As I write this, it’s midway through Week 3 of the Coastal Point Health-Tech Challenge. For those who missed our first installment, in which I set up the technology-friendly health challenge and gave an introduction to the Wii Fit “game,” my goal was to improve my general fitness and to work on losing some weight — 22 pounds as an initial goal, and moving on from there.
Nearly a month into the challenge, I have been very pleased with my ability to keep up my new exercise regiment using Wii Fit. On the down side, as of the end of Week 2, I had actually gained 4 pounds since starting the program. Another five days later, that’s up to 7.5 pounds. On the up side, even without verification with a body-fat calculation, I’m pretty sure that all of that extra weight (and probably more) is muscle.
Why so sure? I’m feeling noticeably stronger and more energetic, and my clothes seem to be looser. I’ve had a number of people ask me if I’d lost weight recently – most of them unaware of my ongoing challenge. What more do you really need?
And while my BMI readings from the daily Wii Fit body tests have only gone up (since they use only weight and height as a measure), my Wii Fit Age numbers have improved substantially, from the high 40s at the worst to being generally in the low- to mid-30s in the last two weeks — below my actual age. Part of that, I’m sure, is a growing familiarity with the tests. But I do feel like my balance has also improved.
And, as is a stated goal of Wii Fit, I do feel more aware of my posture and balance throughout the day. In fact, the simple statement from the Wii Fit software that I appeared to be standing with most of my weight on my heels — something it says can increase fatigue when walking — has pushed me to consciously stand with my weight spread across my heels and all my toes.
Going through a second week and change of body tests reinforced two things for me:
(1) You really shouldn’t pay too much attention to the BMI reading, particularly if you’re not also using another method to track your body-fat percentage. The upward creep in that number has the potential to discourage you from keeping up with the program, as well as other efforts you may be making toward better fitness.
(2) While some fitness experts do recommend a daily weigh-in, the general consensus these days seems to favor weekly weigh-ins as the most frequent interval you should be using, and I’m in agreement, for the same reasons as I stated regarding the BMI. It may behoove you to cut back to a weekly body test if you’re seeing upticks during the week that you find discouraging. Wii Fit will tell you otherwise, but you’re probably better off doing what gives you the most benefit.
The only other real complaint I have about Wii Fit thus far is that there is no offering of a real training program, such as a group of exercises combining aerobics and strength training, for instance. The suggestion to combine a particular yoga pose with a given strength exercise was a step in the right direction, but they could have really taken the “game” to the next level by offering some sample workouts, with checklists for a variety of needs. You’ll have to use some common sense and self-knowledge (and maybe a consultation with a fitness expert) to really maximize the benefit of the many great options offered in Wii Fit. But for some casual exercise, it’s great.
A minor annoyance: If kids aren’t willing to put in the time on a variety of games to gain Wii Fit credits and unlock new ones, they’re going to eventually be unhappy that other people in the family have access to games they’d like to play. Get them to two hours put in, and most everything will be unlocked.
I’m also a little disappointed that the Mii avatars show such clear frustration and sadness when they don’t do well. It makes the kids think they should be sad or frustrated, and that means they’re less inclined to try again and improve. But, overall, I’ve seen tremendous enthusiasm from members of my household of all ages for this “game.”
We’ve had a great response to the Coastal Point Health-Tech Challenge thus far.
One question I got after the first week was about the weight limit for the balance board. The official limit listed on the box and in the documentation, for the U.S. version, is 330 pounds. That is reportedly the maximum weight the body test function will register. Reports also suggest that the board has a physical capacity of 600 pounds, so if you were worried that you might break it, most all of us are completely safe.
So, if you hesitated to pick up Wii Fit for that reason, give it a try.
Week 2: A regular regimen
As of the end of Week 2, I had put in seven hours on Wii Fit. That’s an average of a half-hour a day, which is pretty standard for my daily regimen. I had missed only two days — one to a busy schedule and another to illness. Otherwise, I averaged 30 to 45 minutes per day: five to 10 minutes of balance games, 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity and five minutes of yoga and/or strength exercises.
