South Beach Diet - Wii Work Out On the Beach!

Ok, here's our own special thread for those of us with a Wii. :)

I'm still a newbie with mine, as I just purchased it this past Saturday and am still familiarizing myself with it. I've been wanting to do yoga for years, so that's the main program I'm learning right now. I had always thought yoga looked easy, but was I ever wrong! I'm having to really work on my balance, but it's slowly improving. I've sampled some of the other activities, and I'm pretty good at the Hula Hoop and that ski jump thing, but pathetic on the others, lol! My goal is to steadily improve my balance and ace everything by the time summer rolls around.

I love wii fit! It's so much fun to play on, I just picked up the second one last weekend. EA sports is very tough for me to do, one day at a time.

I am so glad to see this thread because I am very intrigued hearing all you chicks talk about your Wii workouts.

If I understand this correctly I would need to buy a console, then the Wii, then maybe extra "games." Is that right? Any ideas how much it all costs now?

I am so glad to see this thread because I am very intrigued hearing all you chicks talk about your Wii workouts.

If I understand this correctly I would need to buy a console, then the Wii, then maybe extra "games." Is that right? Any ideas how much it all costs now?

I love all the exercise games you can get for the Wii. You would need to buy the Wii console which is $199 and the Wii Fit is the balance board with the game which is $99. I found the Wii Fit Plus was a little cheaper on Amazon.com when I gave one to my daughter for xmas. The prices are about the same wherever you go, but actually found some of the accessories were cheaper at Best Buy than they were at Walmart. I think now it's called the Wii Fit Plus as they added more things on the game. I have both the EA Sports games as well as just picked up the Biggest Loser but haven't had a chance to play it. It's great because you can get your exercise at home, change it up as you'd like and it can be fun if you have someone doing it with you.

Ohhh, a fun thread :)

We have the Fit Plus and Biggest Loser. To be honest all I ever use is Fit. I'm sure eventually I'll use other stuff but I'm really loving the Wii Fit. I do get my cardio elsewhere though.

I have a 30 minute morning workout of yoga & strength stuff. Usually I do advanced step after just to get the blood flowing. I usually get at least another half hour in later with lots of aerobics, some jackknives, and rowing squats and lunges if I didn't do them in the morning.

I strongly suggest people who have never done yoga spend a little time with either a video or Exercise tv. The Fit does not do a great job of explaining positioning and is downright wrong on downward facing dog. I like the Yoga Zone DVDs just for form.

Meeting time. I'll be back :)

I am going to start my Wii Active (and Wii Fit weigh-in) today! I 've been saying I will for 2 weeks now but just haven't found time to do it. My goal is to get on it 3x this week and start with the super basic workout. Nowhere to go but up.

I've been having a dream lately where I am jogging outside. Unless I want to be beat up by my own b00bs, not going to happen anytime soon but perhaps it's an ultimate exercise goal?!

Will update after tonight's completion!

Oh I love the wii fit plus! Boxing and advanced step are my favorites in the aerobics section and I can tell a HUGE difference in my balance in other games since starting it this month!

Ahh, an expert! I have the most frustrating time with the boxing on the Fit. I cannot get it to register more than 50% of my punches and I've tried about everything I can think of. Any tips you want to share??

I'm about to go try ours out! So excited!

I'm excited! I bought a new serger with my Wii money and am cleaning out a spot in my office so I can sew until it's bike riding season:rofl:

Actually, I would love one...I'll look the next time I'm at Costco.

Are you holding the Wii right and are you punching in time/rythmn with the "voice"? It's called rythmn boxing and I didn't get why until about 10 tries in.

boxing might be added to the list tonight. FIGHT THE FAT!

Are you holding the Wii right and are you punching in time/rythmn with the "voice"? It's called rythmn boxing and I didn't get why until about 10 tries in.

boxing might be added to the list tonight. FIGHT THE FAT!

I have held the wiimote as pictured and sideways (that seems a little better oddly) and I'm pretty good about the rhythm but it still doesn't register a lot of my punches. It's too bad because it's one of the more aerobic activities on there.

I am going to do the wii fit tonight.

Question do you like the biggest loser version? I looked at this this weekend.

Tammie

hahaha Cyndi. I recorded myself doing it, I think. I usually get 1100+ punches in (if I remember correctly) on advanced. hmmmmm

Yeah, great thread!!!

