Helping me fall out of hate with exercise

I bought the Wii and the Wii Fit as one package, and my main focus was using them to exercise daily in the privacy of my lounge. The whole thing was very easy to set up, with clear instructions and even on screen directions.

To clarify, the Wii is the actual games console. Unlike other consoles, it comes with a sensor which you place above or below the screen of your television. This detects any movements you make from side to side and translates them into movements in the game you are playing. You also use a wireless handheld control which works in much the same way as a traditional games control, but with some enhanced features - see Boxing below.

The Wii Fit comprises a Balance Board and game software. The board itself is like a two inch high step, roughly 2ft x 1 ft, which you position in front of your television. It works by detecting the amount of pressure you apply to different areas when you stand on it. If you lean to the right, it will detect the change in weight distribution and, in the game environment, your character will move to the right.

Once you have loaded up the software, you are invited to conduct a 'Fit Test'. This weighs you and provides a reasonably accurate weight and Body Mass Index. The Mii you create (a sort of virtual personality that you can use in several Wii games) grows fatter depending on your weight. This was a nice, if alarming, touch. You are then invited to take a series of Balance Tests, and from this the program gives you a 'Wii Age'. If you're more than a couple of Wii years older than your actual age, the program expresses its concern, in a squeeky but friendly voice. The 'personality' of the game is warmer and more nurturing than other Nintendo games have been. I stopped Brain Training, because I found the comments the program made offensive! Wii Fit still makes comments which can seem a little harsh, such as asking you if you fall over a lot if you don't score very well on a balance test. You can skip through these comments by pressing one of the buttons, and having read them a couple of times, you'll want to.

There are four games catagories to choose:

Yoga
A series of exercises designed to improve your balance and help you stretch. I have found these exercises suprisingly effective. As a sufferer of chronic back pain I have found, since undertaking the activities regularly, the pain has subsided.

Strength
These are similar to the Yoga exercises, using resistence and repetition to strengthen and tone. Some of the exercises compliment specific Yoga exercises, and the program will highlight these when you complete them. Personally, I'd prefer it if they were highlighted prior to completing them, so you could target particular areas. You soon learn what works together.

Aerobic
Designed to increase your heart rate and burn calories, these exercises target different muscle groups.
Simulated hulu-hooping requires you to swivle your hips to the left and right for up to ten minutes.
Stepping involves climbing on and off the Balance Board with variations such as stepping to the side, kicking and turning on the board.
Boxing is my favourite in the aerobic catagory. You watch a computer-controlled figure demonstrate punching combinations and then copy them. This makes effective use of the Numchuk - an additional hand controller you have in one hand, while holding the normal control with the other. This enables your left and right punches to be picked up and translated into the game environment. When combined with dodging left and right, this is a good workout.
Running is the least appealing of the aerobic activities. Jogging on the spot for several minutes is not appealing on a hard-wood floor. There is an option of playing with another person, if you have an additional control, but this is the least-played aerobic game.

Balance
These are the most eccentric of the Wii Fit games. There are a variety, from walking across a tightrope to trying to catch fish in a penguin suit. It does not feel like exercise when you play them, although this is perhaps one of the attractions of the Wii Fit. However, they are so addictive, you probably burn calories from repetitive playing.

There are only limited games available at the moment that take advantage of what the Wii Fit board has to offer and, while more are on the way, they are not coming fast enough.