As a result, I unlocked all of the yoga exercises, all but three of the strength exercises, all of the aerobic activities except the “Free Run” and all of the balance games.
Under Aerobics, that gives me access to Hula Hoop, Super Hula Hoop (3-, 6- and 10-minute intervals), Basic Step (about 2 minutes), Advanced Step (about 5 minutes), Free Step (10-, 20- and 30-minute intervals), Basic Run (short and long distances), 2-Person Run (short and long distances), Rhythm Boxing (basic at 3 minutes, advanced at 6 minutes and expert at 10 minutes).
The full slate of Balance Games now offers Soccer Heading (beginner and advanced), Ski Slalom (beginner and advanced), Ski Jump, Table Tilt (beginner and advanced), Tightrope Walk (beginner and advanced), Balance Bubble (beginner and advanced), Snowboard Slalom (beginner and advanced) and Lotus Focus.
The newer games and activities have been pretty fun and are now part of my daily regimen.
An average day’s “workout” (hard to call it that when it’s all fun and games, even when you work up a sweat!) in Week 2 consisted of about five minutes split between Soccer Heading, Ski Jump and Ski or Snowboard Slalom; six minutes of Advanced Step, which is getting easier to follow, netting me three of four stars most times; six minutes of advanced-level Rhythm Boxing, which nicely balances out the mostly lower-body work of Step with all that punching; three minutes of hard-core ab-focused aerobic work with Super Hula Hoop; then a cool-down with part 1 of a Wii Fit-recommended complementary exercise set using sideways leg lifts; and part 2, the yoga Sun Salutation; followed by a couple minutes of stillness and deep breathing with Lotus Focus.
New games, new options
That’s one game I didn’t introduce in Week 1, because it hadn’t been unlocked yet. It’s very different from nearly all the rest of the games in Wii Fit. First, you sit in the lotus pose, or cross-legged, on the balance board. Then you aim to be as still as possible while focusing on an animated candle in a dark digital evening out on a virtual cabin’s porch. You face the distractions of kamikaze moths, creaking floorboards, an apparent visitor arriving on horseback and crickets chirping — plus the results of any restlessness you’re indicating via the balance board: flickering of the candlelight.
Wiggle, or even breath too unevenly, and the flame flickers. If it flickers too much, it will go out — or reach out and grab a month, which will send the flame sputtering out, too. I’m an old hand at meditation, so it didn’t surprise me that I completed the 3-minute time the first time out.
What’s irritating is that sometimes, that flame just catches the moth, even though I think I’m sufficiently still, and then there’s a guttural exclamation (apparently from your off-screen yoga master) and the smack of a symbol on the screen, and you’re done. Still, trying to use this as a cool-down exercise after the rest of my regimen is a great challenge, since it involves slowing down, breathing slowly and keeping those freshly exercised muscles in firm control.
The other really new one is Free Step, which is along the same lines as the other Step games, but offers the multi-tasker some new options. In Free Step, you set your total time (which comes with an accompanying number of steps as a final goal) and then you start stepping. There is no visual guide this time. In fact, your Mii is spotlighted amidst darkness.
The idea is that you can then turn your TV to your favorite TV show, the morning news, cartoons for the kids, etc., and that the soundtrack to Free Step — now coming through the built-in speaker in your Wii remote – will give you the guide you need for stepping in time for your desired time period. You can choose between a variety of rhythm guides, such as a metronome tick, beep or voice. The voice will give you cues to change your leading leg and note whether you’re keeping a solid rhythm or falling out of time.
I appreciated the option this game provides, especially if you’re sharing the TV with other family members but still want to get in a good workout. Fortunately, in my house, the kids like watching the games while other people are playing. And as I mentioned in our introduction to Wii Fit, I particularly like the challenge of matching the designated rhythms and step patterns in the Advanced Step game in particular, so this holds less appeal for me than it might otherwise. But it’s a great option to have, especially if you want a longer step workout than the six-minute Advanced setting provides. (Personally, I’d love a 10-minute “expert” step option, as Rhythm Boxing offers.)
Similarly, the Free Run activity provides audio cues for you with synthesized footsteps and a voice guide for a 10-minute or longer run around that virtual island I mentioned last time out. And the game notes that you can also turn the TV off for this one and run solely with those sounds as a guide.
