Wii're already fit, thanks

Are Wii fit? Yes, Wii are.
“Wii Fit” was also helpful with those yoga poses — but at 90 bucks, it’s not cheap either. Luckily, Nintendo’s best-selling exer-game doesn’t just offer you help with your downward-facing dog pose, it also gives you dozens of exercises and activities to help with your balance, your strength and your aerobic fitness.

I’d read that “Wii Fit” was more useful as a game than as a substitute personal trainer, so I wasn’t expecting it to be much of a challenge for me. But Denise Kagler, Nintendo’s new VP of corporate affairs, says that the game was designed for everyone — even crazy, lunatic, super-obsessed fitness freaks.

“Just as with any physical activity, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it,” she wrote in an e-mail. “As you progress and become more adept at the various activities, ‘Wii Fit’ offers you even tougher challenges to keep you active and motivated.”

After completing some tests to assess my fitness (hence the “Wii Fit” age that’s almost a dozen years older than my actual one), I got going with the strength training. Some of the moves were a breeze (I’m so awesome at lunges, I can’t even tell you) and some cleaned my clock. In fact, my pecs are still smarting, two days later, from the push-ups and side planks.

The aerobic moves were also a mixed bag. The stepping was laughably easy, but the hula-hooping was fun — and managed to nudge my heart rate into a “work” zone. But what really got me sweating was the running. My competitiveness kicked in as I chased my virtual running partner through a lovely virtual park, jogging faster and faster to keep up. I even forgot for a few minutes that I was running in place, my cats eyeing me warily from the couch.

After an hour of "Wii Fit," I checked my calorie count and found, to my disappointment, that I’d only burned about 70 calories. That’s a number I can get to in about 10 minutes riding a real-life bike. Certainly, fitness isn’t all about calories, and “Wii Fit” definitely taught me a thing or two about my weak spots (balance, push-ups). I’ll definitely use what I learned in the gym, but “Wii Fit” won’t be replacing any of my workouts anytime soon.

My takeaways from this exer-game experiment? “Let’s Yoga” is the only game that I’m likely to use again — and only as a reference point, not as an actual class. The other two, “Wii Fit” and “My Weight Loss Coach” are great for the nutrition newbie or the fitness-phobic, but for the everyday athlete, you’re better off hiring a trainer for some extra help.

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