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Wii Fit Review
This Wii Fit Review comes from the perspective of a father with 4 kids, a runner and someone that likes to work-out, and now someone with a late night addiction to balance and aerobic games in the family room?! This past Christmas our family got the Wii Fit. A kid’s toy, I thought…boy was I wrong!
The first thing that struck me during the Wii Fit review was the precision of the balance board and the thought that went into the games and fitness plan. Before you get started it measures your weight, calculates your Body Mass Index, and has you perform a few fun balance games. From there, you’re off and running….literally. From these tests, it derives a “Wii Fit age” – a great incentive for any starting fitness routine!
You get a piggy bank that records your investment of time each day and a workout calendar that you stamp. This is a good way to track the time you put into it and gives you incentive to lengthen the work out. The menu includes 5 categories of games: Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics, Balance Games, and Favorites. There is something here for everyone! There’s a dancing game for aerobics lovers, a boxing workout for those that may enjoy Tae-Bo, and there are loads of competitive games, exercises and workouts for every fitness level. And as an incentive to keep at it, you earn (or unlock) additional games, exercises, and difficulty levels as you continue on. It’s a lot of fun. Below is a more in-depth look at some of the Wii Fit games….
Yoga
Ok…I admit…I laughed at first at this category…and even sarcastically let out a “Whooopeee” when I earned “a new Yoga pose”. Then I tried it. Wow, this gentle and graceful exercise is a lot harder than it appears. And with a balance board that records your every movement, you need to maintain focus and balance. I have a new found respect for Yoga and the core muscles it promotes and strengthens. The work-out trainers do an excellent job of walking you through each pose before you try it – a nice feature for new-bees like me.
Strength Training
I went into this calisthenics portion a tad over-confident. Having done push-ups and crunches for most of my adult life, I didn’t give Nintendo much credit for what they could impart on me…again…wrong. The balance board is amazing and measures distribution of weight, movement, and timing of all of these exercises. And with the trainer on the TV screen to mirror, it’s a great way to focus on form and doing proper exercise moves. I’ve always said that 25 slow push-ups are much harder than 50 fast ones…Wii Fit has required me to follow my own advice.
The biggest eye-opener for me duing the Wii Fit Review, was the quality of the exercise instruction and the ability of the balance board and controller to monitor good form - great feature!
Balance Games
These games are addicting fun. They include ski slalom, ski jump, a labyrinth game, walking a tight rope, a soccer / dodge ball game and many more! Our family has latched onto these games and the list of high-scores is constantly changing its ranks. It’s been a terrific incentive to exercise and my calves have been burning because of it (how sad is that?!). What was once an evening chore in strengthening my Achilles with a wobble board, is now a recreational family competition in front of the TV. My Wii Fit Review became an addiction and obsession to beat these balance games...this was the most entertaining part of the Wii Fit package for me!
Aerobics
These games are a lot of fun and have ‘hooked’ my wife on the Wii Fit. They include a hula hoop marathon, and dance step aerobics, running trails, a rhythm boxing routine, and other heart-pounding activities. There is something on this menu to match the interest and moods of most people I know. And best of all, it’s this category of games that get you the most minutes for your fitness piggy bank!
To summarize my Wii Fit review, I am totally impressed. It is a great motivator and tool for any routine and has complemented my distance running quite nicely. It is fun for all ages and my kids have just as much fun with it as my wife & I do. For the cost of a few months of a gym membership, or a series of fitness DVDs, you could be working out on this piece of high-tech, interactive fitness equipment in your own home. The best part is that you’ll get an honest fitness assessment each and every time you step onto the balance board. This includes your workout durations, body weight assessment, and a daily body test evaluation. In fact, it asked me this morning what I attributed my recent weight gain to, and gave me a list of choices (Christmas cookies was not one of the options ;-). It provides a great self-assessment and wake-up calls when you need them.
If you're looking for more details on what this product can do for you an your fitness routine, I hope this Wii Fit Review answered your questions. It really is a very well-thought out fitness package for anyone looking to get in shape or expand their routine. Given its capability and creativity, I would guess that follow-on upgrades, games, and workouts will be released over time…but for now the CD it came with is plenty for me! Have fun.
