2 Days with Nintendo Wii Fit: the Balance Board is life changing

Go…out…side.

Yeah wii “fit” compared to what sitting on the couch all day. Try getting really fit and why people play games like wii tennis to get fit when they could just go play tennis is beyond me…no way does a wii game compare to the real sports which actually require some skill

Paul / raw – you’re missing the point.

A lot of people don’t have the facilities nearby to play tennis or any other sport. They also may be unfamiliar with physical activity and haven’t got the confidence to break into a new sport.

The Wii board is going to provide a lot of motivation to these people to get used to using their bodies and perhaps give them the self confidence to try other “real” sports. While providing an opportunity to have some family fun.

Surely then it’s a great investiment and a step forward for home based fitness systems? How may of you have got a set of weights or multi gym at home gathering dust?

I agree with the post completely and just to respond to the last comment you may so go outside and play tennis but lets say your obese you feel you look like a idiot playing tennis or going for a jog etc this helps you to do that without being in the eyes of others.

Played it and it’s amazing. And in response to the other comments, how are you supposed to get fit playing a sport you can’t play? It’s all well and good saying “Go outside and play tennis and do boxing” etc etc but can you actually do it? With the wii you don’t need to be good at a sport or need a court/pitch/ring or whatever to play it. And it’s certainly a lot better for you than sitting in front of the xbox or sony’s third toaster!

It’s interesting to me that so many people comment on “going outside” to exercise when one of the largest market segments is home fitness equipment. Isn’t it natural that fitness equipment would evolve into video games? To me, exercising inside to a video game is much more appealing that just jogging on a treadmill, or jogging on the street for that matter.

I do not think that the Wii is necessarily the pinnacle of the evolution, but it is the best start I have seen. It has shown that there can be a market for advanced exertainment.

And, if you get in good enough shape, you might feel good enough to go out and do the real thing. Face it, in the US the vast majority of people do not go out and do the real thing.

I guess you two are obviously able to enjoy sports in your area.

Imagine being a female, living in a city, where it is not safe to go outside on your own for exercise (eg jogging), you cannot afford and don’t want to pay monthly gym fee’s and you work long hours.

30 mins a day on the wii-fit in the comfort and safety of your own home is fantastic in my opinion.

The entire family can get involved, competing for the best times and so on. It also makes you more aware of things you eat and how you stand in everyday life.

I agree with the article’s author, and maintain it is the best birthday present I have ever received!
10/10

Anyone who actually uses Wii Fit will realise that the beauty of it is not the silly games that come with it, but the tracking and interactivity of your stats, that encourage you to go out and exercise for real so you can monitor your weight effortlessly and get helpful feedback.

The jogging game is marvellous – and it doesn’t even use the wii fit board lol. Nintendo were a bit cheeky to run that by you, after spending so much for the board ha ha! Seriously though, it is the most fun way to run on the spot I have ever come across.

Don’t knock the Wii Fit. It is not a miracle cure for easy fitness, but after seeing my mother and sister enjoy it I strongly suspect that the Wii will have the potential to surpass the market penetration of even the PS2.

PlayStation3 maybe “Living” and the XBOX 360 may be “Playing” but the Wii is always going to be “fun, Fun, FUN!”

Want to know something, Paul? Real sports do not measure out your BMI, your weight shifts, your actual weight, your time spent or set weight and BMI targets for you. Wii Fit is fun. A lot of fun. It’s a lot more practical as well. It’s all very well to say ‘JUST GO OUT N DO SOM REEL EXCSERCISE’ but it’s so much easier and a lot of people feel more comfortable in their own home. And don’t give me that ‘it requires no skill’ BS. I have played Wii Fit. And guess what – it requires SKILL! What are the odds, eh? The whole point is to help improve that skill. Now go and play your ‘AWESUM PS3!!11″ and gtfo our internet.

In Just One Day Of Being On Wii Fit, I Lost 1lb! It Rocks!

I’ve had a wii-fit for a couple of months now, courtesy of a trip to Hong Kong and the purchase of Wii Freeloader software to get round the region coding. My kids blasted through all the games and yoga sessions in a couple of weeks, leaving me at the bottom of the high scores and feeling a lot less ‘wii-fit’ as a result! It’s fun, but if you’ve got kids, you’ll likely get more depressed than fit! BTW, The last game you unlock is one where you have to sit completely still on the board whilst a candle burns down in front of you. Great for couch potatoes!

i’ve lost 50KG because of wii fit! OMG!!11

Life changing, like the STAIR-MASTER..

lol..

