If you've ever seen the wide grins, flushed faces, sparkling eyes and the overall healthy glow of preschool children playing after school, you know what fitness games really mean. Not only do these carefree preschoolers have all the fun in the world (barring the shrill cries of an occasionally bad stumble), they reap the benefits of a total body workout. They get to jump rope, skip, leap, run while having a blast. You, meanwhile, are carrying your duffel bag, gym gear and are imagining the prospect of another 50 minutes of boring sets and reps at the gym.

Fitness boot camp instructors understand the importance of games, which is why they include this fun competitive element in their workouts. Whereas traditional gym routines like lifting weights or running the treadmill are predictable, who emerges the champion in a friendly competition is never known at the outset. This makes games more fun and exciting. This makes it the first reason why fitness games give more results where weight loss is concerned. Games are fun and being so, are extremely difficult to stop. We see this reaction in our children when they're in the middle of a game but it's time to go home. You can hardly pull them to the car! It's similar with adults. Even if mom might not be calling anymore, you're still loathe to stop a game of Frisbee. Translated to weight loss, the longer you keep doing the workout, the more calories you burn. And we know that the more calories you expend, the more fats you lose.

Another reason why fitness games produce more results where weight loss is concerned is that by its very nature, the competitive spirit encourages players to give it their all. Intensity is heightened as each player attempts to beat the competition by giving it their all. As a result, they ramp up their efforts since they don't want to let their teammates down. Some individuals who play the game do so because they want to win. When a game becomes more intense, the muscles are tasked to its maximum limit. The metabolic rate is heightened for an even faster calorie burn. Even after the activity, the body's metabolic rate continues to burn even more calories.

The battle of the bulge is a serious war that needs to be won. Our health hinges heavily on it. However, it doesn't mean that we can't fight it the fun way. Often, it is our "adult" idea of taking things seriously that could even ruin the whole regimen in the first place. When our routines get too structured, it becomes no fun at all, similar to the way we feel when we are forced to work at a job we do not like. It all becomes drudgery. The motivation gets easily lost in the humdrum of everyday.

We can take our cue from the children. They're not attempting to lose weight, they're not even in it for the health benefits. They're simply playing a game for the sheer joy of being able to run around and to be able to experience the camaraderie of their teammates. The next time you feel bored out of your wits from your gym routine, round up everyone you know to meet at the local park and enjoy a game of Frisbee.