TechPlay Experience

At this time of year 2 things are almost certain:

We all put on a few pounds & a lot of us will have received Wii Fit or Wii Fit Plus for Christmas.

But is Wii Fit a genuine fitness aid or just a cash cow for Nintendo, albeit a fun one

I thought I would try Wii Fit Plus for myself to see if  it can be used to drop a few pounds or at least slow down the weight gain during this festive time.

Using the ‘My Wii Fit Plus’ mode I’m going to try out the pre-build fitness programs, one program each day to see if there is any short term benefit.

Day 1

Using the ‘My Wii Fit Plus’ mode I chose the Over Indulgence option and Wii Fit put together a 3 part routine for me.

The first part of the routine was the Jogging game which is an Aerobic exercise. The jogging game doesn’t require the Wii Fit Balance Board, instead you put the Wii Remote in your pocket and hold it in your hand and perform a jogging motion.

As you jog your Mii mirrors you on screen as you follow a trainer on screen, the aim is not to beat the trainer in a face but to run at about 60% of your Max speed and to follow him around the Island. Jogging can build up a sweat if you aren’t used to the game so try not to push yourself to much.

The Second part of the Routine  was another Aerobic Exercise in Rhythm Boxing. Unlike the Wii Sports Boxing Game you don’t face an opponent, instead you have to punch a Punching Bag to a Rhythm defined by the trainer.

The Boxing Games uses the Wii Remote, Wii Nunchuk, and balance board to track the position of your hands and feet.  You will really start to feel the strain in your arms as your progress through this exercise, it will also test your memory as you get more complex rhythms to follow.

The third and final Exercise in today’s Routine  was a muscle workout called Lunge.

The exercise uses the Wii Balance board to track your balance as you perform 10 reps with each leg, the in game trainer talks you through how to do the exercise. Whilst doing the Lunges may seem like a more relaxed form of exercise by the end of the routine you will certainly be feeling your legs by the end of the Reps.

In total the 3 exercises came to about 8 mins and burnt off approx 68 calories with equates to a portion of peaches in syrup.

I followed the exercises with a brisk 20 min walk.