Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/27050
4A – Daily News – Monday, March 14, 2011 Vitality & health (MCT) — "Exergames," interactive digital or video- based games such as Wii Fit and Dance Dance Revolu- tion, are part of today's fit- ness landscape for children and young adults. But do they really offer a substan- tial calorie burn? Two stud- ies find that some of the games do, but whether they're fun enough for peo- ple to stick with them is another thing. The first study, published online this week in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, set out to quantify how many calories children burned while engaging in a number of exergames, and com- pared those activities with walking on a treadmill at 3 mph. Researchers analyzed energy expenditure among 39 boys and girls, average age about 11, as they spent time on the games and the treadmill. The participants were also asked to rate how well they enjoyed the games, a mix of commer- cial and consumer products: Sportwall, the Jackie Chan Alley Run by Xavix, Light- space Bug Invasion, Cybex Trazer Goalie Wars, Dance Dance Revolution and Nin- tendo Wii Boxing. Walking at 3 mph on a treadmill produced a meta- bolic equivalent, or MET, of 4.9 among the children. MET values approximate how much oxygen the body uses during an activity. Light gardening has a MET 'Exergames' a great way to burn calories fitness Nutrition Quiz: Craving broccoli (MCT) — Longtime readers will note The Quiz's affinity for all things broccoli. So imag- ine our delight when we caught sight of this head- line, courtesy of the web- site for "Extra," the celeb- centric TV show: "Alyssa Milano Says She's Crav- ing Broccoli." Voila, another excuse to quiz you about broc- coli. 1. According to groovyvegetarian.com, the word "broccoli" comes from the Italian word "braccio," which means what? a) knee cap b) arm c) foot 2. Everyone knows that broccoli is a good source of calcium, especially for the lactose-intolerant. But it's also high in what? a) vitamin C b) vitamin B12 c) vitamin E MCT photo Angelo Piro, 11, left, and his brother Nick, 6, compete on Dance Dance Revolution, at the Fitwize 4 Kids club. of 2, a challenging hike has a MET of 6 to 7, and run- ning at 8 mph has a MET of 13.5. The Wii game came in at 4.2, Dance Dance Revolu- tion was 5.4, the Lightspace game was 6.4, the Xavix game was 7, the Cybex Trazer was 5.9, and the Sportwall was 7.1. All games were played at a moderate to vigorous inten- sity, and four of the games surpassed treadmill walking in calorie burn. The children liked the Sportwall game the most, and the Xavix game the least. Children who were overweight or at risk for becoming overweight enjoyed the games more than kids with lower body mass indexes. In the study, the authors said that although exergam- ing may not be the answer to getting sedentary chil- dren moving, it does have potential: "It appears to be a potentially innovative strat- egy that can be used to reduce sedentary time, increase adherence to exer- cise programs, and promote enjoyment of physical activity," they wrote. "This may be especially important for at-risk populations, specifically children who carry excess body weight. But when it comes to sticking with a fitness pro- gram, it's all about what peo- ple like to do. In a study on interactive video games published online recently in the journal Medicine & Sci- ence in Sports & Exercise, researchers measured calo- rie burn and enjoyment among 100 men and women age 18 to 35 who played four types of games: shoot- er, band simulation, dance simulation and fitness. 3. One cup of raw broccoli provides what percentage of the daily value of fiber, according to nutritiondata.self.com? a) 46 percent b) 22 percent c) 9 percent 4. According to goutremoval.com, broc- coli is a "safe" vegetable for gout patients to con- sume for what reason? a) It's alkaline-forming b) It attacks free radi- cals in the body by block- ing fat absorption c) It's so tasteless that you won't eat too much of it 5. In "The Simpsons" episode "Treehouse of Horror XI," Homer dies after eating broccoli, which is called what? a) "vegetable of the gods" b) "Timothy Leary's favorite natural psy- chotropic" c) "the deadliest plant on earth" Acupuncture for hot flashes (MCT) — Women who suffer from hot flashes and other uncomfortable symp- toms of menopause may be able to find relief through acupuncture, according to a new study. The idea of having to lie still for 20 minutes with needles sticking out of you may not appeal to everyone. On the other hand, hormone replacement therapy _ often employed to make menopause more bearable _ has some problems of its own, including an increased risk of coronary heart dis- ease, stroke and breast can- cer. So Turkish researchers recruited 53 post- menopausal women and assigned 27 of them to a five-week course of acupuncture (twice a week for 20 minutes at a time) and 26 of them got sham treatments that they thought were real. At the end of the study period, the women who got acupuncture showed more relief from their symptoms compared to their counter- parts who got the fake treat- ment. Their hot flashes were less severe. Asian Massage $ 30 min. massage reg. $40 GRAND OPENING 5.00 off 1 hr. massage reg. $60 $10.00 off Offer good thru April 30th 333 S. Main St. Suite G Red Bluff • 530-710-5940 ANSWERS: 1: b; 2: a; 3: c; 4: a; 5: c