Wii Fit has been in the market for over a year now and still sells like hot cakes. If you are not in the store the day the stock arrives, chances are you will have to wait till the next set of stock arrives! That shows the immense popularity this exergaming devise has garnered. But how useful it is for getting a good workout? Or Is it just another game that’s been hyped up? Let’s find out…
There is absolutely no doubt Wii Fit is a totally fun way to workout but if you are hoping it will be just fun and no sweat, you are in for a big disappointment. To set expectations right, I want to tell you that Wii Fit is not a video game that will miraculously help you lose weight while playing all your favorite games. You should look at Wii Fit as a workout utility with aspects of a video game that make the exercises truly enjoyable.
What’s on Offer?
Wii Fit organizes the workouts into 4 different categories:
Aerobics
These set of exercises elevate your heart rate and make you burn a lot of calories and improve your metabolism. All this translate into quick weight loss.
Strength Training
These exercises test your endurance and build and tone your muscles. Muscles displace the fat and the more muscles you have, the higher your metabolic rate which in turn leads to a leaner, tighter, toned look.
Yoga
Yoga helps calm your mind and body. This combines different poses with the right breathing technique to help correct your posture, improve your balance and relax your mind and body.
Games
There are a lot of fun games like skiing, ski jump, hitting football with your head etc. Although these games test your balance they don’t count as exercise. But it sure is a fun way to end your workout session.
The Basic Features
Balance Board
This is the heart of Wii Fit. You will need this board for more than 95% of the exercises and this is the tool that Wii Fit uses to measure the effectiveness of your workouts. This is also used to measure your weight and calculate your BMI. Just by the amount of pressure exerted by your feet on the board, Wii Fit will be able to gauge your posture, your balance, the direction of your movement, whether you are using the correct foot or hand, the timing of your steps and so on.
Wii Fit CD
This contains the software that runs Wii Fit. Just like any other Wii game, you need to insert this disk in the Wii console before you can begin your Wii Fit routine
Daily Measurements
Wii Fit starts out by making a note of your age, height (both of which you will have to provide), your current weight and BMI (calculated by Wii). You can then set your weight loss or weight gain target and the time by which you are looking to achieve the target. Your aim should be to reach the healthy range of BMI. So set your weight loss goal accordingly. The maximum weight loss target you can set at a time is 20 pounds. This means that even if you are looking to lose 45 pounds, you need to first aim to lose 20, then the next 20 and then the last 5. This, I think, is a more realistic pattern instead of looking to lose all 45 pounds at a time. This will give you a sense of achievement when you meet your 1st mini goal and will keep you motivated till the very end.
Wii Fit Age
Based on your current level of fitness and your age, Wii Fit calculates your Wii Fit age. This is usually more than your actual age and indicates that your fitness level is a lot lower than what should be at your age. For instance, if you are 30 years old but your Wii Fit age is 39, it means your fitness level is that of a 39 year old – definitely not a good sign. But you will notice that as your body gets regular workout and your start feeling more in shape, your Wii Fit age will come down and may even drop below your actual age!
Activity Log
This feature allows you to log any other activity you might have performed today that was not a part of your Wii routine. For instance, if you walked a mile or used elliptical for 20 min, you can make a note of it in the activity log.
Things That Will Amaze You
You Missed a Day
If you miss a day of your Wii Fit workout, the next day, you will get a message asking if you were too busy to find time for a workout! It keeps track of every day you workout and this kinda check really makes you more accountable. It’s sort of like your gym instructor asking you whenever you miss your gym.
Your Mii’s Changing Looks
I am sure all of us want our Miis to look perfect and they do look the way we design them for other Wii games. But that’s not the case with Wii Fit. If you are overweight, your Mii will expand to show that you are fat and that you need to lose weight to look perfect. It’s a cute reminder of how you look in person and breaks any kind of illusion you may have about your appearance.
You Lost Your Balance
There are times when you find it difficult to maintain your balance on one leg – your leg gets shaky or your other foot touches the floor. Wii Fit tracks the minutest loss of balance and your score will reflect the same. There is no fooling this guy!
You Gave Up in the Middle of an Exercise
If a workout is too challenging for you and you give up, the instructor screams “hey the muscle won’t work itself, you know!” That definitely should make you laugh if not help you get on the board again. It’s as if someone is constantly watching you – something you can’t even expect in a gym!
Someone Else Stepped on the Board as You
You can’t trick Wii Fit by making someone else workout as you. Try it and it will immediately say that your weight seems way different and ask if you are sure you want to proceed! This obviously won’t work if the other person weighed the same as you!
You Move Your body in the Wrong Direction
With Wii Fit, you never have to worry about doing exercises the right way. It can even detect if your body is moving against the direction you are supposed to just by the movement of your feet on the balance board. Once, I moved from right to left instead of left to right and I was immediately told to move in the opposite direction.