I bought the Wii Fit on launch day and the whole family loves it. People who say ‘go outside’ are idiots: we live in the UK – even in those parts of it that aren’t stinking littered crime ridden hell holes, it’s still raining.

Only one problem, as D-Man says. The leaderboards are straight top-10 boards, and they should simply keep each persons top scores. In most families one person will end up occupying all 10 slots whilst the others don’t get a look-in. Maybe an update can fix this?

You could lose 1lb after a decent trip to the lav.

Pure gimmick.

I’ve lost 50kg! What have you lost half your body weight!

Truly life changing?

After a few days? LMAO

I doubt that the ingame-play is the driving force behind losing weight, or a healthier you. Rather, take in the idea of a coach–a reminder. What the game takes advantage of is the habit of looking at the scale. When it’s in the restroom, sometimes it’s hard to not step on it. Nintendo also provides health information about your body, as the article expresses. This combo of learning and taking a casual look at your health would be an improvement if not doing so, right?

They do a great job. Plus, they make this a game. I have known people at work who have pools about who has lost the most weight. I know a guy who started running just because he wanted to win the pool of over 50 dollars. If it’s fun, who knows?

LOL @ all the fanboys. There are some bitter posters here, obviously afraid that Wii Fit will be a massive success. LOL @ bitter fanboys. A mere update in graphics is a poor excuse for a next gen console. Wii and DS are TRUELY NEXT GEN.

I don’t have a WiiFit yet, but I’m absolutely sure I’m going to get one (probably this week).
Why? Not because I need exercise (I play sports more than once a week), neither am I overweight (on the contrary, I’m under my ideal weight), but for the simple reason that it’s another FUN addition to the Wii. I bet my children will love it too.
Nintendo has understood one thing very well, the need for fully interacting with games/fun. VR (Virtual Reality) is not going to arrive anytime soon for the home use market, because our bodies can not stand the confusion of what we see and what we experience for a period longer than an hour to an hour and a half.
Nintendo took the first steps into truly interactive gaming, and I can only appreciate that.
Would you rather go play and sit on the sofa with some controller in your hands, or be involved in the game by using more than just your hands?

On a side note, I can’t wait to see more titles using the WiiFit, WiiMote and Nunchuck…
And a final thought, I really would love to see what Nintendo will bring next to the Wii.

Play! Have fun!

just buy a stationary bike if you want exercise… This is good for obese kids who eat ice cream and video games all day though

@The Mighty Rechecki

“we live in the UK – even in those parts of it that aren’t stinking littered crime ridden hell holes, it’s still raining.”

Whenever I go to any forum of any type there is always some loser making these types of comments. Go read your Daily Mail and peek longingly through your curtains at the big, bad world. BTW, it was great weather this weekend wasn’t it?

I find Wii Fit incredibly depressing. The views of the people who buy it are just very, very sad. Like the person above who wouldn’t go outside to exercise because it is raining. So get a little wet. Or the guy who is standing in front of his TV running on the spot. Or the person who believes that it is dangerous for women to go running in the city. I know loads of women who run in most of the major cities in the UK and the worst they have to contend with the odd car horn.

Know this – the exercise value of Wii Fit is absolutely negligible. You will achieve more and feel better just by walking for half an hour a day – and a big part of that feeling better is the actual act of going outside, especially at the moment with the longer daylight hours. The world is not scary and neither is a minimal level of exercise.

I bought the wiifit board as a thirtieth birthday present and I couldnt disagree with Simon Wells more.

The fact was I worked and lived in a big city and have been at he wrong end of muggings on more than one occassion which as a lad in my mid twenties wasnt such a problem as I had been able to handle myself, so by saying the worse they have to contend with is acar horn is dellusional.

The benifets I found from this board is the fact it has tought me to do exercises that I already knew Correctly and I am actually feeling the benefit. Wii Fit doesnt stop you from doing outdoor activities, infact it recommends them as you are able to log up any and all activities you do over the course of the day.

