Product Review – Nintendo Wii Fit

I recently purchased the Wii fit and the Wii fit balance board to see if it really can work up a sweat and get people active.  Well it worked! While it won’t help you to lose heaps of weight or get super fit, it’s a lot of fun and will actually help you track and improve your core strength.

Wii Fit What is it?

It’s a computer game that is aimed to get you moving through an array of games, workouts, yoga poses and body tests. There are grips you hold in your hand so it can sense your arm movements and a board you stand on so it can monitor your weight distribution.  It uses these two mechanisms to put you through a series of workouts and games that leave you puffed, toned, flexible and laughing.
Some of the games include:
Slalom skiing, Ski jumping, Hoola hoop, Tightrope walking, Soccer.
Some of the workouts include:
Running, Aerobics, Yoga, Strength/tone, Balance

When you first fire it up, it asks you to stand on it and perform a number of tests. It then gives you your Wii fit age based on things like weight, BMI, Weight distribution and balance. Warning, the Wii is notoriously harsh when giving you your Wii fit age so don’t take it too seriously!

What I Like About the Wii Fit:

I love the assessments. They give you some really incredible data about your weight distribution and centre of gravity. If you are off centre, it gets you to shift your weight and tells you when you are balanced, which is a massive eye opener. I also love the balance test that has you shift your weight in line with some markers and gives you a score.  This will improve as you play more games

The Slalom skiing: My friends and I stayed up for hours racing each other down the slopes.  It’s quite realistic and your heart is pumping by the end. It’s addictive!

The Ski jumping: You feel like you’re flying and it’s quite hard to get the exact take off you need.

Hoola hoops: Warning. Make sure there are no hidden cameras when you play this game! It is so funny to watch and really gets your hear pumping.  Boys, make sure you check out this Youtube clip (it’s had over 6 million hits!) which gives you a nice idea of what’s in store for you.

Strength and balance exercises: Because the board is so sensitive, you can really train your centre of gravity to stay even. There are very little other devices that give such detailed feedback.

What I don’t like About the Wii Fit

Some of the games: Some of the games are too basic.  I’m not a fan of the running one, but they are great for kids

Sometimes there is too much explaining: For example the yoga poses are explained too much which slows it down.  It needs to flow faster.

Who should invest in one?

Anyone with kids!!  It’s a compromise between physical activity and video games. Also anyone who spends time at home and needs to up their daily calorie expenditure.  You wont be able to run a marathon after using the Wii fit but you will be more balanced, toned, and agile.

Tagged As: fitness products, wii

• EA Sports Active, More Workouts 6-Week Challenge. Product Review:
• 4 Ski Exercises to Get You Pumped for the Snow!
• Recovering From a Marathon, Long Run, or Ride
• So What is Hatha Vinyasa Yoga Anyway?
• 5 Great Video Games That Help You Lose Weight