Belly Fat Loser

Last year the Nintendo Wii was so popular that there were fights and lines to get one of them. I got a Wii last year only because a friend of mine was in a store that happened to have one left. He knew I wanted one, so he picked it up for me. Many others weren’t so lucky.

One of the first things I noticed was that the Wii, unlike other video games, could actually make you work a bit when you’re playing it. That was even before Nintendo introduced the Wii Fit, a balance board arrangement that, in combination with the other Wii controls, enables you to do all sorts of fitness related activities, such as Yoga, skiing and running.

Like the Wii itself, after bringing home a Wii Fit, I noticed right away that it could really get your heart rate up and make beads of sweat appear on your forehead. Can it help you burn fat too? From personal experience, I would say yes.

The original Wii, with games such as boxing, was definitely able to burn a few calories. The addition of the Wii Fit, with it’s balance board, elevates it’s capabilities to a higher level indeed. Now you can work on balance, flexibility, and coordination in addition to just burning calories and chasing away fat.

My personal favorite is the ski jumping. Admittedly, this is far from the best the Nintendo console has to offer in terms of fitness and fat burning. You basically hold your balance in a semi squat position for about 8 – 10 seconds, then lift up as your skier goes into the wild blue for a hundred meters or so (don’t actually jump, or your jump is disqualified and you’re admonished with a warning form the Wii).

Actually, about the best fitness experience I’ve had courtesy of the Wii was a few games of Monkey Mischief Party Time. Oh, My God! It makes Wii Boxing (and possibly real boxing, although that’s been a while) pale in comparison. You’re a monkey, fleeing a large rhino with a few of your monkey buddies. During your flight from the beast, you have to leap over a few walls and jump up to grab fruit for extra points.

To power your exodus from the land of rhinos at a sufficient velocity to avoid getting caught, a furious pumping of your arms is necessary. You must keep this up until your monkey crosses the finish line; in first place if possible. I’m here to report that doing this consistently for more than a game or two, is freakin’ hard work, and will definitely burn some fat from your body.

My little Wii review is all well and good, but what do the experts say? Ole’ Miss assistant professor of health and exercise science Scott Owens is looking into it as you read this. His study is tracking 8 families for a 6 month period. The University loaned each family a Wii Fit console and balance board package for 3 months. The families are actually studied for 6 months, 3 months with the Wii, and 3 without.

In late spring the results of the study should be ready. I’d be surprised if they showed that the Wii did not help fitness, unless the families are already very athletic and trained regularly before they started using their Wii Fits for the study.

Until next time….keep losing your belly fat.

Tags: fat loss, fitness, Nintendo Wii, Wii Fit