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When you workout, you tear down muscle tissue. During the time that you don’t work out, your muscles naturally repair themselves and this process leads to the big payoff – bigger muscles. That which you eat and drink enables this muscle regeneration.

Your muscles’ primary fuel is glycogen. This represents about 1-2 percent of the muscle mass and this is fed by carbohydrates. When a meal containing carbohydrates is digested, blood glucose levels rise and the pancreas secretes insulin. Without this glucose, an individual would “hit the wall” and ultimately be unable to move a muscle.

Some foods feed this glycogen better than others and these are the ones to consume before and after a strenuous workout. These recommendations come from the fitness nutritionists at the Tom Landry Center in Dallas and from several popular nutritional websites.

From your first meal of the day, it’s a good idea to load up on carbohydrates. Remember this is the primary source for that glycogen. The best source for carbs at breakfast is oatmeal and when you add a few fresh berries, the effect is even better. Protein is also critical to boost the effect of exercise and eggs are a great source for this. There is a downside to eggs which is fat and cholesterol found in the yolk. However, you can avoid this by using egg whites with no yolk.

Another great food to increase the impact of your workout is chicken breasts. There are about 35 grams of protein for a 4-ounce breast and it’s best to grill or bake them without the skin.

Pasta is a wonderful source of easy-to-burn carbohydrates. You get about 50 grams of carbs per cup. Pasta also has muscle-building proteins so it’s one of those “two-fers” that fitness fanatics love.

Low-fat yogurt has a nice balance of proteins and carbs and the wide range of flavors offers a little diversity of taste. Another snack that’s rich is potassium is peanuts. Both of these foods can help to increase the effect of a workout. Protein drinks, with a mixture of 25% protein and 60% carbs is also a great snack any time of the day.
If you’re interested in endurance sports such as marathon running, long-distance biking or triathlons, some new research has found that glycogen is replenished more rapidly when exercisers ingest both carbohydrates and caffeine following the exercise.

The July 2009 issue of the “Journal of Applied Physiology” noted that athletes who ingested caffeine with carbohydrates had 66% more glycogen in their muscles four hours after the workout. This was compared to when they consumed the carbs alone. The amount of caffeine ingested was equal to 5 or 6 cups of strong coffee.

Aside from the aesthetic benefit of a toned body, building muscle is worth the effort on another level. Working out and having more muscle tissue increases metabolism and consumes fat and harmful substances in the body.

So, do you have some food that might super-charge a workout? Give us a clue.

Later---

The Clue
]]> General http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=47 Sat, 2 May 2009 13:51:52 -0300 http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=46
Everybody is back-slapping and high- fiving. Two of the players are slyly sneaking behind the rest of the team and have a large container with the familiar “Gatorade” logo on the side. Right on cue, the entire container of the green or orange liquid is dumped on the head of the team’s coach.

He acts surprised and starts laughing like the good sport he is. The camera flashes from the drenched coach to that now empty container of “Gatorade” and millions of fans break into a smile without realizing their role in this iconic brand recognition.”

The message is powerful and ubiquitous: Winners drink Gatorade!

Sport drinks like Gatorade ™, Powerade ™, All Sport ™ and others have done a brilliant job of creating product category that accounts for billions of dollars in sales. Unfortunately, most sports medicine experts feel that they do a better job promoting themselves than they do in helping athletes.

In spite of the claims made in advertising as to the product advantages of this or that sports drinks, the composition of all sports drinks are amazingly similar. Basically, they are made up of water, sugar (LOTS of sugar) minerals such as potassium, sodium and artificial flavoring.

They make claims that “electrolytes” are replenished when we take a slug of these miracle drinks, but the secret sauce is carbohydrates. Experts from the “Sports Medicine” journal note that sugar and energy compounds help to feed the muscles and delay fatigue, but the muscles convert ingested carbohydrates to glycogen which is their primary fuel.

The reality is this. Unless you are competing in a triathlon or endurance cycling competition taking four hours or more, your re-hydration is probably just as well served by drinking water. You don’t need the extra sugar, potassium and sodium of a sports drink.
Most of us are not competing in the Tour de France or an Iron Man competition. We exercise to lose weight or maintain strength. Adding more carbs and additional sugar is not a great weight loss strategy.

In a comparison of the three, best known sport drinks, the biggest difference is their labels.