It gives you advice on your posture which in turn helps you with the exercises.
I thought that I would get the wiifit board and end up playing a bunch of balance games, skiing, snowboarding etc. but the truth is I have found those a bit dull, what Im suprised about is the Yoga and Muscle workouts and have actually felt better about doing them because I have seen the improvements in how I have done them on the screen.

Step areobics is also enjoyable because after all what would make a better step board than the wiifit board.
I havnt felt this good since the time I spent in the Prince of Wales Own.

Wii Fit wont change your life on its own, but It sure helps a hell of a lot.

Everyone is different, each to their own!!! Lifestyles vary and what suits one may not suit the other. I like the idea of Wii Fit and can’t wait to get one! I hate gyms, I hate running outside, and I hate sports where competition and attitudes put me off. I like the idea of being in the comfort of my own home after work where I don’t have to bother with paying gym fees or spending time doing something I don’t enjoy – Wii Fit gives mental stimulation and encouragement too, and yes it sounds like great fun!!!

y’know i never really feel the need to respond to debates like this but this one has really got my goat….
are those of you out there who think that exercise can only be done outside complete idiots?! do you react like this at the mention of fitness dvds? expensive (inside) gyms? sets of dumb-bells used whilst watching tv? no i suspect not. get over yourselves and lighten up. the wii fit is suppossed to be a fun imaginative way develop a skill that is much more active than sat pushing buttons on a remote for a few hours a day. im sure that nobody is naive enough to expect that they are going to become the next paula radcliffe from running on the spot but the fact of the matter is that at least they ARE running on the spot etc, etc. its people like you and your complete arrogance and lack of any encouragment who stop people doing anything active. i go to the gym 3x a week and am slim and healthy and i had a marvelous time on the wii fit. shut up grumbling and lighten up!!!!
i suspect however that you will not read this comment as you are probably outside running…..

Exactly, Mini One. Wii Fit is a bit of fun and NOT the life changing fitness experience that so many people on this thread – many of whom actually appear to be genuinely afraid to go outside – appear to be claiming. You’ll notice that Nintendo themselves are making no such claims of any kind.

I’ve nothing against the product but have a huge problem with the rather sad demongraphic that appear to be embracing it. Their underlying attitudes explain why the Western world is becoming the sphere of the fatty.

And, yes, fitness DVDs, home gyms, Slendertones et al are also pretty much entirely useless to anyone but the most tragically sedentary. Just get outside and WALK.

I find it absolutely amazing that a product such as wii fit has managed to generate such high levels of hostility. Quite why Simon Wells et al feel the need to berate people for buying a fitness package I really dont know; was he once wronged by someone one on a tred-mill or bullied by a Tai-Bo enthusiast.

Anything that can moderately raise your heart rate for 30mins is good for you. Wii fit can do this so it is good for you.

I do not play any outside sports as I am terrible at outside sports. I do, however, go to the Gym regularly and I do own a wii fit. I can say with absolute certainty that you can get as good a work out on an hour of wii fit as you can in an hour at the gym.

As long as the people who buy the wii fit actually use the wii fit then they will benefit.

Final comment – I also do a fair bit of walking and personally I have never found that I work up a hefty sweat. With both the gym and wii fit I do.

The problem is that it is not a fitness package – Nintendo make no such claims – it is a gaming toy.

And I’m sorry, Dom, if you get as good a workout from a Wii Fit as your gym, you need to find a new gym. And if you’re not working up a sweat walking, then you need to walk faster. None of these are points are rocket science.

The only people who are going to benefit from the Wii Fit in terms of making a long term improvement to their fitness are people who, at the moment, cannot get up from their couch without being out of breath. It is not a fitness revolution, it is a sop for the terminally sedentary.

Like I said….each to their own. If people prefer to get fit in the comfort of their lounge then so be it – we all have differing levels of fitness. Stop debating and get a life, this is all cracking me up!

I’m sorry but this is the point: WII FIT WILL NOT MAKE YOU FIT IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN LOUNGE. If you are an absolute no hoper couch potato, it might make you very marginally fitter but for everyone else, it is nothing but a bit of fun. People who keep maintaining on this thread that the Wii Fit is a gateway to a lifetime of fitness are talking absolute crap. You are deluding yourselves. Getting aerobically fit involves working hard, getting sweaty and – almost unavoidably – going outside or visiting some kind of gym or other fitness facility. It doesn’t involve balancing on a bit of plastic watching your Super Mario avatar do the same on TV.

