WiiElbow
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Times Online offers 'Wii warm-ups' before gaming
Another day, another sensationalistic article about the hazards of Wii gaming. But this one's got a special bonus at the end -- a list of "Wii warm-ups" from Tim Hutchful of the British Chiropractic Association. Wanna prevent "Wii elbow?" Then shrug those shoulders! Stretch that wrist! Relax that lower back!Despite the warm-up suggestions, the article concludes that you should avoid the Wii, "save £179 and buy a pair of tennis rackets instead." Um, yeah, if we wanted to play real tennis, we would have done that, Times Online. The great thing about Wii Sports is that it's semi-real exercise that's actually fun for those of us who otherwise would only be using the muscles involved in opening a fridge. Give us enough time for the bedsores to heal, then maybe we'll think about these "tennis rackets" you speak of. (Do they carry them at Gamestop?)
May we suggest a Wii bit of a stretch before that game?
Times Online published an article recently, where they look at some of the negative effects of playing Wii, namely the physical toll it takes on your body and the problem known as "Wii elbow." The article, for the most part, is one of the oldest hats in our closet, but what makes this piece interesting is the suggested physical warm up from Tim Hutchful of the British Chiropractic Association. His warm up includes: Shoulder shrug - slowly shrug your shoulders toward your ears, holding for two to three seconds before relaxing. Doing this three times will improve blood flow to your shoulders. Wrist stretch - slowly stretch the wrist backwards, hold for a few seconds, then stretch it forwards, holding it for a few seconds. Doing this three times will improve the tightening in your wrists. Make a fist - hold your arm at right angles from your elbow, balling up your fist and tensing it, along with your arm. Hold this for a few seconds, then allow your arm to fall to your side. Completing this three times will help blood flow and tense your muscles. Neck muscle stretch - attempt to make a double chin, stretching the muscles at the base of your neck. Hold this for a few seconds and perform the exercise three times, always doing so very slowly and carefully. Loosen the lower back - standing with feet a shoulder width apart, slowly circle your hips five times counter-clockwise, then reverse direction for five more revolutions. Are any of you going to go through these exercises before playing a game?