I ordered the biggest loser one yesterday. Love the yoga and other exercises and finally got the boxing down and got "promoted"...awful at the ducks so far, but I'll get there. Did the sports boxing last night and knocked that sucker out in the second round. I was panting when I got done. Did the sports bowling one with my son a few times yesterday. he beat me every time, but I was close!!! (My excuse is that he's had more practice!)

Redid my "age" yesterday morning...it said I was 62. Did it again about 20 minutes later and it said "29"! I'm not touching it again...I'll stay at 29, thankyou! I did set a goal when I got it last week and had the goal set for the 29th. I reached the goal Friday, so that's pretty good.

For the last week, I've been doing it for about an hour in the evenings from 6-7..workout first, then games!. A perfect "topping" for the gym in the morning and gets rid of work fatigue too.

I'm happy to see this thread has taken off so well! :) It's great to share tips and learn everyone's favorites. I also very much appreciate Cyndi's advice about yoga, since I know absolutely nothing about it. I will definitely check out the yoga on exercise tv, as I want to be doing it properly.

I'm going to have to try the boxing, I passed right over that!

Going to change and hit the wii fit now. Anyone wanna join me?
Tammie

Ok 30 min on the wii and about 15 min of a pilates video

My Wii is waiting for half time ;)

Tonight I discovered the dangers of Netflix instant play and the treadmill. I got sucked into a new (for me) series and ended up watching two episodes instead of the one I planned on. I guess that's a good thing :)

I do have the Biggest Loser but haven't used it much yet. I really love Fit and am enjoying that even if the boxing is driving me crazy.

So, I fought the fat and got on board and boy do I hurt!

13 minutes of boxing and the 14 minute Wii Active workout (I did skip 3 workouts in fear I'd overdo it for my first workout in quite some time). Ouch!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2708/4304875229_fe6b6438e1_m.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4002/4305617156_8ceda817fd_m.jpg

I was a little disappointed because I've read a bunch of reviews of the Wii Fit that said the weight was underreported, and mine came up at 146. :( My scale said 141 this morning.

I had a lot of fun with the programs, though. I did all of the Games and most of the Training Plus games and all of the Aerobics, just one time through all of them so I could get an idea for what was on there. Tom did some of the Yoga and some of the Games as well. I think the kids will get a kick out of it, too. I didn't think there would be anything on the Wii Fit for the kids but as soon as I saw that math one, I knew they'd be all over that.

I really wanted to get my bubble through the river but never made it. I tried ten times and then figured I'd give it another go a different day. I think my favorite was the martial arts one. I liked the music that went with it.

What a fun activity to keep me off the couch at night!

Kara - I'd never say the weight was under reported :eek: I kind of hate seeing that little line every morning. Glad you had fun with it :)

Jenn - See now I want to go back and figure out why it isn't recording my punches. I'm still thinking about adding the Active but feel a little guilty because I never use the Biggest Loser. Hmmm

Sell the biggest loser on ebay and buy wii active! It's the only time you will see me running and not knocking myself out! :lol:

Kara-my hubby has finished the bubble thing. I am not too coordinated on this one. I bust my bubble quite a bit. LOL

Cyndi I wnat the biggest loser.

Jenn great job on the workouts.

Tammie

Tammie, I am determined to get that bubble through the river maze. It might take me a year, though!

Cyndi, I read several reviews (on Amazon, I think) that said it underreports the weight 10-15 pounds. I was really bummed last night!

Kara, mine seems to be reporting my weight correctly. It's higher than I thought, but it has gone steadily down since Saturday. :)

I did the step thing this morning, and it was pretty fun, but I did get messed up a few times. I tried the boxing, too, but I can't quite figure out what I'm supposed to do with the numchuk thing. Do I click the buttom with each punch? I wish it would explain each game a little better, or maybe I'm just too dense to understand it. :dizzy: I did the beginner's run 3 times and really enjoyed that one.

I didn't click the button at all for boxing and my punches registered. I did find that I could only do the jab punches and not mix it up with any other kind. The other kinds didn't seem to register.

Thanks, Kara! I'm such a novice that I'm glad I'm the only one home when I'm doing it. I think Jake would be rolling on the floor, watching me.

For boxing, it really is rhythmic. I tend to be sooooo off sometimes and other times I am fine. Make sure you start from holding the wii-motes in front of your body (like you are blocking a punch) and that the sensor is level with you (slightly above). If you moved the Wii lately, you might need to recalibrate it.

I punch about a millisecond after I see the target, not hear him tell me to punch.

