Fitness for couch potatoes

Something strange has happened. I've exercised the last five days in a row, and... and... I'm not sick of it! In fact, I'm looking forward to working out again tomorrow! How can this be, you ask? What could possibly have happened to make me abandon the couch and willingly sweat, indoors, in the middle of a brutal Texas summer heatwave? That's easy: I bought a Wii Fit.

Yes, yes, it's a little sad that it's taken a video game to get me past my couch-potato ways. But I've already made peace with the fact that my willpower is pathetically low, and something had to give. Now, I feel like getting into decent shape isn't such a distant possibility. The way the game works, you're forced to take it slowly and work your way up, and the variety of activities ensures that you don't get bored easily. It records your progress, both your weight/BMI and your individual activity scores, so you're encouraged every time you score a little higher or your weight's a little lower. The game even reminds you to rest and hydrate and gives you cute little affirmations when you hit certain milestones.

For someone like me who requires constant encouragement and gets bored quickly, Wii Fit is ideal. I know that if I work on an activity enough, I'll unlock a new difficulty (say, extra reps or an "advanced" setting), which satisfies my need for a challenge. And the more effort I put in, the more games I unlock in the four categories (Yoga, Strength Exercises, Aerobic Exercises, and Balance Games), which means I have options each time I work out -- essential for someone with the attention span of an over-caffeinated goldfish. The way Wii Fit is designed, you're guaranteed to find at least a few activities that continue to keep your interest after a few workouts.

I really can't recommend this game highly enough. I'm less than a week in, but I feel confident that I'll continue to find it useful and fun for months and years to come. It puts a lot of emphasis on balance and posture and focuses on strengthening your core, which is something I definitely need to work on. And it's just, well, cute. Without being cutesy. I'm still in awe that a game like this exists. I want to invite everyone I know over so they can try it out for themselves. Wii Fit party, perhaps?