Day 17 activity

WII FIT DAY 17 ACTIVITY

The Plank Challenge took me a few tries to understand how it worked since I cannot easily view the screen when in that position. The instructor said to hold it for 10 seconds, and my first two tries I thought that meant to relax after the 10 seconds, but you are actually supposed to keep holding. The Plank Challenge appears to be done in tiers, because the instructor quit after 20 seconds. There's about eight stars to get in this challenge, so I expect it to get longer each time.

I was going to try the Jackknife Challenge, but I had already done a round of the Jackknife exercise and wasn't quite ready for the challenge. Now that I know the challenge is done in tiers, I'll try this challenge next time.

The Spinal Twist yoga exercise is one of my favorite yoga poses so far. I could really feel it stretching my muscles. This will be one of my frequent exercises.

AEROBICS
Free Run: 30 minutes - 3.727 mi. (2 stars)

STRENGTH
Jackknife: 10 reps - 100 pts. (4 stars)
Plank Challenge: 11 sec. (1 star)
Plank Challenge: 11 sec. (1 star)
Plank Challenge: 20 sec. (2 stars)

YOGA
Spinal Twist: points n/a
Bridge: points n/a

BALANCE GAMES
Ski Jump: 179 m (2 stars)
Snowboard Slalom: 1:06.96 (1 star)
Balance Bubble: Advanced - 1233 yds. (1 star)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 40 MINUTES

Day 17 weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 17 WEIGH-IN

Weight: 228.2 lbs.
BMI: 29.28 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 50.8% / Right 49.2%
Wii Fit Age: 35

Agility Test: 18
Walking Test: 58%

Day 16 activity

WII FIT DAY 16 ACTIVITY

I've been neglecting my TiVo queue, so I put on a show and did a Free Run while watching the show.

I also passed a Microsoft certification exam earlier today. It's the first of two towards the MCDST certification. I'll be hitting the books pretty hard for that one.

AEROBICS
Free Run: 30 minutes - 3.570 mi. (2 stars)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 30 MINUTES

Day 16 weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 16 WEIGH-IN

Weight: 228.6 lbs.
BMI: 29.34 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 49.9% / Right 50.1%
Wii Fit Age: 38

Single-Leg Balance Test (left leg): Time Held 30.00 sec. / Left and Right Stability 65%
Walking Test: 55%

Day 15 activity

WII FIT DAY 15 ACTIVITY

AEROBICS
Advanced Step: 635 pts. (4 stars)
Free Run: 30 minutes - 3.652 mi. (2 stars)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 35 MINUTES

Day 15 weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 15 WEIGH-IN

Weight: 229.3 lbs.
BMI: 29.43 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 48.7% / Right 51.3%
Wii Fit Age: 36

Single-Leg Balance Test (right leg): Time Held 30.00 sec. / Left and Right Stability 63%
Agility Test: 16

Day 14 activity

WII FIT DAY 14 ACTIVITY

AEROBICS
Advanced Step: 605 pts. (3 stars)
Super Hula Hoop: 6 min. - 1197 spins (2 stars)
Free Run: 20 minutes - 2.546 mi. (2 stars)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 32 MINUTES

Day 14 weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 14 WEIGH-IN

Weight: 228.6 lbs.
BMI: 29.34 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 50.7% / Right 49.3%
Wii Fit Age: 34

Steadiness Test: 69%
Agility Test: 16

Day 13 activity

WII FIT DAY 13 ACTIVITY

YOGA
Shoulder Stand: points/stars n/a
Sun Salutation: 87 pts. (3 stars)
Palm Tree: 64 pts. (2 stars)

STRENGTH
Arm and Leg Lift: 10 reps per arm and leg - 82 pts. (3 stars)
Sideways Leg Lift: 10 reps per leg - 69 pts. (2 stars)

AEROBICS
Rhythm Boxing: 10 min. - 1056 pts. (3 stars)
Advanced Step: 548 pts. (3 stars)

BALANCE GAMES
Ski Jump: 224 m (2 stars)
Tightrope Walk: 16 yds. (1 star)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 30 MINUTES

Day 13 weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 13 WEIGH-IN

Weight: 228.8 lbs.
BMI: 29.37 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 48.6% / Right 51.4%
Wii Fit Age: 31

Basic Balance Test: 21.37 sec.
Steadiness Test: 67%

Day 12 activity

WII FIT DAY 12 ACTIVITY

I haven't been feeling very well today, so I'm taking it a bit easy. I've been trying to do at least 30 minutes a day, but today I'll keep it to about 15.