Want me to youtube myself doing it? God embarassing but for you gals, I'd be willing!

i used the wii fit a lot and dh got me the plus for Christmas and me and ds 3 play it daily. I love the marching band, bike riding, and the flying chicken thing. I play a lot of them though. It goes by quickly and though I know its not 30 straight minutes of cardio it is movement and calories burning. I aim for 120-140 calories burned each day. I also get quite a burn from hula hooping for 10 mins!!

As for the scale, I always put my board on the hardwood to weigh myself. It came with the little extensions for carpet. I think carpet can skew results, at least as far as weighing is concerned. I would try using it on a hard flat surface, plus using a different scale tends to give different results I would use one as your reference and stick with that one. In your case I'd stick to the one saying you weigh less!! lol

Kara, mine seems to be reporting my weight correctly. It's higher than I thought, but it has gone steadily down since Saturday. :)

I did the step thing this morning, and it was pretty fun, but I did get messed up a few times. I tried the boxing, too, but I can't quite figure out what I'm supposed to do with the numchuk thing. Do I click the buttom with each punch? I wish it would explain each game a little better, or maybe I'm just too dense to understand it. :dizzy: I did the beginner's run 3 times and really enjoyed that one.

For boxing your feet have to be in step with the characters feet and if they aren't it won't record the punch. That is where I was having trouble. You don't have to click any buttons.

I don't think I like my Biggest Loser game.

I had a problem with registering punches at first. Your feet have to be placed correctly or they won't register. So if it shows left on wii board and right in front, you have to have that stance for the punches to register. Also, as soon as the red target appears, punch it. Try these and see if it works! Also, if you like that, the kung fu activity is soooo much fun!

I love my Wii! I can't say i've pulled out the wii fit plus recently,and I think the Biggest Loser that I just bought might collect some dust(at least until I get in better shape),but I'm loving EA Active more workouts and Just Dance :carrot:

I've been averaging about 20-25 minutes a day playing Just Dance(doing a challenge on another board) and since I can feel that more in my upper body,I'll do step aerobics with ea active.

Zorista, what is Just Dance? Is that on the regular Wii Fit menu?

It's a whole seperate game,kind of like DDR,but you play with one remote.It has 30 songs,and I would definately either rent it,or wait till it's on sale...as some people ended up not liking it because of there onlyt being 30 songs to choose from.I love it though! I can't dance and really don't like dancing,but this is fun to follow along to.Also,it scores you,so it would be fun to have others to dance with(can be used by up to 4 players).

Thanks!

Our wii console came today so I can use my wii fit plus! :D
I've been having so much fun! :D :D :D
It weighed me 3 lbs higher than my bathroom scale, and told me my "age" was 54. I'm hoping to shave a little off of that next time - but to tell you the truth I expected much worse. I felt like I had no clue what I was doing.

I spent quite a bit of time on the balance games today, trying to figure them out. I was getting tired and was just finishing up to go fix supper when my DH came in to see how I was doing. He said he wanted to play so we checked out a few of the games we'd seen in the online video previews. (His idea of playing was sitting on the bed and giving me directions. ;) lol)

I am planning to play some more once I get supper out of the way and the kitchen cleaned up.

Awesome Heidi!

I got Wii Fit Plus too! I like it thus far. I too weighed in 3 lbs higher but forgot to change my clothing setting (sweatpants weigh more than yoga ones or shorts) and I was only age 34 yesterday! :)

I'm such a goof that I ran downstairs and weighed myself in the same outfit to compare. lol I don't really care which weight is correct as long as they both keep going down. ;)

How does the age thing work, do you know? It said it took my BMI, test scores and age into account. How much is my real life age going to work against me? :lol:

I'm anxious to get back upstairs and start playing again. I made the cutest little gray haired mii with pink glasses. I think she's waiting for me....

Heidi, I'm not sure how that age thing works. Mine gives me a different age every time I check it. I felt like a complete klutz the first few times, but you'll catch on quickly. My favorite is the advanced step aerobics. I could do that all day long. I like the hula hoop and run, too. I'm awful on the balance games.
Have fun!

I have balance issues and am terrible at the ski slalom thing. I'd be great if it would give me extra points for capturing the most flags though ;)

:D You and me both Cyndi!
I feel better about how lousy I am at the skiing now that I've read this. lol

Linda, the advanced step aerobics is my favorite right now too, I love both of the step ones and also the .... hmmm... is it kung fu moves? I racked up an hour and a half yesterday - probably would have been more but our power went out.

