Not a post about meta. Instead, a post about my new Wii Fit.
This year’s frivolous tax return purchase was a Wii and a Wii Fit. For those who are curious about the cost, the Wii, Wii Fit with software, two controllers with motion plus, a charger and a couple of games ran us around $578 with warranties. We could probably have done the Wii and Wii Fit for around $500.
Our motivation for buying the Wii Fit was to put some jazz back into our exercise life. The bleak Iowa winter had taken us away from our usual early morning commute into the gym. We wanted to get equipment that wouldn’t be repetitive and dull, plus something that would motivate us.
When you sign into the Wii, you create an icon for yourself called the Mii. You can take this little avatar and transfer it into the Wii Fit. Once you’ve calibrated your controller and your Wii board to the Wii, you’re ready for your body test.
The body test asks for your height and age. Then it weighs you and calculates your BMI. It also calculates your centers of balance. I appreciate the emphasis on BMI over weight, and I appreciate the holistic approach to health. Since I am obese, my perky little Mii plumped right up! I’m interested in seeing her and me slim down. The Wii also evaluates your body age. Because of my weight and balance, I came in about 9 years older than I am, at 53. That kind of stat makes you think.
Wii Fit tracks your work out time and data. Each day you stamp in. You set goals (my first goal? A modest 3 pounds lost in 2 weeks.). Goals and progress are charted. A little piggy bank keeps track of time spent exercising and calories burned.
What can you do on a Wii Fit? The Wii has 4 areas of concentration. Strength training focuses on exercises. My leg work out was 4 star worthy last night, but my puny arms will rate one star. At best. I’m looking at the possibility of no stars.
Balance exercises help you improve your balance and posture. Since this isn’t an area of fitness I’ve ever focused on before, I’m sort of looking forward to this one. Yoga improves flexibility, strength and balance.
A wide variety of aerobics activities help you get your heart rate up. There are mundane activities (walking in place), more exotic ones (super hula hoop!), and programs that simulate biking (guess who fell in a canal last night?)
There are cheaper ways to exercise, but if you live in a place where you are likely to be marooned for days, or live somewhere isolated, the Wii Fit may be a good investment for you.
A word of caution: you may well want to be a regular. Otherwise, I hear the Fit can call you names. My boss’s sister was away from it for some time. She gained weight, and it called her a whale. Remember before you throw the board across the room that the Wii Fit board runs you about $100…
Catherine
Good luck with the Wii Fit! It’s a lot of fun.
There are some dance games out there as well that can provide some exercise, if you really want some jazz. 🙂
Well, you can get the Wii and Fit for about $250 without all the extra chargers, etc.
But yeah, it’s fun (although I haven’t been on it this week, bad me, no cookie). There’s no gyms local for me and I needed to start exercising. I tend to go for the aerobics to get my heart pumping and then head to the new Extras part (those games not in the original Fit) to keep me warmed up for a half hour. I like how the Plus now tracks your calories burned and has greater feedback.
And super hula hoop is great fun. Let me know when you do your first 6 or 10 minute run on it. (evil grin)
I will. Now that I know that there *is* a 6 or 10 minute run on hula hoops, I will endeavor to break into the upper bracket.
I can’t get that song out of my head…
Catherine