YOGA
Half-Moon: 84 pts. (3 stars)
Tree:  25 pts. (1 star)
Cobra: points/stars n/a

STRENGTH
Single-Leg Twist: 10 reps per leg - 74 pts. (3 stars)
Single-Arm Stand: 6 reps per arm - 56 pts. (2 stars)
Plank - 30 sec. - 87 pts. (3 stars)

EXERCISE GAMES
Ski Slalom: 0:37.45 (3 stars)
Ski Jump: 192 m (2 stars)
Balance Bubble: Advanced - 712 yds. (1 stars)
Penguin Slide: 50 pts. (2 stars)
Lotus Focus: 32 sec. (1 star)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 16 MINUTES

Day 12 weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 12 WEIGH-IN

Weight: 229.9 lbs.
BMI: 29.51 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 49.3% / Right 50.7%
Wii Fit Age: 38

Single-Leg Balance Test (right leg): Time Held 30.00 sec. / Left and Right Stability 53%
Agility Test: 17

Day 11 activity

WII FIT DAY 11 ACTIVITY

AEROBICS
Advanced Step: 572 pts. (3 stars)
Basic Run: Island Lap - Burn Rate: 91% (3 stars)
Rhythm Boxing: 6 minutes - 634 pts. (3 stars)

YOGA
Deep Breathing: 90 pts. (3 stars)

EXERCISE GAMES
Ski Slalom: 0:45.36 (2 stars)
Ski Jump: 190 m (2 stars)
Balance Bubble: Beginner - 1:04.36 (2 stars)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 31 MINUTES

Day 11 weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 11 WEIGH-IN

Weight: 230.4 lbs.
BMI: 29.57 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 50.7% / Right 49.3%
Wii Fit Age: 29

Steadiness Test: 69%
Basic Balance Test: 21.82

Day 10 activity

WII FIT DAY 10 ACTIVITY

AEROBICS
Super Hula Hoop: 6 min. - 1558 spins (3 stars)
Basic Run: Island Lap - Burn Rate: 133% (4 stars)

STRENGTH
Jackknife: 10 reps - 100 pts. (4 stars)
Rowing Squat: 30 reps - 96 pts. (4 stars)
Plank: 78 pts. (3 stars)

YOGA
Chair: 68 pts. (2 stars)
Cobra: points n/a

EXERCISE GAMES
Ski Jump: 199 m (2 stars)
Balance Bubble: Beginner - 1253 yds. (1 star)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 30 MINUTES

Day 10 weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 10 WEIGH-IN

Weight: 232.1 lbs.
BMI: 29.79 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 48.4% / Right 51.6%
Wii Fit Age:41

Single-Leg Balance Test (right leg): Time Held 30.00 sec. / Left and Right Stability 60%
Walking Test: Balance 51%

Day 9 activity

WII FIT DAY 9 ACTIVITY

I found a good song with a perfect tempo to run to... Private Idaho by the B-52's. I just set up a Genius playlist in iTunes for Missionary Man by the Eurythmics and this song happened to play. It picked up my pace and I was able to run to it perfectly. Oddly though, even though I ran harder than I have in the past, I got my lowest burn rate score to date. Puzzling... but I had to work off some chips and queso I had earlier from Baja Fresh.

