Workin on my critical review

I will have it online, once I can get approved to either vimeo or youtube. Probably vimeo, since their quality is nicer.

Well, it's been a while

But I've been so busy with school. I apologize. I did manage to get a few running sessions in, but other than that, nothing exciting. I put back on a few pounds, mainly because I haven't eating right and I haven't really been able to find the time to exercise. It's too bad 40 minutes on the Wii Fit takes out an hour and ten minutes of my daily life or I'd be able to get on it more. I really hope they fix this issue in future games.

So, today

My fitness walking class had to get shown around the gym, where one of the workers would take us around individually and show us how each piece of machinery work. One of the ladies complimented me on my flexibility, which I attribute entirely to the yoga on the Wii fit.

I will say that Yoga is 100% the best quality of the Wii Fit. I never would have even known about the benefits of yoga nor would I have ever tried it without this thing. I always thought of yoga as "girly," but it really does work. Flexibility, energy, contentness, it's so helpful to my daily life that I'll definitely continue it for as long as I can.

I'm down to 166, which is good.

Running out of my mind.

Well it's been six days since I updated, and I ran for four out of those six, half an hour each day. My body is certainly adjusting as its getting easier and easier to complete these half hour long runs.

14 hours of Wii Fit credits, so I'm movin' on up. Everything has been unlocked for a while.. so maybe the newness is wearing off.

New stuff

Well I finally gave the push up challenge a try.. I did 24 push ups and side planks, and my arms hurt like crazy. I probably won't be doing that again for a while, considering I can barely do 20 of the regular push-up/sideplanks on the strength training part of the game. In other news, I just hit 12 hours total of Wii Fit credits, which is pretty astonishing to me, considering I haven't worked out hardly at all the past year before I took on this challenge.

Ill get back to my routine of running for the rest of the week, it looks like.

More running..

Well, I think I'm pretty addicted to the free run, seeing how it's all I've done on the Wii fit the past 3 days. It's just so easy to get a lot of time in without having to screw around with the menus.

Anyway, I'm up to 4.8 miles per 30 minutes, which is way up from my 4.1 I started out with.

Unfortunately, I'm at a plateau as far as weight loss is concerned. I've only lost .2 pounds in the past couple weeks. I guess I should start watching what I eat more, since my metabolism is dreadfully slow.

..

Free Run + NCAA tournament games = for the win.

I put in my 3rd session of free run, and I finished up at 4.565 miles for 30 minutes, so I think I'm building up some endurance. It's still not terribly vigorating, but it kind of hurts my shins to run in place for so run. I don't have any idea whether or not I would experience the same soreness running outside or on a track, but either way it's somewhat painful to walk the next day.

Until next time..

More running...

So today I decided to run for a full 60 minutes. 30 minutes just wasn't vigorous enough. I had to put in two 30 minute sessions through the Wii fit menu, since I can't simply enter how long I'd like to run. I think future versions of the program should be more flexible in regard to how long you'd like to exercide. Anyway, I run about 4.2 miles in 30 minutes, and I don't know if it's accurate considering I'm running in place, but that's much, much faster than I used to run the mile in high school (the last time I was actually timed).

I unlocked a bunch of challenges, like the push up and curl challenge which apparently measures how many of those you can do in a certain period of time. I unlocked them after I put in 60 more Wii Fit credits, so I was too worn out to check them out after I finished running. I'm curious to see how much I can improve in the next month or so. Until next time..

New Features

Since I've pretty much unlocked everything in the Wii Fit, I'm starting to explore the other games/exercise routines. Well, today I used the "Free Run" feature for the first time. It's an easy way to log in Wii Fit credits without having to actively use the machine. The Wii Remote is still held in your hand while you run, but you can turn the TV and the Wii remote reminds you how much time you have left to run. I went for the 30 minute session, since running in place just isn't as vigorous as going outside and running. I was given the option of choosing between 10-20-30 minute runs.

Overall, I like the Free Run feature. One of the problems I have with the Wii Fit is having too much interactivity, meaning I don't like to have to actively select each exercise I want to do. The Free Run is a kind of mindless way to work out, get Wii Fit credits, and still feel good about exercising.

Weight Check in

Well I'm down to 173 on my real scale, and the Wii Fit says I'm 169. I use the Wii Fit on carpet though, so I tend to trust my bathroom scale more. I'm about to put in a session, so I'll update when I'm done.

