2 Days with Nintendo Wii Fit: the Balance Board is life changing
Filed under: Gaming, Hands On, Nintendo Wii | By: Daniel
Posted on: April 27, 2008 | 61 Comments
It’s only been a couple of days since we posted a first look with some hands-on photos of the Nintendo Wii Fit and Balance Board, on that day I decided to spend time everyday using Wii Fit and to see just how good it was, as the Nintendo Wii needed to get some time because it was just sitting there not being used. Now only two days later I am amazed at how good Wii Fit is, it has changed everything for the Wii and not only am I using the it to keep fit, but also my wife, daughter and son.
I can tell you first hand that the Balance Board and Wii Fit is truly life changing, I not only know I am overweight and have a high BMI but I am even learning about the way I stand and how it is very wrong and bad for my health. Last night I was waiting for my brother to arrive outside his home and I realized I was standing with all my weight on one leg and I corrected this to a better posture like it shows you in Wii Fit…things are changing already.
There has been times when I go to bed feeling fat as I have eaten late, but over the last two evenings I felt great as I spent 30 minutes on the Balance Board doing some step, press ups and even some jogging on the spot which works amazingly well. Now my whole family is not only keeping fit and working towards our own goals, but we are also competing for the top place on the scoreboard for each task. Even my mother-in-law came over and used the Wii Fit, I am also sure we’re not the only family that has had its daily life changed thanks to Wii Fit….gaming and fitness is going to change many lives and save money on healthcare costs.
If you have not got Wii Fit yet, I would strongly recommend you do so, as my mind has been changed from the view that the Wii is for kids and the PS3 and 360 are the real games machines to the Wii being in another interactive league compared to the other next-gen consoles.
In Summery: Wii Fit 10/10, best £69 I have spent in a long time.
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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!