AEROBICS
Advanced Step: 572 pts. (3 stars)
Rhythm Boxing: 6 minutes - 642 pts. (3 stars)
Basic Run: Island Lap - Burn Rate: 81% (3 stars)

STRENGTH
Sideways Leg Lift: 10 reps per leg - 51 pts. (2 stars)
Sideways Leg Lift: 10 reps per leg - 69 pts. (2 stars)
Tricep Extension: 10 reps per arm - points not applicable

YOGA
Deep Breathing: 88 pts. (3 stars)
Sun Salutation: 89 pts. (3 stars)
Palm Tree: 70 pts. (3 stars)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 36 MINUTES

Day 9 weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 9 WEIGH-IN

I broke into the 220's (barely) this week! Hopefully I don't ever see 230+ again.

Weight: 229.9 lbs.
BMI: 29.51 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 48.7% / Right 51.3%
Wii Fit Age: 32

Single-Leg Balance Test (left leg): Time Held 30.00 sec. / Left and Right Stability 70%
Walking Test: Balance 71%

Day 8 activity

WII FIT DAY 8 ACTIVITY

AEROBICS
Rhythm Boxing: 6 minutes - 551 pts. (2 stars)
Basic Run: Island Lap - Burn Rate: 144% (4 stars)

STRENGTH
Sideways Leg Lift: 10 reps per leg - 68 pts. (2 stars)
Tricep Extension: 10 reps per arm - 100 pts. (4 stars)
Single Leg Twist: 10 reps per leg - 78 pts. (3 stars)

YOGA
Sun Salutation: 84 pts. (3 stars)
Palm Tree: 68 pts. (2 stars)
Half-Moon: 73 pts. (3 stars)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 32 MINUTES

Wii Fit: Basic Run review

I've been using Wii Fit for one week straight now, and one of my favorite activities so far is the Basic Run. This is the activity where I feel I am burning off the most calories.


See More Wii Fit Screenshots at IGN.com

I enjoy that they present you with a perspective that makes you feel like you are there running in their world. You get paired up with a different running partner every time. Your partner leads the way and turns around to wave at you for encouragement.

I have unlocked three distances so far... Short, Long, and Island Lap. Short lasts about 5 minutes. Long, about 10 minutes. And Island Lap about 18-20 minutes. I'm not sure yet if there are any that are longer than Island Lap. Each take you on a different pre-determined course. I haven't noticed any difference in running speed whether I run fast or slow. The only time I notice a difference in speed is if I happen to stop running for a second or two (leg cramp). When I stop for a short period of time, my runner in game speeds up rapidly for a few seconds before stopping. I haven't figured out what that's all about yet.

Great use of Mii characters!
I had a couple of friends create Mii characters on my Wii. I have found that this to be very beneficial in Wii Fit, especially in the Basic Run, because your friend's Mii characters exercise too. Every so often, I'll see my sister Sara run past me going the opposite direction, often smiling and waving as she passes. Or my friend Steve will run past me, encouraging me to run a little faster to catch up (which never happens). These Mii characters add a sense of familiarity and warmth to your exercising, rather than exercising with characters that you can't relate to on a personal level.

Things that need improvement:

- NEEDS MUSIC! All of the other Wii Fit exercises have music, but for some reason or another Nintendo removed all music from Basic Run. You see your character in the progress bar at the bottom of the screen with musical notes indicating music, but there is no music. The lack of music makes the run seem much longer than it actually is. I'll need to start listening to my iPod or play music from my computer while I run.

- The speed at which you run does not appear to influence the running speed in the game. In other words, if you push yourself to run harder/faster, it doesn't appear that you reach the finish line any faster.

Things I don't understand:

• There are Mario character icons scattered around the island. The manual says to try and locate them all, but I don't know what to do if I see them or why I am trying to find them. Rather than just trying to find them, they should let you capture/collect them, sort of like trophies. They don't seem to have a purpose as they are now.
• During my Island Lap run, a pack of dogs leaped off of a cliff which was at least 100 feet high. I saw that and it shocked me because it seemed like they were falling to their death. But they kept running on past me.
  

Tip!
If your floor has carpeting, you might want to invest in a rug or mat to run on. Running in one place every day can wear down the carpet in that location.

