Wii Fit Weight Loss: Can This Nintendo Game Really Get Me Into Shape?

Week One

I’ve tried other workouts, I’ve gone to gyms, and I’ve experimented with organized sports, but I’ve never been able to stick with anything longer than two weeks. I’ve been relying on a high metabolism, sensible diet, and a young age to keep my weight down. I know, I know…these things won’t last forever and that’s why I’m here. My goal is to use the program for Wii Fit weight loss and strength training.

It’s been one week since I started my Wii Fit Challenge, and I feel a growing commitment to this program. I wake up in the morning and my abs ache from the Strength Training exercises, my arms are sore from holding Yoga poses, and my metabolism is increasing with ever aerobic exercise I do.

And every morning I wake up and I want to turn on the Wii. I want to “play” again. I love that how I get corrected on my posture and form. I had no idea that I was doing a Jackknife so incorrectly until I started this program, and the slow and concentrated movements that the game prompts me to do allow me to feel the workout in my core more than I ever have before. I feel like I’m more in shape than I was when I started and I defiantly notice that I have a higher level of energy.

Thanks to the game’s awesome charting and graphing feature, and my own fitness journal, I have been able to keep a detailed log of my progress. Note how I stayed on the first level of each activity for the first week and incorporating one new pose, exercise, an aerobic activity per day. My goal is to increase the level of game play each week so that I am completing all activities at their highest level by the end of the 4th week.

Fitness Reports for Week One

Strength Training Chart

After I was warmed up I went into a Strength Training routine that I thought was going to be the end of me. I found the Push Up/Side Plank combo especially challenging and I had never done a Jackknife before Wii Fit. My abs ached in ways they never have before but I pushed through.

Aerobics Chart

To burn a some calories, work off some fat, and achieve my goal of Wii Fit weight loss, I ended with the Aerobics program. I had never played a dance game or any game that required you to step in time with the console, so I found Basic Step challenging. I found I had the best luck when I watched the other Miis and ignored the on screen directions.

BMI and Weight Chart

I ended each workout with a Body Test that measured my weight and Body Mass Index. This one was a little tricky because, as the game often reminded me, a person’s weight naturally fluctuates two pounds over the average day. I tried to do my workouts and weigh-ins at consistent times but with work, school, and other responsibilities, it ended up being more important that I squeeze in a work out than it was to perform the workout at the same time each day.

Disclaimer

These results are by no means scientific. There was no control set up and I did not perform my exercises at the same time each day. Please read this disclaimer regarding the information you have just read.

Continue reading my series to see if I achieve my goals!