Friday, January 09, 2009

Houston, Wii Have a Problem

So, Santa brought me a Wii Fit for Christmas this year. Very sought after, so I'm very excited (and grateful to PC, the Wii fairy) to have it. Not excited enough to get it out of the box until yesterday, but excited in theory. I had to get all the Christmas junk out of the way, read the instructions, and rearrange furniture to make it happen.

Well, I get it out, sync it up, load it into my machine and off we go. Overall, I have to say I like it. It's cute. The little Miis (the cartoon versions of my family and friends) applaud and dance around me when I do well. I need all the support I can get. Of course, when I don't do well, my character drops to her knees in defeat and cries. She's really gotta toughen up. I refuse to have a sissy for a Mii.

So far, here's a rundown of my experience on my first day.

1. I setup my Mii, getting her weighted and BMI calculated and whatnot. I took the balance test and did all the other stuff to get baselined. I have to say I was not particularly thrilled when it told me I was overweight and announced my Wii Age to be 33. I guess it could be worse.

2. I set my goal of 3 pounds lost in 2 weeks. That was the most it would recommend. I'm down with that. I joined Weight Watchers last Monday, so that will help.

3. To improve my balance tests (and ultimately get me back in the 20s!) I started with the balance games. In the first one, my family kicks soccer balls at my head and I have to try to shift my weight to lean over and head but it back. I didn't do so well, especially when they started lobbing soccer cleats and panda heads (I don't know why) at me, which I had to dodge. I did so poorly the first time that when I did adequately the second time, all the characters danced and cheered around me. Sad. I only earned one star for my performance.

4. Next, I did the two different skiing activities. In first, I had so ski downhill and shift my weight to go through the flagged checkpoints. I either missed it entirely or I ran over the flags. Oops. Not so good. Neither was the slalom. Generally I'm supposed to squat down and try to get my balance lined up over this blue dot, then I straighten my legs at just the right time to see how far I can jump. Half the time it didn't register me standing and I would roll down the hill in a giant snowball. Great. One star again on both of those.

5. Then I tried this game where I had to shift my weight to make these balls fall through holes on a table I could tilt. I did pretty good at that, I think. Just as it told me I did awesome, my left leg cramped up. Well, first my foot. The arch of my foot drew up so tight it was as though I was in 5 inch heels. I couldn't straighten my foot or put it flat onto the floor to walk it off. That was followed by my calf cramping into a wicked knot. I screamed for about five minutes, the dogs jumping around doing their best to help while I swatted them away, tears in my eyes, until I could finally force my foot flat and limp around the living room. Awesome. Two stars until I started screaming.

6. I didn't let it get me, down. No sir. I got back on, but switched to an aerobics activity. Shifting back and forth on my feet was out. On to hula hooping. That one was actually quite fun and I'm ashamed to admit, got me a little sweaty and my heart pounding. Generally, I swung my hips around while Mii Jason and Mii Jim (my father in law) threw hula hoops at me to catch. I had five going at one point. I'm sure I looked ridiculous, but whatever. Two stars on this one!

7. Next I tried the step aerobics. Me and about fifteen other Miis were all on stage to perform our stunning rendition of Wii Riverdance to an audience. Mainly it was me trying to keep to the beat stepping up and down and to the sides and whatever. I did okay. Got a round of applause from the audience, but only one star on this one. I think I was going too fast at first. I'll show them.

8. I had two minutes left on my 30 minute goal, so I decided to do a yoga activity to cool down. With the deep breathing pose, I tried to keep my balance centered while breathing to the rhythm of the contracting and expanding circle. Three stars on this bad boy. Those months of sporadic yoga PC and I did last year seemed to do some good. That is, if standing in one place and breathing steady is a skill. :)

At last, my 30 minutes were in the bank. Lots of hoorays and such. I was done. I happily put my board away and turned it off. Now that I have it setup, I'll try to get on it pretty reguarly. It was fun. I did like it. Screaming aside. And of course, as PC has mentioned, you're determined to prove it wrong. No, I'm 29, not 33. No, I don't fall down a lot. I am awesome and I am going to show you. I am going to get the high score. I am going to earn all 4 stars! If competition doesn't get me off my butt, nothing will.

Is exercise part of your resolution this year? How's it going? Do you have or want a Wii Fit? If you have one, what's your favorite activity? I haven't gotten to try them all out yet, but I'm curious as to what others like.

SP

PS. Julia Harper's winner will be announced Monday, so check back to see if you've picked up an autographed copy of For the Love of Pete!

27 comments:

Maven Linda said...

