Wii Workout Wants You.Couch Potato

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Do you like to exercise at home? Are you a gamer? Maybe you’re already a fan of Dance Dance Revolution, the video game where you stand on a dance mat and perform all types of dance moves to music…all the while burning calories. There’s a new game that you’ll want to check out. It’s called Wii Fit.

Wii Fit will have you off the couch as you pretend to snowboard down the hill or do a few yoga moves. The video game comes with a balance board that you perform most of the workouts on. It’s the double-wide version of your bathroom scale. Once you input some of your personal information such as weight and age, you go thru a quick balance test to determine what’s called your “Wii Fit Age”. Your Wii Fit Age is important as it then decides your exercise level during the various workouts which include choices in aerobics, yoga, balance games and strength training. The board then determines the center of gravity, reps and speed during your workouts. It also acts as an exercise log to allow you to set goals and keep track of your progress.

It’s fun, provides real-time feedback and you can do it alone or with other family members and friends. Other Wii games are already in use by rehab centers. The popular games are used in rehab therapy to help patients recover from strokes, surgery and even combat injuries. Since the Wii concept is a game format which brings out the competitive spirit, patients may temporarily forget the rigors of rehab and become totally tuned in to the game of the moment. With so much time spent gaming, I’m glad to see more games designed to get us up and moving.