Is the Wii-Fit worth it?

James Mitchell, fitness columnist for Esquire magazine, examines the benefits of the Wii-Fit's balance, aerobic, muscular and yoga exercises. "For a start I'm quite positive in the sense that anything that promotes physical activity is a good thing. Obviously, playing games and watching TV are traditionally very lethargic pursuits; you sit on the sofa with no activity levels involved. I think, as a concept, Wii Fit is a fantastic idea, bringing some activity into the home and sharing that across the family, whether it's with adults, teenagers or younger kids."

But is the Wii-Fit worth all of the hype and money? One of the problems with the W.F is that it relies on Body Mass Index, a ratio of weight to height, to determine overall fitness. The problem here is that the game will mistake your broad shoulders or muscular thighs for obesity.

On the plus side, however, Mitchell claims that the game will increase your posture because it forces you to find and maintain your center of gravity. The aerobics on W.F, he claims, is equally as fantastic. The game allows you to track how much you've completed each day, but Mitchell warns first to include a warm up activity-which the game omits- and to change up your daily routine. Mitchell warns against the yoga games, because the activity is complicated and require more one-to-one training.

"The good thing about the aerobics and balance stuff is that it's fun so just crack on. It's a great way of doing fitness, it's interactive. One of our biggest problems with clients is getting over the fact that training can be boring - some people can't stand gyms, can't stand running. Wii Fit can potentially make fitness feel more accessible to people who don't think it is – a gym is a very intimidating place for a lot of people. If you're someone who's particularly overweight or you're intimidated by doing things in the gym then this is an option. Doing something is better than doing nothing. I got out of breath doing a couple of pieces – that won't give me the body beautiful and it's not a replacement for good, well-structured exercise but that's going to make me fitter and should definitely be taken seriously in that respect." So is the Wii-Fit really worth the money? "If someone has a use for it and uses it in a responsible, educated manner, then it's definitely worth it, " says James, "after all, it's cheaper than an exercise bike and, frankly, a lot more fun".

Read the full article at http://wii.ign.com/articles/869/869127p2.html

and check out other exercise and orthopedic information at knee1.com