Workout Wednesdays: Wii & Wii Fit

My loving, caring, thoughtful, beautiful Mother blessed my husband and I with a Wii for Christmas. It was such a sweet surprise, especially because we didn't even know much about the Wii.

This game by Nintendo is so much fun!!! We had seen a few people play it, but that fails to compare to the experience of playing it yourself. We had a blast! My Mom even played my husband and I in bowling...she kicked our butts by the way.

This game system is like nothing I have ever experienced before. The console comes with 1 wireless remote control and nunchuk (a piece that you attach to your remote). It also features 1 game, Wii Sports which includes baseball, bowling, tennis, golf and boxing (this is when you attach the nunchuck). It's really easy to set up and the games are fun. The console is very small and doesn't take up much space. My hubby attached the sensor to the top of our flatscreen and we were up and running in minutes. My favorites Wii Sports games are tennis and bowling.

You also have an opportunity to create Mii's, which are the characters in the game. You can pick exactly how you want your Mii's to look, from their skin color to the shape of their eyes. My brother and sister-in-law have about 20 Mii's on their system and they are very creative. They had one Mii named OnWon and she looked strange, crazy and deranged to say the least. Another Mii was androgynous, and it really looked androgynous...I mean I couldn't tell if it was male or female...it was hilarious and a sight to see.

We really get into tennis and we end up sweating because you really have to move...like you are actually playing, with backhands and everything. We played my sweet little niece in bowling the other day and she beat us so bad that her stats went up to pro and they honored her with the cutest little bowling ball. My hubby is practicing bowling right this moment so he can take his Mii over there and win!!!

I love that the Wii is so interactive. I can't recall a video game like this where so many people can get involved. It was so much fun playing with my Mom and my husband. Another moment that touched me was watching my husband and my brother play golf together...and we didn't even have to leave the house. I also played a cooking game with my niece called Order Up. It was pretty neat. Not something my husband would play, but us girls enjoyed it.

Wii Fit

The Wii Fit comes with a balance board and a Wii Fit disc. The balance board is a scale and can measure your weight, of course, and BMI (Body Mass Index). Their is a training section where you can choose from 4 options; yoga, strength training, aerobics and balance games. Each time you train, you receive fit bank points...which equals the amount of time you've spent on that particular training exercise. For example, if you choose to train with balance games and pick the Ski Slope Jump game, after you jump twice (never jump on/off the balance board-simply extend your knees) you will receive a score and 1 minute credit in your fit bank. As these credits/minutes add up they will unlock other training games and higher levels.

The Wii Fit keeps track of your weight and BMI and allows you to check your progress. It also allows you to set a password in case you don't want anyone to see your wight or BMI. It helps to keep tabs on your health and work towards better fitness and balance. I usually do the Body Test every Tuesday and Saturday morning, which checks my weight, BMI, and updates my Wii Fit Age and progress for the week.

I spend more time on the aerobics and balance games. The first training I did was the aerobics step when my mom was here...she was laughing at me because I didn't know what I was doing at first and all the Mii's were so cute. Then I did the aerobics Hula Hoop and broke a sweat. Those are my favorites, along with the advanced step, jogging, and ski games. I only do the advanced boxing to bank 13 fit credits. Boxing is probably my least favorite but it gives me a the most credits in a single game. I do a few of the strength training exercises because I know their good for me.

Rating & Reasons: B+

Overall, the Wii and companion Wii Fit are pretty cool! They allow for the entire family to get involved and have some fun. The Wii Fit is a great fitness tool, in addition to a regular exercise plan and healthy diet. I think they could have improved on the graphics. I would also like to see more variety in the games. Another thing I don't care for is you can't customize the Wii Fit training section. For example, if I wanted to start with the Basic Run and then move on to the advanced step then finish with another run and some strength training, the Wii Fit doesn't allow that. I would have to do one exercise...watch my fit credits drop into the the fit bank, wait for my ranking, then either choose "retry" or "quit", then go to my next exercise. A customize feature would be really great. All in all, I totally recommend the Wii and the Wii Fit...they will be an exciting addition to any household...and it very fun!

Blessings and Favor,

Beautiful