Wii Are Getting Fit

Yesterday’s run was not much to blog about. Basically, I jogged to Home Hardware to return an ill fitting toilet flange, then meandered my way back to the house. Aside from navigating through some heavy West Side traffic (why does the city only plow half the sidewalks in this city?), the jaunt went without incident. Absolutely nothing interesting to report.

Instead, I talk about my Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus. I’ve owned the Wii Fit and balance board for almost a year, and received the Fit Plus expansion as a Christmas gift from my fiancé Sarah. Both games sat unused for weeks following Christmas – moving into a house will do that – until yesterday, when I finally decided to dust of the balance board and give it a whirl.

In the past, video games have attempted to promote a healthy lifestyle (anyone remember the ill-fated Power Pad for the original Nintendo?) but it wasn’t until Wii Fit came along that the general public bought into the concept. Now the second best-selling game of all time, Wii Fit has coerced millions of people of all ages off the couch and into a fitness routine.

Yesterday’s Wii Fit routine included 10 minutes of Yoga and about 20 minutes of games. Most of the activities are relatively tame – one of the Yoga poses basically consists of breathing while standing still – but you can build up a sweat if you really push yourself. The game registers the ten highest scores in each activity, which enhances the replay factor for competitive people like me.

The Wii Fit Plus expansion includes some new Yoga Poses, strength exercises, and 15 new games to try out. I am only about half way through the various activities, but those I have attempted thus far are at least as fun as those on the original game, if not more. I’ve also yet to try out the multiplayer mode, but as soon as Sarah issues a challenge, I’ll be giving it a whirl.

Would I choose the Wii Fit over a personal fitness trainer? Probably not. But, if don’t have a gym membership and a have an urge to get active, I would suggest picking it up. It’s a lot of fun to play with, and if you burn a few calories, well, that’s a bonus.

If you want to learn more about Wii Fit, click here. I will continue to update you on my Wii Fit progress as my training progresses.