Getting fit has different meanings to different people. Not everyone wants or needs to get athletically fit – but those of us that don’t exercise normally and find the Wii Fit fun to use then this is beneficial as it is better than nothing and if it’s fun then why not!!! Wii is a fun gaming toy…..Wii Fit is a fun gaming toy that HELPS you to get fit – logical!!! It doesn’t claim to get you athletically fit, but not everyone wants to get athletically fit – doctors say all we need is to get the heart rate going for 30 minutes a day – not work up a sweat! Get over it!!!

How are you going to raise your heart rate without getting a little sweaty? And what does “athletically fit” mean? Doesn’t that just mean “fit”?

This is the problem – there is now a pretty big demographic who are so sedentary that they believe that you can exercise to a level that is worth doing without actually doing anything looks like exercise. And that’s just not possible. There is no “athletically fit”. There is only “fit”.

Any other type of fit just isn’t.

@Simon Wells
Based on the amount of replies, you need to get out more yourself! Or get to work!
I don’t believe the amount of nonsense you manage you post here.
Fact: Continuous movement of the muscular system for a period of minimum 30 minutes DOES good to your body (stepping boards in aerobics, indoor training bicycles, even balancing on a silly workout mat)
WiiFit is just another method of doing that.
Apparently you just have an issue with people enjoying that kind of entertainment and getting off their behinds for a change. And maybe they even discover sports can be fun.

You should read and view the videos on:
http://ms2.nintendo-europe.com/wiifit/enGB/
There you’ll actually see the exercises!

There is already enough scientific proof that small workouts several times a day have much more effect than one big one. So no need to get all sweaty.

Besides, you said: “How are you going to raise your heart rate without getting a little sweaty?”
Ever encountered a beautiful person that made your heart beat faster? I bet you broke out in a big sweat then… Not everybody is like you.
Also your claim that you *need* to go outside your home to do any exercise is so way out of reality, ever heard of aerobics/tae-bo/fitness DVDs? No? Get a life then…

Stop bashing the WiiFit, buy one, play with it for a week and come back to tell your honest opinion.

I can’t wait for the results of the University that is currently studying the effects of the WiiFit, so I can slap you around the ears with it.

To the rest of the people who made it this far, enjoy the games, stay healthy!

Let’s get one point absolutely straight first.

You appear to be saying that you can get adequate exercise from the amount your heart rate increases if you look at someone you fancy?

So, having established that you have well, a highly individual interpretation of the concept of exercise, we’ll move on.

There is no “scientific proof” anywhere to suggest that you can get to even a minimum level of fitness without doing the kind of exercise that makes 90 per cent of the population perspire. I’m curious as to what kind of “exercise” you believe can be done without getting at least a little bit of a glow up.

Exercise is exactly that. Wii Fit provides an absolute minimal level workput that might be suitable for someone who is clinically obese or old and inactive. Anyone else who uses it under the impression that they will reach a level of fitness that will have a long term impact on their health is seriously deluded.

Again, I point out that Nintendo make no fitness claims for Wii at all and certainly none of the kind that are being seen in this thread. The most dynamic word they employ in their own marketing material is “active” and “fun”. That’s fine. I’ve looked at the videos and Wii Fit looks active and fun to me. What it doesn’t look like is anything like even the most stress-free workout.

“Stay healthy”. Puh-lease.

jesus

@ Simon:
I did not claim that looking at someone and get an increased heart rate is exercise. I claimed that you can have an increase in heart rate without getting sweaty. Ripping things out of context and/or poor reading seems to be a familiar issue to you?

On the reading matter, fitness is not only exercise, it includes also healthy eating and proper sleeping.
Interesting article about fitness:
http://www.answers.com/topic/fitness?cat=health

So, IMHO WiiFit is indeed the gateway to a fitter lifestyle. But like with any other fitness aid, you need to do more than just that. Nothing does a miracle for your body, you need to do it yourself.

Simon Wells: Get off and get a life!!!!!!!! Open your mind and see the world around you, your opinions aren’t the be all and end all like you seem to be making out they are! Get over yourself!

Your comment suggesting Rhian is claiming adequate exercise can be gained by looking at someone you fancy…..no this is not what was being said so stop putting words in other people’s mouths. Because we sweat doesn’t mean we’re exercising….do you even have a sex life? Get out of here!

