You know, it's been awhile since I've seen Dad...

My military husband came home for Thanksgiving (he is stationed overseas this year...) and we finally were able to address the concern on the WiiFit, that Dad has not signed in for quite awhile. So he did a body test, is fitter than ever (military style work outs will do that for ya!), and found that you do test at a lower age if you are regularly practicing those crazy balance and agility tests the WiiFit puts you through (which he obviously has not been able to do! We will not disclose his WiiFit age here, though).

So as you can see from the photos of the boys in my family...you can sit, you can walk/run, or you can WiiFit. All have their place. We even have a rower and a swimmer in the bunch. Go, guys! I love my fit, happy family. Now I just gotta try to keep up (huff, puff...).

p.s. Gotta love Jim's new custom Nike's! They say Star Wars (one word on the back of each shoe!) above his initials, JD. Very cool colors. Very cool kid!

Mother/Daughter fitness day

Last week Mae and I spent part of an afternoon on the Wii Fit Plus. We each did the body test and had our wii fit age evaluated. It's always fun to work out with a partner, and I love going on walks with Mae. Onward, ever onward. Wii will walk!

Determination

Well, my time on the Wii has been better than my blogging about Mii on the Wii, but not by much. This article states a weakness of the Wii Fit, but also points out the weakness of the user (no exercise plan!), so no blaming the game.

Let's investigate the possible reasons (think... the Wii asking me for the reason I'm gaining weight and/or not meeting my goal to enter the normal range):

• nice weather, doing outdoor activities more (yep, a little)
• going to the YMCA to work out (um, nope. not lately)
• busy with family--volleyball games, picking kids up, dropping them off, appointments (definitely, but this is NO excuse...there are hours every day when these things are not happening)
• just plain busy--intermittent work, trip to Utah (!), church calling, visiting teaching, reading, sleeping (yes, but this is life)

So what needs to happen to make the Wii (or any regular exercise) happen regularly:

• Set a time EVERY DAY in my schedule and make it happen (see this excellent article I just found)
• Organize the rest of my life
• make exercise a priority--not #1, but move it up the list, or something
• care specifically about my overall functioning (balance, coordination--the main things Wii Fit and exercise helps me with)
• Put together a fun My Routine to use regularly on the Wii Fit, though since it's just Yoga and Strength exercises, sometimes I will alternate with Wii Fit Plus Routines, which incorporate the funner activities, too.

Ok, after re-reading the aforementioned excellent article I have made the determination (this word chosen very carefully) that daily I will exercise. 30-minute walk- sometimes with running, tai chi class, wii fit plus, or swim. Every day. Yes!

(Sabbath excepted, though a walk is fine, just with family, not for exercise per se).

Pictured above is Danny Dreyer, author of ChiRunning, one of my favorite exercise books/programs ever.

The Best of Both Worlds...

We have had some awesome pre-spring weather the past couple of weeks. Lots of walks, a little bit o' jogging (!)--anyways, lots of aerobic and random fitness going on. Most days I did a body test or simple test and recorded my fit credits. This is all fine and good, but...

In my recommitment to working on Wii Fit exercises, I went back to it for 30 minutes today. The Wii Fit plus routines (combined) was my workout of choice. What fun! First, obviously the aerobic exercise outside is good for me. My Wii Fit age was a record low at 20! And I didn't even perform perfectly on the tests given me. Any of the training on the Wii today that required strength and balance from my lower legs was average. The activities that measure overall strength and coordination turned out great.

The Zen Moment was my last thing and the phone rang-- it bombed. So I was reminded today that:

1. regular aerobic exercise is good for me
2. toning is amazingly satisfying, and
3. I'm back on the Wii regularly, in addition to fun outside!

image found at http://nerdvana.freedomblogging.com/

Simple Test

This has been the week of the simple test on the Wii Fit for me! It uses the same weight for clothing as the previous body test, skips the dialogue, and cuts to the chase.

It quickly does my weight and balance tests, skipping the Wii Fit age tests. It takes about a minute, which is nice. If it is a day when I have gone to the YMCA or outside, I do the simple test, log the fit credits into Activity Log and wait for another day with time for more ski jumping! (Oh, and strength and yoga, too).

