Wii Fit: Review

The Wii game system was all the rage a couple of years ago. People were trying to buy them but stores were constantly out of stock. While the game system remains very popular, it’s not difficult to get any more and, if you ask me, for fun - you should get one. But - why is this in gaming and the health section? Read on:

The Wii system, made by Nintendo, appeals more to adults than teens. Their interactive play makes it a lot of fun for people who would rather move about than just sit on the couch and manipulate a joystick or key pad. Of course, there are regular games that can be played on the system and many of them are quite fun (and addictive!)

A year ago, I bought the Wii Fit for my Wii game system. This is a program that gives you fun ways to get a bit of physical activity into your day. While it’s not a substitute for getting out to the gym or participating in a sport, it is a way to get some activity into your life when time is at a premium.

The game comes with a remote and a balance board. The board is how the game system knows what you’re doing in terms of shifting your weight, stepping off and on, and so on. The remote tells the system about other movements, like boxing.

At the beginning, when you set up your system, the board helps gather information about your weight and then it “calculates” your BMI. There’s where one of my criticisms come in. BMI is much more than weight and height - people with a lot of muscle will automatically have a higher BMI than the weight programs say they should.

There’s a calendar function that checks when you’ve checked in last, and then you can (if you want) do some body tests to check your balance and so on. You can set a weight loss goal if you want, as well.

There are several different types of activities, from aerobic to balance to conditioning. You can do any number of any of them, according to the time you have. Some of them are quite fun, like the hoola hoop (if you find the first one too easy, just weight. Eventually you’ll graduate to the more difficult one). I also like the boxing and aerobic step.

Yoga is a bit difficult for me. That’s because I consider it an accomplishment if I stay upright while walking, let alone while trying to do a yoga pose. There are also exercises to help strengthen your muscles. My husband tried a few of them at first and they are definitely challenging. Especially since my husband goes to the gym several times a week and is in quite good shape.

What don’t I like about it? It takes a long time to switch from one activity to another. The voices can be annoying and sometimes I just get frustrated because I can’t do what I want to do. But that last complaint isn’t really the fault of the game, now is it?

Over all, it’s a thumbs up. I also really enjoy playing the Wii Sports that came with the system: tennis, bowling, baseball and a couple of other sports.

A warning though: like all activities, make sure you’re ok to do them and start slowly. One full evening of doing the Wii Fit could make for a very uncomfortable next day if you’re not used to activity!

UHOH, while looking at the Ninendo.com site, I saw that a Wii Plus is coming out in October. I. Want. It.

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Photo: PhotoXpress.com

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