I Am Unbalanced
Gaming
12.16.2008
I no longer have an excuse that it is raining, too hot, too cold, or windy, or . . . well, you get the idea. I can find plenty of excuses not to walk in the morning. But now I can just head downstairs and work out in the family room. I only have to turn on the TV and find the Wii remote hidden somewhere in the couch cushions.
The first painful activity, after stepping on a Lego because I did not put shoes on, is the weigh-in. It lets you know what your BMI is and how it has changed since the day before. If I am not meeting my goals (aka somehow added a pound) I have to explain why. The nice little bouncy Wii board gives me a list of choices ranging from too much snacking to not exercising enough. You can skip this part if you want to, but I make myself go through this before starting the “games.”
The aerobics are set up like games. Jane Fonda has nothing on stepping to a beat with a group of other Miis on stage with an audience of friend and family Miis cheering you on. I love being applauded at 5 a.m. After adding a couple of rounds of hula hooping, I move on to some strength training.
My personal trainer will call me out or not count the reps and make the program last longer if I skip something or don’t do them to her satisfaction. This is not like hanging out in the back of exercise class. In class you can skip or halfway complete reps while the teacher has her back turned. On the Wii it is just you and the overly polite trainer who you are now calling names under your breath.
Now it’s time for some nice calming yoga. What is available on the Wii is easier than my yoga class, and it is the only thing I can score four out of four stars on.
Now I head to the balancing games — which actually feel like games. Ski jumping, tight rope walking and moving in a bubble down a river without popping on the banks are some examples. I save these for last so I can confirm once again that I am unbalanced (one out of four stars) before heading out to work every morning.