I'm sure the novelty will wear off but right now I feel like a little kid, I can't wait til I can play some more. (Fergie's still sleeping, otherwise..... ;))

I can't figure out the parade/marching one. I've done it several times and scored a grand total of 0 each time! :eek:

So does anyone have the Biggest Loser game? I read great reviews of that but just can't warm up to it. Too many lags and really hard to follow the workout unless you are looking at the screen every minute. I keep finding myself doing the previous exercise :o

Nope - I haven't heard good things about it so I didn't opt to buy it. Hopping on the Wii Fit Plus tomorrow to do more exploring.

I have EA Sports Active, Gold's Gym and Let's Dance. They're all great fun and surprisingly good exercise for me as a former couch potato. I'm due another workout on my 30 day challenge this afternoon... hopefully my little boy will have a nap so that I can squeeze it in. He has a nasty habit of standing very close to me when I Wii, and I'm always terrified that I'll punch him :(

I've had my Wii Fit for about two years now and I love it! I'm going to go check out the Wii FitPlus and reviews for the other games mentioned. I like the step aerobics, but think I would like to buy the adaptor that makes it more like a real step. I haven't been on it for more than a year (since getting pregnant-I'm a total klutz and didn't want to fall). Jonas will finally hang out in the jumparoo for about 20 minutes, so I'm going to try to start exercising again. Glad to have some WiiFit buddies!

I've been wanting to find one of the step adaptors, too JATX3.
I read in another thread that some Big Lots stores have them at a really good price right now. I love the step programs on there and find myself humming the silly tune when I'm in the shower. lol

Does anyone know how the "burn rate" works on the island lap?
I was all excited the other day because it said 98% burn when I finished, and I assumed that was based on 100%. But the next day it said 184% (or something like that) and it was 230 something last night. What is this based on?

Also, since I'm talking about the island lap, I stop everytime a runner falls on the screen. I KNOW I can't really help them up or check to make sure they're OK but I stop without thinking every single time. :dizzy: I haven't decided yet if that means I'm a thoughtful, compassionate person - or if it means I need to get a life and remember that those folks on the screen are not real! LOL

Heidi - I have a similar problem with the soccer ball game. I know they are just pictures but I can't help ducking when that ball is coming toward me.
I don't know about the burn rate but now I'm curious ;)

I just did the Biggest Loser light yoga workout. I still wouldn't recommend this game because of the unannounced movement changes and the lack of description of proper positioning. That being said it was a pretty good little workout. Now I'm off to google the exercise I was having trouble with to figure out the right positioning because I know I was doing it wrong. On the plus side TBL doesn't tell me I'm shaky all the time

Heidi - I have a similar problem with the soccer ball game. I know they are just pictures but I can't help ducking when that ball is coming toward me.
I don't know about the burn rate but now I'm curious ;)
:D I do the same with the soccer ball.
I hate that they have a runner fall each time, it's not quite as bad when they fall on the grass but the first fall I saw was on that cobblestone path under the bridge. *shudder* lol

On the plus side TBL doesn't tell me I'm shaky all the time LOL

I'm going to google and see what I can find out about the burn rate...

OK, I'm not finding any authoritative answers on the burn rate but I did find this parody. :p I may spend too much time with sarcastic teens but I got a good laugh out of this:

Wii Fit Parody on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iYBmAVuBns)

I've been managing to stick to my EA Sports Active workouts lately and I'm starting to see small improvements! My arms are much less wobbly, my waist seems smaller, tummy slightly less wobble-tastic, and my inner thighs are firmer and slimmer. Very, very happy!

My aerobic fitness has definitely improved, too. I went out for a walk with my little boy today and the last time I attempted this particular route I thought I was dying before I got half-way round. Today? HUGE difference. I only got out of breath once and that was powering my way up a big hill and my legs aren't tired or sore :D I guess my body really does like exercise!

Cyndi, I totally stink at the soccer game, too, because I duck at everything. Why do they throw panda heads at you, anyway???

Also, I've never seen anyone fall on the run. I must not be paying very good attention...

My little piggy bank turned orange this morning because it said I've logged ten hours. I think the colors in the games got brighter, too. Fun!

I'm looking for some ideas for games to buy that have more of a continuous cardio workout. Any tips?

Also, I've never seen anyone fall on the run. I must not be paying very good attention... I think they only fall on the island run.... or that's when I first saw it anyway. But a runner falls EVERY time I do the island run, no matter which guide or which dog I follow.
I do the island run at least twice, once before and once after my strength/yoga routines so I'm starting to get callous about it now....

