Last week we got a Wii fit. I didn’t get around to setting it up until the weekend, but now I’ve done a Wii workout every day. It’s pretty fun. I had a workout “game” for the PS2, but it was somewhat dull. It worked well and had I stuck with it, probably would have been fine, but I got bored quickly. Wii fit has lots of options–yoga, strength, aerobics and games. While some people complained that it’s not much of a workout, I don’t think that’s necessarily true. And, it doesn’t have to be the only thing you do to work out. For someone as lazy as I am, it’s a great place to start. I like the yoga poses; they’re a great way to wind down and stretch after work. The strength training doesn’t seem too strenuous, but I’m guessing you could add weights to some of the exercises. The aerobics options are pretty fun–hula hoop and running (yes, running). And the games have been a big hit with the kids and are supposed to promote good balance.

What I like about the Wii Fit is that it rewards you for the time you work out, so you unlock new exercises or games the more you work out. With the PS2 game all you got were new virtual locations. Not as much fun. I also like the weight and BMI tracking as well as the balance tests. I think all of those would be great for the truly sedentary to keep them on track. So, maybe it’s not the best option for the already fit, but for those of us who need more than the promise of endorphins to work out, it’s a pretty good motivator. I could see the Wii fit being developed for more strenuous workouts. It would be easy, I think to connect it to a treadmill or a bike, to have bluetooth-enabled weights, or to have heart-rate monitors. The feedback from such devices is what tends to motivate me–and I’m guessing others as well. So maybe we’ll see a whole Wii gym soon!