So this Wii thing...?

NOLA_Meg

So I'm 24....and I live in America....so I have heard of this popular gizmo: wii. I'm not really into video games but I think it could be a great tool for working out at home as I have heard so many people do. So here are the question(s):
1) Is it a great workout? Anyone with a HRM know if it gets their HR where it needs to be? Calories/session? 300 in 30 min?
2) Does it get boring? Do you have to keep buying new games?
3) Is it worth the money?
4) What do I need? I looked at the prices of things on walmart.com and all the accessory stuff looks great and tempting to accumulate high-tech junk, but what do I NEED? That board thing you stand on? What games are good?

So yeah...tell me stuff wii yodas.

DrBorkBork

I lost my first 20 lbs with my wii. You get out of it what you put into it. If you're just standing there flicking your wrist, you're obviously not going to burn many cals. If you're throwing your whole body into it and going nuts, then yeah, you'll burn calories. I would burn about 500 cals every 1-2 hours doing rhythm boxing on expert, free run, etc on Wii Fit Plus. I'd also burn 300+ doing Wii Biggest Loser workouts.

electricnewt

Wii is good but I'm not yet sure how effective it is at helping you lose weight. The games are really fun & you can do all sorts from muscle exercises to yoga, to how to improve your posture. I'd recommend wii fit plus because the original wii fit game gets a little boring as you have to work to unlock games, whereas the new wii fit plus has them all unlocked already.
The bonus of having a wii with the balance board is that you can monitor your weight and it'll work out your BMI for you on screen, then present you with a chart showing your progress. You can set goals for yourself & it will remind you each day how much you need to lose to reach your goal. Having my weight displayed on screen makes me more motivated to do a work out!!

kylielouttit

Honestly? I'm not a Wii fan. I have one and I used to use it, but I just don't feel like it should be the only thing you rely on for fitness. It's good for fun little games but I hated the cardio, I found that I didn't have good form running in one spot like that (its more like a running march) and it takes too long to switch exercises, your heartrate drops.

Anyway, that's my opinion. I know there are a lot of pro-wii people out there though!

00trayn

I've lost all the weight on here so far using the Wii and adding in the gym twice a week. I use EA Sports Active, which is more like a guided personal training session than a game. It has a 30 Day or 6 Week Challenge depending on the version (originial or More Workout) and it only requires the accessories that come with the game (a leg strap to hold a controller and a resistance band). You can use the balance board, but I haven't found a need for it and I still get a good workout. I'm using EA Sports Active More Workouts and it's a great workout. It hits all your major muscles, it has my heartrate going for the whole workout, and I'm definitely seeing results with it. I highly recommend it. Other people love the Wii Fit Plus as well, but I haven't tried that one yet. The Wii can be a great workout on top of having a ton of other fun games to play with it. I definitely recommend looking into it if you're thinking about it

Pariah

i've got one. forgetting about the wii fit for a second... i don't really like the wii, some of the party games are fun for a little bit, but are pretty lame by yourself. mario is fun. and shooting games like cabela's big game hunter are best on wii. but most of the other games, really aren't that great. a lot of the games are cheap and the gameplay reflects that, and the big name games often make me feel sick and are hard to control, i'd much rather play those games on xbox.

now if you take into consideration the wii fit, that's an extra $150ish you need to spend, and alot of games need it just to play. it comes with the wii fit plus game. when i got mine, it was just the regular wii fit game. they have strength exercises that really do work great, however game play is start and stop, so you aren't getting the same work out you would if you did the same move, for the same amount of time, continuously. some cardio, like stepping, running, and hula hooping. the stepping is kinda fun, it's like DDR, but it's slow and stepping up just 2" isn't that great of a work out. running? yea, your just running in place, i'd much rather go out for a real run. and the hula hoops are fun, but it only lasts a few minutes, before you have to restart. it also has balance games, which are fun, but don't do much for you. i have wii fit plus, but haven't even unwrapped it. and they've started making work out games, but i'd rather just do a real work out dvd.

so will the wii help you lose weight? depends, how much weight do you have to lose? bigger people who really aren't active to begin with often see a difference.just a little bit of exercise in a large person can make a big difference, plus the work outs are harder for them because they are throwing more weight around as they work out. but if you are closer to average, and you already do a moderate work out, you probably won't see a difference.

the wii is a waste of money in my opinion. you buy the console, which comes with one controller. most of their games are marketed as multi player though, so you'll want at least one more controller. most games need something called a nunchuk, so there's another accessory you need. there's alot of accessories that you don't need but might want, like controller grips, controller attachments like steering wheels, golf clubs, tennis rackets. the controller batteries die quickly, so you might want recharable battieries and a charger. most new games new the motion plus, and you'll need 1 for each controller. then you add the wii fit board. if you want to play rock band/guitar hero, there's even more accessories. you see what i mean? the bill adds up fast. i think about selling mine all the time, because it doesn't get used, but for some reason i don't.

rjadams

.the hula hoops are fun, but it only lasts a few minutes, before you have to restart. it also has balance games, which are fun, but don't do much for you. i have wii fit plus, but haven't even unwrapped it. and they've started making work out games, but i'd rather just do a real work out dvd.

/

If you unwrapped the weii fit plus you would discover that the cardio games go much longer. Hula hooping goes for 10 minutes if you want it too. and there are things like free step, free bike riding and free running. that can go for up to 30 minutes. the cario boxing goes for 10 minutes as well. It is a good work out and a lot of fun. The EA Active is better in my oppinion than a DVD because it won't let you stop the exercise. you have to keep going, on DVD's you can just quit if you don't want to all the reps. so it pushes me more. and the work outs are all different instead of the same DVD every day. I think it is a great investment. I don't live in a climate where I can get out and exercise much so I love my Wii.

alywagner

I thought I would just answer your questions.

1.) I wear a HRM because the Wii is inaccurate in telling you how many calories you burn (and how much you weigh). I use it for about 45-60 minutes and burn approx 610 calories. I am down to 170ish pounds and I am still able to burn that many calories each time. I have lost about 80 pounds so far (not just using the Wii in the beginning, right now it is all I do and I am still losing weight).
2.) I don't think it is boring because there are many different exercises you can do. It isn't just games, there are yoga and strength training exercises as well. In order for it to smoothly go from one to the next, make sure you get the new wii fit plus instead of just the old wii fit. There are new options.
3.) I think it is worth the money for sure. If you were to buy a treadmill or any other exercise machine it would cost you at least $350 for a good one that will last more than a year. You don't have to buy any new games, there are a good amount on the wii fit plus game. I bought the wii just for the wii fit and am very happy with it. It is like anything else though, if you use it you get your moneys worth, if you don't then you are wasting money.
4.) To start all you need is the Wii console (both remotes come with it), Wii fit plus game and Wii fit balance board. There are other games you can get later on, but that is a good place to start. Those are really the only things you need to get started.

Yurippe

Wii fit plus fixed a lot of the problems from the original wii fit. There is an option to do continuous training now. I get bored with the games but enjoy the Yoga and Strength training exercises.

Just Dance does not require the balance board and per my HRM I always burn 600-800 calories an hour.

NOLA_Meg

Thanks everyone! I currently go to the gym and try to combine that with things to do at my home or outside and thought this might be an option. It sounds like something I should try at a friend's house first to see if I like before taking the plunge and purchasing it. Thanks again!