I want to exercise but hate the gym

I need to exercise. I am not one to go to the gym regularly. I do not have room in my house for more exercise equipment that will gather dust. And I do not want to walk in my neighborhood. But since I need to exercise, I decided that I would try the Wii Fit.

I have a Wii and I like the fact that I can play games and not sit in one place the whole time. But I was skeptical about Wii Fit. How is it possible that the little balance board can help me to exercise enough to lose weight? When I made my purchase, I hoped that it was not going to be a total waste of money.

I am a believer now. Wii fit is great. When I opened the package, put the 4 AA batteries in the balance board and sync it with my Wii and I accessed the Wii Fit programming. I took the body test. It took my weight, inputted my height and age and told me what my Wii Fit Age was. I am not a healthy or strong as I should be, but I knew that already.

Now it was onto the games, I mean “training”.  There are about 30 different yoga and balance games and 20 different aerobic and strength games. In the beginning, I could only access a few of those games. Every minute of exercise equals fit credits. As I obtained more and more fit credits, I was able to unlock more games. Also, as I improved my score within a game, I was able to unlock advanced options. For example, in some of the strength exercises, I was able to choose how many reps I wanted to do after repeating that exercise a number of times. In the soccer balance game, I unlocked an advanced version of the game after I received a top score over 100.

On the yoga and balance games, you have to keep your center of balance within a certain region. That is what makes you control your movements and work your muscles. I did not realize how little control I had over my muscles until I tried doing some of the yoga poses. As I began to focus and control my body movements, I could feel my muscles becoming more firm. For example, when I do the half moon pose, I have to steady my legs as I stretch my arms to the side. The first time I did this pose, I was very shaky. Over time, I am able to maintain my composure and stance.

The strength exercises work certain areas of the body. Some exercises help to tone the legs. And other exercises help to tone the abs. Many times, there are suggested workout combinations with the strength exercises and yoga poses. Doing the two together provide a complete workout.

As for the aerobic exercises, there are many different exercises to do. For example, the hula hoop is fun and really works the midsection. There is also a stepping exercise and jogging exercise. At first I was skeptical about the jogging exercise. I jog in place (not using the balance board) while following the Mii in front of me. I have to move at a certain pace to keep up with the other Mii without passing them. It is more of a workout than I anticipated.

My favorite aerobic exercise is the stepper. When I used to go to the gym, I did not like the exercise classes but the only exception was stepping class. I was glad to have a similar exercise on the Wii. I have exercised enough to unlock the Advance Step and the Free Step. I listen to music and work out for 20 or 30 minutes as if I was in a stepping class.

Wii Fit is not for everyone. Weighing yourself daily might be a little depressing if you gain weight. The Wii asks you why you think you are gaining weight. If you are overweight, get ready to hear that everytime you weigh yourself. I hear "That's obese" daily because my BMI is over the limit for my height.

If you like the interaction of going to gym classes, doing this at home might be lonely for you. If you do not like hearing the same canned responses from the Wii trainer, you probably will get annoyed when doing the yoga poses and strength training. If you like going to the gym and using the exercise machines, then WIi Fit will probably not appeal to you.

If you are concerned about getting a workout without leaving the house, Wii Fit is for you. If you want exercise to be entertaining so you do not mind do it, then Wii Fit is for you. In my humble opinion, it is a better value than the gym because it provides many of the same exercises in the privacy of my home.