are using it primarily for math right now, although you can use it for any subject. It comes with some “stock” sets of questions, but it is programmable by the teacher, so you can put in questions with single digit answers, or, for older kids, multiple digit answers (they have to step on more than one pad in succession). This is so cutting edge that when the representative came out to demo it to us, he begged for our suggestions since they are still developing the product and improving it.

This is just one of several new technologies being marketed to parents and schools that teach kids while getting them moving. Nintendo is already marketing the Wii to schools as a way to get kids interested in being more active, and check out the Wii Fit – wow! Even little kids can be active while learning – one example is the Fisher Price Smart Cycle, targeted at the under-5 set and priced at just about $100. The education world has known about kinesthetic learning for years, so that’s part of the pull, but even more compelling is the rising obesity rate among kids.

Hopefully we are seeing a trend away from the couch-potato culture, towards more active kids (and adults)! Technology had a big role in making us fat, it’s only right that they participate in making us thin again!