However, the big appeal of Free Run is that you can run around (and explore) the entire island, which has features such bridges, a wind farm, parks, a (vaguely Romanesque) town center, tunnels, etc. You really can get that feel of running through a virtual world, if you can get past the fact that you’re jogging in place. (Again, using this in conjunction with a treadmill or similar device would help if jogging in place is an issue for you.)
With Free Run, you control the pace, aiming for a good calorie-burning lope (go too fast and you’ll fall down!); in Free Step, you’ll aim to step in time, with an adjustable pace that you can choose at the outset. These both make for very customizable workouts if you’re aiming for a longer duration of aerobic activity.
Week 3: A new goal
Hitting the end of Week 2, which is a checkpoint for the weight/BMI goals you set in Wii Fit, I was provided with the chance to update my goal. Between Day 1’s error involving not having installed the extension feet of the balance board, resulting in a 9-pound offset in my starting weight, and the subsequent gain in apparent muscle mass, I decided to start with a clean slate and a new 22-pound goal, beginning at the start of Week 3.
The numbers for that goal are still not looking good, since I’ve added 3.5 pounds in that time and taken the new goal up to 25.5 pounds in the next three months, not counting the 4 pounds I’d gained in the first two weeks. But I do believe that’s an achievable goal, especially if all the work I’ve been putting in finally starts to pay off in some weight loss. Being more toned and feeling more fit is great, but my core goal definitely involves some weight loss, so I’m waiting for all that new muscle and all the exercise to finally start burning some extra calories that I can see showing up (or rather, not showing up) in my body tests.
I will confess some puzzlement as to why it’s taking so long for things to pay off in terms of weight loss. I’m taking it on faith that the muscle gain I’ve noticed will soon pay off. Because of this issue, buying a new body-fat measuring scale is on my to-do list.
I will note, however, that most of the people I’ve heard about trying a similar challenge have lost at least a few pounds. Some said it had inspired them to add a full-fledged yoga class or other exercise classes or activities to their regular workout regimen. Others said they had felt they were too out-of-shape to take on a “real” workout but were now looking at their time with Wii Fit as a way to get ready for some higher-level fitness improvements, such as a daily run or a class at the gym. Even those fitness buffs who decided Wii Fit wasn’t enough of a challenge for them as a stand-alone workout have said they found the games to be a fun diversion. I think that’s the big selling-point of Wii Fit: it has value for pretty much anyone who is up for a little physical challenge (or a big one, like mine).
In the meantime, the plan is to ratchet up my Wii Fit regimen another step. I’ve already begun that work. Week 3 has seen me switch up from the 6-minute advanced setting in Rhythm Boxing to the 10-minute expert mode. That was a challenge at first; but, a few days in, it just means a solid workout. My workouts have generally followed the same format as in Week 2, otherwise, just running a bit longer and a little more intense. I’m on the upper side of the 45-minute time period on most days, despite a demanding schedule.
I am still missing only one or two days a week of a Wii Fit workout, with one or both of those days generally including 30 to 45 minutes of heavy-duty lawn mowing or a family outing that involves a good bit of walking and child-wrangling. I gleefully add that lawn mowing to my Activity Log in Wii Fit, since it’s probably the most physically challenging thing I do regularly. Now that summer has nearly arrived and we’ve had a solid heatwave to warm the pool, I’m also adding some swimming to the regimen.
Another milestone as Week 3 progresses: I’ve reached the 10-hour mark on total Wii Fit credits. No, no secrets to the universe or even an amazing hidden game unlocked with that milestone. But my Wii Fit credits piggybank got a shiny upgrade to a bronze color, which will upgrade through silver and gold as I continue my time with the game.
That’s no hardship, since the whole household has become enamored of it. When the kids aren’t playing themselves, they want to see the adults give the games a try and aim to beat their existing top scores.
I’ve refined my technique on most of them to the point where it’s a real challenge to best my previous records and the real challenge is in building skill at advanced and expert levels. Tightrope Walk, which was so easy on beginner level as to become boring for me after a few tries, was not much more of a challenge at the advanced level. But, on the expert level, with unpredictable winds, lower tolerances for minor balance shifts and even more of those chomping traps, even I have a hard time completing the trip between high-rise buildings.