The main ingredients of a 20 fluid ounce bottle of Gatorade are water and sucrose syrup. The nutritional breakdown is 60 calories, 14 grams of sugar, no other grams of carbohydrates, 110 mg. of sodium, 30 mg. of potassium and no other vitamins or minerals. The large amount of sodium found in Gatorade (twice as much as the other sport drinks) is used to stimulate thirst.

In the case of Powerade, it comes in a 32 fluid ounce bottle and the main ingredients are water, high fructose corn syrup and natural flavors of kiwi, melon and pineapple. The nutritional breakdown is 70 calories, 15 grams of sugar, 4 grams of other carbohydrates, 55 mg of sodium and 30 mg of potassium.

All Sport comes in a 24 ounce bottle and its main ingredients are water and high-fructose corn syrup. With every bottle, you get 70 calories, 19 grams of sugar, 1 gram of other carbohydrates, 55 mg. of sodium, 50 mg. of potassium along with thiamine, niacin, vitamin B-12 and pantothenic acid.

If you are a serious endurance athlete, you might be interested in a recent report that was published in the July issue of the “Journal of Applied Physiology.” Researchers found that glycogen, the muscle’s primary fuel source during exercise, is replenished more rapidly when exercisers ingest both carbohydrates and caffeine following exhaustive exercise.

Researchers found that four hours after intense exercise, athletes that combined caffeine with carbs, had 66% more glycogen than they had with carbs alone. The amount of caffeine ingested in this study was the equivalent to drinking five to six cups of strong coffee.

The primary problem of sports drinks is the extra sugar. This has been shown as a cause of childhood obesity.

The only real advantage that sports drinks give athletes is psychological. To paraphrase Yogi Berra: “Sport is 90% mental and the other half is physical.”

Later---

The Clue
]]> General http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=46 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:28:51 -0300 http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=45
Sports marketing practitioners advise successful professional athletes to become a “brand” in and of themselves. As such, the athlete can sell his brand to consumer products companies who want to their products to ride on his/her coattails.

It is now clear that Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps’ brand has taken a hit – literally and figuratively. After admitting to using his world class lungs to inhale a giant toke from a marijuana bong, Phelps apologized to his fans, his sponsors, his mama, the Olympic committee and anyone else who might be shocked by his actions.

There seems to be a trend here. Anyone who observes young athletes becoming multi-millionaires almost overnight knows that this is not the first or last time that this type of mea culpa will be required. In fact, the Phelps’ brand is only the most recent one to be tarnished. He is surrounded by many other screw-ups in the world of sports.

Professional baseball players seem to be over-represented in the shame game. The list includes some of the biggest names in the sport. They include, Barry Bonds who had some chemical help in setting the all-time homerun record of 762, Roger Clemens, the best pitcher in the past 50 years, also (apparently) drug enhanced. Others are, Mark McGwire, Ken Caminiti, Jose Conseco, Jason Giambi, Rafael Palmeiro and the most recent abuser, Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod had the smarts to immediately admit the steroid use and is already on the road to redemption.

All of these stars had die-hard fans and huge endorsement deals with apparel companies, cell phone companies, food companies, sports collectibles and just about any other business category imaginable. After the word of their indiscretions met the hyper-sped 24-hour news cycle, all of this “mail-box money” went away.

Michael Vick ruined his NFL career and went directly to jail for organizing dog fights and killing puppies. Needless to say his corporate sponsors, Powerade, Airtran and Hasbro, decided that paying someone who is involved animal cruelty might have some negative “halo” affects on their products.
Basketball players are also well-represented in this motley crew. Kobe Bryant’s alleged sexual assault was all over the news in 2003 and his deals with Coke and Spalding evaporated. However, once he settled the case and began his redemption quest, sponsorship money kept coming in, especially from Nike.

In spite of his weirdly charming, goof-ball ways, former NBA great and current announcer Charles Barkley has always been one dumb move away from the police blotter. As a self-proclaimed gambler and now alleged drunk driver, Barkley was suspended from his TNT gig and T-Mobile decided that they were just not that into him after all.

Sports writers and other deep thinkers love to speculate on the reasons for this self-destructive tendency on the part of these physically gifted icons. Some have suggested that it’s the long schedule and constant travel (in the case of baseball and basketball players) or the physical grind of the constant practice and grueling games (all sports).

