Buy Walking VideosA Week With Wii Fit
After a week of exercising with the Wii Fit, I have a few thoughts.
Is it a good workout?
When I started working out with the Wii Fit with my Nike Imara Heart Rate Monitor, I was worried that I wouldn’t get much of a workout. Some of the balance games (like the Soccer Heading game I showed you last week), barely got my heart rate above the low mark. The aerobic sections of the game were the BEST at getting my heart rate up.
Worse still, there is a lot of navigating through menus that wastes time. For example, I kept my stopwatch running and in over an hour of workout time, the Wii Fit logged only 45 minutes of actually working out.
Here are the stats from a typical workout:
Wii Fit Activity Time: 45 minutes
Total Workout Time: 1:07:14 minutes
Total Calories Burned: 536 calories
Average Heart Rate: 121 bpm
Time in High HR Zone: 26:37 minutes
Time in Medium HR Zone: 30:12 minutes
Time in Low HR Zone: 10:24 minutes
In this workout, I did every Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobic and Balance activity that had been opened. I’m sure you could workout for hours once you’ve opened up all the activities and repetitions.
Hands down, the biggest calorie burner is the hula hoop game. My heart rate shot up to 167 bpm while I played this game trying to keep all the hoops in the air and catch more. I’m surprised at how good of a workout it is and I’m excited to keep testing it over the weeks.
Shiny Shiny made a collection of the other week-long reviews of the Wii Fit here:
It doesn’t look like anyone is reporting weight loss any more than a simple one or two pounds a week, but it certainly is a fun way to add activity to your day.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 6:54 am
I have to agree with you on the lag while navigating the menus and warnings. I kind of wish there was a feature on the Wii board that allowed you to navigate. I also wish that there were some way to skip the helpful little hints and chatter between exercises.
Besides those minor issues, I kind of like it. It’s different and it got me trying new things. I try to do yoga every morning AND (pay attention here, Laura) I’m running. I started on the short runs and now I’m on to the free run option. Fun fun fun. And my feet aren’t hurting in the least! (Thanks, Laura!)
Another fun game is the boxing one. My arms are a little sore this morning from, maybe, playing it a little too much. Maybe.
Sure, I’m not going to turn into a super-model by using the Wii, but it’s definately more activity than I was doing a month ago. I’m pleased with it.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:10 am
Wow that’s a great work out congrats
Val
June 2nd, 2008 at 7:03 pm
I’d heard Wii was releasing a workout program and was anxiously awaiting it — but that’s a shame so much time is wasted navigating menus. But it sounds like this is a great way to get kids moving. Who knew video games can do more than turn kids into vegetables? I think this is the direction all game consoles should aim for — get people moving around and burning calories!
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I actually just came here specifically to see if you had the Wii Fit and what you thought? You know I don’t have it, but I’m very curious about it.
I am happy, honestly, that they introduced this. Since my background is in video gaming and the company I worked for oh so many years ago was creating games like these for kids that never “caught on” back in 1998, it really does make me happy that 10 years later someone is at least getting it right and people are hopping on board!
I also heard that the hula hoop is the becoming the “hot hook up”. That guys are taping their girlfriends doing it and posting the videos on YouTube.
I wonder how long it will be before the Wii Hula Hoop will be a “talent” in the Miss America contest? (I’m joking!…sort of!)
June 4th, 2008 at 5:32 am
nakedjen:
1) “…hopping on board.”
Whether you meant to or not, you made a witty Wii pun here! The Wii-geek in me smiled at reading this. Anyone who has a Wii Fit gets it too, but I’m probably only one of few who would point it out.
2) The hula hoopla
I don’t see it. I can’t get into the hula part of the game. It must be the guy in me that can’t allow my hips ot move like that. I’ve tried with the great fear of being seen.
Love your blog.
Ernie