We’ll see later this week how my mother takes to the idea of Wii Fit, if at all, to give a more encompassing generational perspective. But the younger and middle generations are still having a blast through this third week.
Tips for mastering Wii Fit
For those of you who have picked up your own copy of Wii Fit or will in the near future, here are some tips for some of the games, now that I’m into my third week with them.
• Step and Advanced Step: If the game keeps suggesting you perfect your rhythm by stepping off the board “more slowly,” try raising your knees more when stepping — more of a march-type step than a normal step. Actually slowing down my movements didn’t fix this problem, but raising my knees not only improved the rhythm accuracy, it added more physical challenge to the workout. And if you’re getting lost in the steps, keep at it and just remember to follow the on-screen patterns. They’ll show you which foot should be on the board and which one should be moving where.
• Free Step: As tempting as it may be to throw in a few kicks and some of the other fancy footwork you’ve tried in Advanced Step, just to mix things up, be aware that the game is counting your steps on and off the balance board. If you’re side-stepping and kicking, you will likely be putting in more steps than it’s counting. Stick to stepping on and off the board from the back, with the recommended leg changes, and you’ll get the credit you deserve.
• Hula Hoop and Super Hula Hoop: If you keep trying to catch those thrown hoops and miss, remember to lean strongly to the side as their thrown, stopping your hip-wiggling for just a moment, until your Mii leans over. Then you can start wiggling again. Leaning with your arms raised definitely helps.
I find this game provides a better workout for the abs if you concentrate on your hip movements, keeping them large, controlled and round, as the game recommends. Putting my hands on my hips and pretending I’m doing the hula for real also seems to help work those muscles. Alternatively, I’ve seen some people try this game while wiggling wildly and at rocket speed. That seems to improve its aerobic quotient, but I like a balance of ab strengthening and aerobic challenge, and I worry that getting too wild with the movement might pose some problems for those with bad knees.
• Tightrope Walk: This game appears to be easier for heavier people than light ones. The kids generally have to pick up their feet and actually walk to get their avatars to move across the rope. The heavier adults can cheat a bit and just shift their balance slightly from one foot to the other. And watch how far out of balance you are when you jump over the little chomping traps. It requires you to be more or less in balance before you leap, or you’ll jump right off the rope, and that requirement only gets more stringent in advanced mode. In expert mode, if you’re not already just shifting your balance, you may find reducing your movements to just a shift helps you to move more quickly — until that wind gets blowing, of course.
• Rhythm Boxing: You get two points for every punch if you hit exactly in rhythm – double the normal amount. Even though I was hitting in rhythm from the start, I wasn’t getting the double points for a lot of these punches early on, so I focused on delaying my reaction time just an instant, and that seems to work.
If you want to get something other than “I know you can do better” from your gruff-sounding trainer at the end of your workout, aim to collect these double points to take you up into the 500 range for your score. Max out the value of the exercise by doing as he says, and punch from the hip, putting your shoulder into your punches. In advanced mode, if you head up closer to 1,000, you’ll finally be told, “Nice job!” Hit 1,200 or higher, and you’ll get praise for your “Great workout.” It’s amazing how motivating that is.
As you reach advanced levels, you’ll find the speed picks up. This solved the “delay” problem for me, as the rhythm better matches my natural punching rhythm. Expert takes it up a notch further. If you’re having problems getting your “dodges” to register correctly, remember to shift your weight as the trainer-boxer does. The balance board is keeping track of whether you’ve really moved your body to dodge that imaginary body blow and not just shifted your hands.
• Run/2-person Run/Free Run: It may be tempting to cheat on these games by just shaking the Wii Remote. (In fact, it may be necessary to unlock some of the aerobics games for little ones who can’t run that far or don’t want to run.) But you’ll rack up time put in on aerobic activity that you didn’t do.
