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.