Some have speculated that the boredom of sitting around a hotel room, albeit a NICE hotel room, every day waiting to play the games exacerbates the personality flaws of these players. This is the “idle hands/devil’s workshop” theory.

However, this propensity to screw up on the part of athletes is more complicated than that. It is a combination of youth, large sums of money and an unshakeable belief that every gifted athlete has that he/she is the best that the world has ever seen. This is the “8-feet tall/bullet-proof” theory.

In the case of Phelps, he got a three-month suspension from U.S.A. swimming and was fired from his Kellogg’s sponsorship deal. Interestingly, after his apology, most of his corporate sponsorships stood pat. Speedo, Omega, Visa, Pure Sports and Subway all accepted that Phelps’ “inappropriate behavior” was a mere indiscretion of youth.

Of those companies who decided to stick with Phelps, Subway seemed to have the most heartburn with the multi-medalist. The company, whose marketing focuses on a healthy living agenda, decided to delay a Phelps’ focused ad campaign that they were ready to break.

When professional athletes screw up, their sponsors fall back on the basic “athlete-as-a-brand” theory. As a marketing commodity or brand, the athlete is trying to monetize this brand awareness. When he wins Olympic medals or hits 762 home runs, the athlete’s brand is golden. When he’s pictured smoking dope at a college frat party, that brand is less than stellar.

Some sports marketing experts had estimated that Phelps would earn $100 million in product endorsements over the next two years. Many saw him as the swimming version of golfer Tiger Woods. Now, these marketing mavens are having second thoughts.

However, the public, particularly sports fans, has a very short memory. Michael Vick is probably done, but Kobe Bryant played on the Olympic team and is having a tremendous year on the court. The NBA says that Bryant’s jersey is one of their best sellers. The Bryant brand is enjoying a re-birth.

As for the Michael Phelps’ brand, while it might be tarnished, unless he his judgment is completely impaired by the cannabis, he will be back and will no doubt realize the financial benefits. The reasons are simple. We’ve all been young and stupid. We’ve all screwed up and we all love a winner.

Later---

The Clue
]]> General http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=45 Mon, 6 Apr 2009 03:43:18 -0300 http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=44
And on cue, a blur of Spandex takes center court and the spirit machine is cranked up!

“Ready??!!

(Clap, clap)

OK!!!

We have spirit, yes it’s true.

Uh huh! Uh huh!

We are athletes, just like you!

The crowd goes nuts. The buzzer sounds and the “athletes” go back to their game.

The girls and boys who make the noise at athletic events have been the brunt of more jokes than politicians. Interestingly, many current elected officials were cheerleaders when they were in college. This makes complete sense to those of us who enjoy watching both groups.

It doesn’t help that many cheerleaders have done their best to make themselves caricatures. Whether it’s the “mean girls” image, or the Barbie looks or the insufferable enthusiasm, cheerleaders are easy pickins’ for anyone who has a cheap one-liner to toss off.

This antipathy is also the result of envy. Usually the cheerleaders are some of the most popular kids in school. They’re usually good looking. Most of the time, they’re in great shape and they personify an unreachable goal that we mere mortals can only fantasize about.
Some people love ‘em and some people hate ‘em.

Recently, cheerleaders have been yelling about something other than what pond scum the other team is. In typical cheerleader fashion, they have raised a ruckus about cheerleading being a sport.

Turns out they might be right. Uh Huh! Uh Huh!

Once you get past all of the cheerleader jokes, there are very strong feelings and cogent arguments on both sides of this tussle.

The “cheerleaders are athletes” crowd, not surprisingly made up of cheerleaders, their mothers, former cheerleaders and the multi-million dollar industry that has sprouted up to support cheerleading, rightfully holds that the training, skills and strenuous workout regime looks a heckuva lot like “sports.” They work hard at cheerleading, people cheer for them, they get a cheerleading letter jacket and therefore they should be seen as athletes participating in a sporting event. Thus, they contend that cheerleading IS a sport.

The rest of the world differs in this opinion. Sports purists contend that if cheerleading is considered a sport, then all those kids in the school band who have unusual skills, practice every day and perform at sporting events should also be considered athletes. Ditto for the drill team. Plus, cheerleaders don’t compete with the opposing team’s cheerleaders; at least not at the sporting event.