Winter Olympics 2010-the Wii Fit way

Welcome to the 2010 Olympics, Wii Fit style! This morning I went to the YMCA for some treadmill time, so tonight I decided to have some fun with the snow sports on Wii Fit. All of these happen to fit into the balance category, so I have a bit of trouble with them, meaning no gold medals here!

• Snowboard slalom (no bueno!),
• ski jump (my all time favorite repeat activity),
• snowball fight (I improve almost every time--believe me, there was room for it!), and
• ski slalom (not nearly as bad as snowboard).

Maybe the next Wii Fit update could have cross country skiing for an aerobics workout. Hmm.

As the snow flies (and continues to accumulate here) we will enjoy the 2010 Winter Games and a few winter games of our own.

Fun combining routines

Yesterday my time on the Wii was almost all using Wii Fit Plus Routines and combining them into a workout. After going to the top tab, it gives you the option to combine routines. I think it just takes one activity from each selected routine.

Anyway, it was fun to see what was next and I found that I could do some of the things I have skipped thinking I would not have the strength or balance for it. Lots of things to try and ways to mix things up to keep it interesting. I can't believe I love this! (Neither can my kids who have been home for snow days and have to share the Wii with me/Mii!).

Healthy Eating

I am so bad at consistently eating healthy. I just LOVE treats!

But I have been eating Cheerios (it's whole grain, and good for cholesterol) and saw this deal on my newest box... beginwithcheerios.com.

So eating right, eating smaller portions, exercising using the Wii Fit and extra walking and aerobic exercise...adding one thing at a time. For my heart, for my family, for my health.

I tried this!

I tried:

• ...the Advanced Step since it was part of one of the routines I was doing. It was fun! I did not have a perfect record (like the video below...) (ha!), but I had a great time.
• ...and tried to log my walk from yesterday (so it would show up as yesterday and not today), but was unsuccessful. But that's ok, it's still in there.
• and finally...I make a habit of using my left hand to hold the Wiimote (unless it has to be in the right hand for something). Being an extremely right-handed person, this is weird, but I figure it will help me be a little more coordinated with that left hand!

Day of Rest

I love the Sabbath and don't even miss working out. Or housework. Or yard work.

I love to go on walks with the family on Sunday. And it's great to have a nice meal, even though there are still dishes. The family time is what I enjoy the most.

So when the Wii Fit asks, "So, you didn't have time to work out yesterday?" I don't feel even a bit guilty!

We and the Wii

The best thing in my life is my family. We are here for each other (why isn't that one word...eachother looks just fine to me??). The funnest time for me to do Wii Fit is when at least one of my family is there with me. And I like watching the kids do Wii Fit and Wii sports. Probably not Mario Bros. so much, but that's just me!

So, though the kids are gone to school during the day, almost without exception, I wait until at least our youngest is here and will cheer me on and do some of the exercises with me. The power of companionship!

It is way fun for my husband to watch me attempting Kung Fu while he is working in his makeshift wood shop in the basement family room. And we have found that when we do the Wii Fit Routines, it does not keep score and takes a little of the competitiveness out of the workout. Some of us are happier not knowing who is in first place every time. Now if we could just find a way to convince our Mii characters not to hang their heads in disappointment when we have a bad go at one of the games!

Persistence

It has been a week of keepin' on. Just doing something every day to strengthen, improve, or at least try.


It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.
-- Confucius

Yes! for persistence
and little steps...

image and quote from Great-Insprirational-Quotes.com

Keep Walking

photo from grandriverfitness.ca

Back at it. You gotta love Mondays!

30 minutes on the Wii Fit. I try to do that much every day. It's those little things, the balance and strengthening exercises, that I seem to be benefitting from on the Wii. When it's challenging to hold my arms up during Yoga Warrior pose, I'm pretty sure it's helping me.

30 minutes + cool down on the TREADMILL at the YMCA! I know, why would I try to do that?! I have gone on walks that long, but this was a little more of a workout, and the only other time I tried it I just wore out so fast. But, there was this guy getting on the little recumbent bike and putting in headphones just as I walked into The Room, so I saved the last elliptical for Wade, then hopped (symbolically speaking) on a treadmill thinking I probably wouldn't last too long.

But hey, I just did what I do on the bike and concentrated on form, core (abs), and on not using the muscles in my lower legs much, and it worked pretty well. I went over 2 miles, did a variable hill workout and got my heart rate up into the cardio range for a good portion of the time.

