So, I've found some new fun in fitness.... the Wii! First of all, let me start by saying that when you change your lifestyle from sedentary to active, it is important to incorporate changes that will stick. And for me... this Wii will be sticking around for quite some time! The fact that this video game is played by your body movements alone should be winning the Pulitzer Prize for turning around the obesity epidemic in this country by introducing physical activity BACK into our kids lives! Whew! That was a super run on sentence! hahahaha!Earlier this week I got the balance board for the Wii. It included a game called Wii Fit. I have read quite a few reviews on the Wii Fit complaining that it doesn't include full exercise segments. In my opinion this game is lacking nothing because it is simply introducing fun exercise into our inactive lives and into our child's life. In a day and age when kids are typically found on their bottoms in front of a video game, eyes seemingly in a trance for hours on end... it would be stupid to give them exercise segments and "kill" the gaming experience. Instead, introduce games where THEY are the controller/joystick moving a table to direct balls into a hole, or skiing through an obstacle course or making a perfect 183 meter ski jump (my personal best so far), or taking a cleat to the head while dodging soccer balls you're supposed to be tagging with your Mii's head. Yah, this GAME works up a sweat and honestly, my drive to "clear this level" made an hour fly by... no segmenting required. During "break" times, I would try the yoga or strength training. Again, the introduction to real exercise for a kid who probably got very little over the course of years is not only smart, but could just be changing the health of our children and reprogramming them with the idea that exercise, like video games, is fun.
Now, I personally would like to see a game with full exercise segments like the other reviewers have mentioned, but I am not at all opposed to paying for the separate game (Wii Fit Plus) when it comes out in October (???... check with your local gaming store). There are talks that the Wii Fit Plus will actually be integrated into the Wii Fit bundle with the balance board... the original Wii Fit game will be phased out. I don't necessarily know that will be a good thing. I certainly hope the "spirit" of the original isn't lost in translation. I'm praying that the segmented exercise is only going to be an option, cuz after all, this IS just a game and our kids need their healthy game on.... YO!
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