As is often the case, it took a Supreme Court case to settle this monumental controversy. Actually, it took the Wisconsin Supreme Court and its ruling in January 2009 will likely add fuel to this spirited inferno.

The Associated Press reported that the issue in this case was whether cheerleaders qualify for immunity under a Wisconsin law that prevents participants in contact sports from suing each other for unintentional injuries.

The National Cheer Safety Foundation (I think we can surmise that the executive director of this group got his/her start yelling “two bits, four bits”) hailed this ground-breaking ruling. In fact, it was a unanimous decision. All seven of the justices agreed that cheerleading involves “a significant amount of physical contact between the cheerleaders.”

The suit was brought by Brittany Noffke, who is a varsity cheerleader at the Holmen High School in western Wisconsin. While practicing a stunt in 2004, Brittany fell backward off the shoulders of another cheerleader and suffered a serious head injury. She sued a 16-year old male teammate who was supposed to be her spotter, but failed to catch her along with the school district and its insurance company.

The decision means that cheerleaders can be sued only for acting recklessly. This is the same criterion that applies to athletes involved in sporting contests. The court noted that Brittany’s teammate only made a mistake or showed a lack of skill.

The end result is plain. In Wisconsin, and likely other states, high school cheerleading is a contact sport and therefore its participants can’t be sued for accidentally causing injuries. Ergo, cheerleading is a sport.

Now that this is settled, let’s get back to more important matters.


Ready??!!

(Clap, clap)

OK!!


Later----

The Clue
]]> General http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=44 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:16:42 -0300 http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=43
While there’s nothing wrong with hard work and long hours, this does play havoc with that exercise program that you promised to follow on New Year’s Day. Long days at work, a little time with the family and trying to deal with household chores leave almost no time for exercise.

But wait! What if you could complete your daily workout in minutes? While not being as compelling as the heretofore noted “sliced bread,” it would be pretty cool.

A recent study may provide an option for those who have little or no time to work out. This study from Dr. James Timmons of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland suggests that short bursts of intense physical activity may do more to help prevent the diseases associated with obesity such as diabetes and heart disease than all those hours spent in a gym. These short bursts can be just minutes each week!

The research about the benefits of maximum intensity workouts has been around for a while. However, this recent study kicks this earlier research up a notch.

For the first time, Mr. Timmons and his colleagues found that short bursts of intense physical activity have “dramatic effects on insulin function and the ability of the body to properly process glucose.” This is welcome news to those who are trying to avoid Type 2 diabetes.

With Type 2 diabetes, the body gradually loses its ability to respond efficiently to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that moves glucose from the bloodstream to the body’s tissues where it is used for energy.

For this study, the researchers found 16 young men who were employed in sedentary professions, but were otherwise healthy. They were then made to pedal a stationary bike as fast as they could for 30 seconds. The participants then rested for four minutes. They repeated the exercise four times. This routine was performed two or three times per week.
Within two weeks of starting the program, the participants experienced, on average, a 23 percent improvement in how well they used insulin. These finding were published in the BMC journal, “Endocrine Disorders.”

Timmons and his crew noted that the maximum effect workouts caused the carbohydrates (aka “complex sugars”) in the muscles of the participants to be used up. When this happened these muscles are “extremely efficient at taking up dietary glucose and storing it.” This resulted in the bloodstream being exposed to less high glucose.

Endocrinologists and Cardiologists know that high glucose levels can damage blood vessels and contribute to cardiovascular disease. Minimizing the glucose highs should (in theory) protect the heart.

While more, large scale research is needed, this study suggests that the current guidelines of several hours of moderate to vigorous aerobic and resistance exercise are not the only way to go. In the time-crunched chaos that most people currently find themselves, this maximum intensity exercise you offer another hour in the day. How that extra hour is used will say a lot about the priorities of the user.

Later---

The Clue
]]> General http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=43 Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:15:18 -0300 http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=42
Even without the benefit of a graduate degree in nutrition, most of us would agree that fresh food is better for us than processed food. Unfortunately, fresh food is also more expensive than processed food. This reality is one of the root causes of an epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States.

A recent policy brief released by the Center for Health Policy Research at UCLA suggested that teenagers from low-income households are three times more likely to be obese than teens from higher-income families. Low-income households are defined as a family of four earning less than $20,000 a year or a family of two earning less than $13,000 a year.

Among these low-income families, more than 21 percent of teens are obese. By contrast, 8 percent of teens from higher income families are obese.