Wii Fit might be a gateway to a healtier lifestyle if, currently, you have trouble raising yourself from the couch. But the bottom line is that exercise is work and, especially if you have a history of not exercising, hard work. For those people, getting fit will be painful and require a lot of dedication. There is just no avoiding that.

Fat and/or unfit guys and girls who believe that balancing on a plastic mat in front of a TV can somehow circumvent that basic, painful fact are just plain wrong and the claims those people are making for Wii Fit – such as Daniel at the top of the thread who calls it “life changing” after two days of using it – are irresponsible and incorrect.

It’s funny, really. A load of couch potato gamers posting on here suddenly think they are fitness experts because Nintendo has sold them something that probably has no more fitness benefit than walking up and down a flight of stairs a couple of time. Again, Nintendo makes no such claims and, in fact, the guy who invented it keeps telling people to go outside more. Just Google.

PS You are of course right about diet, etc, also being crucial components of stayng fit.

“Have trouble getting of the couch”…..is there a need to be so sarcastic and to judge people?! You’ve got a serious chip on your shoulder Simon and obviously enjoy having a good argument. Me….I’ve got better things to do.

Meeshe. There is no sarcasm intended here at all. The only people who Wii Fit will benefit, fitness wise, are those who are currently almost entirely inactive. I’m not judging anyone other than the people who are claiming it to be some kind of fitness revolution. The only revolution that Wii Fit is bringing about is in Nintendo’s profit margins. It is NOT a serious fitness tool, any more than a Slendertone is. But a lot of people just don’t seem to want to acknowledge this.

There you go then. It is probably aimed at such people and therefore shouldn’t be compared to extreme athletic fitness anyway.

We’re not talking “extreme athletic fitness” here. Wii Fit will only tax someone who is clinically obese or otherwise physically compromised due to age or other factors. The best that the fitness expert on the BBC thought about it was that it might benefit pensioners with balance problems. IT WILL NOT HELP THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE ATTAIN EVEN THE MOST BASIC LEVEL OF AEROBIC FITNESS. We’re not talking Olympic standard here, we are talking about a fitness tool that probably couldn’t help you improve the speed/heart rate/efficiency at which you could walk to the corner. It is of almost no benefit whatsoever to the vast majority of the population. Get over it.

Simon Wells take your own advice and “Get over it”.

…..

(anyone reckon he is a ex-fatty, ex-smoking gym fanatic mummies boy with no life? :p)

…..Fancy a cream cake and a marlboro Simon?

OMG someone has a DIFFERENT OPINION TO YOU Simon!!! Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!!!!

It’s interesting how you’ve become more aware of your posture. That is life-changing. I can hear chiropractors everywhere moaning already.

@Stretch
“A lot of people don’t have the facilities nearby to play tennis or any other sport.”
You’re telling me that the majority of people owning a Nintendo Wii, balance board/Wii fit, a Tv and some sort of electricity supply do not have a sports facility nearby? I do agree with some of what you said, like the whole confidence factor. But if you’re trying to imply that this balance board is the only way to stay healthy, and is also superior to an old fashioned work-out, then you are wrong.
I live in Central Africa, I live within walking/running/cycling distance of two pools, two Gyms,five football fields, two running tracks, a Sports club and an athletic centre. Even if most people dont have all that, what do you need to go out for a good old jog? Nothing at all. And I guarantee you that some jogging/swimming combined with pushups and sit-ups/crunches is better, faster and cheaper. This is nothing but a gimmic, similar to treadmills, air-walks, vibrating/electic ab massagers, etc. I wouldnt be surprised if it was programmed to tell you that you have lost weight even though you havnt.

