Late to The DDR Revolution

An interesting addition to exercise routines and start up exercise programs for the uninterested is DDR or Dance Dance Revolution. It offers a variety of songs and step difficulty programs that provide a mild to moderate aeorobic workout depending on your level of fitness. The steps, jumps, and movements should also assist to some degree in balance and coordination development. There is a setting for “aerobic workout” that will estimate calories burned and distance covered equivalent.

While there is an arcade version, a variety of home versions exist including PS2, PS3, and XBox.

An open source variant is online which allows you to hook up your dance pads to your pc and use shared music via USB connectors. More information may be found at stepmania.com.

This is a fun way for non-runners to have a gentle (to intense) work out on rainy days and may motivate more people towards those first steps to fitness. As long as you don’t trip over your feet, you can dance to the music!