Wii Fitness

So not everyone is in love with Wii Fit. A lot of people think that it’s a waste of money and people’s expectations are way too high. IT’S A VIDEO GAME!!! How high can expectations really be?

So what are the critics saying? They say that the exercises have the potential to be dangerous. They are saying that a video game can’t replace gym equipment and/or a personal trainer. And apparently it’s unheard of to choose video game jogging over real jogging (as if a treadmill or elliptical machine aren’t popular exercise equipment that also emulates activities that could be done outside).

I’m not a big fan of video games, but video games that actually get you moving and let you accomplish something get a thumbs up from me. That is why I love the Wii fitness revolution. Sure, it’s not going to replace traditional  physical fitness, but at least it’s getting otherwise sedentary people up and moving.

Now that I’ve had a chance to play the Wii Fit for a couple of days, some of the games are emerging as my favorites. So I’ll count down my favorite five games so far.

5. Jogging - Jogging really gets my  heart rate up, but it’s hard on my calves. The scenery is great, and the sound is really awesome. I like jogging in the game even though I don’t particularly care for jogging outside. I’m still trying to find a technique that works all of my leg muscles rather than just those in my lower leg.

4.  Hula Hoop - When I first got the game, this was my favorite. It’s probably because I am so good at it. I can’t hula hoop at all in real life. But with Wii Fit I can spin five different hoops and get my heart rate up. This totally gets a thumbs up for aerobic benefit.

3.  Advanced Step - I like this one more than the Basic Step mostly because of the kicks. Those are pretty fun.

2.  Ski Jump - A balance game actually made my Top 5. I mostly try to focus on aerobics when using Wii Fit, but the balance games are really useful for warming up or just a change of pace between aerobics games.

1. Rhythm Boxing - It should be no surprise that Rhythm Boxing is at the top of my list. It is a fun game. I’m not great at the advanced levels, but they are still fun. Rhythm boxing is unlocked after about an hour and 45 minutes of working out (time in the Wii Fit Bank).

I’m still loving Wii Fit. Hopefully I can develop a workout with the games. I’ll be doing some trial and error with my heart rate monitor the next few days and update the blog with the results.

I’ve had a chance to play Wii Fit quite a bit since it first arrived yesterday. So now it’s time for first impressions.

The aerobics actually get your heart pumping. Even though the hula hoop and jogging games are short in duration at first, playing them a couple of times unlocks longer versions of the games. Also, playing the games unlocks a pretty awesome boxing game.

The balance games are also great. I’ll admit that I’m not so great with the balancing, though. So far my favorite is the ski jump. I’m pretty horrible at the soccer game although it probably the only time that getting hit in the head with flying cleats is funny.

I  haven’t had a chance to play around too much with the yoga and strength training, but I’ll have to give them a go soon since I keep unlocking new moves.

This morning I wore my heart rate monitor, and I played until I burned 400 calories. The hula hooping and jogging get my heart rate into the upper fat burning/ lower cardio zones. It’s all about what you put into it.

Overall, this game is great. My biggest complaint is that you keep having to use the remote to start the exercises. Other than that inconvenience, it’s great.

After months of waiting, my Wii Fit finally arrived.

It took the UPS guy forever to get here. I usually get my packages anywhere between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. That’s not how it happened today. It was 4 o’clock with no sign of the my Wii Fit. I was beginning to regret not making that mad dash to Walmart this morning.

It never fails that the thing you want doesn’t come when you expect it. No. You have to be patient. And I was very patient…up until five o’clock when I began wondering if Amazon had played a cruel joke on me.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the UPS truck finally pulled up in my yard at 6 o’clock!!

Wait! Six o’clock? Isn’t that a little late for anyone to be delivering anything?

I guess he’d been out all day delivering Wii Fits to everyone else.

I’ll review how I like the game tomorrow since I got it too late to really try everything out.

So I just got an email from Amazon saying that my preordered Wii Fit has shipped and will be here on Wednesday. I have been looking forward to this game coming out for months. I’ve watched YouTube videos of people in Japan and Europe having fun hula hooping, snowboarding, ski jumping, and jogging with their Wii Fit. I preordered it in March and got an email a couple of weeks later telling me that there would be a delay in shipping.

Would I have to wait for Wii Fit?

I hatched a plan to get one from Walmart on the day that it released. Surely they wouldn’t sell out right away. I live in a small town. It’s hard to believe that people here would buy up the entire stock of Wii Fits from 2 area Walmarts and 2 GameStops. So today I was pleasantly surprised to find an email in my inbox telling me that my Amazon order had shipped and my Wii Fit should be here on Wednesday. I won’t have to make a mad dash for Walmart the first thing on Wednesday morning, cleverly maneuvering my buggy to thwart the efforts of those trying to get between me and my Wii Fit.

Now I’m just waiting for the UPS man….

Playing a game is a fun way to exercise. You should be careful not to overdo it, though. Yesterday, I played Wii Sports Boxing for about 30 minutes, and I’m feeling it today. When playing such a physical game, it is a good idea to warm of up muscles first, especially the arm muscles. This can be done with stretching or some jumproping.

I am still fine tuning my game playing fitness schedule. This week I’ve learned that warming up is important even if I’m just playing a game. I knew that general aerobics required some warm-up and cool-down time, but it’s interesting that the same is beneficial for the Wii fitness.