Day 8 weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 8 WEIGH-IN

Weight: 231.5 lbs.
BMI: 29.71 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 49.2% / Right 50.8%
Wii Fit Age: 29

Agility Test: 18
Basic Balance Test: 22.7 seconds

Day 7 activity

WII FIT DAY 7 ACTIVITY

AEROBICS
Super Hula Hoop: 3 minutes - 753 spins (4 stars)
Rhythm Boxing: 3 minutes - 263 pts. (2 stars)
Basic Run: Island Lap - Burn Rate: 173% (4 stars)
Advanced Step: 549 (3 stars)

STRENGTH
Single-Leg Twist: 10 reps per leg - 69 pts. (2 stars)
Jackknife: 10 reps - 100 pts. (4 stars)

YOGA
Deep Breathing: 86 pts. (3 stars)
Half-Moon: 81 pts. (3 stars)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 34 MINUTES

Day 7 weigh-in

Weight: 230.8 lbs.
BMI: 29.62 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 46.7% / Right 53.3%
Wii Fit Age: 28

Agility Test: 18
Walking Test: Balance 81%

Day 6 activity

WII FIT DAY 6 ACTIVITY

I unlocked a couple of new items today. The Rhythm Boxing exercise was a lot of fun because gave me something interesting to do with my arms. The Plank wasn't too hard, but I could really feel it in my abs.

I'm looking forward to checking out a new running course that I unlocked tonight. The change of scenery should be nice.

AEROBICS
Super Hula Hoop: 3 minutes - 699 spins (3 stars)
Rhythm Boxing: 3 minutes - 236 pts. (2 stars)
Basic Run: Long - Burn Rate: 197% (4 stars)
Advanced Step: 519 (2 stars)

STRENGTH
Lunge: 15 reps per leg - 100 pts. (4 stars)
Plank: 30 seconds - 66 pts. (2 stars)

YOGA
Warrior: 83 pts. (3 stars)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 24 MINUTES

Day 6 weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 6 WEIGH-IN

Weight: 230.6 lbs.
BMI: 29.59 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 47.9% / Right 52.1%
Wii Fit Age: 37

Single-Leg Balance Test (left leg): Time Held 30.00 sec. / Left and Right Stability 54%
Walking Test: Balance 70%

Day 5 activity

WII FIT DAY 5 ACTIVITY

Since I went light yesterday, and this morning's weigh-in showed a slight weight gain, I really tried to push myself today. I'm wiping sweat off my face as I write this.

Over the past couple days, I have unlocked some of the more advanced versions of the basic exercises, so I tried to tackle those.

Going from 10 to 20 reps of the Jackknife exercise was a mistake because I had to hold my legs up at times when I should be holding them up without assistance. It was good for the abs, but I think I'm going to drop back down to 10 until I am comfortable that I can do the additional 10 properly.

Other exercises, such as the Basic Run switching from short to long, were just what I needed. I can do that easily enough and it makes me burn more calories. The longer exercises also makes the workout session not seem quite as long because you can get a longer workout with less exercises.

AEROBICS
Basic Run: Long - Burn Rate: 210% (4 stars)
Advanced Step: 416 (2 stars)

STRENGTH
Lunge: 10 reps per leg - 100 pts. (4 stars)
Jackknife: 20 reps - 100 pts. (4 stars)
Torso Twists: 3 reps - 76 pts. (3 stars)
Rowing Squat: 30 reps - 100 pts. (4 stars)

YOGA
Standing Knee: 25 pts. (1 star)
Warrior: 78 pts. (3 stars)
Palm Tree: 12 pts. (1 star)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 25 MINUTES

Day 5 weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 5 WEIGH-IN

Weight: 231.9 lbs.
BMI: 29.76 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 47.7% / Right 52.3%
Wii Fit Age: 33

Basic Balance Test: 24.62
Steadiness Test: 66%

Day 4 activity

WII FIT DAY 4 ACTIVITY

I decided to take it a little easy today and do more balance games to give my aching muscles a chance to recuperate. I know... waaaaah!!!