The researchers noted that barriers to healthy behaviors and food options, combined with a high number of fast-food restaurants and fewer opportunities for physical activities, due to higher crime in lower-income areas (it’s hard to play outside when you’re wondering where that gunfire came from), make for an extremely unhealthy population. Another factor in this mess is found in the consumption of soft drinks. Between 67 percent and 71 percent of low-income teens reported drinking one serving of soda the previous day, compared to just 55 percent of the higher income teens.

Another study from the “American Journal of Preventative Medicine” found the same result. In this analysis of 54 studies, published between 1985 and 2008, University of Minnesota researchers found that neighborhood differences of race, ethnicity and income are “the primary determinants of health disparities and access to healthy foods.”

One study found that predominantly African-American neighborhoods had half the number of chain supermarkets as mostly white neighborhoods, while Hispanic neighborhoods had one third as many grocery stores as white neighborhoods.

Three other studies found that obesity risk was lower among residents of neighborhoods with more supermarkets, with two of the studies suggesting a link between access to convenience stores and an increased obesity risk. Thus proving the obvious; drinking “Giant Gulps” and eating “Cheese Doodles” will make you fatter than eating carrots and drinking water.
In order to address these disparities, all of these researchers called for providing for more opportunities for physical activities, including access to green spaces. They also urged city planners to alter existing zoning laws to limit the number of fast food joints and provide incentives to attract outlets that stock fresh food.

Most free-market advocates resist with their last breath any attempt by ANY government entity to tell them where they can build their supermarket, convenience store or fast food emporium. If poor people don’t have a supermarket in their neighborhood, many business leaders would sigh and say that this situation is unfortunate, because “the numbers” suggest that such an establishment would not be profitable.

However, numbers are funny things. Sometimes they “tell” us more than we might want to know.

The price that society is paying for public healthcare expenses for the millions of children who have contracted chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart and liver diseases is enormous. Plus, it is not decreasing. It is increasing! These numbers should scare the dickens out of any business person.

Some have suggested that the current generation of unhealthy children could potentially bankrupt the healthcare system. These diseases can be dramatically curtailed by public policy that encourages behavior modifications such as access to reasonably priced fresh foods and opportunities for exercise.

So what’s the plan? How does society reverse a trend that can drown our healthcare system?

The University of Texas School of Public Health has a lesson in social entrepreneurship. The school has established a community farmer’s market that provides Brownsville, Texas residents access to both fresh produce and information on reducing chronic diseases. According to the university, the rate of diabetes among residents of this predominately Hispanic county is TWICE the national average and this disease is the fourth leading cause of death among Hispanics in Texas.

A partnership between the University and the Texas Department of State Health Services has established a venue for residents to get affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. The “Brownsville Farmers’ Market” offers an alternative to processed and junk food at a location that is along a local walking trail which has the added advantage of encouraging residents to get more physical activity.

To support participation, the Texas Department of State Health has developed a program that provides low-income families with a $10 voucher to purchase fresh produce at the market. In addition, the university, the health department and several community organizations offer on-site nutrition, obesity and diabetes information as well as regular health screenings such as glucose testing.

In this case, the farmers get a market for their produce and lower income residents get a fighting chance to avoid a chronic, debilitating disease. What about us taxpayers? We’re investing a small amount of money in a preventative strategy that will likely save billions of dollars on health care services later.

Sounds fair.

Later----

The Clue
]]> General http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=42 Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:03:16 -0400 http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=41
“Ah, but wait!” the more libertarian among us shout. If you eat a lot of ANYTHING and get no exercise, you will also lose the battle of the bulge. Of course this is true.

However, is there any scientific correlation between the consumption fast food and the health of kids? It turns out there is, and it is outlined in the December 2008 edition of “American Journal of Public Health.”

In order to determine the impact of fast-food restaurant locations on student health, researchers from Azusa Pacific University in California reviewed data on more than 500,000 middle school students from the 2002-2005 “California Healthy Kids Survey.”

Let’s see. They surveyed a half million kids over three years and noted an obvious trend. Yes, that would probably qualify as statistically significant.

According to the data of this research, 28 percent of the students were overweight and 12 percent were obese. Moreover, 55 percent of overweight and obese students attended a school within one-half mile of a fast food restaurant.

