Nintendo Wii Fit

(Please see the end of this post for an edit.....)

Yesterday I picked up our Wii Fit.

The Bad:

Ok, so I get the fact that it’s a fitness gadget – but it weighs you – daily. At least you can password protect your Mii, so that your numbers aren’t flashing on the screen for the world to see. I mean, seriously, just by looking at someone, you KNOW what they look like, but there’s something sacred about that number on the scale. At least for women.

Cardio – not so much. Well, sort of. Take the running in place – you run for 2 minutes, then it stops, and gives you your score, where you place in comparison to previous times, etc… so you run for 2 minutes, then stop for about a minute, then you choose what you want to do next. I wish it had a cardio activity for 20 or 30 minutes – with no stopping – now THAT would be CARDIO!

Some of the games, (that come with the balance board unit) are lame.

The Good:

Some of the games, (that come with the balance board unit) are really FUN! There’s a balance game where the screen has a board, and a ball. You move the ball by tilting the board – with the goal of getting the ball into the hole. You tilt the board by shifting your weight as you are standing on the balance board. I was blown away by how sensitive the board is – and just how challenging this game is! When Adam watched me, he was also amazed. So, I can tell, we’ll be doing that one a lot!

Because it weighs you, and reminds you of your BMI... well.. for me anyway; I'm now seriously aware - and driven to change my numbers! I can see how this would be a useful tool in losing weight/gaining weight.

You get to pick your personal trainer – male or female.

You can password protect your data.

My abs and quads are sore today. This is surprising to me – so, I really did work muscles yesterday!

I was totally into it for almost an hour, without getting bored. So, that’s almost an hour of light exercise. (I really wouldn’t qualify it as “vigorous”)

Overall:

I'm happy we have it. It's amazingly sensitive, and fun to work with.

Peace & Blessings!

PS – when I picked up the unit, I asked an employee at Game Stop what other games will be coming out that use the Balance Board – and he told me some skiing, skateboarding…. And…. Drum roll…. Wii Cheer! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! I don’t think we’ll be investing in a cheerleading game!

EDIT: I found a review of the Wii fit - that is my experience, almost exactly! I agree with the cardio issues - there's waaaaaaaaaay too much fluff between exercises to really keep your heart rate in the target zone.