If you do run for real, aim for a solid pace, starting on the slow side and gradually hitting your peak pace. The aim here is to do a steady, calorie-burning pace for the length of your run (hence your Mii guide), and you’ll score based solely on how well you do that. Run too fast, you’ll fall down and lose credit. Run too unevenly, and you’ll end up with a lower score.
Oh, and if you hit that half-way point in the shorter distances and hear a dog bark, try using that moment to sprint past your Mii guide — you’ll start following the little Mii dog instead of the guide, giving you a new path around the rest of the island to the finish line. (The kids love this feature, too.)
• Snowboard Slalom: While all of the ski-type games will get you moving faster if you lean forward, the key to Snowboard Slalom appears to be bending your knees. I’m still battling Ski Slalom three weeks in, but the speed control is pretty instinctive. On the other hand, making the effort to really bend my knees on Snowboard Slalom, while keeping my weight somewhat on my forward food, made it much easier to navigate between the slalom flags, with much finer control. Keep that center of gravity low to maximize your control and your score.
The Wii and Wii Fit Purchase Challenge
Have you decided you’d like to take up the Coastal Point Health-Tech Challenge along with me, but you’re having problems finding Wii Fit — or the Wii game system — in the stores? You’re not alone.
More than 18 months after its release, the Wii is still in short supply in the U.S. — reportedly due, in part, to the declining dollar, which makes the consoles more profitable when sold in Asia and Europe. Supplies have been picking up, however — particularly when releases of hot new games for the system are anticipated. That’s one tip — plan to arrive before the stores open on the day of a major game release. They may have a few Wii systems in stock if you’re there early enough. Toys R Us recently offered pre-order opportunities for Wii consoles in the lead-up to the release of the new Mario Kart game for the system.
Otherwise, the best option may be to track availability online. Sites such as www.WiiTracker.com offer instant, ongoing updates on availability in online stores. If you sign up for e-mail, text or RSS alerts, they can tip you off to stock in at Amazon.com or other big retailers in the few minutes before they sell out. Yes, the few minutes. Wii systems are still selling out within two to three minutes of online availability. If you get an alert, be prepared to head to that site quickly and buy immediately. That’s how I got mine more than six months ago, when availability was even tighter.
WiiTracker.com also offers tracking for Wii Fit, if you haven’t been able to find one, though those are often available for a few hours before the new supply is bought up.
Another tip for finding a Wii is to consider purchasing a Wii bundle, with the Wii system packaged with some games and additional controllers, etc. This will cost more than the Wii’s $250 recommended retail price, and that’s angered some fans, who believe that if stores have Wii systems in stock, they should be available for purchase without the add-ons. But if you are in the market for some extra controllers and games — including Wii Fit, in some bundles — this can be a way to avoid some of the hassles in finding a Wii system to purchase. Bundle availability often lasts days. Heading to eBay or CraigsList is also an option, but only if you want to pay a premium for the privilege of buying it now.
Locally, check in with your big-box stores and game shops regularly. If you’re nice to the employees, they may tell you when they expect the next shipment in. That’s often the day their sales circulars go into effect, or a day or two prior. Arrive early on a sales day and expect to stand in line. You can also check in periodically throughout the week. Sometimes a few consoles slip onto the shelves early.
If you’re patient, give waiting a try. Nintendo has cranked up production to meet the ongoing heavy demand. It has eased the sharpness of the demand somewhat and should continue to do so. But avoid waiting until the holidays to seek one out, since demand will likely rise again as winter nears.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be keeping at the Wii Fit regimen as part of the ongoing Coastal Point Health-Tech Challenge. You’ll find another update on my progress in the To Your Health special section of the Coastal Point in July, and more weekly updates online at www.coastalpoint.com in the intervening weeks. Again, feel free to join in and let us know how you’re doing with your own challenge.
Also coming up in the next few weeks: the addition of the Nintendo DS to the Health-Tech Challenge, with the release of My Weight Loss Coach (previously known as My Health Coach and My Fitness Coach) and its pedometer peripheral on June 24. This will formally add a dietary element to the challenge, since My Weight Loss Coach includes diet tracking along with its step-tracking, exercise recommendations and tips. I’ll do a full review of that package as soon as I’ve had a chance to test it out.