Here’s the most important part of the research. The study found a 0.10 unit increase in body mass index among students who attended schools within close proximity of fast food establishments compared with students attending schools that are farther away from such restaurants. So, kids who attended schools located within one half mile of a quick serve restaurant are more likely to be fat than their peers who attend schools that are located farther away from Mickey D’s, WhooperVille or Taco Loco.

Given the incredible number of fast food joints, it’s surprising that the researchers were able to find a school that WASN’T within walking distance to these restaurants. They’re everywhere.
Some other juicy morsels that the researchers uncovered, and I know this will shock you, include data about a lack of consumption of the good stuff. Adolescents who attended schools near a fast food outlet were less likely to eat fruits and vegetables and more likely to consume sugar-laden beverages.

Based on these findings, the researchers (who have obviously spent too long in the faculty lounge) recommended that schools DO something about this situation. They suggested that schools implement policies such as limiting student access to fast-food outlets during lunchtime or those cities enact zoning limitations for the establishments to help reduce adolescent obesity.

The odds of a school district or city passing policies or zoning laws that restrict fast food establishments from serving kids Trans fat infused burgers, fries and soft drinks are equal to those of the TV networks restricting food and beverage advertising on kid shows. It ain’t gonna happen. There’s too much money at stake.

In fact, one of the best known and most successful of the fast food purveyors is enjoying great success in the middle of the biggest recession in the past 50 years. A recent “Wall Street Journal” article noted that McDonalds has reported record revenues for Q4 of 2008 and will have another 650 restaurants open by the end of this year. My guess it that more than a few of these new restaurants will be built across the street from some high school.

Same store sales in the chain rose 7.2% in 2008. McDonald’s total revenue fell 3.3% to $5.57 billion because of currency translations. The chain serves 58 million customers a day – two million more than a year ago.

Since dining out is one of the first things that a budget-strapped family nukes, McDonald’s success is even more amazing. They say that they’ve done it by fixing up the stores, adding lattes and cappuccinos, extending hours and adding new snack and morning items; all while keeping the wages at a minimum. If you have ever had the pleasure of working in fast food “industry,” you understand just how minimum those wages can be.

The biggest fast food franchiser in the world continues to reap big increases in sales while kids who help to make this happen get fatter and fatter and are on their way to heart disease and diabetes. While the fast food outlets could do a better job in making and selling healthier food, they are just playing their part in that market economy that we hold sacrosanct.

The ultimate responsibility for fixing the obesity epidemic among school kids falls on the parents. These are the same folks who serve on school boards, attend PTA meetings, vote for city council members and sit on zoning boards. If that’s you – now would be a good time to speak up.

Later---

The Clue
]]> General http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=41 Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:32:24 -0400 http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=40
If you’ve been watching entertainment trends, you just knew this was going to happen. According to “Packaged Facts,” an independent marketing research company, more than half of the U.S. adult video gaming population is made up of mom’s, dad’s and even grandparents.

Besides shooting a big, virtual hole in the theory that most computer gamers are skinny, pale boys with black fingernail polish, this new data suggests that video games are quickly overtaking all other forms of media. This phenomenon will have big implications for computer gaming and the entertainment industry in general.

The number of video game enthusiasts is astounding to everyone but the companies who design and manufacture these games. They’re too busy counting their money.

There are an estimated 114 million regular video game players. Of these players, 22% are over the age of 55 and 40% are over 45. These gamers spent $6.7 billion (excluding hardware) on video games in the U.S. in 2008.

Not only are there more adults grabbing those joy sticks, but there are as many women as there are men playing. The research strongly suggest that women and older adults are expected to “fuel much of the segment’s future growth, with the number of male gamers in the 55-64 year old range increasing by 34% by 2013, compared with only 7% for the 18-34 year old demographics.” The company predicts the growth rate among women to be 17%, versus 12% growth rate of men.

There are several reasons for this shift in entertainment spending, including the nose-dive of the economy. As families are forced to curtail their spending on movies, dining out or shopping, they stay home. This has been called “cocooning” and it is a perfect situation for video gaming. This home-based entertainment is made even more compelling by the fact that gaming has become a very popular group activity.

An increase in the popularity of “active gaming” is also fueling this dramatic change in video gaming demographics. Gaming systems such as the “Wii” allow young and old to use hand-held controllers to participate in virtual sports and physical activities. To see how popular the Wii has become, just drop by any senior citizen recreation room and notice how many residents are whooping it up playing Wii bowling and golf!

