This Wii to a fit new you

So, after all that guiltless, mindless holiday binging, you’re back to reality. The reality being that you’ve packed on so much unwanted poundage you can’t fit into your old clothes anymore or even get into the driver’s seat of your car. Shame on you! Repent! And for your penance, why don’t you get down on your knees or better yet, try one of those yoga exercises and other fun games and activities available on Nintendo Wii Fit, billed as the next generation of gaming?

I have a confession to make: I don’t like exercising. My only form of exercise is standing up, lifting a finger, stretching my imagination, or jumping to conclusions. Until I discovered Wii Fit on my vacation last summer at the Yorro residence in Markham, Ontario, Canada.

It’s a great family bonding activity, too. First off, we literally hit the ground running. We huffed and puffed as we ran a race without ever leaving the comforts of home. Next, we were swinging our golf clubs. Hmmm ... coffee, tea or tee? And then we were swaying our hips as we tried to catch one hula hoop after another — in a virtual reality kind of way, of course. Soon, we were trying our hand at games like tennis (using the Wii remote as our tennis racket), baseball, bowling and, yes, even boxing! Finally, we immersed ourselves in some yoga exercises, perfecting our sun salutation moves, torso twists, and warrior lunges. After all that, we were all panting and sweating profusely in an air-conditioned basement.

Yes, you don’t have to leave home to indulge in your favorite sports. And you don’t have to pay for an expensive personal trainer to get into shape. With Wii Fit, you can do it at home anytime you want.

Wii Fit is fun and fitness rolled into one great package. But first things first, you have to do a body test — the moment of truth. Using the Wii (pressure-sensitive) balance board (don’t worry, it can take a maximum weight of 150 kgs. or 330 lbs.), you measure your center of balance, body mass index (BMI or measure of body fat), body control, and Wii Fit Age. According to the people behind Wii Fit, doing this test every day is the first step in keeping track of your fitness.

Why is it important to get one’s center of balance? According to the experts, your center of balance or the point between your left and right sides when you are standing upright, has a lot to do with your health. They add that “those without an even center of balance will be unnaturally compensating for this imbalance, which causes their posture to become misaligned, increasing the possibility of putting unnecessary strain on their body.” We learn something new every day, don’t we?

The body test will reveal your center of balance, BMI, and Wii Fit Age (which ranges from two to 99 years old). So, how did we fare? Secret!

Fact is, by playing Wii Fit a little every day (parents can do it when they get home from work; kids can do it when they’re done with their homework), you and your family can work towards personal goals of better health and fitness.

After you’ve chosen a Mii from the selection of Miis saved on your Wii system, you’re ready to set your goal. What do you want your BMI to be in two weeks (or longer)? Please be realistic. As you continue with your training, you keep this BMI goal in mind. This may be a family activity, but if you don’t want others to see your personal data, you can protect it with a four-digit password. Your training record is automatically saved to your personal profile. A calendar screen helps you view your training calendar, check graphs (where you will see your Fit Credits, too), do a body test, or jump right into training.

One important rule of thumb: Don’t overdo it. You don’t have to train too much every day so keep tabs on the time you spend on training.

As an incentive, the more training you do, the more Fit Credits you earn and stash away in the Fit Bank. As these credits pile up, more activities will be opened up to you.

By the way, you can choose either a male or female trainer for your yoga and strength training. To perform the movements (which seem difficult at first but become fun as you do them more often), all you have to do is to follow your trainer.

A friendly reminder before you start your exercises: Be sure to stretch and warm up first. And remember to wear comfortable clothes that have no metal parts when training.

As for Wii Sports, sports games have never felt this invigorating: Why, you can swing, hit, throw like a pro using the Wii Remote (we said remote, not emote, so try not to get carried away as you may end up smashing the TV screen like some people actually do)! More, using the Mii Channel, you can create caricatures of your friends and family and put them all right in the game with you.

After you’ve completed an activity, you will be given a score based on your performance. If your score lands you in the top 10 performances for that activity, you will be put on the board.

Wii to go, guys!