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I  have been lusting after a Wii since trying one out at the Life @50 convention in Boston.     Knowing that Wii’s are typically sold-out in the stores, I found a seller on Amazon that did not take a huge markup and ordered a Wii Sport , plus I pre-ordered the new Wii Fit announced earlier this week.   The Wii Fit is an add-on fitness/exercise game so you must have a Wii consol installed first.

The Wii itself was easy to set up.  I installed it in the bedroom where we have a 42” flat panel digital TV hanging on the wall.  The Wii connects to your TV like a DVD player.  Nice surprise is that Nintendo provides connecting cables long enough to handle most TV installations.  Once you turn on the Wii there is an added benefit if you have a wireless network in your home – the Wii automatically connects to the internet and delivers news, weather and shopping channels.  

 
What attracted me to the Wii were the games of golf and tennis,   but what I really wanted was the Wii Fit for exercise.  There are four categories of exercises: yoga, strength training, aerobic exercise, and balance games.  The Wii Fit comes with a CD, instructions and a balance board.  To perform most exercises you stand or rest parts of your body on the wireless balance board.  The board supports up to 330 pounds and powered by four AA batteries.  The board has pressure sensors that know where your feet are and monitors your center of gravity.

Before you exercise for the first time you build a profile.   For the Wii Fit profile it wants to know gender, birthday and height.  When I stepped onto the balance board it recorded my weight and measured my balance with some simple tests.  Then it presents me with my Body Mass Index (BMI), my weight, and calculated my "Wii Fit Age”.  Fortunately, there is an option to password-protect my profile if I did not want anyone peeking at my numbers.    The accuracy in these numbers look pretty good   --   I have heard from other testers that BMI/weight may vary if you are using the Balance Board on a rug instead of a hardwood floor.   I had my BMI and weight taken recently at the doctors -- the Wii numbers were close enough, so I was happy with the result.    I forgot to mention as part of the start-up on the Wii – you also build a mini “Mii” avatar.  This is a character that will be “your” representation on screen for games you play like tennis or golf or balance games, where you see yourself at play. 

                     
With profile complete I started with the Yoga poses.   You have a virtual trainer that demonstrates the poses first, and then you will mimic the trainer and do the pose or exercise with him or her.  Many activities include on-screen feedback regarding   your center of balance and virtual trainers, like real trainers, talk you through the movements and explain how you can improve your performance or pose.

The aerobics and yoga are fun but I just love the balance games especially Ski Slalom, Ski Jumping, and Table Tilt; for cardio I like the virtual Hula Hoop and jogging.  As you spend time exercising, you earn Fit Credits that unlock more poses, exercises or games; nice incentive to do more.   You get the credit for the minutes you exercise in your piggy bank and congratulations when you hit a 30 minute mark.

  
I am pleased  with my purchase of the Wii – The console and accessories are sturdy, easy to install and use.  I find myself making time to exercise because it is not a boring  30 minutes– I can mix up the exercises, poses and games  to suite my mood  and when I am done I can always add in a few holes of  Wii golf,  or a round of  tennis  before  going on to other activities.   ( photos are pre-approved screeshots courtesy of Nintendo)