UK Wedding News
04/02/2014
The research, which has been carried out at Nottingham Trent University, found that new mums were able to lose an average of 5.1kg by "exergaming" for 45 minutes every other day from the comfort of their own home.
Published in the International Journal of Multidisciplinary and Current Research, the findings suggested that women were able to dramatically reduce their waist, hip and bust circumference as well as their body mass index (BMI) and their fat mass.
Sport scientists at the university carried out the study to see if exercising at home using a Wii Fit balance board could be just as effective as traditional exercise.
It has long been reported than many women do not get the recommended levels of physical exercise after the birth of a baby due to a lack of time, access to childcare or a reluctance to exercise in public.
For the study, the team looked at eight women who had recently given birth and measured their weight, body size and fat mass. They were asked not to change their dietary habits or carry out any other exercise during the course of the experiment. After a 12-week training programme, they were then measured again.
Throughout the 12 weeks, the women took part in aerobic, muscle, yoga or general training video game exercises, across three programmes devised by the research team. These exercises included Wii Fit balance board activities such as hula-hoop, skateboard, rhythm Kung-Fu, jogging and cycling.
Before the study, weight was an average 8.2kg greater than the pre-pregnancy figure after giving birth, but afterwards, it had fallen by an average of 5.1kg.
The average waist circumference had also fallen by 5cm, hips by more than 5cm and bust by more than 3cm.
When it came to BMI, it was an average 24.4 following the birth of a baby, but lowered to a healthier 22.5 by the end of the 12 weeks. Total body fat mass, meanwhile, fell by an average of 4kg, with the majority of body regions losing between 15-28% in fat.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Kirsty Elliott-Sale, who is based in Nottingham Trent University's Sport, Health and Performance Enhancement Research Group, said: "This study has shown how dynamic interactive gaming can be a fantastic alternative to traditional exercise for new mothers.
"Not only can it help mothers lose weight and regain their shape, but could also help to reduce any associated health risks.
"In addition, exergaming can be used to help ease new mums back into exercise, after a period of abstinence, and get them back up-to-speed before engaging in more vigorous and traditional forms of exercise.
"We believe these kinds of activities could be an effective way of tackling obesity or additional weight gained from pregnancy. Crucially, being able to exercise in this way, in the comfort of your own home, means that women are not hampered by the challenges they often face with traditional exercise."
The two-year study was launched after a survey by the Royal College of Midwives and parenting website Netmums, revealed that more than two-thirds of women were worried about their weight after giving birth, with 60% saying they felt pressurised by celebrity culture to lose weight quickly.
The study also involved researchers from the University of Derby, Staffordshire University and University College London.
(JP/IT)
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Video Games Can Help New Mums Lose Weight – Study
Undertaking exercise by using interactive video games can have a significant effect on the weight and shape of new mothers in just 12 weeks, a new study has claimed.The research, which has been carried out at Nottingham Trent University, found that new mums were able to lose an average of 5.1kg by "exergaming" for 45 minutes every other day from the comfort of their own home.
Published in the International Journal of Multidisciplinary and Current Research, the findings suggested that women were able to dramatically reduce their waist, hip and bust circumference as well as their body mass index (BMI) and their fat mass.
Sport scientists at the university carried out the study to see if exercising at home using a Wii Fit balance board could be just as effective as traditional exercise.
It has long been reported than many women do not get the recommended levels of physical exercise after the birth of a baby due to a lack of time, access to childcare or a reluctance to exercise in public.
For the study, the team looked at eight women who had recently given birth and measured their weight, body size and fat mass. They were asked not to change their dietary habits or carry out any other exercise during the course of the experiment. After a 12-week training programme, they were then measured again.
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Throughout the 12 weeks, the women took part in aerobic, muscle, yoga or general training video game exercises, across three programmes devised by the research team. These exercises included Wii Fit balance board activities such as hula-hoop, skateboard, rhythm Kung-Fu, jogging and cycling.
Before the study, weight was an average 8.2kg greater than the pre-pregnancy figure after giving birth, but afterwards, it had fallen by an average of 5.1kg.
The average waist circumference had also fallen by 5cm, hips by more than 5cm and bust by more than 3cm.
When it came to BMI, it was an average 24.4 following the birth of a baby, but lowered to a healthier 22.5 by the end of the 12 weeks. Total body fat mass, meanwhile, fell by an average of 4kg, with the majority of body regions losing between 15-28% in fat.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Kirsty Elliott-Sale, who is based in Nottingham Trent University's Sport, Health and Performance Enhancement Research Group, said: "This study has shown how dynamic interactive gaming can be a fantastic alternative to traditional exercise for new mothers.
"Not only can it help mothers lose weight and regain their shape, but could also help to reduce any associated health risks.
"In addition, exergaming can be used to help ease new mums back into exercise, after a period of abstinence, and get them back up-to-speed before engaging in more vigorous and traditional forms of exercise.
"We believe these kinds of activities could be an effective way of tackling obesity or additional weight gained from pregnancy. Crucially, being able to exercise in this way, in the comfort of your own home, means that women are not hampered by the challenges they often face with traditional exercise."
The two-year study was launched after a survey by the Royal College of Midwives and parenting website Netmums, revealed that more than two-thirds of women were worried about their weight after giving birth, with 60% saying they felt pressurised by celebrity culture to lose weight quickly.
The study also involved researchers from the University of Derby, Staffordshire University and University College London.
(JP/IT)
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