Another popular active gaming piece of equipment is our very own plug-and-play “GameBike.” Since you’re reading this posting, you no doubt know that GameBike is a stationary bicycle, with a patented steering mechanism that allows the rider to become one of the characters in off-the-shelf chase games. The faster the participant pedals, the faster his character travels in the game.

Perhaps the granddaddy of active gaming is “Dance Dance Revolution.” This dance pad craze started with teens in arcades and is now gaining huge popularity as a home-based entertainment options.
When companies are changing the music and software of DDR to accommodate older players (which is now happening), you KNOW the demographics of the game are changing.

Other implications for this “maturing” of the computer video gamer have to do with its ability to attract eyeballs, especially those attached to a head of a person who might want to BUY something. According to this research, these adult gamers are more likely to go to a shopping mall than non-gamers. Also, these “moderate” gamers (those who play video games between one and six time a week) are more likely to be “adult” gamers and they are more likely to notice in-game product placements than the “avid” (i.e. those crazy kids!) gamers.

If video gaming follows the evolution of movies and television, this huge increase in the adult gamers will offer irresistible product placement opportunities for consumer products companies within the games. So, how soon will it be before your favorite shooter game, chase game or Wii fitness game has ads for Polident and Lipitor?

Dude! It’s coming and soon.

Later---

The Clue
]]> General http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=40 Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:54:21 -0400 http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=39
While many of us will hold on to that gym membership card until they pry our dead fingers off it, lower discretionary income will affect facilities. This will be a very tough time to be a personal trainer or own a workout facility.

In spite of the doom and gloom, most fitness industry experts predict that the boom of “boot camps” will continue. This is further evidence that many fitness fanatics are also masochists.

However, downsizing, layoffs, foreclosures and the whole cauldron of personal financial malaise will make most of us forgo the gym and try to work off those pounds and that anxiety at home or on the neighborhood jogging track.

There is some good news. Home based active gaming should take off

As people stay home, all this cocooning will encourage a fitness trend that started a few years ago. Active Gaming, also called “exergaming,” takes the incredible popularity of computer console and online gaming and combines it with aerobic exercise.

Some of the most popular products in the active gaming category include: Wii, GameBike and GamePad and the other Dance Dance Revolution pads and programs

As usual, the kids were the first to discover just how cool these products are. Now mom, dad and even grandparents are getting in on the deal. What drives this popularity? In the every case, the equipment is tied into a gaming system and this system will only operate with physical exertion from the player. Lots of families have the gaming consoles already and adding the additional equipment is not to expensive.Some of the most popular products in the active gaming category include: Wii, GameBike and GamePad and the other Dance Dance Revolution pads and programs

As usual, the kids were the first to discover just how cool these products are. Now mom, dad and even grandparents are getting in on the deal. What drives this popularity? In the every case, the equipment is tied into a gaming system and this system will only operate with physical exertion from the player. Lots of families have the gaming consoles already and adding the additional equipment is not to expensive.

The Wii console system has become one of the leaders in the active gaming category. The premise is simple. A wide range of sports scenes are flashed on the screen and the players of the game are given small controllers to enable them to actually participate in the game. Baseball, golf, bowling and more sports are all a part of the Wii product. Just drop in a retirement center some afternoon and see how many of the over-65 set are throwing strikes with the Wii bowling game.

In the case of GameBike, the player is seated on a modified stationary bicycle which is plugged in to a Sony Playstation ™ or Xbox ™ gaming console. The bike has a patented steering mechanism that allows the person to steer through the “chase” game on the
screen. Plus, the faster the player pedals, the faster his character on the screen goes. In some cases, two GameBikes are arranged side-by-side and real-time competition can occur.

The Dance Dance Revolution started as an arcade game that teens loved. This active game is basically a 3 foot by 3 foot square with sensors on each square. Using DDR software games, the player is challenged to follow the arrows with their feet. Sounds easy, but it can be extremely challenging and is a great workout.

The GamePad is one of the category’s most rugged DDR pad. The pad has been tested at amusement parks, physical education classes and even with college football teams. It will withstand greater that 450 pounds of pressure and is ready for more.

The secret sauce of all of these active gaming products is the fact that participants don’t realize how much of a workout that they’re getting because they are having too much fun. Fitness professionals call this phenomenon overcoming “perceived exertion.”