The Pros
Great Workout
You may not realize you are working so hard but at the end of your workout session, you would feel totally exhausted and satisfied that your body got a pretty good workout. When you are just starting out, expect your muscles to get sore the next day. Just as any other workout, don’t take a break coz your body aches. This way it will only take longer for your body to heal and your muscles will be sore every time you begin after a gap.
Amazing Variety
One of the reasons you would totally enjoy working out using Wii Fit is the mind-boggling variety it offers. There are so many choices in each category that you would never feel bored coming up with daily routines coz each day can be totally new! There are enough challenges to encourage you to push yourself and you feel a sense of achievement when you do.
Aspects of a Game
Unlike the usual workout videos this has been made to resemble a game that makes it interesting and keeps your enthusiasm high. At the end of each workout, you are awarded a score based on the parameters applicable to that workout. Based on your score you are ranked which helps you compare your latest performance with your previous and also with the performance of the other members of your household – hopefully you are getting better each day! Once you earn some performance credits, new workouts or games are unlocked. When you get good at the beginner level, advanced levels will be unlocked. This also ensures that you learn each workout the proper way and gradually proceed to advanced levels or more challenging workouts.
Competition Provides Thrust
The scores you get after each workout help you accurately measure how good you are and where you need to improve. Instead using your weight loss results alone to compare your performance with others in your home, the ranking it provides vis-à-vis other users of Wii Fit instills a sense of healthy competition which will keep you involved and drive you towards your goals faster.
The Virtual Instructor Does it Along With You
You can choose a male or female instructor to do the strength training and yoga workouts along with you. They not only teach you the correct way to do the exercise the first time, they accompany you in your workout every single time. This is not something you can get even in a gym with a personal trainer. The Wii Fit instructor encourages you to push yourself harder when you are doing well and gives you tips on maintaining balance or controlling shaky legs. The instructions are so accurate that you really feel like someone is watching you.
Every Move is Monitored
Every single move of yours is kept an eye on. Wii Fit is able to tell if you are doing the exercises the right way, how well you are maintaining a posture, if your balance is right, whether you are applying the right kind of pressure on your foot and so on. Detailed instructions on the breathing technique is also provided. There is nothing left to chance.
Comfort of your home
For those of you who don’t like to venture out, this is your best bet. You can use Wii Fit any time of the day or night, in any kind of weather in the comfort of your home.
Inexpensive Compared to the Incredible Benefits
You can’t beat the price – It’s less than $90 and it’s just a one time investment! Even if you don’t have the Wii console it would all add to less than $350. Compare it with the monthly gym membership and the hassles of having to go there every day. You are getting a great workout in a fun, exciting way for a fraction of your gym charges.
The Cons
Every new invention has its own limitations and Wii Fit is no exception.
No Programs Available
You cannot create custom programs by combining exercises from the four categories mentioned above. Each day you need to choose the exercises you want to do one after the other.
No Tracking of Muscle Groups
Most of us know we shouldn’t exercise the same muscle groups on consecutive days. But, if you are a novice, there is no stopping you from working your upper body, abs or lower body every single day. For an exergaming unit this sophisticated, it could have easily kept track of the exercises done on each day and provided some guidance on what you should avoid the next day.
No Direct Link to Recommended Exercises
Wii fit recommends combinations of exercises you need to do for maximum results but you cannot click on the exercise name to start that. You need to remember the name and then browse through Strength training or Yoga to find the exercise.
Not Enough Space for Push-ups
You are required to do push ups using the balance board but if you are big built you might find it difficult as the board is not wide enough for you to do the push ups comfortably. And if you don’t do it on the balance board, Wii Fit will not count your efforts towards your day’s workout. I would still say do it whichever way seems comfortable coz not doing it the right way can lead to injuries and will not provide optimal results.
No Backdated Activity Log
In the Activity Log, you can only make note of the activities you performed on the current day. You cannot log activities for any prior date. This is a real irritant coz there are days you might go trekking or skiing or cycling and give Wii Fit a miss. That’s gonna get counted as a day you didn’t workout unless you managed to come back home and log the activity the very same day!
The Final Verdict
Having talked about the irritants of Wii Fit, I would say these are too minor compared to how much Wii Fit has revolutionized the concept of getting fit and staying healthy. It’s a novel fitness idea that’s exciting, entertaining and effective for the entire family. If you are an exercise novice, Wii Fit makes you look at exercising in a whole new way. If you have been into fitness for a while, there are some things that you may find a little too easy. But you can quickly progress towards advanced levels or tougher exercises. So, irrespective of your fitness level, there is something for everyone. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get your own Wii Fit – it’s an investment you won’t regret!
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