Is this Wii Fit all it’s cracked up to be? And a reboot
Hands up who has gorged themselves over Christmas with promises of tucking a couple of weight loss resolutions under that oh-bloody-hell-it’s-expanding belt in the New Year.
Well that was me.
I gorged like I’d never set eyes on such delicious wonders before.
I gorged until I made myself feel sick. And then the next day I would the same thing again.
One morning I had a chocolate off the tree for breakfast.
Little by little the treats crept in. Then the walks tailed off. Then more treats crept in.
I hang my head in shame. Not just in front of you guys, but to myself. I feel like I really let myself down.
I feel totally GREEDY.
I shovelled stuff in because it was there. Because it was rude not to. Because it’s Christmas.
Yes, yes I had all the lame excuses I could possibly think of.
And now I sit and look at the wobble and the excess flesh and the thick waist and I could cry.
So now I am resolute.
I am absolutely determined to get back on my original keep fit and weight loss wagon and stop treating my body so shockingly bad.
I need to stop feeling so bloody awful about it all the time and just do it.
I sat on my bed on Christmas morning thinking ‘I’ll wear something nice and bright today, something festive’ but nothing felt right and nothing looked right.
I felt fat and frumpy and miserable. And yet still I ate my body weight in food.
One of the motivating factors behind my weight loss goals in the first place is for health reasons. My family has a history of angina and I don’t want to make that part of my history.
Honestly, I packed that rubbish away without a second thought as to what it was doing to my arteries. Or my poor face which has broken out in all manner of eruptions.
Seriously folks, I look after my skin like it’s made of thin paper, or gold, or delicately spun spiders webs, but it has taken the full brunt of my gluttony.
So that expensive face cream I treated myself to with the dregs of my birthday money? Bloody useless when it’s up against a sea of fat and sugar and E numbers.
I am determined not to fail this time.
I don’t want to sit on my bed all upset because my favourite clothes don’t fit comfortably. I want to be writing on here that ‘bloody hell, I got into my favourite jeans today’ or ‘hooray, my bust no longer feels like it has a life of it’s own’ (that’s a whole other post altogether though . . . ).
So, I have a keep fit/lose weight kit. And here it is:
1. A pedometer: I love walking and they say the best way to get fit is to do something you love. So I aim to walk as much as possible and hope to keep a tally of my ‘steps’ to see how I’m faring. I have no idea how many steps per hour/day/week is good, but I guess I just try to improve week on week.
2. Fit ball and skipping rope: I need to get rid of the bits of my body that wobble like a fat man’s chin, so I have to devise some aerobic and strengthening exercises. Yoga used to be my passion, so I aim to fit some of that in somewhere (more of that in a moment), but other than that I have a couple of exercises devised for me by a personal fitness trainer my husband paid for after baby number 2.
3. Water: This I have found really works for me. It surpresses my appetite and makes me feel great. Yes, that’s water. It’s free, it’s readily available and when my children see me drinking it all the time it encourages them to do the same.
4. Wii: Our shiny, new present from Santa which we have all become rather addicted to. We move seemlessly from a bout of tennis, to a touch of bowling, a game or two of baseball and, if we’re feeling really fit, a boxing match.
I have never had so much fun in my lounge!
I toyed with the idea of buying the Wii Fit for it but it’s so expensive and I don’t really know how good it is. I love the idea of being walked through some exercises in my own home (which I can fit it say after the children have gone to school, in during lunchtime, or in the evening) but just don’t know if it’s worth it.
I mean, I done the whole DVD thing. The Cindy Crawford one just had hubby hovering around the doorway muttering rude things, the Davina McCall one was just too bloody hard and the Shilpa Shetty yoga one was so boring I would actually run downstairs and put a wash on while making a cup of tea on the way back.
I also did the Geri Halliwell yoga one, which was OK, but once you’ve done it a couple of times and heard her say the same daft things 15 times, it’s now propping up the children’s easle after one of the legs broke.
So, my question to you out there in the know: Is the Wii Fit worth the money? Should I fork out or am I better joining a gym/paying for a class/saving my hard-earned cash?