ps Simon Wells is one of the only people here who knows what he’s talking about. Wii Fit is not going to make you “fit”. Fitness is not simply losing weight. Most importantly it it achieving a lower average heart rate when at rest. I used to consider myself fit, I was doing 2 hours of swimming seven times a week, swimming up to 7 kilometers a session and 49 kilometers a week. That isn’t including my daily land training, ie jogging and a work out of push ups and crunches every morning and night + gym 2 times a week. If you saw me you probably wouldn’t believe me, I dont have huge shoalders, bulging biceps or a six pack. This is simply what you have to do to stay fit. Due to pressure of my exams, I had to stop this practice a month ago, I’ve never been more unfit, I’m tired and concentrating is more difficult. I can sense how much more I have to breathe and how much my pulse rate has risen. There is no avoiding the hard work that exercise requires, if it doesn’t burn, its not doing anything. Go exercise people, get in a routine. I’m not critiquing, just trying to give advise. I grew up with a healthy life-style, its easier for me. You just have to focus and do it, don’t allow yourself to make excuses. I believe my training has helped me in almost every aspect, I’m more dedicated, disciplined, and healthier. I feel very sorry for people who didn’t grow up forced (thats too strong a word, encouraged) into doing some work. I know what I am capable of, and it turns out I’m actually more academically inclined, however much I want to excel in sport, most people haven’t tried.

I still find it amazing that so Simon and his acolytes fill so strongly about bashing Wii fit and any one who uses it.

As an owner, first let me say that I do not enjoy the BALANCE games and I can see little value in doing them. However there is value in the rest of the package. Anwer these questions honestly:

Is jogging exercise?
Is Taibo exercise?
Is step arobics exercise?
Is Hula hooping exercise?
Is yoga exercise?
Are pressups, jack knifes, parrallel stretches, lunges, tricep extensions, etc… exercise?

If you have have answered yes to any of the above questions then wii fit has something to offer.

Bizarrely, i suspect of the list above the only one people might honestly question would be hula hooping, yet i would chalange anyone to complete the 10 minute hulahoop session in wii fit without working up a good sweat. Add to that 10 minutes a 10 minute jog, 10 minutes of steps, 10 minutes of boxercise and a bunch of the muscle exercises and you’ve got a really good work out.

Is wii fit going to turn you into a superfit muscle bound hunk – NO.

Is it a good daily workout for the average joe (by that I dont mean couch potatoes) – YES.

Might it encourage coach potatoes off their coaches – Very possibly.

Personally, I dont want to go out and play tennis, or football, or any other sport for that matter. Not because i’m lazy but simply because I am not interested in sports. What i want is an something that makes me sweat for an hour and builds muscle tone. Wii fit and the gym provide this.

I really think that people should do their research before they make judgements – for all the doom sayers above if you cant even be bothered to try the wii fit then maybe you should at least read this article;

http://www.4colorrebellion.com/wii-fit/

P.S. Stef – unless you really wanted to be a professional athlete you were seriously over doing it. 3 hours a week or half an hour a day is the clinically recomended amount of exercise that most should be partaking in.

There’s a lot to tackle there:

1. Running on the spot is not running. Go outside and feel the difference.
2. You can’t do step aerobics without a proper aerobic step, which WiiFit isn’t.
3. Yoga and Taibo are great but are strictly for suppleness and some slight muscle toning. No-one ever got fit doing these things alone.
4. The one hour exercise you outline sounds fine. My problem is with people who are spending 20 mins three times a week balancing on a bit of plastic and then pronouncing themselves fit.
5. I’ve never heard of 30 mins a day as an exercise maximum but I’ve certainly heard it mentioned as a minimum. What is your source for this?
6. The guy in the link is kind of interesting. Looking at the pretty gentle exercise he has been doing, you’d have to suspect that the changes in his diet that WiiFit has prompted are the main reasons for his weight loss. But I’ve no problem with very sedentary people using WiiFit as a means to get off the sofa. The question is more, what do they do after the slight improvements that WiiFit will help them make? What is step two on the road to getting fitter? He’s in a little better shape but only a little.
7. The guy who does my personal training just about sums WiiFit up, I think. He has had various clients of his come up to him in the last month to say that have bought one and he always answers, “Great. And what are you doing to get fit?”

Just taken a peek back at this thread after a couple of weeks and … Jeeeeeez …… guys and gals, don’t take this thing so seriously. Don’t imagine you are going to change most serious athletes’ view that this is nothing more than a “toy”, nor a trying-not-to-be-a-couch-potatoe’s view that this could turn him/her into the mega-fit musclebound babe magnet / slim and sexy fox of their dreams. Why not just relate your own experiences with Wii Fit and lets hope that someone from Nintendo might be reading this and looking for improvements for Wii Fit 2.
Personally, I’ve used my Jap Wii Fit to learn a bit of Japanese (Well, OK the kids and I go round saying stuff to each other like “Sa Che Chu” and “Me no patanda” which is in the boxing game- anyone know what that might mean?)- and if I get any fitter – that’s a bonus!!