AEROBICS
Super Hula Hoop: 3 minutes - 709 spins (3 stars)
Basic Step: 264 pts. (3 stars)


BALANCE GAMES
Ski Jump: 258m (2 stars)
Tightrope Walk: Beginner - 1:32.41 (2 stars)
Balance Bubble: Beginner - 1236 yards (1 star)
Ski Slalom: Beginner - 0:36.93 (3 stars)

STRENGTH
Sideways Leg Lift: 10 reps per leg - 36 pts. (1 star)

YOGA
Deep Breathing: 82 pts. (3 stars)
Sun Salutation: 83 pts. (3 stars)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 17 MINUTES

Day 4 weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 4 WEIGH-IN

Weight: 230.8 lbs.
BMI: 29.62 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 48.4% / Right 51.6%
Wii Fit Age: 38

Single-Leg Balance Test (right leg): Time Held 25.65 / Left and Right Stability 56%
Agility Test: 16

Day 3 activity

WII FIT DAY 3 ACTIVITY

AEROBICS
Basic Step: 295 pts. (3 stars)
Hula Hoop: 249 spins (2 stars)
Basic Run: Short - Burn Rate: 104% (4 stars)

BALANCE GAMES
Ski Jump: 254m (2 stars)
Tightrope Walk: Beginner - 18 yards (1 star)

STRENGTH
Push-up and Side Plank: 6 reps - 83 pts. (3 stars)
Jackknife: 10 reps - 100 pts. (4 stars)
Rowing Squat: 15 reps - 93 pts. (4 stars)

YOGA
Standing Knee: 38 pts. (1 star)
Sun Salutation: 87 pts. (3 stars)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 19 MINUTES

I'm definately starting to feel the effects of the exercise. My abs and theighs are sore today. Tomorrow's a new day!

It's been done before... but that's okay

When I started this 90 day experiment with Wii Fit, I didn't know that someone had already done this. But that doesn't bother me. I'm not looking for publicity. I just want to lose some weight and share my experience with others.

My reason for writing about my experience is twofold.

First, it is a self-motivator to stick with an exercise routine to lose weight. I want to lose weight! My weight is affecting my health (breathing, pains, etc.) and I'm ready to do something about it. I'm laying it all out there and don't want my friends and family (or the rest of the world) to tell me that I was lazy and gave up like so many others.

As I write this, here are the current Wii Fit statistics as reported on the Nintendo Channel:

Time spent playing / Times Played
Total: 2,553,265 Hours / 1,896,566 Times
Per person: 14 Hr 47 Min / 10.99 Times

The other reason why I am writing about it is to motivate others who could benefit from losing some weight. I want to show people how much more fit they can become by devoting just a few minutes a day to exercise.

This really isn't an experiment... it's more of an experience. Perhaps I'll adjust the name of the blog.

Day 3 weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 3 WEIGH-IN

Weight: 230.6 lbs.
BMI: 29.59 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 50.1% / Right 49.9%
Wii Fit Age:27

Basic Balance Test:17.47
Agility Test: 17

I've been getting a little extra exercise walking back and forth to my computer, sitting down and standing up, in-between each test.

Day 2 activity

WII FIT DAY 2 ACTIVITY

STRENGTH
Push-up and Side Plank: 6 reps - 74 pts. (3 stars)
Single-Leg Extension: 6 reps (per leg) - 51 pts. (2 stars)
Jackknife: 10 reps - 100 pts. (4 stars)
Rowing Squat: 15 reps - 73 pts. (3 stars)
Single-Leg Twist: 10 reps (per leg) - 65 pts. (2 stars)

AEROBICS
Hula-Hoop: 267 spins (3 stars)
Basic Step: 272 pts. (3 stars)

BALANCE GAMES
Soccer Heading: Beginner - 70 pts. (2 stars)
Ski Jump: 252m (2 stars)
Ski Slalom: Beginner - 1:02.05 (1 star)
Tightrope Walk: Beginner - 8 yds. (1 star)
Table Tilt: Beginner - 82 pts. (3 stars)

YOGA
Half-Moon: 72 pts. (3 stars)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 21 MINUTES

At this point, I am just trying as many new things as possible before I start forming a routine. When you complete some exercies, Wii Fit sometimes recommends a corresponding activity of a different type that compliments the exercise you just finished. For example, today it paired up the Single-Leg Twist strength exercise with the Half-Moon yoga exercise as a set. It gives you a visual reward for completing these matching sets of exercies.

