You probably know that doctors keep saying that, in order for our bodies to stay healthy, we should walk on a daily basis for at least 60 minutes. Well, following the reports of a new study appearing in the journal Pediatrics (via 1UP), the docs might change their approach to the whole thing since it appears that active gaming burns as many calories as a moderate (and even intense) walk in the park! And, up to a point, it’s even a more pleasant activity!

The study was made on 14 boys and 9 girls, all aged between 10 and 13, and their energy levels were compared during three activities: watching TV, playing Dance Dance Revolution and Wii Sports, and walking on treadmills. The results were quite surprising: playing the games was proved to burn three times more calories than watching TV, while having similar (and sometimes even bigger) numbers of calories burned as while walking on the treadmill.

“An important feature of exergaming is the entertainment factor, which may motivate some users more than traditional exercise modes,” wrote the authors of the study. “Active games such as DDR or Wii may offer an alternative to sedentary screen games and could be incorporated into more structured exercise programs as a complement to activities such as walking and cycling.”

However, the authors move on to write that the number of calories burned by a walk in the park (or, as it turns out now – active gaming) is not something we could consider fit for losing weight, but it’s still more than passive gaming or laying on the couch, watching TV and eating burgers.