Growing up, we never had video game systems in my house, because my
mother was opposed to all of them on principle.
If only Wii fitness games had been around back then, I might have had more success lobbying for a game system of my very own.
Wii Fit is a pretty cool system. I like anything that will get people interested in being active, so when it first hit the market I was immediately enthused.
The Wii Fit balance pad comes with a range of games, ranging in difficulty and intensity.
In games like Ski Jump, Soccer Heading, and Hula Hoop you have to use a combination of balance and controlled movements on the pad to make your simulated character perform onscreen.
This type of balance training is fun for any age group, and with a bit of concentration the games can become good core workouts.
Of course picking a "best of" from among so many options is never easy, but here are the games that rank at the top of my Wii Fit experience.
1) Hula Hoop
If you're worried about looking ridiculous in your living room, this is probably not the game to get you started. If you're just looking to have fun and burn a few calories, I definitely recommend it.
Standing on the balance board, you move your hips in a simulated hula hooping motion while your Wii character (called a Mii) hoops onscreen.
To keep things interesting and test your balance a bit, you have to raise your arms and lean to "catch" additional hoops as they are thrown to you. You get points for hooping fast; the more hoops the better.
2) Penguin Slide
Personally, my favorite of the fun games (as opposed to the workout games, which we'll get to in a moment) is Penguin Slide.
In this balance game, the object is to tilt an iceberg so that the penguin Mii standing on it can catch fish that are jumping out of the water. If you move to quickly and tilt the iceberg too much, the penguin will slide off of the edge.
There's even a trick move to catch a big fish that just jumps and hovers in the air, instead of flopping onto the iceberg like the others. I must admit that the Penguin Slide can be pretty addicting.
3) Rhythm Boxing
If you're more of a traditionalist, and like the mind-body coordination required for many group cardio classes, give this one a try.
Rhythm Boxing requires you to hold the remotes and throw punches as you step on and off of the balance board. The choreography is hardly difficult, but it feels like a real workout.
Your Mii follows an onscreen trainer Mii in different punch-step combinations, and the sound the game makes when you land a punch is almost (kind of) as satisfying as hitting a real bag.
The combination of core and cardio exercise were enough to make me break a sweat after a few rounds, and I really like that the game gives you more points for harder punches. (Yes, it can tell.)
You can unlock new games and challenges simply by playing Wii Fit: whether you improve your scores or not.
Each game or exercise is timed, and the system keeps a running tally of how long your workout lasts on any given day.
Though it might not give you the best workout of your life, Wii Fit really does have something for everyone, and is an innovative way to get people moving.
If only Wii fitness games had been around back then, I might have had more success lobbying for a game system of my very own.
Wii Fit is a pretty cool system. I like anything that will get people interested in being active, so when it first hit the market I was immediately enthused.
The Wii Fit balance pad comes with a range of games, ranging in difficulty and intensity.
In games like Ski Jump, Soccer Heading, and Hula Hoop you have to use a combination of balance and controlled movements on the pad to make your simulated character perform onscreen.
This type of balance training is fun for any age group, and with a bit of concentration the games can become good core workouts.
Of course picking a "best of" from among so many options is never easy, but here are the games that rank at the top of my Wii Fit experience.
1) Hula Hoop
If you're worried about looking ridiculous in your living room, this is probably not the game to get you started. If you're just looking to have fun and burn a few calories, I definitely recommend it.
Standing on the balance board, you move your hips in a simulated hula hooping motion while your Wii character (called a Mii) hoops onscreen.
To keep things interesting and test your balance a bit, you have to raise your arms and lean to "catch" additional hoops as they are thrown to you. You get points for hooping fast; the more hoops the better.
2) Penguin Slide
Personally, my favorite of the fun games (as opposed to the workout games, which we'll get to in a moment) is Penguin Slide.
In this balance game, the object is to tilt an iceberg so that the penguin Mii standing on it can catch fish that are jumping out of the water. If you move to quickly and tilt the iceberg too much, the penguin will slide off of the edge.
There's even a trick move to catch a big fish that just jumps and hovers in the air, instead of flopping onto the iceberg like the others. I must admit that the Penguin Slide can be pretty addicting.
3) Rhythm Boxing
If you're more of a traditionalist, and like the mind-body coordination required for many group cardio classes, give this one a try.
Rhythm Boxing requires you to hold the remotes and throw punches as you step on and off of the balance board. The choreography is hardly difficult, but it feels like a real workout.
Your Mii follows an onscreen trainer Mii in different punch-step combinations, and the sound the game makes when you land a punch is almost (kind of) as satisfying as hitting a real bag.
The combination of core and cardio exercise were enough to make me break a sweat after a few rounds, and I really like that the game gives you more points for harder punches. (Yes, it can tell.)
You can unlock new games and challenges simply by playing Wii Fit: whether you improve your scores or not.
Each game or exercise is timed, and the system keeps a running tally of how long your workout lasts on any given day.
Though it might not give you the best workout of your life, Wii Fit really does have something for everyone, and is an innovative way to get people moving.
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