Whoaa

Well, that was quite a break I took. Between finishing video projects and midterm exams, I've barely had a chance to use the Wii Fit. But, I think I am getting stronger. I expected to be worn out after a 35 minute workout today, but I wasn't. I was able to do the 20 push ups + side planks relatively easy, so I think my muscles are retaining some strength.

As I unlock more reps, it's becoming easier and easier to get in a 30-45 minute workout. Instead of doing 10 two-minute exercises, I'm able to focus on a few exercises -- lately I've been doing 20 reps of the push-ups, 40 reps of the lunges, and 30 reps of the curls/jackknifes. This altogether takes about 13 minutes, and before I know it, I'm almost halfway done with getting in a good workout. I follow the strength training with some yoga and about 11 minutes of jogging, so after about 35 minutes, I've gotten in a well-rounded workout. I'm really focusing on a few muscle groups that I'd like to tone with the strength training, mainly the thighs, abs, and triceps.

Body test tomorrow?

30 more minutes

Well I put in another 30 minutes today. 20 minutes of pushups/curls/leg exercises then 11 minutes of running. I've incorporated my Ipod into my workouts because frankly the Wii Fitness instructor has a monotonous voice and I don't need to hear "Running endurance and flexibility tends to deteriorate with age" 8 times a day for the rest of my life. I'm starting to work out at reasonable times, like around 5 PM, rather than 1 AM, and it's much easier to get through a workout.

I'll do a body test tomorrow and let ya'll know how I'm progressing BMI-wise.

29 minutes.. so tired!

Man, today was hard. I don't know if I got on the Wii Fit too late in the evening, but I'm freakin' tired. I tried to rejuvenate my body by starting off with Yoga, but I was exhausted for the entire duration of this workout session. I don't think I'm going to use the Wii Fit after a nap anymore. I'm just zapped.

I am however setting record scores in all the Yoga exercises. I'm just shocked how flexible I've become. I also plan to do another body test tomorrow to see how I'm progressing. Hopefully I'll get some more pics up too.

Short update

I've lost another 2 pounds!

Finished up another session

Today's session was 33 minutes. I upped the push up + side plank exercise to 20 reps, and that was tough. I was getting accustomed to doing 10, so it was by far the most strenuous exercise I've done since I first started. I did a variety of strength training exercises, then finished up with the 11 minute run.

I figured out how to input other exercises I do outside of the Wii Fit into the exercise log, but I'm still not sure how to get it to count toward my "Wii Fit credits" which basically just unlocks exercises. I'll play around with it next time I do something on my elliptical and hopefully figure it out. As of now, I've gotten all but 3 of the yoga poses unlocked (out of 15) and all but 1 one of the strength training exercises unlocked.

Update after a long break

Hi all - sorry for the lack of updates lately. School was rough last week and I spent most of my time in Muncie working on papers and projects.

Since I was only able to get on the Wii Fit a couple times last week, I really buckled down tonight/this morning and put in my longest session yet - 1 hour and 2 minutes. I've got a routine down that I think I'll be able to stick with. I learned from my Fitness Walking class that it's best to stretch after working out, because it'll improve flexibility when you stretch muscles that are warm. So I'm going to start every session out with the strength training (which is working quite well, I'm able to do the 10 push up + Side planks routine without breaking a sweat. When I started I couldn't even do 5.), followed by going through the aerobics routines, then finishing up with yoga. I've unlocked some more Yoga exercises, and I'm stretching parts of my body that I didn't even know existed. I'm also able to touch my toes now, which I couldn't even come close to doing before I started on the Wii Fit.

I'm going to do a body test on Wednesday, because I wasn't on the Wii Fit too much last week and I don't want to be discouraged by any results. So I'm gonna do my best the next couple of days to watch my diet and be sure to get on the Wii Fit every day.

Weigh-In results

I'm pretty happy! I dropped 11.2 pounds my first week. I'm sure a lot of that was due to the shock I put my body through by exercising so often, after living months of a pretty sedentary lifestyle.

Anyway, here's some pics of how the graph system works on the Wii Fit.























So overall, I had a good week. I am eating better (I'm not on an all-out diet, I'm just trying to restrict carbs as much as I can. Certainly not all-out Atkins style.) and I have more energy than I used to. I don't expect to drop 11 pounds every week, but it's nice to get off to a good start.

Days 3 and 4 - steady improvement

Well I put in about 30 and 40 minutes respectively the past two days on the Wii Fit, so I met my mini-goal of using the thing 4 times in my first week. I'm getting close to having all of the activities unlocked, and my scores keep on improving -- especially on the exercises that measure balance. I'm able to stand on one leg for the entire duration of the Yoga "Tree" pose, which is so much better than when I started, when I was falling off the balance board.

