Pretend I'm the woman from Mars
Friday, December 25th, 2009 10:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rolanni...or the man from Mars. Did Marvin have a lady friend?
Anyhow!
Who has a Wii? How does it work? I see people saying that they exercise with their Wii, how's that happen; does it need to go for a walk?
Anyhow!
Who has a Wii? How does it work? I see people saying that they exercise with their Wii, how's that happen; does it need to go for a walk?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Wii-ness
Date: 2009-12-25 03:24 pm (UTC)...and I've been told that if you have the balance-board and you are a bit too 'fluffy' that your little Mii avatar will cry and fuss at you, so there's the motivation.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-25 03:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-25 03:33 pm (UTC)Moving on.
Wiis and exercise. A Wii console, in combination with a balance board, and the FitPlus software (or with a camera and some other software), can be used for light exercise. The board has four pressure sensors (on in each corner), and can determine how you are shifting your weight. This allows it to track movements such as walking on the spot, stepping on and off the board, and various positional changes, such as you get with various yoga and weight-training exercises.
The FitPlus package also keeps track of other exercises you have done, records your weight over time, and lets you set goals for yourself.
Provided you have the discipline to keep it up, it is a very good way to maintain an exercise program in the face of hostile weather, or when rehabilitating. If you are really dedicated, and put in 45 minutes or more a day, it really helps with weight loss, too.
It will not replace (completely) real exercise, but it helps. And if you can get others in the household to participate as well, it encourages a low level of competition by maintaining leader-boards for each activity.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-25 03:51 pm (UTC)Usually the just-add-water pellet was dispensed from a coin-operated candy dispenser with a glass reservoir of pellets and usually the "good guy" ended up smashing the glass bowl and flooding the pellets with water.
Or so I remember.
He also had some sort of astro dog side-kick on occasion.
doggy sidekick
Date: 2009-12-25 03:56 pm (UTC)http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/pluto/27/marvin2.jpg
http://www.dogwoodvalley.com/htmlfiles/marvin.html
And the just-add-water
http://www.mysticmedusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/55962384qj8.jpg
and dispenser
http://www.gargaro.com/webpages/general/marvin7.jpg
no subject
Date: 2009-12-25 03:53 pm (UTC)Barbara in Texas
no subject
Date: 2009-12-25 03:55 pm (UTC)http://www.amazon.com/Wii-Fit-Plus-Balance-Board-Nintendo/dp/B002BSA3EM/
(It also requires the game console.)
The board manages weight, has games that are exercise, etc. and is what most people are talking about.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-25 03:58 pm (UTC)There are two ways that you can exercise with it. One is Wii Fit (or the newer version, Wii Fit Plus). Played with the Balance Board, it has an assortment of strength and yoga activities, as well as games for balance, aerobics, and general fitness. I like the games better than the "training routines" (among other things, the perky trainer [available in male and female; perky, alas, compulsory] is only in the training routines.
My favorite games so far are: rolling a bubble down a river (balance game) - control speed by leaning forward and backward, control direction by leaning side to side. I don't make it very far yet, though. "Perfect Ten", which is one of the general games. Your Mii (avatar) is standing in the middle of four bumpers. Numbers appear on the bumpers and you have to swing your hips to hit a combination of bumpers that add up to 10. I like it because it's a thinking as well as moving game.
The other way to exercise with the Wii is with sports games. Because you control the game, in part, by swinging the remote, it's possible to get quite a workout playing tennis, or bowling, or slicing things up with a sword (one of my favorites from Wii Sports Resort), or canoeing, or playing Frisbee...
There are also a lot of other sorts of games available for the Wii, lest you think it's a gym in disguise. I've got Trivial Pursuit, and a puzzle game called Safecracker, and I just picked up (but haven't played yet) something called Igor: The Game. I just couldn't resist...
no subject
Date: 2009-12-25 04:06 pm (UTC)I think Active gives you more burn and it includes a resistance band for some strength training, but I can't do half the exercises because they involve some kind of lunging or jumping, which I can't do.
It was worth the investment to me - I do NOT like working out in front of other people, so this is much better for my personality. And is more coaching than if you were working out alone, but certainly not a personal trainer.
Just my two cents worth.
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Date: 2009-12-25 04:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-25 08:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-25 09:32 pm (UTC)Having tried both the Wii fit and Active, one thing we've found is that the Wii fit is annoyingly insulting about personal performance, while Active is far too perky and prone to complements. It'd be nice to have an adjustment slider for level of positive feedback from the trainer.
Wii operation - how it works sorts of stuff.
Date: 2009-12-26 12:01 am (UTC)The medium version is that it uses a combination of one or more motion sensors, an infrared camera, various switches and joysticks, and a four point pressure sensitive device (think four scales, one on each corner of a small board) to read information about the position and movement of your body and hands. These data are used in games and exercise simulations.
The remotes have been re-purposed on occasion with other computers for various interesting tasks. The wireless system is the same one that's used for cell phones, but in a different mode. The base unit include wireless internet capabilities as well.
Compared to other gaming systems the video subsystem is somewhat less capable, so the first person shooter types of applications are a bit less graphic.
We just acquired one here, and I find it to be pretty darn nifty. So far I find the ping-pong game somewhat realistic, and the Avatar game (which uses that board thing for controlling a flying fighting platform) to be fun to watch. I've read up on the unintended usage sorts of things and find that more interesting than the games. The unit's for my wife though and I'm restraining myself from doing anything that might break her toy.
