Pump It (Wii Fit (Wii))

Member Name: utero

Product:	Wii Fit (Wii)
Date:	21/09/09 (69 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to use, uses data to spur you on

Disadvantages: Balance games are little pointless

You're probably not asking where I have been for the last couple of months. If you are then god bless ya!

The truth is that Wii Fit has consumed the past 100 days and I feel I have now clocked up enough time to give an overall opinion on the product.

It all started when trying on a shirt in a changing room, once again I had let myself go and the love handles were staring to become obvious, not good for someone still only 30. I had tried the gym before but frankly they bore me and swimming wasn't enough to shift the pounds.

After looking up various opinion's on the internet, I decided to buy a Nintendo Wii with the Wii Fit package in an effort to stop piling on the pounds and start looking like a greek god without the gay beard.

The Wii Fit package is pretty basic in style, inside the box you'll find the Balance Board and a copy of the software.

- The Balance Board -

This is a well-made piece of kit; it's fairly lightweight but very sturdy. It's also incredibly simple in design and use. There's a large power button on the rear that comes on only when the board makes contact with your wii fit console. Other than that it's all in the software. All you have to do is stand on it and let it show you the way to fighting the bulge.

- The Software -

The initial set-up will calibrate your board and take your weight as well as height. With this information it gives you your BMI (Body Mass Index) and tells you where you currently stand in the fat stakes thanks to a simple scale. Amusingly it pulls in your Mii avatar and if you've overweight then you'll start off a little podgy! It will also throw in some simple balance tests to ascertain your Wii fit age, the mark of where your body is in terms of fitness and strength. Let me just say the results can be a little unnerving and possibly insulting. But if you're overweight its good to have that negativity from the outset so you can take steps to remedy it.

You then set yourself a target for how much you want to lose and how long you want to give yourself in order to lose it.

Set-up over, you're ready to commence battle, get on those shorts and sweatband and get physical!

The Wii Fit breaks down into four categories.

- Yoga -

This sections sees you get spurred on by a virtual trainer as you run through various yoga poses. All designed to tone and get your body into a more flexible and stronger shape. It can also be a therapeutic experience as Yoga poses draw on controlled breathing and fluid movements of the body. This is definitely a section that can be employed at the end of a workout just to wind down. The poses for the most part are easy to master but it will take time to master them as they do call upon some pretty strong balancing. My favourite has to be the Sun Salutation, a three-minute affair that has you going through a range of movements that result in feeling stretched out and calm.

Most of the poses are carried out using the board so your balance is measured and at the end of your pose you're judged on balance and given a points rating which will basically tell you if you're crap or not.

You can choose to have a male or female trainer to help you through. The male one has for the most part a naff ponytail haircut although sometimes he does get it cut...and he thinks I don't notice!

-Muscle Workout-

This section contains various excercises designed to strengthen and tone your body. Similar to the yoga section, your trainer goes through the exercises with you. All of them are targeted towards various muscles in your body. I wouldn't call them hard work but they are controlled and of course made for you to feel the burn. You can start off with a small number of reps and as time goes on, the software will unlock options to increase your reps and time. I normally go got the Ab's workout and then try and challenge myself with a parallel stretch. The idea of extending your body out and balancing on your forearms and heels seems simple but trust me it's an incredibly simple but demanding exercise.

-Aerobics-

If your looking to burn away the excess then this is the section you'll be visiting the most. Inside is a range of activities designed to get the heart going and burn the fat. I normally start with a basic step routine. Three minutes of rhythm step on and off the board in time with your fellow Wii participants on screen. It will tell you the moves and you have to copy them. You either get a perfect step on the board or just an ok, achiving perfect rhythm should always be the goal. Most of the time I get it but if I don't then I carry on until I do. I find this a good little warm up to the more demanding workouts. There is a more advanced step routine which throws in more varied steps, I've still to get the hang out it and to be honest you need a decent amount of room around you to get it right - something I don't have at present.

Rhythm Boxing incorporates the wii controller, nunchuck and balance board. It's like step but you have to throw combination punches. It can really get you going and even three minutes can sometimes be enough to break a sweat. Like the step, there are longer sessions available that require more concentration and have more steps. Again I haven't really got the room to do them comfortably.

Hula Hoop is where you shake thoses hips in a circle as two Mii's throw hoops at you which you have to catch by shifting your weight. It's a good workout that really get's you going if you get-up to the 10-minute session. It's also pretty fun!

Jogging gives you the chance to run around a graphical island with a Mii as your pace setter. This is a fun little jaunt as you get fellow runners in all directions around the island, a few dogs and there's always someone falling flat on their face as you run around. In my own twisted mind it could have been more fun if you were able to barge people over as you ran! Again a 10-minute session on this can really get the heart going.

- Balance Games-

This is a collection of games and tests designed to improve your balance. Now personally I feel these games don't really do anything for my balance. But there are some fun activities such as balancing on a ice berg trying to catch fish for penguins. The tightrope is also a dodgy thing to master and I always lose it whilst trying to navigate a bendy river in a bubble.

Everytime you start up Wii fit it gives you the option to take a body test, if you want to do it right then you'll always do this before you undertake the activities. It measures your balance and weight and tells you if you've lost or gained. All this data is logged so you can see your progress and see if you're getting the desired effect on your body. Now with the balance I have found over the past 100 days it has improved but it can also be effected by your state of mind and energy levels. Some days you wake up a little groggy and undertaking the balance test shows that you're way off. To me it's no big deal as I'm more concerned about shifting the weight.

- Finally -

So does the Wii Fit work? Well all fitness will only work if you dedicate time to it on a regular basis. It's also no good if you're going to do 30-minutes in the morning and then spend the rest of the day necking fizzy drinks, sugar, fast food and fatty foods. If you can control your diet as well as give this 30-60 minutes of your time in the morning then you will see results.

Personally I have lost over a stone in weight and I can see more tone and definition in my body. Sure I've had my lapses and it's hard to sometimes have the motivation but I've not regretted spending the money. It's a great way to do exercise in your own living room by offering a little bit of entertainment and something to occupy your mind. Because let's face it, exercise can be boring but this makes it a bit more enjoyable.

At around £60, I'd say it's been money well spent.

Summary: A great way to get fit without pricey memberships