Does anyone have a Wii?

[ForeverAutumn]

I've been thinking about getting one and this article is making me think about it even more. Does anyone here have any experience with this system? Would you recommend it? The activity level that it promotes is very attractive to me.

Canadian gym puts Wii workout on its schedule
Tue Jul 24, 7:45 PM
By Natasha Elkington

TORONTO (Reuters Life!) - A Canadian health club is offering a new form of exercise for people bored with the treadmill or cycling classes -- the Wii Workout Station.

Studeo 55 in Vancouver has incorporated a Nintendo Wii workout station into circuit training where users can punch, run and jump with the system's movement-sensitive controller.

While some other gyms have combined stationary bikes with PlayStations and Xboxes in a bid to win younger clients, a spokesman for Nintendo Canada said this is the first they have heard of a gym using the Wii in its schedule.

Nathan Mellalieu, the owner of Studeo 55, said he decided to bring video games into a fitness environment after watching how much fun some children were having and, more importantly, seeing them sweating.

"We're always trying to break down paradigms and keep things fresh. It's used here to break up the monotony of traditional work outs," he told Reuters.

He estimates that one session of Wii boxing, tennis or bowling equates to going for a brisk walk and can burn between 75 to 125 calories.

"All of our clients get great results, but the biggest result we see is the smile on their faces. People have to understand that fun is important," said Mellalieu.

Clients at the health club are encouraged to use the Wii as part of circuit training, warm-up or cool-down, with the system set up in a 400 square-foot theater room with a large projection screen.

"It's pleasing to see people play video games who would have never played video games before." Farjad Iravani, marketing manager for Nintendo Canada, told Reuters.

Since the Wii was released late last year, various studies have highlighted its ability to improve fitness and even lead to weight loss by getting armchair athletes moving.

A study conducted by researchers at the Liverpool John Moores University in England found that regular use of the console could burn up to 1,830 calories a per week -- the equivalent to almost four Big Macs.

Nintendo is also currently developing Wii Fit, a 2008 video game with an array of activities, from yoga to aerobics.

Kim Bey, a former Olympic swimmer, was among the first to take a shot at the virtual workout at Studeo 55 when it was first introduced two weeks ago, adding it was an easy learn.

"You get what you put into it and you can make it a pretty difficult workout for yourself. I broke a sweat in the boxing for sure and as far as incorporating it into your workout, it's like taking a slight break and yet still working out," Bey said in a telephone interview.

[kexodusc]

We don't have one yet - but my wife, oddly enough, surprised me and rented one a few weekends ago...she really wants one now!

I'd like to see more study into the real health benefits - 125 calories per session isn't bad...a 130 lb woman would burn 225 calories in moderate walk per hour. That's somewhere around a slice of bread, a banana, etc. How vigurous are most users going to play with this thing? Suppose everything helps.

I tend not to play any games that don't have lasers or missiles in them, though...okay, and all the pro-sport league games.

[ForeverAutumn]

It never occured to me to see if I can rent one. I'll have to look into that. Where did your wife go? Blockbuster, or someplace like that?

[kexodusc]

It never occured to me to see if I can rent one. I'll have to look into that. Where did your wife go? Blockbuster, or someplace like that?
Hmmm, to tell you the truth I don't know...blockbuster rents game thingy's I believe, and that's what I assumed. She works close to one. She may have gone to a video game store though. All I know is she told me she had to put a crazy deposit on her credit card - basically the value of the unit. But it was removed within a few hours of returning it.

I was gone most of that weekend but the few times I did tinker with it was pretty fun.

[PeruvianSkies]

The exercise and fitness world is always looking for ways to spice up the industry and to try and encourage people to get into shape, but the bottom line is that it doesn't have much to do with the equipment or the methods, it's all about the discipline to do it. If you don't have the inclination to get in shape, than it doesn't really matter what they try to lure you in with or what new fancy machine they come up with next. After it's all said and done the simplest forms still seem to work best, natural exercise...running, walking, biking, playing sports, and just being involved physically in some activity. Good diet and a balance of activity and you shouldn't have any issues.

[Luvin Da Blues]

it's all about the discipline to do it. If you don't have the inclination to get in shape, than it doesn't really matter what they try to lure you in with or what new fancy machine they come up with next. After it's all said and done the simplest forms still seem to work best, natural exercise...running, walking, biking, playing sports, and just being involved physically in some activity. Good diet and a balance of activity and you shouldn't have any issues.