I don't care much for the soccer game, I usually don't wear my glasses while I'm using the wii because I get hot and they slip, yada, yada, yada..... so I can't tell the difference between the pandas, soccer balls and cleats half the time anyway. :lol:

My little piggy bank turned orange this morning because it said I've logged ten hours. I think the colors in the games got brighter, too. Fun!
Congratulations! :D
I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed to admit that mine changed on Saturday. I'll admit it if you promise to think "Oh, Heidi's really been busy doing the strength training, yoga and island run." but I won't if you're going to think, "Wow, that girl is obsessed! She must not have a life!" :p ;) :D

My mom and I had a lot of fun yesterday. And now that she's registered and has a profile on my wii her little mii shows up in my games when I'm playing and mine shows up in hers. We were tossing each other hula hoops yesterday and showed up in several other games, too. That's going to be especially fun when I'm at home. lol

I'm looking for some ideas for games to buy that have more of a continuous cardio workout. Any tips?

Gold's Gym is cardio-boxing---you're supposed to be continually shifting your stance like a boxer moving round the ring while throwing punches. I certainly find it good for cardio as well as the bingo wings!

Just Dance is great for cardio too, even though it isn't an exercise-game per se. You can string together multiple songs and just keep dancing.

I believe there are also pre-set cardio workouts in EA Sports Active but I haven't done any of those yet---I'm sticking with the 30 day challenge for now.

Look what I finally found:
Burn Rate

* This is simply a measure of how steady your pace is. It is not a measure of your running speed or of your effort. The idea is that the more consistent your pace, the more efficiently your muscles will burn calories. The higher the burn rate, therefore, the steadier your pace.
* The burn rate is the average rate of burn over your whole run. This means that if it takes you about a minute to reach your pace, that minute's impact on your burn rate will be different for different run times. A minute has a greater effect, for example, on a run that takes four minutes, where it counts as one-fourth of the burn rate, then it does on a run that takes fifteen minutes, where it counts as one-fifteenth of the burn rate. What this means is that you should expect, given the same steady pace for all runs, that burn rates will be higher the longer the run.
* How does the Wii figure out your pace? It measures your steps and the time between them via the Wiimote. Each time the Wiimote goes up and down, the game registers that as a step. You can test this by shaking the Wiimote: your Mii will go very fast - indeed, it might even fall down.

:)

So, I'm not really a 'fast' runner after all - I'm just steady. LOL

Hi Hi all!

So I tried some of the new exercises on Fit Plus and I like some (snowball fight, kung fu) and hated others (juggling, oye vey!). I'd really love to make a workout of the aerobics stuff like boxing and kung fu (though it is HARD! To me anyway) and step (I was really hoping for an upgrade on that one).

Is there a way to do that? I may have missed it as I haven't really explored much.

Click combine and it will let you combine somewhat. Not as much flexibility as in "My Workout" but better than nothing.

I've got little notes that say things like "Advanced Step (2x) Yoga Routine, Island Lap (2x) ** mins, *** calories" and I use those to speed things up.
It's easier than figuring out a new plan each time, and I've got 5 or 6 that I liked so I rotate through them.

I really love the step aerobics and the running. the other games are fun too, and I've started to get into the boxing.

I need to step it up - my wii balance board has picked up a bit of dust as of late. I think one of my goals for this week will be to get on the wii fit while DH does homework after the kids are in bed. I can think of a much better way to use 30 minutes than just watching tv.

Those are my 2 favorites, too Zeffryn! :)
I am always torn between the regular running and the plus one with the little quizzes. lol

This is only day 17 for me so I'm afraid I'll start to get tired of it soon, but for now I'm having so much fun with it!

Do you have the fit plus or the regular one? Can anyone tell me the difference between the two? I have a feeling we have the regular one. We bought it last year.

I definitely need to get back into it. I got sidetracked and stopped doing it all the time, but I need to make it a priority!

I have both -- the new one has a lot more games, if you click on the clock you can now get your calories burned and you can set up workouts. It's only $20 for the plus as an upgrade...but I still LOVE step and boxing which are the old games ;)

I'm another big fan of the step aerobics and the running. I can't believe that I'm actually running, after all these years! I've been doing the 20 minute Island Lap, and can run almost 3.5 miles in that time, without being out of breath even. :D
I just ordered the riser thing for the step aerobics from Amazon to get a better workout. I've been doing the Advanced Step for a while now, so I think I'm ready to take it to a higher level.