Another Hot Category for 2009 is the gadgets that help us set goals and measure success

From the most rudimentary pedometer to the most sophisticated online activity tracking program, LOTS of us want to see those numbers! The tracking gadgets and online sites that help us do this will realize good success in the coming year.

Some of the most popular of these products are: pedometers, such as the Hudson 10K Step, heart rate monitors, such as Polar Heart Rate Monitors and data ports that allow activity to be downloaded to a website such as Fit Bit.

These ingenious devises are incredibly small and can give the wearer enough data to satisfy even the most obsessed fitness fanatics.

Times are definitely tough and the company wellness program or the gym membership may not have as high a priority as say keeping the lights on. Unfortunately, when discretionary funds are limited, health and fitness programs and products suffer.

Hopefully, the housing bubbles, bailouts and Ponzi schemes will be bad memories next year and our waistlines will be skinny and our 401K’s bulging.

Have you got a Clue about some hot personal fitness products? Let us know by responding below.

Later---

The Clue.
]]> General http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=39 Fri, 6 Feb 2009 17:25:42 -0400 http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=38
Are Soft Drinks the New Cigarettes?

If there was any doubt that “sugary” drinks have become the new cigarettes among the health conscious, you might want to cast your gaze to the Empire State. That’s where Governor David Paterson has proposed a new soda tax.

New York’s chief executive has suggested an 18% sales tax on soft drinks and other non-diet sugary beverages. His administration believes that this tax will raise about $400 million a year which can be used to stem the tide of red ink in the state’s budget.

Make no mistake. This is a new “sin” tax like that levied on cigarettes and liquor. Whether you think that it is good public policy to tax unhealthy behavior and then use that revenue to fill the states coffers is another discussion for another day.

The primary fact is this. Making products more expensive will have the effect of decreasing their consumption. Period. Some would contend that if this tax has this effect, the cost-savings from treating the diseases associated with childhood and adult obesity trumps any philosophical differences you might have about robbing Peter to pay down the state deficit.

So, will this new soda tax have this effect? It most assuredly will.
In a recent “New York Times” editorial, Nicholas Kristof made these very astute points:

• The biggest health care breakthrough in the U.S. in the last 40 years was NOT heart bypasses, CAT scans, MRI’s or cancer treatment. It was the cigarette tax.
• Every 10% price increase on cigarettes reduced sales by 3% overall and 7 % (!!) among teenagers.
• In 1983 alone, the increase in the federal tax on cigarettes saved more than 40,000 live per year.
Thus, Kristof noted, the most promising “cure” for lung cancer did NOT emerge from a medical research lab, but rather from the politicians who taxed the primary cause for the cancer, tobacco. It seems logical that best cure for obesity might come from the same kind of public policy.

A nutrition expert, Barry Popkin, from the University of North Carolina has noted in his book “The World is Fat” that “soft drinks are linked to diabetes and obesity in the way that tobacco is to lung cancer.” It is not a coincidence that the average American is estimated to consume about 35 gallons of non-diet soda each year and get far more added sugar from soft drinks that from edible sweets.

However, if I were the state of New York, I wouldn’t be counting this tax money just yet.

Don’t expect the folks who sell us all of this carbonated water to go quietly into the dark night. The beverage industry is massive and they
can be counted on to bring lawyers, guns and money to defeating this tax policy.

This is reminiscent of the response of big tobacco about a generation ago. We’ve all seen how that turned out.

There are many reasons for the obesity epidemic. These include high fat, empty calorie fast food, sweet and salty snacks, skyrocketing crime in some neighborhoods that force children to stay inside instead of playing outside and the sedentary lifestyle where kids would rather watch mindless television or play endless video games.

It’s the Internet. It’s the parents. It’s “No Child Left Behind” which precludes funding for physical education. It’s a wide range of seemingly intractable forces that encourage kids and adults to be obese and unhealthy.

There is one thing for certain. If New York succeeds passing this 18% tax on sugary drinks and it has the effect of reducing the diseases associated with chronic obesity while adding new money to the state coffers, there will be 49 other states ready to enact the same policy.

What do you think of the tax on soda? Give us a Clue.

Later---

The Clue
]]> General http://www.gamebike.comindex.php?itemid=38 Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:58:41 -0400