I'm so unfamiliar with the gym...I call it James. :sad:

[ForeverAutumn]

The exercise and fitness world is always looking for ways to spice up the industry and to try and encourage people to get into shape, but the bottom line is that it doesn't have much to do with the equipment or the methods, it's all about the discipline to do it. If you don't have the inclination to get in shape, than it doesn't really matter what they try to lure you in with or what new fancy machine they come up with next. After it's all said and done the simplest forms still seem to work best, natural exercise...running, walking, biking, playing sports, and just being involved physically in some activity. Good diet and a balance of activity and you shouldn't have any issues.

True. But it's easier to find the discipline and the motivation when it's something that you enjoy doing. If putting a Wii into a health club motivates a few people to actually go to the gym, then where's the harm? Maybe once they're there, they'll step on a treadmill or pick up a dumbbell. Granted, standing in a room and swinging a fake tennis racquet will never equal actually being on the court. But if it can encourage someone to get out of their house and burn even a few calories, I'm all for it.

[kexodusc]

True. But it's easier to find the discipline and the motivation when it's something that you enjoy doing. If putting a Wii into a health club motivates a few people to actually go to the gym, then where's the harm? Maybe once they're there, they'll step on a treadmill or pick up a dumbbell. Granted, standing in a room and swinging a fake tennis racquet will never equal actually being on the court. But if it can encourage someone to get out of their house and burn even a few calories, I'm all for it.

Yep, nothing hurts. And I sorta got the idea it was used for warm-up, cooldown or break purposes in a program, not a complete routine in itself.

[PeruvianSkies]

I guess the point that I was trying to make was that while the Wii might get a person in the door that might normally not go to a Gym, what is going to keep them there? Is that person really going to keep going to the gym over a long period of time to play a video game? Maybe they migrate over to a different machine and begin a 'real' workout, but it's going to take commitment and long-term discipline to keep them coming back and really getting in shape. Chances are though that if they are fans of video games and need that as an excuse to get to the gym, than they probably don't have much determination in life to begin with and are lucky to get out of bed in the morning. I've seen so many people waste away in their video game existence.

[topspeed]

Hey FA,

I have a Wii and think it's terrific. The control interface has really gotten back to the core of gaming which is, of course, to have fun! The first day we had it, the entire family played, including my wife, who is not into gaming at all. The next day she woke up with a sore shoulder from playing too much tennis :lol:. Even my personal trainer told me he was sore after the first day of playing Wii...this from a guy who is top physical condition!

I've never really considered the cardio aspect of it, but you can work up a sweat on some games, so I s'pose that's a valid reason to get one. Personally, if I want to get a workout, I go to the gym. If I want to escape the pressure and stress of the real world, I'll play a game.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a way to loose weight, go to the gym. If your looking for a fun gaming system, get a Wii.

[Rich-n-Texas]

I agree with PS. Getting and staying in shape requires motivation and long-term commitment, and I don't see a video game, no matter how physically exerting it may be, as a solution for the long term. I've been struggling with motivation in this regard for so long it's not even funny, and as a PC video game freak I'm just not able to associate one with the other. But the good thing about playing one at the gym is, if you swing and break something, you don't have to pay to fix it.

[ForeverAutumn]

Hey FA,

I have a Wii and think it's terrific. The control interface has really gotten back to the core of gaming which is, of course, to have fun! The first day we had it, the entire family played, including my wife, who is not into gaming at all. The next day she woke up with a sore shoulder from playing too much tennis :lol:. Even my personal trainer told me he was sore after the first day of playing Wii...this from a guy who is top physical condition!

I've never really considered the cardio aspect of it, but you can work up a sweat on some games, so I s'pose that's a valid reason to get one. Personally, if I want to get a workout, I go to the gym. If I want to escape the pressure and stress of the real world, I'll play a game.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a way to loose weight, go to the gym. If your looking for a fun gaming system, get a Wii.

Thanks TS. I'm not looking to the Wii to solve all of my fitness issues. I'm already at the gym several times a week and working out with a personal trainer for that. I just thought that, if I was going to get a gaming system, the Wii seemed like a better option than a system that was going to turn me into a couch potato. TV on it's own already does that to me. And I'd rather do something active then sit on my couch with a joy stick in my hands, blowing up aliens, or cops, or rival gangs, or whatever video games blow up these days. (what happened to the simple days of Space Invaders and Centipede?).

Personally, I thought that the idea of the Wii in a health club was pretty innovative and sounded like fun. I'm always looking for ways to keep my trips to the gym from getting boring.