A Review of Nintendo's Wii Fit

Who says exercise has to be a chore? The Wii Fit is an excellent and motivational way to get the whole family moving while having fun at the same time. Here are some of the basic features:

Starting Wii Fit

When you first start off, you are asked for your height and date of birth. After that, you step on the balance board which comes packaged with the Wii Fit and it takes your weight.

Based on your height and weight, you are shown your body mass index, or BMI, and told whether you are underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. The Wii Fit then helps you set a goal for losing weight. The Wii Fit also tests your sense of balance through two exercises. Finally, based on your age and performance on the exercises, you are given a "Wii Fit age" representing how fit you are. Your weight and Wii Fit age are plotted each day on a line graph, which you can look at to see an overall representation of how well you've been doing.

After this initial body test, which you do every day, you can go to the training section of the game and choose from among four categories of activities.

Wii Fit Activities

The Wii Fit has four categories of activities to choose from. After each activity, you receive points based on how well you did. The Wii Fit also keeps track of how long you've exercised each day.

Yoga: There are 15 yoga poses to choose from, ranging from the half moon pose to more advanced poses such as the dancer pose. The balance board analyzes your balance during each pose and your virtual trainer will give you pointers on how you can improve.

Strength Training: There are 15 exercises to choose from, such as torso twists, sideways leg lifts, and rowing squats. As with the yoga poses, your balance and strength are being measured, and your virtual trainer will give you tips on how you can do better.

Aerobics: In aerobics you can choose from games meant to get you exercising while still having fun. There are step exercises, hula hooping, and running games, among others.

Balance Games: These help you become more aware of your center of balance and how to control your body more easily. Among the games to choose from are table tilt, tightrope walk, and ski slalom.

Overall the Wii Fit is a great motivational tool for weight loss. By giving you a visual representation of the weight you are losing (or putting on), the Wii Fit encourages you to exercise more.

Weighing yourself everyday helps you assess your daily eating habits and pinpoint the things that are helping or hindering you weight loss. So while it's not exactly an intense exercise program in itself, it does give you a starting point from which to improve and have fun while doing so.