Alternate Uses for the Wii Balance Board: Get Your Money's Worth After You've Quit Working Out
Let me guess. You bought Wii Fit thinking it would provide the motivation you needed to finally get up and start working out on a regular basis. You loved the balance games, toyed with the strength/yoga exercises, and even kept up with regular weigh ins and workouts for a few weeks, maybe even a few months.
Then, the game started to lose its luster. Suddenly, getting up off of the couch to play didn’t seem as fun as playing some of your other, less active games. Eventually that balance board and copy of Wii Fit ended up gathering dust under the couch or in a closet somewhere.
You may have pulled the board out a few times to check out the additional control features in Punch Out!! or Skate It, but by now you’ve pretty much given up on getting much future use out of it. Sure, Wii Fit Plus may inspire a balance board renaissance, of sorts, but chances are that board will end up right back where it’s been stored for so long.
Don’t feel bad. The majority of people who purchased Wii Fit have ended up in the same place, but your balance board doesn’t have to fall by the wayside just because you’re not working out with it. There are lots of great ways to get some use out of that huge hunk of plastic.
It is a Scale, After All
Did you know that you can use the balance board for more than just tracking your McDonalds-fueled backslide into obesity? The system can actually detect when you’re holding an object when you step on the scale, so you can actually use the balance board and Wii Fit to weigh various objects around your household.
Pick up your pets and find out just how much they weigh or grab that ten pound bag of flour and use the balance board to ensure you’re getting your money’s worth at the grocery store.
Haven’t you ever wondered just how much your collection of Star Wars memorabilia weighs? Stack your AT-AT on top of your Millennium Falcon and step aboard!
Check out page two for a great way to add two inches to your height and some great balance board home defense ideas.
More Than a Hunk of Plastic
The balance board has many uses outside of being connected to a Nintendo Wii. Have you ever found yourself just two inches too short to grab something off a top shelf or see what’s on top of the refrigerator? Just place your balance board on the ground and instantly gain two inches! You can even carry it around town with you using one of the convenient cases that are available.
Those top shelves at Gamestop can be nigh unreachable for all but the tallest of indiviudals. Now, you can just plop the board down and hop on to reach that title at the beginning of the alphabet without having to attempt a precarious shelf climb.
The balance board has many useful purposes outside, as well. When I was a kid, we were constantly scraping to come up with pieces of scrap lumber to construct bicycle jumps. Kids nowadays need only take their balance board and place it against a curb: instant bike jump! It’s durable and portable thanks to the aforementioned carrying cases.
In the house, it can make a sweet platform on which to arrange your action figures. Imagine the authenticity your Jabba’s Palace scene will take on when you use your Wii balance board as a realistic dais! Slave Leia will be so comfortable, she won’t want to strangle Jabba after all.
The Next Big Thing in Home Defense
Have you noticed how heavy your balance board is? Can you imagine just how much it would hurt someone if you delivered a two-handed, full extension swing with it? With some practice, even the clumsiest of gamers can learn to defend themselves with the Wii balance board. Chances are that it’d disintegrate after one blow, but with something as heavy as the balance board, one blow is all you need.
If you’re of a more defensive mindset, consider adding a couple of straps and attaching the board to your forearm. You’ll be able to deflect blows with Captain America-like ease. It’s the perfect thing to have in case you’re ever attacked by a maniac wielding an xbox controller flail or PS3-tipped war hammer. Lug it around in a carrying case, always at the ready to defend yourself.
As you can see, just because you’re done with Wii Fit doesn’t mean that your balance board is destined for a life of obscurity under your bed. There are plenty of ways to use the peripheral that don’t necessarily involve working out.
Of course, if none of these ideas strike your fancy, the balance board still makes a great place to store four AA batteries.
