I ride a stationary bike four to five times per week for some aerobic exercise. It helps me feel better, relieve tension and relax. Of course, it also contributes to my fitness. However, just riding the bike wasn’t a comprehensive fitness plan. It did very little to help tone the rest of my body. Fortunately for me, we bought a Wii last year and Nintendo came out with Wii Fit!

The value that Wii Fit brings to my personal fitness plan

I’ll admit that it wasn’t my idea to buy Wii Fit. As with so many of the positive changes in my life, my wife was the one that initiated the whole thing. So, we stood in line outside a Toys-R-Us thirty minutes before the store opened a couple of Sundays ago to get it. However, now that we have Wii Fit, I am very impressed!

Wii Fit is like a personal fitness coach and yoga instructor that comes right to your house! It offers a wide-array of exercises to improve your balance, strength, posture and aerobic fitness.

What I like best about Wii Fit is that it is simple and it makes exercising fun for our whole family! My eight-year old daughter loves it and it has helped us to tear her away from watching Hannah Montana non-stop! Now she likes exercising and thinks it is fun.

When exercise is fun, it is easier to stay committed over the long-haul. The is the big value in Wii Fit.

How I expanded my fitness plan with Wii Fit

Personally, I needed to add exercises that helped tone my upper body and abdominal muscles. I was also interested in yoga for strength and flexibility training.

My plan is to continue riding the stationary bike 4 to 5 times per week, but to also throw in 2 to 3 thirty minute sessions a week with Wii Fit. So far, this seems like something I can do without any major hassle.

It must be working because I am slightly sore in my abs right now from exercising over the weekend. Good to know!

The Wii Fit exercises that I like the most

I’ve already grown to love these exercises on the Wii Fit:

• Advanced Hula Hoop – Stop laughing! This is a fantastic workout for your abdominal muscles and it is a blast. We laughed so hard the first time we watched each other hula hoop. I still smile thinking about it!
• Advanced Step – Wii Fit has its own version of this fitness center classic workout. It takes a little practice to master the step class on the Wii, but it is fun and it will get your heart rate up in a hurry!
• Yoga – Yoga is a fantastic way to keep limber, improve your posture and strengthen your body. Wii Fit has several poses and guides you step-by-step on how to do each properly.
• Balance exercises – I never knew that I had such bad balance until we got Wii Fit. It tests you to determine your center of balance and then offers several exercises to help you become more aware. I particularly like the penguin slide and soccer games.

Again, the neat thing about Wii Fit is that it makes exercising fun! It brings us together as a family and makes us laugh. That alone is enough of a reason to recommend it to others.

I plan to make the Wii Fit a permanent part of my fitness routine

I believe just 30 minutes of exercising with Wii Fit two to three times per week will really help me tone and limber up my body. I also think it would be a great way to get the exercise needed to help one lose weight. Great job on this one Nintendo!

What are your fitness plans for 2009? Have you tried Wii Fit?

Photos by ?o??ƒx™ and Chesi – Fotos CC