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21 Responses to “Is this Wii Fit all it’s cracked up to be? And a reboot”
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In my opinion, the Wii Fit is a bit more for fun than for serious exercise. Although you have a wide range of ways to exercise and a convenient way to do them, I don’t think it is worth the money as a substitute to joining a gym.
One big drawback is the time interval between the different exercise routines. You can’t just click on to the next after finishing a set; you have to wait until your instructor is done yapping. And that bugs me. It also makes me feel that the workout wasn’t as efficient as it could have been. I lose a lot of momentum and my pulse starts slowing down in between sets.
Also, although the balance board does a good job at assessing whether you’re doing the exercise routines just right I have a strong feeling a trainer would do a far better job of making sure you get the full benefit of a routine.
In addition I always tend to slack off on my good intentions at home after a month or so. If I had intended this to be a substitute for working out at a gym or other regular exercise, it would not work for me because I’d eventually stop using it regularly.
Apart from that, the Wii Fit is A LOT of fun. It offers a lot of different stuff to do, and also some fun for the kids (skiing and so on). It also works as a scale (which is handy for me, as I don’t have one) and tracks your progress by calculating your BMI whenever you do a body check.
Hope this was useful!
Adrenalynn’s last blog post..Aracnophobia and me
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Tara Cain Reply:
December 30th, 2008 at 5:44 am
An excellent review Adrenalynn. It’s these sorts of things they don’t tell you and you never find out until you’ve handed over your cash and it’s too late!
I did go to a personal trainer after having my second baby and he was just brilliant, but very expensive and once the sessions finished I kept up what he taught me for about a month and then life took over and the exercise dwindled!
Same old story for most people with families, I imagine!
Either that or I am bone idle.
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Hey Lady! A belated Merry Christmas to you and an advance Happy NY to all blog to fitters! I too have been naughty – too much cheese and wine and no walking so my NY eve weigh in is going to be disastrous! But Hey – what better day to start over than New Years Day!
Re the Wii fit – just say no! I have to say I don’t speak from experience but strongly feel its a rip off! Lots of proper exercise is free so save your pennies and put em towards a trip to Westfield with me in the spring when we are fit birds with need to shop for slinky dresses…. and shoes!!
ThatGirl39’s last blog post..It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!
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Tara Cain Reply:
December 30th, 2008 at 5:46 am
Hey ThatGirl, welcome back to the naughty corner!
And come the spring? I am SO going to be fit and slim and able to spend my cash on fabulous dresses (and shoes. And a bag. And accessories . . . )
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You’re so fun, Tara! …a load of wash and a cup of tea!
I’ve always heard brisk walking is the best overall exercise, and I’m here to tell you that once you make it part of a routine—same time each day—and once you do it for three weeks, you’ll want to NOT miss it. At one time, I was doing about a mile in 20 minutes; not exactly brisk, but still fairly fast. And I lost some inches and weight. I stopped because of the weather (hot in the Arizona summer, even at 4:30 a.m.), and still regret not pushing through it. This was years ago, and I’ve still not found the right time of day to add it back into my routine. Btw, my friend said her pedometer came with a sheet that said the average person takes 10,000 steps a day, but I don’t think that was a health-related goal. Being outside, even in inclement weather SURELY must be better than a Wii, no matter how fun!
I’ve done lots of yoga, too, and found that only the classroom works for me. No DVDs at home, for your same reasons! Instead, I’ll just do some of the basic stretches to limber up. I need the classroom discipline. Water, too, is fantastic! The trick is to keep it fun. Slices of cucumber makes it kind of spa-like. Crushed mint leaves is fun, if you like mint. Lime juice is a nice change of pace from lemon. I even did fresh lemon squeezed with a dash of cayenne…can’t recall which magazine touted that one, but I liked it.
Good luck, Tara!
Julie’s last blog post..Beautiful Words to Live By
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Tara Cain Reply:
December 30th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I absolutely love to walk Julie and find that if I walk with a purpose (to something, whether it be a friend’s house or a shop or the bank or whatever) I really enjoy it.
