Fit Friday

For Christmas the kids voted on getting a group gift - a Wii console.  They collected pop bottles and saved up to help alleviate the cost and then Dan and I found just the right system on Craigslist and, voila - Christmas.  Needless to say, it has been a big hit.  I must admit that if I gave in to it I could play MarioKart for a good portion of my day.  Anyhow, included in the package was the WiiFit Plus and board.  Although very fun, Dan and I began to wonder if you really can lose weight and get fit using it.  And a New Year's Resolution was born.

We have been feeling the need lately to get our fitness up to snuff.  Our stress levels have been far too high and struggling with the overcast weather of the coast has not helped our spirits at all.  We are also creeping up to the big 4-0, and I don't want to reach it feeling (or looking!) the way we do.  So the challenge to ourselves is to try using the WiiFit regularly and conduct our own experiment on the effectiveness on this exercise system.  I am not usually one to flaunt my attempts at exercise, failed or otherwise, for all to see.  But I have come to the realization that one of the reasons I usually fail is because there's no one holding me accountable.  So, Fit Friday will be an update on how we feel, how our workouts went and our opinion on the Wii.

My hypothesis is that doing anything active is better than nothing, but I find it hard to believe that the Wii alone can elevate that heart rate enough and burn enough calories to shed pounds.  I think it will be an excellent toning and strengthening program in conjunction with another cardio workout.  Oh, and of course eating right.  We'll see!

This week:

Used the WiiFit Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. 
Total time: 2 hours
Total calories burned: 450?  I need to keep better totals for next week.
Favorite activity: Rhythm KungFu and Boxing
Most sweat: Super Hula Hoop.  Oh, and I managed to set the household record of 779 spins of the hula hoop!
Best perceived workout: 10 minute run, even though I hated running in place.  A good, quick rise of the heart rate, but tough on the calves because you have to almost run on your toes.  Would way rather run/walk outside.
Best Bonus: Malcolm and Spencer work out with me.  Malcolm did a ten minute run and Spencer did my walking video with me.  Anything that encourages my kids to be active in the house gets two-thumbs up from me!

I did combine the Wii workout today with my Leslie Sansone Workout Video and found I enjoyed it more.  Got my heart rate up with the DVD, then switched to the Wii for some fun exercises and strength training.

Week 1 Opinion: This has potential.  The games keep me interested and the kids get involved too.  I was surprised to find myself actually breaking a sweat on a few of the circuits, something I was not sure would happen.  So far, so good.

Dan has yet to begin, but we'll cut him some slack because school's back in and, you guessed it, his school cold has flared up again.  I'll kick him in the butt and get him going for next week. The hula hoop gauntlet has been thrown down!!