On the 8th Day of Christmas...

Do some active fun with the family. All of us have busy lifestyles and it's hard to get in family time and workouts on the weekends. Here's our solution to the problem. A Wii Fit Challenge. It's fun, active and can be a great workout if you go from one activity to the next without a break.

Many people ask me my opinion on the Wii Fit as a workout tool. I like it, but you still have to challenge yourself. There are games that are too easy and others that offer a greater challenge based on your fitness level. I've reviewed most of the menu and here's what I've found. Keep in mind that you have to unlock the harder games by playing the easier ones a few times.

On my own scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the most intense, very likely to get your heart rate in a good training zone and 10 being fairly easy and not likely to keep your heart rate up.

Aerobic Games:
Super Hula Hoop - 1
Island Loop Long Run - 1
Long Run - 3
Advanced Step - 4
Hula Hoop - 4
Rhythm Boxing - 4
Beginner Step - 9

There are additional free runs and free steps games, but those are self-paced so they could go either way.
Here's me and Danny at the end of the Island Loop Long Run.



The strength training exercises are great as stand alone. As a personal trainer, I wouldn't use it to get really effective or fast results, but it's a fun add-on to a normal routine workout. It's up to you to turn it into a workout and challenge the muscles in a balanced way. Nonetheless, I like that it instructs you to maintain balance and use core stability (keep your abs tight and not falling all over the place.) It's also sequenced well allowing you to unlock harder exercises as you master the easier ones. It's a bit frustrating to wait for each exercise set if you're trying to make it a workout, but it's better than nothing.

Here's Zeke doing the push up challenge. He did 33 pushups. He could have done more, but the Wii trainer made him give up. How many could you do?



The yoga exercises are really good! It's NOT a yoga class and doesn't even come close to taking the place of having an instructor monitor your body position, but it's good for the beginner. I would say it's like testing the water temp with your toe. It's a glimpse, but not the full effect. I'm always trying to improve my flexibility, so I enjoy using this as an additional tool. It's also great for encouraging deep breathing which relaxes the body and makes you focus. The best feature is that it monitors your balance and gives great feedback on the screen. If you need to work on balance, Wii Fit will certainly help.

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I'm passionate about educating kids on nutrition and active lifestyles. Dr. Katz is leading the way to battle childhood obesity.

Dr. David Katz and the Nutrition Detectives Program