WiiFit: the Greatest Christmas Present of All

Move over Colbert's Christmas Special: The Nintendo WiiFit is the greatest Christmas gift of all. I have always had a terrible time trying to lose weight. This could be because I enjoy food. A lot. But I also have no attention span for exercise. On sunny days, I love riding my bike, but I abhor bike machines and treadmills. Walking to somewhere? Great! But walking in place with no purpose but to burn the calories, I can't tolerate. Every year, I tell myself, this is the year. The year I'll finally commit to an exercise routine, the year I'll finally start eating fresh fruits and veggies. This year I will be motivated, I will go to the YMCA, I will ... you know what I'm talking about. Each year comes and goes, and all my enthusiasm peters out into apathy.

My husband has the opposite problem. New doctors wonder if he's anorexic, and, despite a healthy appetite for sugar, the man cannot gain a pound. It's disgusting. At least he had the decency not to complain about it.

This is why the WiiFit is the best Christmas present of the year. I have to admit I was skeptical at first, especially when my little Mii ballooned out into a fat little representation of my current BMI. My husband's stick-thin Mii standing next to mine did not boost my confidence. But the WiiFit brought me around. We started by setting our goals (down for me, up for my husband) and choosing our virtual trainers - I like to call mine Brad. Then we dove into the workouts. The WiiFit has something for people of all body types: Aerobic exercises to burn my fat calories. Strength based muscle workouts to add mass to my emaciated husband. Yoga and balance games to show both of us how inflexible we'd become.

One piece of brilliant WiiFit programming is that you have to keep working out to unlock more reps or longer aerobic exercises. To translate: The game forces you to start small. This element is a fantastic stopgap against seasonal enthusiasts like myself, who would normally do two or three exhausting workouts and then burn out on the whole idea. As it is, I have to do several exercises to amount to 10 minutes of actual physical activity. It also makes the WiiFit safer to use for those who aren't used to the physical activity; we are much less likely to strain our long-neglected muscles. The system applies traditional video game logic to upgrading itself through gameplay, as well. The more minutes you log in you animated time bank, the more new exercises you unlock. Even with base exercises, I could use the WiiFit for a week and not do the same activity twice. The whole system is set up to encourage small amounts of activities everyday, emphasizing balance and good posture more than ideal weight and body image. Graphs track your weight, BMI and "WiiFit Age" and help you chart your progress toward your goal, which is great reinforcement.

I have WiiFitted for four days in a row now, and I find that I have to stop myself from overdoing it. The exercises are short and simple, and even fun. Will the enthusiasm last? Only time will tell, I suppose. But for me this year, the WiiFit was truly the best present under the tree.