So, here I am awake and on the computer at 3:30 a.m., laughing my head off at your Wii experience. You made it sound so much fun (and funny!) that I wonder if I should get one. I can just see that happening, with both dogs thinking this is a new game and pouncing on me in mid-Wii. If they were small dogs, no problem. Seventy pound Goldens can do some serious pouncing.

On the other hand . . . I can do some serious hula-hooping. I actually have a hula hoop. It's a skill I developed way back in the Dark Ages, when I could keep a hoop up for hours. The hoop I have now is actually too small, more of a youth hoop than an adult one, so I need to be on the lookout for a larger hoop. You've given me the urge to hula hoop.

I don't know whether to hug you or strangle you with my hula hoop.

The verification word is "folica." Is this a new word for hair issues? "I can't go out on a date tonight, I have folica."

Ewww. It sounds like a cross between cholera and diarrhea.

Christine said...

I have the Wii Fit. I did lousy at the dumb soccer ball one--horrible game--but I persist in pursuing it and beating it -- I am now an amateur with two stars after 2 weeks.

My first Wii Age was 74! I am 45. Oh well. I managed to get that down to 38 this week. My weight is blah... must lose a lot.

But I love my Mii and my Wii Mii family cheering me on. And since we started Wii fit, my balance has improved and I am a yoga master in two moves! (how I don't know).

I love the hula hoop game. And the aerobics and running.

BTW you will unlock some fun games--the bubble and penguin balance games are a riot.

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Just got a Wii myself. Totally loving it. I'm terrible at yoga--I have no balance. I'd probably fail a roadside sobriety test even when stone-cold sober. But I'm a crack ski-jumper. Who knew?

Problem Child said...

I love my Wii fit -- the boxing is my favorite, and I try to do the free step with weights regularly (Okay, so I've been busy and haven't been on it this week.)

I cannot headbut the soccer balls and the tightrope is beyond me, but hoola hooping is very fun (but six minutes each side is a lot longer than it sounds!)

Linda Winstead Jones said...

Like Linda, I laughed reading your post and now want a Wii. Naturally I'm exercising. I got a stack of Latin Dance DVDs for Christmas. I've tried a couple of them, and plan to get one out in a little while. They're actually fun, but must be done when I'm home alone. I can only imagine what kind of sight I make, moving my ribcage in one direction and my hips in another. Good thing there are no mirrors in the room or I'd catch a glimpse of myself and pack the DVDs away. :-)

I'm also doing weight watchers AND sparkpeople. Obsessed much? :-)

LJ

Andrea Laurence AKA Smarty Pants said...

You should get it, Linda. It's pretty darned fun. You'll need the Wii Console as well, if you don't already have it, but its fun, too, for playing boxing and bowling and baseball and such.

I've also gotten the Julian Michaels Boot Camp Workout to play on the Wii Fit. I'm a little scared to try that one. :)

Kira Sinclair - AKA Instigator said...

Thank you for my morning laugh :-) And I WANT a Wii Fit. I can't find one anywhere. I think I'm gonna have to become a ninja to find one...

I did start back at the gym this week and have managed 2 visits with 30 minutes on the treadmill and 2 circuits on the weights. I'm feeling the burn but pleasantly so. I always feel better on my way out the gym door :-)

I also joined Weight Watchers... Apparently my body started taking cues from the bears we saw in October... No more hibernation for me!

Instigator

Anonymous said...

These do sound like a lot of fun. I get my exercise here at the school going up and down the stairs, hallways and such. And at home I have been using my downstairs bathroom to get a little more exercise.
robertsoreads
word verification - busaked - sounds indecent

Darling Geek said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Darling Geek said...

If your first spin on the Wii Fit resulted in a Wii Age that was only four years older than your actual age, then you're well ahead of the game. I won't do PC the dishonor of publishing her first Wii Age. It has improved since then.

I haven't been on it in weeks. Need to fix that.

All the games have techniques that make them pretty easy. The soccer ball one is easier if you crouch and move your knees. Except the ski slalom. That's not a game. It's pure evil.

Problem Child said...

Hey! I had an ear infection the first time and my balance was all off...

I'm pleased to say I got my Wii Age down to 5 years YOUNGER than my actual age. I'll probably never test myself again...just in case. I can't handle the stress.

Katherine Bone said...

My funny bone is getting a good workout this morning. LOL! You're a riot. ;)

I don't have a Wii, but I've played it at #1's house.

I ponder on this. In today's society, why we must rely on the Wii to get fit? (Cue Alanis Moresette. Isn't this ironic?) Why not walk outside, ride a real bike, really hula hoop, ski, go hiking? Time and safety may be at issue, but, and I count myself guilty of this, aren't we finding ways to isolate ourselves, distant ourselves from really living in some respects? Heavy...

