What's the deal w/ Wii Fit? Calories burned...

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billyjoebob
billyjoebob Posts: 72
in Fitness and Exercise
So yesterday I worked out pretty hard with Wii fit. I put in that 40 minutes of high intensity on the Wii Fit and it said I burned 187 calories. It doesn't seem right to me though. I'll work out on my step board and I'll put in that I worked out for 40 minutes on a 6-8 inch step and it tells me I burned 455 calories. It doesn't seem right because when I do the Wii Fit I feel like I've worked out just as hard if not harder as I do on the step board. Does 40 minutes on the Wii count as the entire time you played? Because I got 40 minutes from my Wii Fit Bank, technically I was on their much longer because you have to go from exercise to exercise and listen to their instructions and see your score when you are done. So does anyone know anything more about how this website calculates calories burned for Wii Fit? Thanks!

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  • jellybaby84
    jellybaby84 Posts: 583 Member
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    I don't have a wii so this is only a reported opinion, no experience or factual information ...

    But, when I was considering buying one, other who have tried it said that the wii fit is:
    "just playing at working out"
    "a waste of money"
    "doesn't get you into fat burning zone at all"

    If those 'reviews' are true then then the low calorie burn would make total sense.

    It does seem strange that you find it to be higher intensity than something else that gives you a much higher burn though. Maybe the figures are off somewhere.
  • KikuLogan
    KikuLogan Posts: 25 Member
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    I do have a Wii and the Wii Fit Plus. Personally I do not find it to be much of a workout but some may. It's fun though and something to do other than being sedentary. Step Aerobics however is I would think mid to high intensity on an 8" step.
  • DeBiKin
    DeBiKin Posts: 107 Member
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    If you are getting more of an aerobic workout then you should enter the calories under aerobics and then choose low impact, high impact or general, those will register more calories.
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
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    Get a heart rate monitor with a chest strap to wear when you Wii. It calculates the calories burned for you.

    Calories burned are a calculated based upon your average heart rate over the duration of a workout. If you don't get your heart racing, you don't burn as many calories.

    For a woman Calories Burned:
    A = Age
    HR = Average Heart Rate during workout
    W = Weight
    T = Time (in minutes) spent exercising

    ((0.074 * A) + (0.4472 * HR) - (0.05741 * W)) * (T/4.184)
  • swillis21
    swillis21 Posts: 251 Member
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    Hi ;) I think that it's probably accurate because there are some things MFP overestimates on - so, it might be est on the higher end for your step-board workout. You can google either excercise and see what other ppl/websites say. I know that running is pretty accurate on MFP, and after running 2 miles it's only about 200 cals. Hope that helps!
  • ckspores
    ckspores Posts: 52
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    The best option for calorie counting is a HR monitor with a chest strap. The one I have (Polar FT4) was a very reasonable price when I bought it on Amazon and it works great.

    I will also say this...we have a Wii with Wii Fit and the board and while I LOVE it, it has never been a high intensity workout. It just has too many breaks to be consistently high intensity. I also think the Wii, MFP, and people in general tend to way overestimate how hard they work. That's why a HR monitor was the best investment I could have made.
  • vegetarian218
    vegetarian218 Posts: 40 Member
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    I use a Wii Fit Plus everyday and I love it. You get more intensity once you move to advanced levels. I never do the basic levels if I can avoid it. You can absolutely get a good workout if you stick with it and advance. I also try and include a 30 minute Free Run or the Free Ride Course on the Island Cycling on each workout. When I do, I lose weight. When I was starting out, I worked up to the 30 minute Free Step and that was great for where I was then. Anyhow, I think it's a lot of fun and I've already lost 20 pounds with it.

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