With recent research indicating that the average person spends more than eight hours each day sitting on their butt, the AHA has been trying to figure out why people aren't more physically active. Excuses ranged from not having enough time to the cost of gym memberships to exercise not being that much fun. So Nintendo would like everyone to consider that you could spend less money to get a Wii and Wii Fit and have fun playing games that will get you up and off the couch in the ease and comfort of your own home.

To promote this new partnership, Nintendo is now branding the Wii system as well as Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort packaging with the American Heart Association brand beginning this summer. Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing remained mum on any future plans for expanding the brand, such as with the in-development Vitality Sensor or future Wii games that incorporate active play. "Right now we are focused on these three products," she told me. "And then we're also focused on this research summit that we plan to convene and the online website. So we wanted to use the products that have the broadest reach and have really shown the strongest appeal to consumers." Though honestly, it would seem a natural to continue adding the AHA branding to future games that meet the appropriate requirements. It would also be nice if it could branch out beyond first party titles, since games like We Cheer and Dance Dance Revolution have also gotten gamers moving.

The summit Dunaway spoke of will be occurring later this year where representatives from the areas of science, health care, research, physical activity, fitness and videogaming will gather together to examine the benefits of active-play videogames and physically active lifestyles. Nintendo will also be providing demo kiosks of Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit at Start! Heart Walks across the country. They also suggest visiting activeplaynow.com for tips and suggestions on how to live healthier. After the announcement, some Nintendo employees gave a demonstration of some Wii Fit yoga and then everyone broke to mingle and try out the games for themselves. It was highly amusing to me to watch people who have never played videogames pick up a Wiimote and give it a go. And it's a testament to how user friendly the Wii is that nobody seemed to really have much of a problem getting the hang of it!

I've been a huge proponent of Wii Fit and other active-play games before Nintendo coined that term and joined forces with the American Heart Association to promote physical fitness through videogames. And with a history of heart disease in my family, I am certainly feeling a lot better about my chances for living longer nowadays, and I have Wii Fit to thank for inspiring me to live a healthier lifestyle. Let's hope that Nintendo and the American Heart Association can do the same for other people!