Oh well... exercising with the Wii is a fun way to get in touch with the inner child. :D

Anonymous said...

Nope, no Wii for me, although exercise is on the agenda. At the moment I am exploring the spiritual creaminess to be found doing bicep curls with Godiva truffles. No, seriously, I only do those occasionally and am gearing up to begin walking in earnest as my chosen form of exercise.

Rhonda Nelson said...

SP, that's hysterical! I definitely need to get the Wii Fit. I looked for one for weeks before Christmas because my daughter had said she wanted one...then she changed her mind. Moody teenager.

I've been walking an hour every day and started WW on Wednesday. I am determined to get into shape. :-)

Adds hula hoop to list...

Problem Child said...

Kathy, there's no way I'm hula-hooping in public! Plus, with the Wii Fit, I don't have the "well, I'd have to drive all the way to yoga class" excuse.

Crystal -- those Godiva tricep curls are my favorite too! (just look at my thighs!!!)

Katherine Bone said...

PC, you and SP, actually did one better. You should be commended for doing yoga in front of witnesses, especially 'downward facing dog'. ;)

Oh, Crystal! I love doing curls and eating Godiva. I'll try that next time.

Andrea Laurence AKA Smarty Pants said...

I know, Kathy, but this way I can trick myself into thinking I'm playing a game. I hate to exercise. HATE IT. I like to play games. I'm competitive. If I can do something fun, like virtual hula hoop, I might actually DO it. Whatever it takes to get me to do it.

Plus, I don't have to drive. Or go out in the cold. Or put on a leotard and prance in front of others.

Sherry Werth said...

Y'all are cracking me up this morning!

The Wii Fit sounds like fun. Can you hang clothes on it like I did my treadmill, stair stepper and weight station? All exercise equipment must have a secondary function. :D

Lynn Raye Harris said...

Too funny. I've considered this, but haven't gone looking for one yet. I actually like to exercise -- well, I like the way I feel when I'm done. Hubby and I have started our program again, though we're easing into it because we've been away from it for so long. This week: pushups, situps, squats, and walking on the treadmill.

Next week, I suppose we'll ramp up the sets and speed up the walking. Usually, I just jump on the treadmill and start jogging, no matter how long I've been away, but this time I'm taking it slowly. So no jogging for another week.

I know our stuff sounds pretty basic at the moment (weight training will be added in another week or so), but I don't personally know many women who can actually do pushups. I'm pretty proud that I can. :)

Hmm, maybe Kathy is on to something? My word verif is: outingsj

Playground Monitor said...

Don't have or want a Wii fit. I have a Curves membership I can't use until I get to the orthopedic surgeon next week to find out why the foot he operated on last February has started hurting like hell again.

I still can't believe I won the hula hoop contest at SP's mother's birthday party. I haven't used one since I was a kid.

Anonymous said...

Oh, dear, I tried to picture me with a hula hoop - I don't recall that ever being a talent of mine - and the vision wasn't pretty. Time to get back to those truffle curls!
No, really, I'm working my way up to serious walking, like I said before...

Angel said...

Sounds like a blast! I like exercise to be fun.

I'm working on ramping up my current routines, since I think I'm not doing enough at the moment. Not my favorite, but if it will work...

Angel

Katherine Bone said...

Doing yoga in front of an audience doesn't make you feel competitive? ;)

Ah! Now I understand the motivation, SP. (giggle) You'd rather people throw stuff at you.

Huh? verif: quirquen

Fedora said...

We don't have the Wii Fit yet (we've been searching fruitlessly for a while; keeping our fingers crossed that we'll luck out soon!), but we have been doing the Wii Sports fitness tests--my husband's been pretty consistently in his 20s and my son's getting there, but the rest of us swing wildly from our 20s to being 80 (the maximum age). *sigh*

mslizalou said...

I got a Wii when I was recovering from foot surgery. I also have the Wiifit. I haven't really done much with either, but plan on starting it this weekend.

Anonymous said...

Oh my lord, you all are funny!! I'm with those of you who now think you need a Wii fit. SP made it sound like such an adventure.

As to the fitness, I have been to the gym twice since Christmas but since I am not cleared by my dr. to drink alcohol yet, I don't think I should be working out much either. Like many of you, I am back on the Weight Watchers wagon.

Sally said...

Yep, exercise is one of my resolutions, as it always is. But...I've yet to do a single thing. :(

I want a Wii Fit, too. And I have to tell you why... I waited on a table of elderly ladies this past week--all in their 70s--whose afternoon plans were to...go to the oldest lady's house and play with the Wii Fit she got for Xmas.

Yeah. I cannot possibly come up with even one good excuse after hearing that.