Wii Fit Plus is the latest instalment in the Wii Fit series, and brings all new features to make your workout more productive, personal and even more fun.

Wii fit Plus will now allow you to check and monitor four key areas of your physique, BMI (body mass index), centre of gravity, and calories burnt during your workout, allowing you to set your goals

There are five training categories (including the brand new Training Plus), which help you to develop body balance, burn fat, tone and condition muscle, as well as increasing stamina. On Wii Fit Plus you can customise your own training routines, or ask your Wii Fit trainer to do it for you based on the area of your body you’d like to work on.

This summer writes Simon Crompton in the Times, the Medical College of Georgia in the United States announced the results of its research into the effects of “Wii-hab” on people with Parkinson’s disease. In an eight-week study, 18 people were asked to play Wii Sports, including virtual versions of boxing and ten-pin bowling, for an hour a day, three times a week for four weeks. By the end of that time all the participants showed significant improvements in rigidity, movement, fine motor skills and energy levels. Importantly, their depression levels also decreased; depression affects around half of people with Parkinson’s disease….

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Source : SL Health List

Regular readers will note that I’ve always been fascinated by Nintendo’s approach to using health and social care as an area for gaming entertainment (dating back to Trauma Centre : Under The Knife in February 2006) and here comes another one for the Wii and DS systems: Hysteria Hospital

View Screen Shots

You can organise the ward and direct the patients to treat their conditions as quickly as possible and design and improve your ward for life-saving efficiency to be the best head nurse and save the Hospital from being overrun. There are 7 different wards to run, from a local Maryville clinic through to New York Central Hospital.

And as previously mentioned we’re not too far removed from moving this concept into the realm of ‘real’ health education dealing with the idea of trying to manage a ward or accident and emergency area with proper rather than made up cases…….

With a combined age of 193, Rose Sanders and Violet Gyves are not the most likely computer game fans, but the pair have become hooked on playing with their Nintendo Wii console…..

Daily Telegraph

Experimenting using the Wii as a physical therapy tool for wounded service members.

Source : Games For Health Email List

Nintendo games have made the Wii controller a satisfyingly realistic controller for pretend tennis, golf and baseball. But how about using it to practice doing surgery, applying pesticides or operating a nuclear power plant?

Wired Gadgets

(Hold on didn’t I suggest something similar around this this re: the Nintendo DS version of Trauma Centre in February 2006 ? – glad to see it’s catching on elsewhere now….)