The impact of Wii Fit™ yoga training on flexibility and heart rate.

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    • Abstract:
      Background: Flexibility training is an often overlooked, but nevertheless important component of overall fitness, health and athletic performance and is positively impacted by flexibility training. Emerging technologies, including the Wii Fit™, offer an alternative to traditional flexibility training. To date however, no research has examined the impact of the flexibility component of the Wii Fit™ on upper and lower body flexibility. Research question: The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of a four week Wii Fit™ yoga training session on flexibility and heart rate. Type of study: A pre-test post-test control group design was used. Methods: Healthy, moderately active participants (N = 32) were randomly assigned to either a training (N=14) or control (N=18) group, where the training group completed four weeks of Wii™ flexibility training and flexibility test practice, for three sessions a week. Flexibility was assessed for both the control group and training groups prior to and after the training sessions, using the sit and reach and shoulder flexibility tests. Results: Significant improvements in both upper and lower body flexibility were noted for the Wii Fit™ users, while the control group showed no changes in flexibility over the testing period. Conclusions: Data suggest that the flexibility training provided by the Wii Fit™ yoga exercises have a significant impact on upper and lower body flexibility, suggesting the Wii Fit™ can be effectively utilised as part of overall flexibility training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
    • Abstract:
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