Exercise:Wii Fit

I have it and I love it. I like using "my routine" with yoga and strength for light exercise or warm up and I do the island cycling and free run some mornings. there are lots of fun things to do with it for sure. For the Wii though I absolutely love my just dance games the best for exercise

I've used Wii fit before and I've not only had a great time using it and I HAVE found that it works. I lost a few pounds, but through bad eating habits and generally doing absolutely nothing else I put it all back on! The programming in it is very good, and it cleverly reinforces your achievements - which makes you feel great. I personally think in conjunction with other things it is definitely worth the money

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I would like to know too, I am considering buying it.

If you have not already purchased, consider the Xbox Kinect as well. I have both and get a MUCH better (by better I mean more strenuous) workout on the Kinect than the Wii. Just FYI

I've lost 16 pounds since Jan. 10 and Wii Fitness has been my #1 means of exercise. I am staying around 1200 calories most days. Combination of those things seem to be working for me. I start out with the yoga as a warm up and then move on to aerobics. I'm hoping to add Wii Zumba to my collection soon.

I love it. It is great for beginners because we burn calories pretty fast in the beginning. I wear an HRM so I get accurate burns. The boxing burns a lot because you are using your arms too. Wii Sports Boxing is more intense. I have the Broadway Dance but find I get a better workout if I just dance around to the music than try and follow the little characters.

All movement is good!!!!

I like my wii fit alot. I use it on a regular basis. Also use it to weigh in weekly and track my weight. Its not a super high intensity work out. I think it would work well for people of different activity levels.

I have Wii Fit, and honestly it's not that great for serious exercise. It might be a good place to get started for someone who's really out of shape, or something to do just for fun. It's a good activity for me to do with my kids on a rainy day. But I wouldn't recommend buying it for weight loss. The exercises are very short, and then you have to find and load another one. If you want to exercise with the Wii, I would recommend the Just Dance games before the Wii Fit. Just Dance has a Sweat option that's non-stop dancing (and it's way more fun).

I am actually studying game design and doing an essay (due this week) on serious games - which includes games for exercise. I found a review of a study done about 'exergaming' (games intended for exercise purposes).

The article on the review can be found at the following site:
G. Reynolds. (2010). Phys Ed: Why Wii Fit Is Best for Grandparents. Well. Retrieved February 22, 2012 from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/phys-ed-why-wii-fit-is-best-for-grandparents/?partner=rss&emc=rss


Essentially, they found that normal exercise and playing sports burns more calories than Wii Fit, which for younger people, is only equivalent to brisk walking. They did find that it greatly helped the elderly, especially with balance. This is really important as increased mobility decreases the risk of a fall and "... falls are the leading course for injury-related deaths in the elderly."

(As a side note, I also did workexperience with Neuroscience Research Australia, making an electronic game/survey to help analyse the risk an elderly person has of falling. You can read about it on my blog at http://littlemegzz.wordpress.com/category/game-design-projects/serious-games/)

I must say however, the study does not look at the mental change between those doing nothing and those working at Wii fit. Case example is those above who have talked about how much they enjoy Wii Fit. I am also one of them. Even though it does not burn as many calories as actually going out for a jog, or playing a sport, it is fun and can keep you motivated through the games and scores and on track with your weightloss by keeping you updated on your current weight. I also find, when I am keeping record on the Wii Fit, I am also more likely to make healthier options in my life, as I am held accountable by that little rectangle box which squeals "ouch" when I hop on it.

Final advice, if you enjoy playing games and getting to physically see your progress or if you struggle with motivation to get outside in the freezing cold or blazing hot weather outside, any of the exergames on any of the consoles might be perfect for you. I have definately got my moneys worth from buying the wii fit (and wii fit plus) thost 1350+ days ago when it first came out (that's right, it knows how long I have been using it for). I have competed with friends and family on it and my four year old cousin and 40+ year old uncle enjoy the games on it. If you are still unsure, see if a friend has it and ask if you can borrow it.

I used the EA Sports Active 2 for Wii last night and it kicked my butt. Way more workout than I was getting with the Fit. It has motion sensors for your arm and leg, so it can tell if you are doing things right - and tell you when you aren't. The arm motion sensor doubles as an HRM, so it tracks your calories as well. I may not have burned as many calories as on the eliptical, but for a 1/2 hour workout, I was beat. Plus I didn't have to drive to the gym - always a plus.....

I like the Fit for the variety of fun activities and some of them are a pretty good workout. But I personally find that the Active 2 is a more serious workout, it comes with a HRM and resistance band, and the different programs/challenges it has are good. I've been doing 20-30 mins of the Active and 30-40 mins of the Fit every morning 5 days a week and watching my diet and have lost 13 lbs so far and a bunch of inches.