TechPlay Experience

In this post I explained that I was going to put Wii Fit to the test to hopefully burn off some of the extra calories associated with the festive period.

On Day 1 I burnt off 68 Calories.

On Day 2 I burnt off 103 Calories.

Day 3

Using the ‘My Wii Fit Plus’ mode I chose the Waste Reduction Routine and Wii Fit put together a 3 part routine for me.

The first Exercise routine I took part in was the Jackknife muscle workout. In the Jackknife you lay down on your back on the floor with your feet on the Balance Board.

The on screen trainer then talks you through the exercise where you lift your legs and head into the air at the same time to form a V shape, this is repeated for 10 reps, and you will feel the pull in your muscles.

The second routine today was the Single Leg Twist Muscle Workout. In this workout you stand on the Balance Board and raise one leg up to your waist height whilst bending your knee so that your feet are facing the floor, and then putting it down on the board again.

This is repeated ten times for each leg.

The final exercise today was the Snowball Fight training plus exercise. For the Snowball Fight game your Mii is hidden behind a protective wall, and you control it by leaning left or right on the board. By leaning to the left your Mii jumps out to the left of the barrier and by leaning to the right your Mii jumps out to the right of the barrier. When out in the open you use the Wii Remote to aim and throw snowballs at the other combatants, in the fun and gentle exercise.

In total the 3 exercises took 5 mins of exercise and burnt off approx 19 Calories which is the same as a 15 gram portion of olives.

Keen to keep up the good work I repeated the Over Indulged routine from Day 1.

In total today my exercises took 14 mins and burnt off 84 Calories, the same as 1 cup of fresh blueberries.

In this post I explained that I was going to put Wii Fit to the test to hopefully burn off some of the extra calories associated with the festive period.

On Day 1 I burnt off 68 Calories.

Day 2

Using the ‘My Wii Fit Plus’ mode I chose the The Leaner Mii Routine and Wii Fit put together a 3 part routine for me

The first part of the routine was the Hula Hoop games which is an aerobic exercise.The Hula Hoop games uses the Balance Board to detect when you rotate your hips.

The faster you rotate the faster your Mii Hula’s on screen, occasionally other hoops are thrown at you and you have to lean to the correct side to catch them, the more hoops you have spinning at any one time the higher your score.

The second part of the routine was the cycling game which is a training plus exercise. The cycling game simulates riding a bike by getting you to jog on the balance board whilst steering the bike using the Wii Remote like a steering wheel, it’s a system that works quite well.

In the cycling game you have to navigate around the town collecting flags and your time is recorded – although you are you not racing against the clock. The cycling game provides a good workout.

The third exercise in the routine was the Skateboarding game which is another training plus exercise.

For the Skateboarding game you turn the balance board sideways so that it resembles a skate board. To play the game you kick off and then lean left or right to steer, as you skate around the arena hitting small jumps to score points.

The 3 exercises in the routine took about 8 mins and burnt off approx 39 Calories.

I was a little disappointed with the number of calories burnt off and as I had a little spare time I repeated the Over Indulged routine from Day 1

Taking both routines into account I had burnt off approx 103 Calories which equates to about  107g of baked cod or 15g of Walnuts.

I followed the exercises with a steady walk.

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.