Sam Robinson (who can't log in at the moment)
no subject
Date: 2009-12-26 12:02 am (UTC)I got the new Fit 2.0 software for Christmas, so I'm looking forward to seeing it. It's supposed to be better at making a workout routine, and I liked the routine of the old one. Balance testing on the yoga has helped me do better at yoga, too, because it tells you when you're wavering and not centered.
You can get the Fit and the software and the console as a package. It does have to be hooked up to a tv, last I checked with RCA connectors (red, white and yellow, ignore the red if your tv only has the yellow (video) and a single audio (white). I'm happy with it, anyway, and use it more than I did my exercyle, my Tony Little gazelle, or any of the other exercise gear I've bought over the years.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-26 02:49 am (UTC)In the meantime, my five year old great nephew got one for Christmas, and I played bowling with him this afternoon. He beat me rather handily. I can, however, do better at Guitar Hero than he can. For now...
no subject
Date: 2009-12-26 02:31 pm (UTC)The games are very short. It tracks exercise time (not elapsed time). You can get in 15-20 minutes easily just by doing of 2-3 repeats of a subset of the balance games. You do get your heart rate up some. You can work up a sweat. You definitely get your heart rate up for the strength training exercises, and I like the guided step routine.
On the weight monitoring and encouragment you get with the Wii fit. Your avatar jumps for joy and spins when you get it right. The scale isn't accurate and it calculates your Wii fit age on some rubber band theory: it bounced me from 28 to 76 in one day. And it will scold you if you fall off of a routine.
Happy Holidays.
Wii Balance Board
Date: 2010-01-21 04:50 pm (UTC)Clark's team has already published a paper that verifies the Wii balance board is "clinically comparable" to the nearly $18,000 lab force platform.
=FIN
Very Basic Wii Information
Date: 2009-12-27 06:37 am (UTC)The Wii is made up of multiple parts. The base unit ($200) comes with:
- 1 computer console
- one wireless control that is made up of 2 parts:
a Rectangular Remote controller
and a kidney-shaped "Nunchuk" controller that gets wired to the rectangular part when you need to do things with 2 hands or multiple body parts.
- an infrared receiver/detector that sits on your TV
- Wii Sports games (Baseball, bowling, boxing, golf, tennis)
Additional games run about $50 when newly released and come down to about $20 when they've been around a while.
Because the controllers can be used in 3 dimensions (using accelerometers?) as well as by using buttons & joysticks, games can be much more physical, are often played standing up. There are many props that have been designed to hold the remotes to make the gameplay feel more realistic for a specific activity. For example a steering wheel for driving games, various sporting things (bats, racquets, golf club), swords, guns/rifles, etc. ($15-$40)
Also, it seems that there are far more multiplayer games for Wii then other systems, most games are for 2-4 players, so you can both/all play at the same time. But you'll have to buy additional Remotes ($40) & Nunchuks ($20) The remotes run on 2 AA batteries, so buying the rechargeable battery packs & charging station is a good idea upfront. ($25)
If you want to exercise, in you can buy additional kits/packages:
There are only a few pieces of additional equipment for exercise (strength training, balance, yoga & such):
- The balance board ($100)
- 2 two pound dumbbells (available in a bundle)
- Stretch Band ($20)
Exercise software choices:
- Fit Plus (supersedes Fit) ($20) (This software title is often bundled with the balance board for about $100 - $150 depending on what else is included, mat, gel covers & storage case for balance board)
- Your Shape ($70)
- Active Life: Extreme Challenge ($60)
- Daisy Fuentes Pilates ($20)
- Sports (free with console)
- Sports Resort ($50)
If shopping online HSN.com & QVC.com often have some nice deals if you know what you want.
Speaking of chargers...
Date: 2009-12-28 01:09 am (UTC)Also a note on the Motion Plus: it's an attachment for the Wii Remote that adds more accelerometers, improving its ability to sense motions. Since we wanted to end up with two remotes, two Motion Plus attachments, and two nunchuks, we bought the console (includes one remote and one nunchuk), Wii Sports Resort (includes one Motion Plus attachment), the black remote/MotionPlus combo (cheaper than buying them separately), and a black nunchuk to go with the black remote. (Either nunchuk will talk to either remote, but since the black and white nunchuks were the same price, I figured I'd go for the color coordination.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-27 08:12 pm (UTC)I think it's a great investment, especially given where you live. I don't have the excuse of not getting outside in the winter, but you can totally use it.
Wii Fit vs. Lego Star Wars
Date: 2010-01-05 09:43 pm (UTC)Highlights from my _Wii Fit_ use:
--I weigh myself each morning and enter 30 minutes of exercise (walk to and from subway) in my exercise log. If you do not exercise each day, it nags you. I also Free Run every other day (see recumbent bike).
--Set my goal as 2 lbs in 6 months so the goal does not annoy me.
--Instead of “Running in Place” for 30 minutes of Free Running, I put the remote in the pocket of my cargo pants and recumbent bike during DVD viewing. When I do bike sprints up to 30 mph, the program does squawk so I turn off the volume.
Annoyances:
--Must waste time switching between exercises. On a workday, I usually just Advance Step then Free Run for 30 minutes (see recumbent bike).
Given a choice between the _Wii Fit_ and a 5 DVD Player with Disc Resume, I would pick the DVD Player. I can change DVDs while on my recumbent bike, and it remembers where I was on my DVD.
I actually play the Wii _Lego Star Wars_ on the futon without moving my arms or legs. So calories burned may vary for Wii games.
=FIN