Something you should know, Simon…

Wii fit – MAKES YOU FIT.

It is a health package. It is not a children’s toy. The console can accurately measure your BMI, shift in balance, etc. And your personal trainer sounds like a sarcastic arse.

Wii Fit has – it has been reported – changed lives already. It has made people aware of their own body and the weight they carry. And it is helping people slim down.

Some advice. PLAY before you BITCH.

You see, this level of debate is the problem. What is a “health package”? That’s a meaningless phrase. Measuring your BMI is great but where are the fitness benefits in mesuring balance? And my fitness instructor happens to be one of the nicest, least bolshie people you could ever hope to meet. And is educated to degree level in fitness, so I think he is pretty well qualified to pronounce on WiiFit. Deku, your qualifications are?

HAHAHA, everyone takes this so seriously. Clearly its just a toy, but that has uses. I think that the wii fit doesn’t make you fit, but it can change your life, because its easy to access and can inspire you to change by showing you the statistics. For people uneducated of fitness (which is most people to be fair) a machine that can calculate and inform you about your fitness is a great way of making you want to excerise.

That said, i agree with simon that with the wii fit alone there is almost no possiblity of improving your fitness, you won’t break a sweat and if you dont sweat then your really not improving your fitness, and the fact that people are argueing against this really just shows how lazy they are.

Also i dont know if anyone has noticed, but the amount of exercise your “meant” to do (30 minutes a day i think someone said), is the MINIMUM, so thats just enough to get by, that ISNT going to make you fit.

People should make more effort to improve their fitness, including me! I’m finding it hard to go to the gym at the moment because A) i have no money (all my work money is paying for me to travel to africa), and B) i’m revising for my alevels. There is plently of oppertunity for me to exercise outside but i dont.. because.. well, like most people in the UK, i’m kinda lazy (also somebody stole my bike, which at the time was the only exercise i enjoyed), i think if i were to buy wii fit, it could inspire me to exercise, becuase it will tell me just how unfit i’ve become! And whilst i could go to a doctor for this infomation, some people dont feel comfortable doing that.

I think everyone in this forum has said things that are correct, its just people are making views from the extremes rather than gathering the points together and realising the truth of the “game”.

I’m really sorry about the grammar in that last post, please ignore it when you respond. I touch typed it and didn’t check afterwuds.

Obviously, I’m late to this party but I just found this post and have to say that I’ve now had the Wii Fit for about 3 weeks and LOVE IT!! I am a former pro athlete and dancer who has been stuck behind a computer for a few years and therefore was in the worst shape of my life (although still better than most since I don’t own a car and walk almost everywhere). In the past 3 weeks I have faithfully worked on a routine with Wii Fit with cardio 6 days a week and strength training 3x a week. I’ve had a gym membership for many years that I haven’t used in the past 3, so I know Wii Fit is way more motivating and addictive than any gym (this coming from a former gym rat, used to go there for 4 hours most days) plus buying it cost less than one month at mine. Best of all, I actually have muscles again! I’m underweight but was still flabby and now I can see the fat melting away and the jiggling stop. Plus, my weight is going up due to the newly increased muscle mass.

To top it all of, I no longer crave sugary treats like soda and cookies. When I’m hungry I find I want fruit, veggies, good proteins, etc. I was a Coca-Cola addict and haven’t touched one in over a week just because I don’t want it anymore. I’m way more in touch with my body than I have been in a long time and it’s benefiting me in every way. None of this has ever happened with any other exercise routine I’ve ever been on, including when I spent 8+ hours a day on physical activities when I was younger.

Frankly, I find it way better than the gym because it really motivates me. Even when I’m not in the mood to exercise it makes me bother and then I feel better. My old personal trainer was easier to cancel on!

Seriously, I have lots of muscle definition, less flab, and way more energy than before! If those aren’t the major reasons to get fit for most people, I don’t know what is. To top it off, I now feel ready to go back to some of my more casual sporting pursuits again, like joining my local soccer team and taking figure skating lessons as soon as I have the money. So, basically, it’s a wonderful way to jump-start your body and may even inspire you to go out and do more. What could possibly be less than excellent about that?