I was concerned that I'd get bored with the Wii after a while, considering the money I was putting out for it, but it's the best money I've ever spent. I'm having a blast and look forward to my workout every day. Whoda thunk it? ;)

Linda, I agree 100%. Now I wish I hadn't waited so long to get mine.
I'm having so much fun that I often use it 2x/day. :lol:

How do you know how far you've run on the island lap? That's my favorite too and I focus a lot on my burn rate, but haven't noticed it saying distance anywhere.... I suppose I could google - but I'd rather just ask you. :p

Heidi & Jenn - Can I combine more than just strength and yoga? Sounds like I'm missing something important. Must go figure it out!

I love our Wii too. We almost bought one last year then decided against it. Glad DD got us started. I did just order the Active to step it up a little. I love the Wii so much that more of my fitness is happening with it so thought something a little more focused would be good. Of course soon it will be spring and the Wii will collect dust on sunny days :) It's great in the winter though and has really increased my active minutes.

I don't think you can combine item by item, (at least I haven't been able to figure out how and I've tried) but you can combine the programmed work outs by choosing "combine".

That's why I go with my lists. Once I find a fun combination that gives me the calorie burn I'm shooting for I make a list and note the time it takes. Instead of trying to remember my favorites I can grab a list off my bulletin board and whip through it without wasting time hunting.

I really wish there was a way to save more than one routine. I alternate strength and yoga so I have to change my routine every day. Before I shut it off I use a list [surprise :p] to program what I'll need the next day, but it would be way easier to just have multiple routines saved.

(I've been googling trying to find out how to figure an approximate distance for the island lap but no luck so far. Lots of wild guesses out there though. :lol:)

Sorry if I seem slow on this...is the plus a disc, or a download?..new hardware?

Ok, so, I actually did it today! The number of days since I was there was embarassing...let's just say my Mii was in a very, very, very deep sleep.

I did 30 minutes of step and 10 minutes of strength. I would have done more, but I needed to get the bathroom cleaned. I would say that scrubbing the shower, tub and floors was a workout in itself. my shoulders burned!

I'm kind of proud of myself. I have such good intentions lately and those intentions usually are foiled by facebook or chocolate cake. I've been learning lately to set small goals, and reaching those goals gives me motivation to set another one and reach that too! My Wii fit goal was like 60 lbs. I got discouraged so easily because it seemed like such an unattainable number. I set my new goal for 5 lbs. and am already 1.7 lbs down. It truly is the little victories.

Also, these small exercise goals really push my motivation for food goals. I have been perfectly on plan all day and I feel so good about it. Now to conquer dinner and before bed (my hardest time!), each meal that passes is motivation to continue to the next.

Zeffryn, it's a disc.
I had to get the bundle, because I didn't have a balance board. All you would need is the $20 disc. (http://www.amazon.com/Wii-Fit-Plus-Nintendo/dp/B002BS47JE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1266796384&sr=8-2) I picked one up at WalMart yesterday to send to my daughter. She has the wii fit and wasn't going to spend the money on the upgrade but I think the extras are well worth the $20. And I like to send her little 'love presents'. lol

I think you should be proud of yourself. :carrot:
I remember having little ones at home and how hard it was to find/make time for myself. Those were great times and I'd turn the clock back if I could - but it's kind of nice to have more free time now. :)

Heidi, when I'm doing the Island Lap, there's a little box in the upper left corner that shows how far I've gone, and also how many minutes I have remaining.

Has anyone done that Lotus thing? Where you sit in a lotus position on the board and concentrate on the candle? We were doing that yesterday, and it's a riot! And little Carley had the longest time of all of us, lol!

Yes, I can't do it for sh!t cottage but DW can lotus herself silly. I've got no sense of calm I guess! LOL

Heidi, when I'm doing the Island Lap, there's a little box in the upper left corner that shows how far I've gone, and also how many minutes I have remaining.

Has anyone done that Lotus thing? Where you sit in a lotus position on the board and concentrate on the candle? We were doing that yesterday, and it's a riot! And little Carley had the longest time of all of us, lol!

I think I have to go check that out right now. I can't believe I've never seen it. :p My time varies by how fast I'm running, does yours?

I'm not so good at the candle thing either, although I'm getting better as time goes on. I shut my eyes and that helps. (Of course I guess that might be cheating? I'm not sure. lol) Even though I expect it, I always jump when the guy yells, "CUT!" :eek:

I can't do the lotus thing. That darned board is too hard to sit on without fidgeting! I've had the same problem with the plank. It hurts my arms. Tonight I experimented with a thin fleece blanket over the board and it worked great. I'll have to try that with the lotus. One problem with losing weight - no padding!

