Nintendo Wii for fitness

Evening all.

I'm at that awkward age where I'm too old to keep up to date with technology for myself, but too young to have kids old enough to tell me the score.

Does anyone know anything about the nintendo wii?

My wife is after something to help her keep fit and have fun while I'm at work, and for our 2 and a half year old lad to have fun with too.

I've heard about (and looked up) something called Wii Fit, but that's as far as I seem to get. Most websites I've found seem to take it for granted that of course everyone knows everything there is to know about this gear, and its just a case of deciding what you want. Except I don't know everything there is to know, or very much for that matter. All I know is that its some dubious box of magic that presumably plugs into the telly.

Does anyone know what would be a good selection of things to buy on this front?

 

Hello Clueless

I have a Wii and I love it! You can get it quite cheaply now - make sure you get a complete bundle which includes the balance board, the handset and the WiiFit software. That's all you need.

Once you've got it set up - a fairly simple process, although I must admit that I left the lads to do it - you're ready to go. If you're planning to train as a serious athlete I'm afraid you won't find it much use, but if you just want have some fun and keep a bit active, it's great. The machine interacts with you via the balance board, which you stand on for many of the exercises, and the handset, which you strap to your wrist. You get feedback on how well you did at the end of each activity.

The activities are split into aerobic (not very strenuous. Nothing like the classes I used to crawl away from at the gym. But better than nothing, I suppose), muscle workouts and yoga. There's also a whole load of rather gimmicky stuff which I don't much use, but your little boy might find it fun as he gets a little older. You are taken through the exercises carefully and you can build them up gradually. My one serious criticism is that although the Wii tells you to warm up before exercising, there's no set warm-up sequence. It would have been quite easy to include one, I would have thought.

The Wii weighs you, tells you how many calories you've burnt and can also give you your 'WiiFit Age', based on a series of tests. This is great if you get a test you're good at (whoopie, I'm really only sixteen! I knew it!) but less of a thrill if it's something you find difficult (help! I'm a hundred and seven!). The calorie counter generally confirms the depressing news that you already knew; you have to work quite hard to burn even a few extra calories.

All in all, not a piece of equipment to interest serious fitness fanatics but great if you just want to keep a little bit active and have some fun, especially if you have young kids and can't easily get to a gym. The great thing is that because it's always there and free after the initial outlay, you can do a bit each day. I love going to the gym but I find that by the time I've found my kit, packed, got there, changed, done a class, showered and come home again, a large chunk of the day has passed. The Wii is definitely a more a efficient use of time.

One of my better purchases, I think.

 

As already said the Wii is excellent for Aerobic activity.
It is also excelllent for family oriented gameplay. Many of the games are "parent inclusive" and are great fun.
The free Wii Sports game that comes with many of the bundles is great for "Grown-Up" parties as well. After a few beers and the competitive edge has kicked in, there is no power benefits and the girls can whup the guys with a fair wind.
A WORD OF CAUTION THOUGH.
The calibration on the Balance Board is not perfect and small children are not categorised correctly.
A child can be classified as overweight if they are under about 8-9 years old. It can cause concern for some children AND some parents.
It's a GAME. Not LIFE.
There have been a number of reported problems. If the parent is aware of this issue and can deal with the questions raised its a great system.

 

I wouldn't bother - but that's just me. Personally, I don't see the point of paying around £100 for a 'gadget' which enables me to do something I can do just as easily for free.

If I want a 'work-out', I can pick up a spade, fork or grab the lawn mower and spend however long I want in the garden, go for a brisk walk, or do some serious housework. I've got a £3 pedometer which will tell me how many calories I've burnt off and whilst a friend of mine attends a 'step class' once a week at £4 a time - I can run up and down the stairs for free any day, any time of day. When the girls were small, (before the advent of 'do everything indoors'), I'd take them to the park - pushing them on swings, working the see-saw is great exercise, even just running about with them in the garden, children I discovered, don't care if it's pouring with rain so long as they're having fun.

There are some colleagues of mine (granted, not many, but a few!) who, having joined the gym after Christmas, are still going. Now, I've never wasted my money on gym membership, but there's one thing I do know about them, before you're allowed to do anything, you have to have an assessment to ascertain your current level of fitness so that you don't do yourself 'a mischief'. If something were sold whereby you'd be likely to do yourself harm by inappropriate or over use, it would soon be taken off the market, surely it therefore follows, that these electronic games are just that, 'games'.