BTW, I’m almost 32 and think it’s especially good for us over-30s. The routines are mostly low-impact (unlike jogging or other exercises recommended in some of the comments, of course, the jogging game is the highest-impact) and don’t kill my sports-addled joints.

Of course, it only works if you commit to it, just like any exercise. That’s where Wii Fit is superior for the average person and couch potatoes, it makes you bother! I’m not saying I wouldn’t like a harder version to eventually progress to, but those are on the way according to reports. I’ve also been faithfully loggin my extra exercise and it’s wonderful to see just what I’ve accomplished laid out in front of me.

Oh, and I’ve read very good exercise books that suggest routines almost exactly like the ones you can create in Wii Fit (by alternating the exercises, either by doing a routine like mine or alternating muscle groups each day). Why is it any better to do push-ups without the game than with it, for example? The game pushes me harder than I can push myself in each exercise, making sure I hit “overload”. Fantastic! Sure, a personal trainer does the same thing but how many people can afford one? One session is often the same price as Wii Fit, two to four cost the same as the Wii itself.

And to anyone who thinks yoga is a joke, the people I know who only do yoga for exercise are in much better shape than anyone else I know. It’s not just about toning your muscles but it also has incredible benefits to your metabolism and brain/body chemistry in general that makes your whole self work better. Not to mention that it increases flexibility, making other exercise much easier and less likely to hurt you. I start off every day with yoga and it’s definitely had a huge impact on not just my posture but absolutely everything. Best of all, it’s amazing for one’s sex life! I’ll leave all the reasons to your imagination and just recommend that everyone give it a go.

The fact of the matter is, even the laziest people I know are starting to snap up Wii Fit and use it daily (or close to) and every single person is benefitting right from the start. Fantastic!

Are you going to get huge muscles from it alone? No way, but how many people are looking for that? I’m female, I want long, lean muscle with nice tone and for my true body shape to shine through. I want to look damn good in a bikini, and I’m a heck of a lot closer to that than I was 3 weeks ago. That is an accomplishment already! Wii Fit is a fantastic tool for what I want. All my other exercise gear is collecting dust while my board needs dailing cleaning from all the use it gets.

Sorry to go on and on, but I think anyone who scoffs at Wii Fit either hasn’t tried it or has unrealistic expectations.

I’m curious – and not in a loaded sense – six months on, is the WiiFit still “life changing”?

Simon, you asked for it…
Six months later:
I still haven’t gained weight, nor lost any… (I am at the bottom of my ideal weight, sometimes a little under, sometimes into the range called ‘ideal weight’. It depends on the time of the month.
Besides that, I do have a better balance. I have a better stance, and though I didn’t do many exercises, I did yoga often. I was already in good shape at the start, and I feel even a little bit better, having more flexibility.
I can say that I’m a bit fitter than before, having an average Wii-Fit age of 25, while my real age is over 40… I started with an average Wii-Fit age of 37/40.
Other than that, it’s still a nice and funny thing to play with. I’ve not seen any new games, other than We Skii or Family Ski.
So I guess it’s a winner, proving that it can be a motivator to get off your behind and produce some results.

Simon Wells has never used a Wii Fit. Fact.

Simon Wells therefore spews forth only ill-informed speculation and conjecture like verbal diarrhea. Fact.

Simon Wells has used a WiiFit. Fact.

Simon Wells’ heart rate didn’t rise more than 10-20bpm. Fact.

Six months after some pretty heated debate, Simon Wells was genuinely interested in whether anyone had got any long term health benefits out of WiiFit, cos if he was wrong, he was big enough to admit it.

But it’s pretty quiet out there.

I am 26 years old. We got the Wii Fit 9 days ago. The very first day my Wii age was 45. After just 9 days, it is 22!

Just thought a word needed to be said from someone previously qualified in the exercise industry. I owned a health club for 10 years, was an aerobic trainer as well as a personal trainer. I’ve competed in triathlons, biathlons and running marathons. I purchased a Wii Fit about 2 months ago and I absolutely love it! I find playing a few matches of tennis with my husband during a break from work a great stress reducer. When it’s poring rain outside and I can’t do my run I do a muscle or yoga workout with Wii Fit. No, it’s not a replacement for “real” exercise for me, but it’s definitely better than doing nothing and it’s fun! It’s also great to play when neices and nephews come over as it’s something interactive that we can all do together! Can’t wait for Wii Fit Edition 2!