Heidi, when I'm doing the Island Lap, there's a little box in the upper left corner that shows how far I've gone, and also how many minutes I have remaining.
Found it!
It's the Free Run. :) I'd never tried that one before. I usually do the Basic Run or the Basic Run Plus, where you follow a guide and can open different levels and paths.

Because the user manual said you could turn the channel while you do the free run I didn't realize you could see the island and familiar miis while you run. duh! My mom's mii passed me several times. :D

I'll definitely do the Free Run again. Have you tried the Basic Run Plus? It's pretty cute - you follow cats and there is a quiz at the end to see how observant you are. :) My favorite is the Basic Run though. I love the Island lap - I haven't found all the paths yet but I'm pretty close.

Heidi - thanks for the tip on the Free Run Plus. I had fun with that last night.
For those who absolutely cannot run (like me, the bounce drives my back muscles into instant spasm) you can power walk and it still recognizes the pace. Hope the power stays on so I can play lots of Wii games the next two days :)

Heidi, I haven't tried the Free Run Plus yet, but I was looking at it yesterday while my DD was here. She was showing me lots of the activities in the Training Plus that I haven't done yet. The biking looks like something I'll really enjoy, and am going to start including that in my routine. I think it's hilarious to see my family's Mii's running around while I'm doing my routines. LOL!

My DD brought out the Winter Olympic games with her yesterday, and we really had fun with them. They make you feel like you're really at the Olympics!

BTW, I've already talked about the riser platform in the Daily, but I love mine and highly recommend it if you enjoy doing the step aerobics. It's good and sturdy and doesn't move around, and I can really feel the difference it makes. I was a little worried that I'd fall or trip while using it, but you get used to the height quickly.

Cottage - Which riser did you buy? DW has been looking at them but was worried about the reviews. Think I'll pick one up for her.
The biking was one of the first games we got hooked on.

Heidi - We love the Free Run Plus! Thanks for the tip.

Do you have must do exercises? I've had a few busy days with just a little time on the Wii (if energy is limited I always do cardio first). I try to get on every day to do a few of the strength exercises - rowing squats, single leg twists, jackknives, plank and a few yoga poses. They aren't the most fun but I've prioritized them. They are still more fun then they would be just doing them without the Wii.

Cyndi, I ordered mine off Amazon, and it's called Aerobic Step made by CTA.

My "must do's" include the 20 minute free run and I do at least 20 minutes of the advanced step aerobics. I occasionally will do the Hula Hoop if time allows, and I'm going to start working the bike run into my regular routine.

Ok, I set a hula hoop record in my house yesterday....1,773 spins!!! I did miss one hoop throw though. I wonder how many points I racked up in the late 50's and early 60's???

Cottage, yep, I did the lotus thing and got the candle all the way down...ONCE. And haven't been able to do it again.

When you do the step for an extended amount of time do you just keep restarting it or is there a trick I'm missing?

thanks for the info Cottage!

Linda, I like the advanced step and usually do it a couple of times when I do it. Lately though I've been using free step. I turn off the sound and turn up my iPod because I like to go a little bit faster than the fastest setting and I can do whatever I like, side to side, kicks, off the front, etc. I keep the screen on though so that I can keep an eye on the time and number of steps. I have a great time dancing away. lol

Hey Cat, that's some pretty impressive hula hooping! :p

I love the Wii as well! I used to do cycling all the time as it was such a challenge to find all the flags! One time I cycled for a full hour trying to find the final flag and it cut me off! Said I needed to take a break! Ha ha. It allows various levels once you attain the flags etc. Now I can do a free island cycle, sorta like the free island run. (it is a 30 minute cycle)

My other favorite is the Marching parade. Very fun and hard!

My favorite is still the basic walk as I can watch a video or TV and it makes the time fly! Would love more info. on the Aerobics by CTA.

I am new to the site, so hello, and here's to Wii and South Beach!:carrot:

Cyndi, I just keep resetting the step aerobics over and over again to get in the minutes I want to do.

Heidi, I like your idea on the free step. I've done it a few times, but could never get it to go as fast as I'd like. I'll have to give your suggestion a try.

Cat, that is very impressive on the Hula Hoops! Isn't that lotus thing a hoot!

