Wii Be Gettin' Fit

Dripping with sweat and gasping for breath, I decided to buy a Wii console after playing tennis with my grandkids on their console.

I was at a bit of an advantage with them-- they are, after all, only eight and ten years old; and I did play varsity tennis when I was in high school (yes, we had high schools back in those days).  The thing, though, was that this was fun.  Sweat dripping off my nose, and soaking my shirt; but I had an enormous grin on my face as I hobbled over and fell on the couch.

Two weeks later I took my wife to her regular doctor's appointment; and mentioned to the nurse at the desk that I had heard the Wii Fit was a good thing for us sedentary types.

I think she trailed off about ten minutes later; but not until I'd heard far more than I ever expected about the benefits that she had gotten when she got one for herself.  When the Renkova came back out to the waiting room, she told me that her doc had given her much the same sort of enthusiastic recommendation.

Hmmmm.... seems like a pattern here.  Health professionals say it works, and well, its from Nintendo- by definition, it has to be fun, right?  So, off I went to We Be Toys 'n' Shit, to get a Wii Fit balance board and game pack.

I've had it for three weeks, now, and it is an interesting little piece of technology.  

First the annoying: the little voices that come from it.  Such as, when it tells you to step up on the balance board, and as you do, you hear "Ooooh!"  I think its the sound of pain; since it's decided I'm "obese." 

Yes, the bloody machine's decided that I'm obese based on my BMI index.  The game lets the user input height and age information, then calculates the BMI based on the user's weight.  Every "body test" I take on the machine, it squeals, "That's obese!" in that annoying little-critter voice.  

I generally toss it the bird, but the damn machine doesn't notice.

There are four different types of activities- Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics, Balance Games.  Under each of those activities are multiple games, way too many to get into in a short post, so for the moment I'll just rant about one- the slalom skiing game in "Balance Games." 

The object, obviously, is to shift your weight to make turns on skis through a slalom course.

I've skied.  Back in the day, I loved it (though I was always "the only black guy" on the hill) because although it was cold as all hell, it really took care of my need for speed.  Anyway, I thought this would be easy.

Wrong.

I think by my third day of running the "beginner" course, I was regularly making a clean run; that is, hitting all the gates.  Not pretty, but at least getting down the hill.  That may sound boring, but I find myself doing it over and over and over and over and over-- my current fastest time is 25.86 seconds- suck on that, USA Skiing!

Srsly-- the shit is fun.  If you can spare the shekels, get one, especially if you're a fat-ass sedentary SOB like I am- er, was.  It's good for you!