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.