Comparison of Physical Activity during Zumba with a Human or Video Game Instructor

Using a physically active video game presents an opportunity for a person to engage in exercise in the privacy of their own home, yet still receive some feedback on the quality of their exercise performance. The purpose of this project was to compare the physical activity between participating in a Zumba exercise class led by a human and using a Zumba video game. Eight women (33.0 ± 3.0 y, 34.8 ± 8.1 % body fat) who regularly participated in a Zumba exercise class were measured for heart rate, number of steps taken, and minutes of sedentary, light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity while participating in a 60-minute human led Zumba exercise class (HZ) or while playing Zumba on the Xbox Kinect video game system (VZ). There were no differences between HZ or VZ (respectively) in light intensity (11.0 ± 7.3 vs. 11.9 ± 9.6 minutes) or moderate intensity (24.7 ± 7.1 vs. 27.6 ± 8.1 minutes) physical activity, or number of steps taken (5337 ± 899 vs. 5001 ± 1141). HZ resulted in less (P<0.05) sedentary time and more (P<0.05) vigorous intensity physical activity (22.0 ± 12.0 vs. 14.2 ± 12.8 minutes) and higher (P<0.05) average heart rates (149.0 ± 14.8 vs. 125.0 ± 10.9 beats/minute) than did VZ (respectively). The present data indicate that participating in Zumba led by a human or played as a video game can contribute to health promoting moderate intensity physical activity, but human led Zumba produces more vigorous intensity physical activity.