How to Lose Weight with Kinect Sports Season 2 Tennis
Last Updated on January 7, 2019 by Michael Brockbank
Not all forms of exercise to lose weight have to feel mundane or like a chore. I find playing something like Kinect Sports Season 2 Tennis very effective for helping with weight loss. In fact, I dropped more than I expected this last week.
I love setting up personal case studies. It’s something the gives me quantifiable evidence regarding what works best to help me shed the pounds.
I’ll go over the results of my case study a bit later in this post if you’re interested.
I can’t say you’ll have the same experience, but I can show you how Kinect Sports Season 2 Tennis improved my overall health over the span of seven days.[template id=”145″]
Using Kinect Sports Season 2 Tennis to Lose Weight
Why do I play the Xbox Kinect instead of joining a gym or attending aerobic classes? Because it’s something that engages my mind. It’s something that keeps me entertained over the long-term.
After all, many people including myself will stop doing an exercise routine they are disinterested in.
And I really enjoy playing Kinect Tennis.
How Much Did I Lose?
Over the span of a week, I lost 3.2 pounds. This is without jumping on mainstream fad diet plans or going to a gym.
In the end, it’s all about burning more than you eat. And the way I play Kinect Sports Season 2 Tennis, I burn a lot of calories inside of 30 minutes.
I would have lost more weight, but I had one or two days where I kind of ate a bit more than I should have. Still, 3.2 pounds while still enjoying the foods I love isn’t all that bad.
Setting Game Goals
First thing you need to do is set some goals for yourself. In Kinect Sports Season 2 Tennis, I’ll focus on trying to get to a certain number of in-game calories burned.
This is because the game will show you an estimation of what you burn after each round. However, don’t put too much stock in what the game says for how many calories you’ll burn.
First of all, Kinect Sports doesn’t take into consideration your age, weight, gender, physical aptitude and metabolic rate. These are all elements that contribute to how much you personally burn during any physical activity.
However, you can still use the calories burned as a goal. In my case, I aimed to pass at least 120 in-game calories per session. This worked out to about 26 minutes worth of non-stop movement.
Get Yourself Into the Game
To get the most out of Kinect Sports Season 2 Tennis, you need to really throw yourself into the game. Don’t merely stand in one spot and occasionally swing the tennis racket.
For example,
- Use over-exaggerated movements when playing. This makes sure you’re moving your body more than what’s needed to play the game.
- Dance around during celebrations of power moves. Do something like jumping jacks or vigorously dancing around while flailing your arms.
- Keep yourself moving even during loading screens. The game won’t detect this movement for your in-game calorie total, but it does increase the amount of physical activity you get per session.
- After each score, whether it’s you or the opponent, do a bit of celebrating with a dance. I’ve come up with some amazing dances that made me laugh at myself.
My point is you want to be as active as you can possibly manage.
I usually have the music playing and will dance around to the beat.
Just make sure you don’t push yourself too hard, though. Even something as simple as playing the Kinect can result in injury if you’re not careful. Especially if you’re not used to intense physical activity.
Burn More than You Eat
Lastly, the most important factor to losing weight in any regard is making sure you’re burning more than you eat. This is key whether you’re playing Kinect Sports Season 2 Tennis or not.
In my case, I burned 10,681 more calories than I ate during the week. According to experts, this is the equivalent of 3.1 pounds. However, I lost 3.2. Which is about par for averages since each pound is roughly 3,500 calories.
To get the most out of Xbox fitness, I use MyFitnessPal to track food intake and Fitbit to track calorie burn. Both of these tools in my case study proved to be quite accurate.
The end result was nearly burning off half a pound of fat each day while improving cardiovascular function, stamina and strength.[template id=”505″]
Kinect Sports Season 2 Tennis Case Study
Here is the case study regarding myself and how the game made an impact on losing weight this week.
My goals for playing Kinect Sports Season 2 Tennis involved:
- Reaching 120 in-game calories burned during each session.
- Determining how many calories I can burn.
- Discovering how long it takes to reach specific in-game goals.
- Finding out how many calories I need to burn for one pound of fat.
And keep in mind, collecting data is fun for me. So not only am I engaged in playing the game to lose weight, but the prospect of crunching numbers also plays into motivation.
In other words, I really, really like playing Xbox Kinect to determine how it can impact fitness.
What the Data Shows for 7 Days
The study lasted from Saturday to Friday. I played two sessions every day, once in the morning and another at about lunch time.
My naked weight on Saturday morning was 224.8 pounds. By the end of the week, I was sitting at 221.6.
Potential to Burn 12.63 Calories Per Minute
According to the 14 games I played, I can personally burn 12.63 calories per minute playing Kinect Sports Season 2 Tennis. This is lower than it was last time I did a case study.
But that’s because heavier people burn calories at a much faster rate than those who are more fit or have more muscle mass.
This means it takes more physical work to lose fat the smaller you become. But if you offset it with a proper diet, it’s not overly difficult to still lose weight even if it’s just a few pounds.
Calorie Burn versus Weight Loss is Accurate
One of the things I wanted to know is if the expert’s estimation of 3,500 calories per pound of fat is accurate. This is because everyone is different and will have varying results when metabolizing fat.
Over the course of a week, I found the weight-loss-to-calorie-burn ratio was pretty close. Like I said earlier, statistically, I should have lost 3.1 pounds. Instead, I lost 3.2.
Which demonstrates how close calorie burn versus intake truly is. At least, from my personal perspective.
2,637 Average Steps per Session
Each time I played tennis on the Xbox Kinect, I racked up around 2,637 steps inside a 26.21 minute session. For those of you who are actively watching their steps, this isn’t all that bad.
For me, it’s the equivalent of a brisk walk at just over three miles per hour. However, I burn 100 calories more playing the Xbox than I would have going for a walk at the same distance.
This is because of the constant movement I use when playing. It’s not just the legs getting the workout.
0.87 Hours Average Exercising Each Day
To lose more than three pounds this week, I played for an average of 0.87 hours each day. This means it takes me just over 26 minutes to reach a minimum of 120 in-game calories per session.
The quicker you can get to an in-game calorie goal, the more active you are. It’s a great way to set goals and records for yourself.
For example, can I reach the in-game calorie goal faster than my best time? If so, that means I put in far more physical activity while playing. Thus, I improve the calorie burn and lose more weight.
Notes on Game Experience for the Week
During the week, I made a couple of observations regarding myself. These might not pertain to you, but they might be interesting nonetheless.
1. I move much faster playing without weights. As I’ve spent the last few months playing while wearing glove and ankle weights, I found I was moving much quicker without them.
That’s because my body was accustomed to the extra weight from before. Resistance training at its finest!
2. I start sweating at around 100 in-game calories. By then, my average pulse begins to maintain at around 133 bpm.
Find What Engages You
The primary point to keep in mind is keeping yourself engaged in a physical activity. Once you start dreading the prospect of exercise, you’re less likely to do it.
Find a game that can get and keep your attention over the long haul. The more active you are, the more fat you’ll burn.[template id=”543″]
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