WiiFitDiet: Losing Weight with Wii Fit

A self proclaimed “formerly fit geek” over at Gizmodo reviews Wii Fit–overall he seems to be impressed.

So what’s it good for? In fitness, no machine can ever replace the drive to be healthy. Not Bowflex, not Thighmaster, and not Wii Fit. The real difference here is that Wii Fit builds fitness consciousness, reminding us of our body’s state of being, chiding us for bad habits while encouraging the good. And this is while building up the basic fitness necessary to start doing high intensity workouts or sports. It makes exercise feel like a video game, and we all know we can have fun playing those for hours.

So perhaps Wii Fit won’t be a hardcore workout–be it can shame you into getting in the habit of getting exercise. And to some, that’s the hardest part.

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A fitness instructor reviews Wii Fit, dubbing it an “exergame”. Overall, Sarah calls it worthy for those getting started with an exercise routine but not a replacement for hardcore traditional workouts–

For an avid runner, the Wii Fit provides a workout that is equivalent to a walking warm-up or a low-to-moderate exertion run on a flat surface. If you are overweight the Wii will provide some cardiovascular benefits. The Wii is a good starting point if you are sedimentary. It will get you off your butt. But it doesn’t really compare to good old-fashioned exercise.

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Chad Sapieha from the Globe and Mail has begun an ongoing fitness journal describing his experiences with Wii Fit.  So far, he seems keen on yoga but he feels foolish playing hula hoop–oddly, it is one of my personal favorites.  He found some of the activites fairly tough:

But the most physically draining activities were the strength exercises, which involved push-ups, sit-ups, and a host of other challenges that left me aching and breathing hard. I see myself dreading these exercises in the days and weeks to come.

Chad Sapieha’s Wii Fit Diary: Week One

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With the impending release of Wii Fit in the states, CNN takes a closer look at what we can expect.  It’s sold a truckload of copies in Japan already, quickly becoming the biggest selling game of the year.

The system also acts as a personal trainer of sorts by offering verbal and visual feedback, both encouragement and criticism.

If you can handle the truth about your body according to Wii Fit, it’s prepared to be your personal trainer and fitness coach, attributes that some think could mean blockbuster sales for the game and hardware bundle.

CNN

Joystiq has a brief review of the Wii Fit.

Wii Fit is, much like its Wii Sports cousin, a collection of games to get your body moving. Only this time, you can’t necessarily cheat the system so easily. We tried out three of the eleven available demos on the E3 show floor, which are selected with the Wii remote. Before each one began, we were required to step off the pad and subsequently step on so that the machine would be calibrated for the pressure and foot position. Complications in the calibration process would be interjected with subtle jabs lobbed at the player by the system, such “Hey! Are You Fidgeting?”

It’s a set of early impressions, but gives a good impression of what we have to look forward to.

Joystiq Takes a Look at Wii Fit