physical activity

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

A guilty pleasure to get you through quarantine that’s actually good for you

Cooped up indoors without an outlet for exercise? Active video games could be the answer, says Amy Lu, an associate professor of communication studies and health sciences.

by Khalida Sarwari May 12, 2020

By asking short, digitally delivered questions, associate professor Stephen Intille hopes to get a more complete picture of people’s health—and ultimately make fitness trackers work better for people. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

It’s time for smart fitness trackers to smarten up

Too many owners abandon their fitness trackers because they don’t work well enough. By combining the tools of physical measurement and self-reporting, Stephen Intille, associate professor of computer sciences and health sciences, wants to fill the void between Fitbit screens and real life.

by Aria Bracci September 5, 2019

Ruiming Wang designed a fictional island where exercise and the outdoors convene in order to study how people perform on tasks that they encounter while inside the world. Illustration by Gregory Grinnell/Northeastern University

Making the leap from video games to a psychology lab

When Ruiming Wang, who recently graduated from Northeastern’s Game Science and Design program, realized his virtual reality skills could improve people’s lives, he had one thought: “I’m in.”

by Aria Bracci May 13, 2019

A woman runs up a set of stairs. Photo from iStock.

Here’s how you can ‘feel better, think better, and sleep better’

Northeastern cognitive neuroscientist Chuck Hillman helped to create the federal government’s new physical fitness guidelines, which recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of exercise per week. “A single bout of exercise has an immediate effect on brain health,” Hillman said.

by Sophia Fox-Sowell November 21, 2018

Amy Lu, an assistant professor with joint appointments in the College of Arts, Media and Design and the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, found that young adults who play active video games with a narrative aspect increased their physical activity and improved their working memory. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Video games can improve your health. You just need to play the right ones.

Northeastern professor Amy Lu and postdoctoral researcher Jungyun Hwang found that following a narrative while playing a video game that gets you moving may lead to improved cognitive function.

by Allie Nicodemo July 24, 2018

Exercise your way to better memory, focus, sleep, and more

Exercise is good for your health. We all know that. But here's a news flash: 150-300 minutes of it per week can give you better and longer sleep, help with depression and anxiety and even lead to better brain function in children, according to a new report.

by Allie Nicodemo March 6, 2018

Nov. 22, 2016 - BOSTON, MA. - Amy Lu, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies and the Game Design program of the College of Arts, Media and Design and the Department of Health Sciences of the Bouvé College of Health Sciences poses for a portrait at Northeastern University on Nov. 22, 2016. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Losing by winning: Researchers use stories, video games to combat obesity

We’ve heard about the power of stories to engage, delight, teach, challenge, and help us understand ourselves. Now new research co-led by Northeastern assistant professor Amy Lu shows the power of stories to help children fight obesity.

by Thea Singer November 29, 2016

3Qs: Addressing the kind of growth America doesn’t need

Northeastern health sciences professor says that reversing the trend towards youth obesity — and obesity in general — is a community-wide effort

by Matt Collette June 24, 2011