I know what you mean about the classroom discipline. It’s just too easy to give up or skip a section or ‘just do 10 minutes’ which usually ressemble 5!
Thanks for your words of support Julie. You are clearly a woman after my own heart because I totally agree with everything you say!
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I don’t know anything about the wii, but the 10,000 step thing was something my wife used when she was using a pedometer. I did a search on it and, on Counting Your Steps – Pedometers Motivate Walkers, it says that 3000 steps is the norm for a person in their daily routine. By doing 10,000, one should get enough exercise to actually lose weight. Karen tried 3 different ones and they all registered her steps for the actual distance she was walking differently.
I think the key to losing weight is having something to focus on to give you the motivation needed to get it done. The pedometer and the number of steps could do that. For me, the motivation right now is the Wednesday Weigh-In.
Mike Goad’s last blog post..What will 2009 bring for blogging and you?
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Tara Cain Reply:
December 30th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
I think you’re spot on about having something to focus on to motivate you towards weight loss Mike.
I like the idea of trying to hit some kind of daily target, like the 10,000 steps, although that seems very very daunting at the moment!
And I’m so pleased the Wednesday Weight In helps. I think that bit of accountability can really give you a kick up the backside, much like the Weight Watchers or Slimming World weigh in where you have to stand up in front of a bunch of people and tell them what you have done. Only here it’s free! And we only rib you a little bit.
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I have the WiiFit and I love it. Although I would have to agree that there is a lot of lag time in between sets and such. But it is fun and motivating. I recetly got the Wii Fitness Coach for Christmas but havn’t had a change to try it out yet.
D’Rae’s last blog post..Tuesday – 12-30-08
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Tara Cain Reply:
December 30th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
I’ve never even heard of the Wii Fitness Coach. Please do come back and tell all when you’ve had a play with it!
Just popped over to visit your blog and I LOVE your Tuesday ensemble. Puffy heart the yellow touches . . .
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Is it worth the money? Well, I guess that depends.
For me it is. I am a hopeless gadget girl that won’t get her butt out of the house to get to a gym. EVER. For me it’s great and definitely worth the investment. I’ve used it ALOT (more than any other game). When I started out with wii fit, it was more like a game (and a great way to sucker me into exercising). It’s more like exercise now, but I still like it and will keep going with it. An unexpected benefit I’ve seen is when the kiddos are in the same room, sometimes the exercise with me. (Even when they literally run laps around me, it makes me smile.)
If you’re a gym person, it may be better to do the gym. If you’re a walker, wii fit can get you into other activities too or just be a bother. Think about it – find someone who has one and check it out. Just depends on YOU and what you like.
Avlor’s last blog post..Completed Project – Funky Tie
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Tara Cain Reply:
December 30th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Thank you for that Avlor, I really appreciate your honesty.
I was a gym person and then I became an outdoor person and now I do nothing.
I would dearly love to get back out in the fresh air walking everywhere again and I am confident it will come, I just want to find some motivation again and if that means standing in front of the TV having a boxing bout with my son, I’ll do it!
You’re right in that it is about finding something which fits in with your life.
I love that you are a gadget girl. I have a good friend just the same and he is such a nerd (but we all run to him for advice when we’re on the hunt for a gadget!)
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Here’s what I like about the Wii Fit– it helps you to figure out how to balance your body properly again. That’s not something I can get in a yoga class, or anywhere else (without paying big money). It makes a huge difference in how my back feels when I’m balanced out.
And as far as the pedometer goes, it is recommended that you get *at least* 10,000 steps in a day. I was surprised to see that I usually get less than 5,000 a day, and I walk a lot more than most people at my job!
GreenJello’s last blog post..Sledding
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Tara Cain Reply:
December 30th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
10,000? You said 10,000 right?
Hmm, am pretty sure I don’t do that many (or anything near) but will check back on progress.
10,000 . . . .
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Wow Tara you are really making a plan today to get back up and exercising. Good for you – inspiring!