So in addition to warming up my muscles before playing Wii, I’m also going to stretch my muscles after I’m done playing for cooldown.

Soon I’m going to be doing a countdown for Wii Fit. It’s release is Wednesday, May 21st. This is going to be the ultimate for Wii Fitness, and I can’t wait to try this new game out!

I’ve never been a big fan of video games. In my experience, it’s something people give way too much time to that doesn’t give anything back. Then came Dance Dance Revolution, a game that compels players to get up off of the couch and move their bodies. DDR changed the way that people saw video games. Suddenly, video games were more than mindless entertainment. DDR actually burned calories. I wanted it! Come on. Who isn’t a little bit intrigued about a video game that actually helps you lose weight? Video game addicts were reporting weight loss of 30, 40, 50 pounds and more in a short period of time. That’s 50+ pounds from playing a video game!

All those people, myself included, who scoffed at video gaming were suddenly sitting up and taking notice. But that little voice in the back of my head kept telling me it was too good to be true. You lose weight by killing yourself in the gym and starving yourself. It was about sacrifice. Playing video games was not sacrifice. Was I wrong? Could video games actually help shed pounds? Exercise that was actually fun and effective? Impossible!

Then came Nintendo’s Wii system. Video games and weight loss were once again reunited when people playing the game Wii Sports realized that they were losing weight while they bowled and boxed and played tennis. Again, interactive gameplay was getting people off the couch and actually burning calories. Every news station was touting the health benefits of spending hours playing a video game. Wii consoles were flying off the shelves. It sounded like a fad. But it was a fad worth keeping my eye on. I still wanted one. But that little voice kept insisting that I ignore the hype and keep pedaling my stationary bike.

Then my husband walked in the door with a Wii console. I pretended to be indifferent. He was only interested in Mario Galaxy, but I was eyeing his Wii Sports. Then one day when he was at work, I slipped in the disc and began playing. Before I knew it an hour was gone, and I was sweating. Profusely. And the next day my arms were sore. Very sore.

So I went out and found all the games for Wii that actually get you moving. Now it’s possible to combine Wii Sports, DDR: Hottest Party and even little WarioWare Smooth Moves to make a cardio video game workout program. That is just wild. And Nintendo isn’t finished! Wii Fit is due to be released soon. This is a game that includes balance, cardio, strength training, and yoga to get people up and moving. I am now one of those people waiting anxiously for the latest greatest game to be released!

So is it a scam? Are we crazy to believe that we can lose weight by playing a video game? It seems so unlikely, but you can’t argue with results. Schools are implementing DDR into their physical education programs to inspire kids to get active and get healthy. Hospitals are using Wii Sports to help patients rehabilitate after injury. It’s hard to condemn something that is helping so many people, especially when we’re all having so much fun.

No video exercise program is complete without Dance Dance Revolution. Today, I finally got the Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party. I was so excited that I ripped open the box.

So I start playing the game, and I realize that I’m horrible. I’m convinced my body has mutated and I now have 5 left feet! So even though I’m flailing around, getting embarrassingly low scores, after ten or fifteen minutes I notice that I’m sweating.

Even though I’m writing this blog and playing other Wii games that get my heart rate up, I am still amazed when I find a new game that has the potential to help me lose weight. It’s a game, for goodness sake!! DDR caught my attention before there even was a Nintendo Wii, but I was never tempted to buy a gaming system just to play one game.

Today is one of those days when it great to own a Wii.

Now it’s time to talk about which games actually help you to work up a sweat. Most Wii games aren’t going to do much for your waistline, but there are a few that get you up and moving.The first that we will discuss is actually Wii Sports. If you own a Wii console, you know that this is the game that comes with the box. Wii Sports contains the following games: Boxing, Tennis, Bowling, Baseball, & Golf. Workout-wise, these games are not created equal. Boxing and tennis will burn calories the fastest. If you really want to lose weight using the Wii, it is important to use these games more often than the others. Bowling and baseball come next. You can work up a sweat with these games, but the pauses in the game make it hard to raise your heart rate.

At this point, the game that will likely help you lose the most weight playing the Wii is Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party. This game costs about $69 and comes with one mat. DDR is the game that has proven weight loss benefits. Dance Dance Revolution is an addictive game first seen in arcades and adapted for use with home gaming systems. Jumping around, trying to keep up with the dance steps, there are worse things in the world than a DDR addiction, especially if you’re trying to lose weight.

Honorable mention goes to WarioWare Smooth Moves. This game is full of minigames that can make you sweat, especially in the Boss Stages as the game progresses. This is more of a party game, though, and probably wouldn’t be wise to include in a workout plan.

Are there any games that I’ve missed?

Nintendo will release it’s health-focused game, Wii Fit at the end of the month, and this should make losing weight even more fun.

If you love video games and need to get into shape, this is the blog for you. It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s not going to be easy. It is possible to get your heart rate up and burn calories playing the Nintendo Wii games.

This blog will explore which games burn the most calories and how to play to get the most aerobic benefit from the game with a few odds and ends thrown in for fun.

Afterall, the appeal of incorporating a workout into a video game is that it’s fun. Sure, a treadmill or stationary bike may burn the calories faster, but those get boring quickly, even when you’re running or cycling while watching the tube or listening to your favorite music.

Wii has interactive games. Wii sucks you in even when you think you’re immune to its powers. Wii makes you exercise and you don’t even know it. It’s a different kind of workout. And we’re here to explore Wii Fitness.