GamerCycle - Building Healthy Kids

The GamerCycle^TM fitness system was born from the same concern many other parents share with us, namely, are our children getting sufficient exercise on a daily basis? Gone are the days when kids would jump on their bikes first thing in the morning, play outside all day, and come home for meals, with maybe a little TV before going to bed.

Here are a few cultural trends that are contributing to video games' popularity:

Physical activity tends to be structured and time-bound (i.e., soccer, baseball, gymnastics, etc.)
Parents are no longer comfortable allowing kids to play outside alone or ride their bikes to and from activities
Few other activities can hold their attention for so long... video games can be a blessing to parents and kids, especially on rainy days or when kids have a lot of free time
Studies show that many video games have positive mental and/or hand-eye coordination benefits
The quality of graphics and ingenuity of the games keeps getting better and better, so it is likely that kids' passion for playing them will only increase

In the 6-17 year old age group, it is estimated that children play on average 8.3 hours per week. We thought, "What if we could turn this completely sedentary time into 100% physical activity?"

The benefits from such an idea would be plentiful:

Minimize the concern that children are playing video games too much and not getting needed exercise
Video game play time would no longer be a "couch potato" activity
Reduce or eliminate the constant arguing between parents and children about video game play time
Improve children's self-esteem, as they feel themselves getting into better shape
Introduce exercise into boys' and girls' lives in a fun fashion, providing a cornerstone for other physical activity

Exercise is best when it can be made fun so that it doesn't become something we rebel against and dread. The GamerCycle was designed with this in mind. It doesn't interfere with the actual playing of the video game - the player is mentally focused on the game while his or her body gets the exercise it needs. Kids will sometimes play video games for hours on end, so the GamerCycle was designed to be very ergonomic and comfortable. Finally, there is a good reason cycling is one of the most popular and effective forms of exercise. Cycling uses the largest muscle groups in our bodies, thereby providing a good caloric burn while upping one's metabolic rate.