All the school kids at my local elementary school wore pedometers last year to test how much movement and walking they do and for the schools to work on diet. The kids really loved it – the Gym Teacher who put together the program said…one must do 10,000 steps a day to keep from getting diabetes. That is 5 miles. I usually walk the Lake 3 times a week which is 1.5 miles around – 3x and then walk up hill home – I was working on doing each lap in 20 minutes, but my body liked about 30.
A 30 minute walk daily is equal to 30 pounds lost per year….my PT says, that is of course unless you eat more calories in – and Dr. Oz on Oprah says you can loose 100 pounds in about a years time…dropping only 100 calories from your daily intake and walking 30 minutes each day – plus the 8 glasses of water.
After this snow storm 17 days of not getting out, and 3 days of no Internet! (which was harder to cope with?)
I am really loving my Wii and Wii fit. My posture was so much better…my abs are holding strong and the laughter of the family and time made bearable together for such long stretches were great. I had gained weight at the Dietitian’s check in this morning…and swimming my mile was hard – weight lifting class was difficult and everyone was in the same boat….and encouraging each other. I do go to the gym 3x a week and that keeps me going…but for 27 years I have walked the Lake rain or shine…just not snow and ice and no one has to make me do it….I just feel so much better. Oh the thrill of those endorphins kicking in is amazing – an energy high for sure and I write better.
If you have money to spend the Wii Fit is a good back up system…and for balance it is the best….and as a scale…but I would put money on the trainer first or classes…connecting with friends in the same boat makes the life raft more fun for me – which keeps me motivated.
I think it might be good if on Fit to Blog we checked in with our exercise daily – just wrote it down publicly would be good too…It was so helpful to have the folks cheering each other on and making confession this morning…I think it might help the bloggers group stay on track?…
I don’t want to be the first in my family with diabetes or to be this overweight…
Since I have to take my blood pressure everyday and report it in once a month, my health looks me in the eye with no excuses…Blood sugar levels every 2 weeks in the new year…and I am not ready to take the pills – wow talk about feeling badly and depressed those medications are like instant depression and headaches daily! Walking and swimming get me high – who wants to take a downer everyday for the rest of their lives?
High on health!
Patricia’s last blog post..Tag I’m It: 7 Things About Me
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Tara Cain Reply:
December 30th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Good for you Patricia. High on health: what a brilliant phrase!
And “my health looks me in the eye with no excuses” – you’re all about inspirational soundbytes today.
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I am busy writing my honey’s blog – grand opening on 1/1/09 http://www.bikingarchitect.com
and try to push around the 2 pounds I gained so that no one will notice tomorrow when I weigh in…
the Wii coach sounds good….interesting I hope we get a report on that gadget.
Did you find the caramelized goat cheese pizza recipe I left you on this blog during the holiday? I hope so…I can lose weight with that pizza FYI
Looks like many are getting back on the treadmill today
Patricia’s last blog post..Tag I’m It: 7 Things About Me
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Tara Cain Reply:
December 31st, 2008 at 12:34 pm
I did see the recipe Patricia and as I LOVE caramelized anything and I love goats cheese, I am going to try it!
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Wow, you’ve gotten lots of good reviews.
We have a Wii fit and a gym membership. Right now the Wii is getting used and I’m wasting $50 a month on gym fees for two. I think it depends on who you are. Are you getting as good of a work out as you would at the gym? Of course not. But I sort of think that in the beginning stages of getting healthy moving any way that motivates you is beneficial even if it isn’t optimal. And honestly the gym is overwhelming when you don’t want to wear spandex for fear of frightening the other gym users and you certainly don’t want to sweat next to that hot buxom girl who IS wearing spandex and wearing it well.
And don’t count out that Wii boxing. 30 minutes of that and you have one heck of a good sweat going.
deconstructing jen’s last blog post..Long time gone
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Tara Cain Reply:
December 31st, 2008 at 12:35 pm
That was our problem too Jen. We wasted so much money on gym membership and probably only used it once a week – at yet it was a 10 minute walk away.
I enjoyed the walk there much more than the tramping along on a treadmill, going nowhere fast and I just didn’t have the motivation to stick to any kind of routine.
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