I'm excited for my second body test tomorrow. My close feel looser (not by a whole lot.. but still noticable). I'm going to have a camera on Monday by next Wednesday I'll have a video blog up.

Overall, for my first week, I'm pretty satisfied. I'm definitely not bored with the Wii Fit, in fact, I feel quite the opposite. I look forward to starting my routine and seeing my scores gradually improve.

I really like the rhythm boxing that I unlocked last night. It's basically a Tae-Bo rip off, but it's fun.

Day 2 - Unlocking more reps

Well, I just finished my 2nd day on the program. I put in about 30 minutes of strength training and aerobics. I had to miss a day because I was busy with school, but my goal is to get myself on the Wii Fit 5 times a week. It was probably a good thing that I missed a day because my abs were so sore after the first day that it hurt to even stand up.

One thing I like about the Wii Fit is that it unlocks more reps and exercises the more you use it. I've already unlocked several more yoga poses, strength exercises, aerobics routines and balance games. After you do each exercise a couple times, the Wii Fit allows you to select more repititions. I like this feature because it eases the user into the exercises and ensures that you don't go overboard your first time, which is helpful for people that are out of shape, like me.

One interesting thing I noticed is that the Wii Fit wanted me to do another body test (weight, BMI, balance, etc) on my second day of training. Don't most doctors recommend weighing yourself once a week? I'm only going to perform a body test once a week during this experiment. I don't want to get disheartened or too excited due to normal weight fluctuations.

I don't like the fact that I can't chain together exercises, because I waste a lot of time going through menus. 45 minutes of actual exercise time is probably more like an hour of real time just because I have to go through the software, select what exercise I want to do, press A on the Wii remote a few times to get past the "friendly" reminders to drink plenty of water or to be careful not to fall on my face, THEN when I've finished the exercise, I have to press quit to go select another one. It's only a mild inconvenience though. I enjoy watching the time spent exercising on the little on-screen "time bank" which appropriately enough resembles a pig.

Wii Fit - Day One

Hello everyone. This is my first post to a blog that will be updated regularly, about 4-6 times a week for the next few months (at least). I'm a 22 year old senior at Ball State University, and part of my graduation requirements is to write a thesis. I've decided to do a case study on the Wii Fit, and whether or not its a viable means for weight loss and other health benefits. I'm one of the unlucky people with a slow metabolism, so I've always struggled with my weight. So what I'm going to be doing for the next several months (and hopefully longer) is to use the Wii Fit at least 4 times a week and see what kind of results I get.

For those that don't know, the Wii Fit is a board about 1.5 feet x 1 foot. It looks like a standard bathroom scale, except without the numbers or digital readout. The Wii Fit comes with software that has a variety of activities to be used in conjuction with the Wii Fit board that are meant to get you "in shape." The activities range from yoga, strength training, aerobics, to balance games. The Wii Fit board is capable of measuring BMI, weight, and balance. You work with an on-screen "trainer," which is a person with a disturbing ghostly complection.

Anyway, today I did my first body test on the Wii fit. My stats were:

BMI: 29.66
Wii Fit Age: 22 (This is measured by how long you can manage to keep your balance at a certain percentage, like 60% on your right foot and 40% on your left food, although from what I've read, the Wii Fit age can fluctuate wildly and is overall not very scientific)
Balance: L 50.9% R 49.1%

So, I'm in pretty bad shape BMI-wise. I'd like to be in the 22 range. I'm only 5'6", 5'7" on a good day, and I'll be honest, fat doesn't look good on short people.

Today I logged in 44 minutes of activity, which consisted mostly of aerobic and strength training exercies. The strength training involved 6 reps of single arm extensions (standing on one leg and extending one arm and leg), push ups and side planks, basic lunges, and jackknives, which is another word for crunches, I suppose. Aerobic-wise, the Hulu-Hoop simulator was by far the most exhausting.. I don't think I've ever felt burning like that in my thighs. The other aerobic exercises I did were the "step" routine where you step on and off the board in rhythm with the other "Mii" avatars on screen, and the jog where you run in place with the Wii remote in one hand. I spent about 12 minutes doing the yoga exercises, which are no joke. I had an incredibly difficult time standing on one leg for the "tree pose." I'm sure I'll improve as time goes on, though. I spent a few minutes doing the balance games, which involved trying to hit dodge balls with my head and walking across a tight rope. The balance games aren't as physically demanding as the yoga, strength training, or aerobics, so I probably won't be spending too much time doing them.

See you all tomorrow.