Doctor Fishypants

Sunday, June 8, 2008

After anticipating the release of Wii Fit perhaps a bit too much, my first day with the game was a bit anticlimactic. After inputting my data (age and height) and succumbing to a brief balance test, the anthropomorphic Wii Fit Board slammed me with a weight of 193.8lbs and a corresponding BMI of 29.37 (anything over 30 is considered obese). My Wii Fit age, which is apparently calculated using these numbers and taking my actual age into account, is 33. Like Brain Age for the DS, this number seems somewhat arbitrary. It will no doubt approach my actual age (25) with increased practice.

There are four categories of exercises to do in Wii Fit: Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics, and Balance Games. The game keeps track of the time you spend in each mode, unlocking more activities as you go. In my first 30 minutes of playing, I unlocked 5 or 6 new minigames. My first stop was Yoga, and the first stance was heavy breathing. It’s a nice way to ease you into the exercises, but I felt a bit silly standing in front of my TV trying to control my inhalation. Of the 5 stances I tried, I felt 3 were worthy of a second shot tomorrow. I think the Yoga exercises would give the best results as a morning stretch routine. The strength training exercises were more strenuous. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much trouble doing a push-up before. Because the balance board is so narrow, you’re forced to keep your arms very close together, making the push-up more difficult (especially for someone like myself, who has absolutely no upper body strength). The aerobics exercises seemed sufficient to get your heart rate up, but running in place with the Wii Remote in your pocket is no substitute for actual running. The balance games in Wii Fit are the closest the game comes to traditional video games. Essentially, every game requires you to shift your weight in order to ski down a slope, hoola-hoop, hit soccer balls, etc. They’re not particularly fun, nor do they seem to have the potential for exercise that the other three categories do. I imagine they’ll be relegated to the occasional diversion when I grow tired of the traditional exercises for a few minutes.

Wii Fit Statistics (Day 1)

Current Goal: Lose 3lbs in 2 weeks
Weight: 193.8lbs
BMI: 29.37
Wii Fit Age: 33

Nike+ Statistics (Run 24)

Current Goal: Run 14 times in 4 weeks
Distance: 2.27mi
Time: 29:15
Pace: 12:48min/mi
Calories: 334

Total Distance: 46.47mi
Average Pace: 12:37min/mi

Notes

Tomorrow, Wii Fit will begin tracking changes in my weight, BMI, etc. I’ll post those as well.

My current weight loss goal of 3lbs in 2 weeks is Wii Fit’s suggestion for beginners.

I’ve been running for a while now, but I noticed that today’s run was a bit easier after doing the Wii Fit exercises.