JoyinHim, :welcome:! Why don't you open a new thread, introducing yourself so more of our Beachers can give you a proper welcome. :)
My granddaughter, Carley, just loves the Marching Parade, and she's quite good at it, even at just 5 years old!

I'm reviving this thread to whine about the Wii Active I just bought ;) This game provides a pretty serious workout. I'm in decent condition these days but after the first 3 days of the 6 week challenge I ache all over, in the good way. I was hesitant to spend more money on Wii toys but Active is bumping up my workouts to the next level. At first I thought it wasn't doing much. The workouts are short, just under 30 minutes including a short warm-up and nice cool down and the upper body exercises use a light band. This morning my body is definitely telling me I've been working out. I am mixing this workout with at least 45m of cardio - either walking or biking and 20-30m of Wii yoga. If it doesn't kill me I should see some benefits from this one ;)

I purchased the Wii for my youngest for Christmas. I'm still a Wii Newbie. The kids play the sports with the game that was included. Bowling, boxing, tennis, etc. However, we do not have the Wii Fit. I've seen it in the store but not sure what it's all about. Can someone enlighten me so I'll know whether to purchase it or not?

Thanks in advance (TIA) ;)

Joy, welcome! It's good to have you here!

Sunshine, the Wii Fit is a game with accessories that works with the Wii console. The games are all active-type ones. Some are more balance-oriented and some are more aerobic-oriented. There are (I'm guessing here) maybe 25 games that come with the Wii Fit Plus. It tracks your weight and allows you to set weight loss goals. There are also MANY different Wii games you can get that use the balance board that comes with the Wii Fit (Plus) system.

Hope that helps!

I hesitated to buy mine but I'm so glad that I did! I've used it nearly every day since we got it.

I don't play the games much, mostly just to cool down and catch my breath or when I'm finished my workout. They're a lot of fun and I'll do them if someone else wants to play too, but they don't burn many calories and I'm usually in a hurry.

I love the aerobic section and do the step aerobics, running and hula hoop programs a lot. My favorite though is the workout section. I've got a 28 minute strength routine that I do most days and I am noticing a huge difference in my strength and stamina since I started it. You can choose the exercises you want to do and the order you'll do them in and then go through the routine without pauses any time you want. I like being able to personalize the routine because I know which exercises are challenging for me and which ones are easier so I mix them up and get the really tough ones over with early. :) I sometimes ask the program to set up a routine for me to do instead and that's a nice change too. I enjoy the yoga and play around with that some, but it doesn't burn as many calories so I stick mostly to the strength exercises.

There are a couple of short videos here: wiifit.com (http://wiifit.com/)

I've got my profile set so that my goal is to burn 310 calories each day (that's equal to a piece of cake). Each time I finish an activity it tells me how many calories I've got left to reach my goal. I love the little celebration music when I get there. lol

I love the calories idea Heidi and set mine up that way. Of course then I started using Active more so it looks like I never finish my cookie ;)

I also like the basic tennis that came with my Wii.

I've been interested in the wii, and am glad to see all your posts on it. I'd like to know how much floor space you need to do the exercises. Is it basically a small space to work in, or do you need a lot? I have limited floor space in the room I would put one in.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

My living room is a nice size, but I use my wii upstairs in the guest bedroom so that I don't have to plan my workouts around my DH's favorite TV shows. I'm horrible at estimating so I took my tape measure upstairs to check and the space I use is 64" x 99". I wish I had a little more room -I have to make sure I've got the balance board in the exact middle of the room or I'll bump the bed or shelves when I do my side leg lifts. It works though. :)

I hesitated about getting mine. Our kids are grown and moved out and my DH and I haven't bothered with a game console since our Atari in the 70's/early 80's. :) I'm so happy with this though. I use it every day and really enjoy it. I've not had any trouble getting a 'good workout'.

I did try out my sister's wii fit first though, to make sure I'd really like it.

That's one thing I really like about Wii Fit, how little room you need for it. I think as long as you can have about 3'-4' of free space on all sides of the balance board, you should be fine.

Working out with my Wii has been the most enjoyable way of exercising that I've ever done. I'm really glad we invested in one.

Thanks for the answers to my question. I do have a space of about 5'x4' so that should work. May be going shopping tomorrow. I live in AZ & summer weather is going to be here soon (84 degrees forecasted for next week). I have been wanting a way to get exercise without having to do it in the heat.

Sounds like a good plan Jerie! :)
If you like it HALF as much as I like mine you'll get your money's worth. :lol: