Tips on Wii Fit and a Healthy Diet

How are your fitness efforts these days?  Have you found yourself in a bit of a rut?  How about your family?  Kids? 

I have to tell you about what I think is one of the greatest inventions since... well, since ever in terms of doable fitness that is FUN!  That's right.  I said FUN! 

As a personal trainer, I know that it’s just as important to inspire my clients to enjoy their work out as it is to provide an effective work out. 

Even though I think that there are lots of great ways to burn calories, it really doesn’t matter to my client if they quite simply hate it.  People won’t stick with something they don’t enjoy! 

Doable fitness involves the following:

·         Efficacy – It needs to work

·         Enjoyable – It needs to be something you desire

·         Accessible – It needs to be something obtainable, not a membership you can’t afford or a far-off outdoor activity that is dependent on weather.

So, here we are in the digital, gaming, computer-driven world and we’re all so frustrated with the sedentary lifestyles that we have and our children have. 

Who would have thought that it would be that same detriment to proper health that would come up with such an innovative solution to the problem?

Wii Fit is a fantastic way to get your whole family moving.  We all know by now how much better the Wii game console is compared to others like Xbox or Playstation in terms of getting your kids moving and involved in the gaming.

Now, they’ve taken it to the next step.  Wii Fit incorporates some really fantastic elements and even offers a virtual trainer!

You and your family can set up your own profile.  Each person (up to eight) can enter their age, weight and height.  Based on the information you enter, your body mass index (BMI) will be measured.

You can enter your own goals and Wii Fit will track your progress as time goes by.  You can even enter in your exercise that you do outside of the Wii Fit. (Like with me at the club!)

The Wii Fit has four main features:

·         Balance

·         Yoga

·         Strength Training

·         Aerobics

Balance is a good indicator of fitness levels.  Wii Fit provides a handful of games that can help improve your balance.

Yoga is fairly limited at this point on Wii Fit only covering about four poses, but it’s a good start and I’m sure there will be more to come.

Strength training and Aerobics are probably the strongest (no pun intended) areas on Wii Fit.  Your virtual trainer guides you through several strength training exercises that are fantastic. 

The aerobics part is a lot of fun and will surely help you and your families work up a decent sweat.

The whole point, really, is that Wii Fit is a great way to get you up and moving because it’s FUN!  Typically, it’s not that we don’t want to be healthy and fit; it’s just that many exercise programs and weight loss plans are boring!  Or, they just don’t work with our busy lives.

Which reminds me.  I mentioned “healthy diet” in the title.  I got so excited about the Wii Fit that I almost forgot to talk about diet.

The thing is that no exercise program will work whether it’s fun or not if you don’t buckle down on the diet a bit.  You need to eat a healthy diet that will help you lose weight while keeping your energy levels and nutrient intake optimum!

It’s not as tough as it seems... If for the most part, your daily diet includes PLENTY of veggies as well as lean protein sources, you’re way ahead of the game. 

If you also choose healthful carbs such as couscous over starchy or refined carbs, now you’ve stepped up your efforts that much more.

Think about flavor, too.  Just like the Wii Fit, you need to make your diet FUN too!  There are tons of amazing ways to flavor your foods without adding calories:  Pepper sauces, horseradish, mustards, vinegars... the list goes on and on!

Make sure you check out my Lunch Box Diet to see if it’s something that would work for your busy life.  In the meantime, get in line at your local games store for the Wii console and Wii Fit!  You won’t be sorry!