Wellbeing: A Wii-k of Wii-fitness

MOST OF us know at least one gym bunny. It's the person next to you on the treadmill at the gym, barely even breaking a sweat as you huff and puff, or your colleague who's training for a full marathon and lifts weights as if they're feather light.

But if you're anything like the rest of the population, you would rather spend your lunch hour at a nice cafe than locked into the sauna-like atmosphere of the local gym. Enter one of Nintendo Wii's most popular games, aimed at the unfit masses. The Wii Fit is a game with a twist: it's an exercise video/machine that lets you perform anything from yoga poses to lunges, twists, contortions and step classes without leaving the comfort of your lounge; essentially a personal trainer for people who don't like personal trainers.

Nintendo's Wii console, one of the best-selling in the world, takes the concept of video gaming and makes it hands-on. Each game makes use of up to two controllers: the Wii-mote and nunchuck, which can be used to mimic the swinging motion when hitting a golf ball, a baseball, cooking or in the case of Wii Fit, anything from hula hoops to slalom skiing.

The game comes with a Wii Balance Board, the size of a set of bathroom scales, from which you conduct most of the exercises. It also measures your "Wii Fit age", a combination of height, weight and a series of simple fitness tests which can be depressing if, like me, you find that your body is 13 years older than your birth age.

You also get your BMI (body mass index) a number to tell you whether you are ideal, overweight or obese.

The idea of being able to exercise in your pyjamas at home, without worrying about the superhuman stick insect on the AbMaster next to you, is appealing not just to us laidback Kiwis. In Australia, the Wii is the country's biggest-selling console, and has resulted in a condition known as "Wii shoulder", an exercise-induced injury which causes painful inflammation.

Doctors in America use the Wii as part of physical therapy, also known by the nickname "pain and torture", as Wii games use motions similar to traditional exercises but with the added benefit of being mentally engrossing. The new treatment has a name "Wiihabilitation".

I tested out the Wii Fit over the course of a week to see if this is indeed a revolution in gaming, or one to be consigned to the scrap heap (along with pink lycra bike shorts and rebounders).

 

Day one

It's the eve of my 27th birthday and I find that my Wii Fit age is 40. Although my BMI falls under the ideal weight category, Wii asks, without irony, if I often find myself tripping when walking. I try a series of beginner balance tests which involve trying to move some dots into the blue zone of a bar graph by putting weight on certain legs. My result is so terrible, I'm too ashamed to record it here.

 

Day two

My relationship with the Wii Fit gets off to a bad start when it tells me I've gained 0.3kg. The bowl of icecream I had for dessert last night might be why. I start small with my day's training, with hula hoops, an activity I enjoyed as a child. On the Wii, you simply shake your hips in a circle while standing on the board, and sensors measure the width and frequency. I turn out to be quite good at it, and unlock the next level Super Hula Hoops! As a reward, I have a big cup of Milo and a gingernut biscuit.

 

Day three

I've somehow managed to strain my groin muscle and my knees feel stiff. Maybe my Wii Fit age isn't so far-fetched after all. Today I've lost 0.7kg. Today I love Wii. The game told me I have bad balance so I'm going to try to improve with some balance games. The winner by far is something called ski slalom, in which you have to dodge left and right on the board to ride between the flags.

 

Day four

I am a yoga master. Wii tells me so. As a professional couch potato, staying still is one of my innate talents. I do saluting the sun, the palm tree pose and deep breathing, which earns me enough points to become a "yoga trainer". Earning points for breathing doesn't give me a deep sense of achievement, though.

 

Day five

More hula hooping to start, then a balance game that involves sliding a penguin around an iceberg to catch some fish. Those are slippery suckers! As I have the muscle mass of a jellyfish, I decide to do some strength training. I do push-ups the cheat's way (on your knees) and get a rave score from my "personal trainer".

 

Day six

Step classes. I loathe these with a passion, but Wii Fit's step classes come with a funky upbeat tune and they actually engage your mind, as you have to keep an eye on the screen to know where to move and when to take your feet on and off the board. I also discover while doing the basic run class that in some exercises, swinging your arms wide will give you more points. Interesting.

 

Day seven

Sabbath. I have cramps in funny places and I crave a Kit Kat. Even God rested from creating the universe on the seventh day, so give a mere human girl a break.

 

Verdict: While the Wii Fit was a lot of fun and a good way to introduce physical activity to otherwise sedentary people, it won't replace true exercise. The game would probably work well combined with an existing fitness regime, or as a way to teach kids how to live healthier lifestyles. 

- © Fairfax NZ News