I'm not suggesting they aren't good fun, they are - but if it's serious, 'I want to get fit' you're looking for, fresh air and 'proper' exercise would always be my choice.

 

Well, the Wii is supposed to be fun. But I disagree that you could do the same just by picking up a spade etc. You might do, if you were obsessively disciplined about working each muscle group evenly, but somehow I doubt anyone does that. If we are talking safety, plenty of people do themselves mischiefs gardening and anyway some of us live in small town spaces and don't have large plots which need mowing and tending. If you are sensible with the Wii, you won't hurt yourself. Advanced activities are locked until you've reached a certain standard. But it is certainly not 'just a game'; it will give you a decently toned body if you use it regularly and limit your calories. (Few of us shape up just through exercise, whatever the variety. Calorie counting is usually necessary.) In addition, the yoga section, while nothing like as intensive as my yoga class, will keep you reasonably supple and poised if you do some of the movements regularly. The Wii balance board really is useful here, as it can tell you exactly how much pressure you're exerting on legs and arms, and how your balance is doing. It gives you a trace after each exercise (you get feedback during the exercises too, especially if you've got something really wrong). In common with many people, I suspect, I'm not interested in training to do a marathon - I simply want to keep my figure and posture, ward off the dreaded thick-waist-sag-n'-bag-bum look and remain the same dress size.

You have to employ a degree of common sense with anything. There are a host of fitness DVDs on the market, each with the capacity to do you harm if you are outstandingly daft, and they are big sellers, particularly after Christmas! They are not 'taken off the market' unless they are unusually incompetent.

 

Thanks folks. All really good info.

Fidgetsmum, I agree that there are many better ways to get some exercise, but I thought about the Wii because I thought it would be something that would entertain my son while his mam is working out.

My son loves helping me in the garden, which is great, but can only happen when I'm in from work (my wife likes gardens, but has little interest in working them), and then by the time I've had my tea, there's not much time left before the lad's bed time.

I wouldn't be expecting the Wii to be a one stop solution to all our fitness problems, just another tool in the box

 

The good thing about Wii is it gives motivation, to computer kids, and always going to do adults

It is fun to do, and you do it, It is mostly calorie burning exercise, it might not be a lot but it is better than nothing, as in going to do
Other people who are going to go and dig the garden, mow the lawn, walk to the shops not drive would not need the motivation it provides

As an ex electronics engineer, back in early 90's I had thoughts of something similar as in a pedal powered PC where you actually exercised whilst sitting on your bum surfing the net but I never did anything about it just thought about it

Hey I could have retired by now and have enough cash to pay a gardener :-)

We could go for one of the new electric powered cars, fitted with cycle pedals, and if you want to increase performance you pedal (peddaling burns calories and it could let you access a more powerful portion of the cars batteries NOT As in pedal power itself)

Jack McH

 

Well we just got a Wii from amazon (sport resort package) but not the wii fit bit yet. I have a 4 and a 5 year old and I think they are a little bit young for it but we have some kids games they can play.

I think it's OK for the money. We have about 7 or 8 games so far and it's worth getting an extra remote and nunchuck too which pushes the price up. The extra remote can be bought in a package with a wii Play game disc which helps you learn the wii techniques. The games can be pricey so I only got them if the reviews were very good.

I was playing a rather energetic game the other day with the remote and nunchuck (while kids at school!) and I found myself out of breath and perspiring! Or should ladies glow

Several of my friends have dance games. But I don't know anything about wii fit but you should have a look at amazon and read the reviews. What the wii has over exercise dvds I guess is that it is very interactive and responds to your actions.

I wouldn't say the wii has the house on fire here but I would say it's a very useful tool in the box for wet days and when you need to let off some steam. We love Da Blob! I think the wii can be as energetic as you want it to be - we stand and hop about on the mat but you can play seated too. I imagine the wii fit balance board is alot of fun.

price wise - Amazon are doing a £99 wii sports package, extra remote is £30, extra nunchuck about a fiver, wii fit and balance board is £76. So it's not cheap! We started with the £99 package and went from there.

Kate

 

I don't think ladies should glow. If my wife started glowing, I'd have to make her sleep on th sofa, I can't sleep with the light on.