Obesity
has been linked to sedentary lifestyles and over-eating. Overweight adolescents
tend to have lower-self esteem than their normal weight peers and often
encounter verbally abusive behavior from their peers due to their weight
problems. Many teenagers eat meals
in front of a television set which can result in overeating. By establishing
healthy eating habits and increasing physical activity, adolescents can obtain
a healthy weight and lifestyle.
Video
games can provide physical activity by playing on game consoles such as Wii or
Kinect. These interactive consoles
promote physical activity by actively engaging the players in games such as
tennis, golf, soccer, and baseball. Shooter games such as Call of Duty World at War involves physical activity
that raises a player’s heart rate to a healthy cardiovascular workout level
comparable to someone who has run a mile. Video games have evolved rapidly
since the 1990’s when they began being seen in households everywhere as a form
of entertainment. Physical
exercise videos such as yoga and Zumba are also another avenue for teenagers to
be able to exercise with friends instead of watching endless hours of
television shows. Violent war game videos can be a healthy form of exercise
when playing on these interactive consoles. They not only involve the entire
physical body to be moving, but it is realistic as if the person was on a battlefield trying to kill the enemies.
