The Wii Fitness Plan?! Come On People - Really!!!
January 18th, 2007Ok, so here’s the scoop. You all know the new Nintendo game console called Wii. The one that you move and your character moves? Cool right? Well, the new hype on the net is that some guy lost 9 pounds just playing Wii and they are calling it a new fitness plan. COME ON!!!
Here’s his story found at the blog site Infendo :
“I outlined a 6 week game plan for myself, the idea being that I would continue ALL normal activity and eating habits, and simply add 30 minutes of Wii Sports to my day. For the past month and a half, I’ve stuck to these guidelines very strictly […] To be honest, I was genuinely surprised by my end results, so I’ll just get right to it. I lost 9lbs!”
Okay, Let’s Just Think About This For A Second
I can kinda understand the benefits of being active while game playing, I mean it sure beats sitting on your butt and exercising your thumbs. However, it is NOT a fitness program. There is no element of resistance training, no nutritional changes and no behavioural/lifestyle changes that may support lasting and effective weight loss.
Did They Come Up With Wii To Keep Our Kids Active?
If the point of this console is to make our kids more active, whatever happened to going outside and getting some fresh air? Sounds to me like we are on a fast road to a bunch of malnourished, pale, game dependent, hermit kids… and later on guys who are too intimated to talk with me.
Be Honest With Yourself
Get out of your house and start some real exercising if you want to lose weight and keep it off. Find other ways to make your workout time interesting such as exercising with a friend, listening to your favorite music, taking a resistance training or cardio class. If you want to, play your Wii in your spare time, but don’t rely on it to keep you slim.
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That’s funny!
I still kinda want Wii game console… weight loss or otherwise.
Yeah it’s funny with all this “new fitness program with wii”, but I think you’re missing the point here.
People (especially kids) will play video games no mater what fitness trainers and other authorities will say about that. Now there are 2 ways to play games: sit and exercise your thumbs, or do some little exercising with the wii games. Well I think it’s better to do some exercising with wii.
Another thing you should take into consideration is this: wii wasn’t made to replace your fitness activity, it was made to replace your previous gaming habits (where you sit and click on your controller), so Nintendo is not competing with fitness trainers, but it’s competing with products like Sonys playstation and Microsofts Xbox360.
So when you say wii is bullshit, you must realize that wii was made for playing games, not for exercising yourself. And like it or not, people will play video games, no matter what you say, after all it’s their own free time to spend.
I absolutely agree with you that Wii is a game Johny and that is not the purpose of my post.
I don’t think that Wii is “bullshit” and it has some great principles behind it, however I do think that the hype about Wii being a “New Fitness Program” is BS, and that is what I am ranting about.
Wii being promoted as a way to get slim and add fitness to your lifestyle is, in my opinion, a skewed perception and not a valuable one to anyone really looking to lose weight.
This is my professional opinion and just for the record I don’t feel threatened by Wii or see it as competition.
Sammie Kennedy
[…] She is a personal trainer in Toronto who is not happy about the Wii Diet fad. […]
I’m guessing you’ve never played the wii. The fitness mode has left many of people out of breath after doing the first day of it and just as many sore the next day after boxing a few rounds. There is no doubt that if they keep with the whole program they will be in better shape than before. Some people don’t find it enjoyable spending $100+ a month, smelling rubber mats for an hour or so, and dealing with “gym rats” while they exercise. This is a fun way to get some exercise while interacting with the family instead of leaving the kids at home with the baby sitter while you go work on your abs.
Hilarious! It’s true - but it is tough to exercise outside in the Toronto winters. If there was a way for there to be a WII/Treadmill at the gym - now that would be cool!
I have to agree. I got a Wii a few days ago. I workout regularly yet the boxing and tennis make me sweat! Its a great item that does indeed replace exercising your thumbs with getting some real exercise.
The tennis game of Wii sports reacts to how fast you swing, direction etc. So the more you put into it the better your game - hence the more workout you get.
Yes, people need to get out and exercise, however, my brother is quite a few pounds over-weight. Needless to say he does not wish to be seen at the gym. Wii enables him to get a workout without the embarassment in the privacy of his own home.
Wii fitness can be intense.
Lost 3 pounds just doing it for a week
So don’t say it doesn’t help ppl
I tried the Nintendo Wii for the first time and I do not feel it is a good replacement for “Real” exercise. First of all there is very little resistance with the controller. The movements of the games I tried are restricted to wrist movement only (these are Tennis, Baseball and Bowling). More shoulder joint velocity will not get you a more powerful swing or serve. A short wrist movement will do the trick.
There is not much cardio. It is practically impossible to get your heart rate to 70-90% max playing Nintendo.
However, I think these games are good to keep the elderly in old age homes busy. I think you should only allow your kids to play these games during inclimate weather. They are quite addictive.
Eric Astrauskas, B.A. (Kinesiology),P.T.S.
Personal Trainer in Toronto
http://www.ptinto.com
Fun for all, that my conclusion. Looking forward to getting the Wii fit as soon as i can locate one, everyone is sold out. With the winter weather still around and the spring mud bath just around the corner, my wife and i are having a hoot with our new Wii. Changing bad habits……instead of getting home from work making dinner and plunking down for a night of TV we now look forward to a game of tennis or whatever. Hey we even take the dogs for walks now, rather than just letting them out in the backyard. i guess sometimes you just need a little change in routine to motivate. So i wouldnt say the Wii is a fitness program but a motovational tool. Wiiiiiiiiiiii