It was fun! And the day's efforts added up.

Balance

A good week. I tried to balance the Wii activities (between yoga, strength, fun, and balance) with other exercise. A snowy week (complete with a snow day :) made for a couple of trips to the neighborhood YMCA and their stationary bike (and hot tub). On the graph of my fit credits, it was great to see multiple colors and time spent doing the various choices. A similar balance in life is important, too, so I pondered on that for a bit today.

On a weight gain day I admitted that eating too much was probably the culprit, so today the Wii asked me if I remembered that and was working on it. Okay. I will try.

I also tried to use the strong muscles I have (core, hips, quads, hamstrings) to do my cardio time on the bike. If I relax my lower legs, I tire more slowly and can do a longer, tougher workout. Hopefully over time, this balance will help me increase my exercise time and lose those extra pounds!

One last note, I have found a way to succeed at the Zen balance game. I sit with my legs loosely crossed (Indian style), my back straight, with my eyes closed. As I hear all the distracting sounds I try to find the quietest peaceful spot inside me, behind my closed eyes, and concentrate on that. As I feel increasingly calm, the time goes by, the crickets chirp, the moth burns up in the candle flame, the guy walking into the room on the squeaky floor boards just clears his throat and leaves, and before I know it, 3 minutes (or 180 seconds) is up. It's very calming and rejuvenating. As I ended with that game today I thought that my life could use more of that inner peace to balance the chaos of daily living.

Life balance wheel image found at http://fusions.wordpress.com/2007/04/23/work-life-balance/

Wii balance game Image found at Wiimedia.IGN.com

Real changes? Not yet.

Beginning stats:

• BMI- 27.19
• weight- 153.4
• Wii Fit age- 58

Current stats:

• BMI- 26.83
• weight- 152 lbs
• Wii Fit age- 28

The weight of clothing on any day is variable and there is a choice between light (-2lb.) or heavy (-4lb.). Since mostly this time of the year I'm wearing a long sleeved shirt, long stretchy pants and shoes, it seems most accurate to choose heavy.

If there is any weight gain, the Wii asks me to choose a reason why. Overeating (usually), not exercising (kind of, because it's pretty low key for now), and don't know are my most common answers. It does make one think (and is surely intended to help us change our habits!).

BMI changes more slowly (and fluctuates). Being in the overweight category is humbling, but not shocking, as I have expanded in the past several months. So, this is the first of many stat checks.

Wii Fit age! This one is so funny and changes radically from day to day. I posted the first (oldest) and today's (youngest) Wii Fit ages for me since there was such a huge difference (and my Mii character reacts to either younger by cheering, or older by shaking her head or holding her lower back!). Mostly, for me, this age has been slightly older than my 41 years of age. (My kids constantly reassure me that it's because of Guillain-Barre...hmm).

Anyone can improve their Real Age by becoming more physically fit. My friend Tracy Hafen co-wrote a book on the subject called Real Age Workout. I'm reading it to find more insight into this idea.

My Wii Fit Routines

Well, I set up My Routine over the weekend with mostly yoga and strengthening moves, as this is my area of greatest weakness (according to the Wii, and my balance really is bad). A phone call (from my husband :) during my workout today increased my balance woes and decreased my attention to each exercise.

The trainer guy gave me a little lecture on maybe learning how to do each exercise better before attempting the routine again. Pretty clever, and no offense taken, as I could see his point. It's funny, like I was wasting his time by not being focused. He's a computer simulation! Kind of Star Trek the Next Generation (the Moriarty episodes, or Voyager's Doctor) meets Toy Story ("You Are A TOY!").

(Oh, by the way, I tried switching to the girl trainer for yoga last week, but she is scantily clad enough, it's annoying, so I stick to the trainer guy!)

Another diversion in My Routine is that the trainer guy is wearing golden yellow throughout, so everything is different than when accessed through Training-- it's warmer than the green. I love that with the yoga Sunrise exercise. You'll have to try it to see what I mean.

Next time-- fitness and body test progress (for the record!).

Photo credit.

Balance Meditation Zen

Balance scores remain low, ski jump crash, son instructing me in meditation.

New Year's resolutions already in motion....