Since I really want to concentrate on losing my gut, I have a feeling that the Jackknife is going to be a part of my routine several days a week.

Some exercises are grayed out and have to be unlocked by just playing/exercising and earning points. It will be interesting to see what other exercises are available. There's a few yoga poses available that I haven't tried yet.

I am going to dump this data into a spreadsheet later this week to create progress charts to make it easier to monitor my progress.

Weigh-in Day 2

Weight: 231.7 lbs.
BMI: 29.74 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 51.6% / Right 48.4%
Wii Fit Age: 44

Stability Test: 50%
Single Leg Balance Test (right leg): Time Held 26.14 / Left and Right Stability 49%

Day 1 activity

WII FIT DAY 1 ACTIVITY

Back when I was in the U.S. Army, my Drill Sergeant taught me how long just one minute can be. Well, today I did 16 whole minutes of exercise. All-in-all, I think I actually spent about an hour in Wii Fit, but the rest of that time was spent watching examples of exercises and choosing which exercises I wanted to perform. The 16 minutes was pure exercise, and I actually broke a sweat and felt a little sore when i was done.

AEROBICS
Hula Hoop: 238 spins (2 stars)
Basic Step: 278 pts. (3 stars)
Basic Run: Short - Burn Rate 124% (4 stars)

STRENGTH
Torso Twist: 3 reps - 84 pts. (3 stars)
Lunge: 10 reps each leg - 100 pts. (4 stars)

YOGA
Warrior: 68 pts. (2 stars)
Deep Breathing: 92 pts. (4 stars)

TOTAL SESSION TIME: 16 MINUTES

Once I know the exercies and don't need to watch the examples, I should be able to spend more time on the actual exercises.

If anyone knows of a good way to track this data automatically, or even manually, in a way that will produce progress charts, please leave a comment. The only place this data is visible is in the game, so I have to manually type it in here and it doesn't produce any charts. It's a shame that Nintendo didn't make it so that you can review your Wii Fit stats online.

Initial Wii Fit weigh-in

WII FIT DAY 1 WEIGH-IN

I did my initial weigh in this morning. For this entire expriment, I will use the data as reported by Wii Fit.

Weight: 232.6 lbs.
BMI: 29.85 (Overweight)
Center of Balance: Left 46.0% / Right 54.0%
Wii Fit Age: 34

Although I will not be doing this for every weigh-in, I did weigh myself on a bathroom scale and it showed me at 232.5 lbs., so the Wii Fit scale (balance board) is pretty accurate (especially since it's on carpet).

Welcome to the Wii Fit 90 day experiment

My name is Mike, and as with many Americans I am overweight. I am 38 years old, 6' 2" tall, and weigh approximately 232 lbs.

I have tried several diets and exercises over the past few years, but I haven't been very good at sticking with them. I don't always eat very well and my weight and lack of regular exercise causes some health issues such as back/neck pains and difficulty breathing.

I am about to start a new job and am ready to make some other life changes... starting with my health.

I enjoy video games and have quite a few years experience working in the video game industry. So I thought that I'd use this opportunity to give Nintendo Wii Fit a shot and have fun while losing weight.

With this experiment, I am committing to use Wii Fit for 90 consecutive days as my primary source of exercise to see how much weight I can lose. During this time I will not take any additional diet aids, although I have had some success with Alli in the past.

I do want to clarify that I have absolutely no affiliation with Nintendo. I am not getting paid to perform this experiment and have purchased my Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit myself.

I will begin tomorrow. Check back daily for updates on my Wii Fit experience and weight loss progress. I hope that this encourages others to commit to exercise and lose weight.