Thoughts on Wii Fit

So I’ve had the Wii Fit for five days now and the soreness in my thighs and sides seems to tell me that despite all the beloved frustration I get with this game I am actually getting a workout. It’s probably not the best workout in the world, but it’s fun and enjoyable and I like watching my cat stand around me trying to figure out what the hell I’m doing.

The game is broken up into four sections: Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics and Balance. Balance is obviously my weakest area as I just really really really suck at all the games, but somehow I keep unlocking enough levels to keep me really frustrated. They are however a deceptively fun way to get a nice burn with your obliques and thighs, two of my problem areas.

Before you start your training each day you are encouraged to take your Body Test. This is where you stand still on the Wii Fit Board for five seconds then do two random tasks which have nothing to do with your fitness level entirely. Depending on how well you do at said tasks and your weight for the day you get your Wii Fit Age. I don’t really see what standing on one leg for 30 seconds has to do with my fitness.

The biggest issue I had with the Wii Body Test was how biased it is to making you feel like a fat, unbalanced slob. The first day I took my test I actually did quite well and my Wii age was 22 (just one year off). I didn’t play Wii Fit the next day and when I went to play it the day after that the Wii scolded me. When I logged in it the little animated Wii Board asked if I was too busy to work out yesterday and then when I took my Body Test it mocked me for gaining a pound. Not to be deterred I woke up early the next morning and took the Wii Body Test again. This time I was back to my normal weight. Unable to accept this, the Wii just brushed it off as daily changes in body weight.

So in other words, when you weigh one pound heavier than you did the other day you’re fat and lazy and when you lose a pound in that same time frame it’s just natural body function. You can’t have it both ways Wii Fit!

The other thing I don’t like about the game is there is no option to combine the strength training and yoga exercises into a long routine. You do your to minute work out. Stop. Stand up. Grab your Wiimote. Return to the main menu. Select a Different work out. It’s very disjointed and your workout could be much more effective if you could do an actual yoga or strength training routine. Also, the gym and trainer are so boring. I understand that using the Mii to be your trainer for these workouts could have been risky since they don’t look human enough, but why does realism have to mean boring blue gym with no one else around.

This is more fun than yoga.

Why would I want to stay in Dull Land when I can dress up like a penguin and try to catch fish by sliding on my tuummy?

All in all, this is a good game and a fun way to exercise for those who hate all things physical. I hope they’ll come out with more games that use the Wii Fit board so that even more physicality can be incorporated into gameplay.

Fitnessizing my life

So now that I’ll someday be earning a disposable income (if I can ever get money to pay these start-up bills) I’ve been wondering what I should spend my money on. Despite the wondrful thought of saving up for a new TV or computer I’ve been thinking of new ways I could use my money to help get in shape. My company has a deal with a local gym so I’ll be signing up for that once I get my first pay stub Aside from that I’ve been thinking of a couple other options to get in shape:

1. Take a dance class like jazz or belly dancing
2. Take one of those really fancy yoga classes where they make the room temperature about 100 °F
3. Join a softball league

I think my best bet may be No. 3. I used to play a lot of softball, but eventually fell out of love with the sport. For the first 16 years of my life my life pretty much revolved around it and I mean that literally. My whole family plays. Our vacations, weekends I could take the car, parties, you name it they were revolved around softball. Some of my first childhood friends and my parents best friends were all a part of the same league.

It got to a point where it stopped being fun so I decided to take my leave. I always wanted to get back into it, but just on a recreational level. I played on a couple intramural teams in college, but now I think it might be time to join a league. Unfortunately I may have to wait for next season since most leagues would be about midway through now. But I see it as a way to get back into training. I’d like to find a batting cage or something around here so I could literally get back into the swing of things. But until next year there’s always belly dancing!

My Quoteboard:

My Aunt: You remind me of that show with Mary Tyler Moore where she got a job in the big city. What was the name of that Mary Tyler Moore Show?
Me: “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”?

Getting into shape with Netflix

I am officially in love with Netflix thanks to a recent discovery in their Watch Instantly section. While their movie selection for instant viewing is getting better by the day, there is one gem that has made me a Netflix junkie and that is their wide variety of exercise videos available to watch instantly on my laptop. Here’s where to find them:

1. IN Netflix click on the “Watch Instantly” tab.
2. Go to “Movie Categories” and select “Sports & Fitness”
3. On a sidebar to your right there are a number of sub-categories. Select the “Workouts” category and you’ll be directed to all their workout videos.

In the workouts categories you’ll find a number of great videos including the entire CRUNCH series, which has some of my favorite workout routines. It does, however, have a few videos I may never watch (like the “Hot Yoga” series.) My personal favorite is the CRUNCH Candlelight Yoga because it’s a great stretching routine to do after you’ve done some intense cardio. So if you’re in a workout rut and have a Netflix account I would definitely recommend checking this out.