Wii is our favourite way to exercise
by James Konik 
{ May 2nd 2007 at 11:10AM }
Are you looking to get in shape for the summer? How about following JR Cook's example? The 27 year old lifelong gamer has already lost 20 pounds since he started his Wii weight loss plan, and aims to ditch another 60 by the end of the year.JR realised the Wii's potential for weight loss after a 90 minute gaming session left him sweating and physically sore. Now he plays for around 35-40 minutes a day, seven days a week. JR has been sharing the results of his plan through his blog every day.
This story of gaming changing people's lives for the better is just the sort of thing that keeps our hearts warm and our minds confident that our cholesterol filled diets need not be the end of us.
How about you fanboy readers? Has anyone noticed the pounds dropping off since picking up Wii Sports? Any transformations from coach potatoes into hyper-fit superpeople? If that's the case, be sure to tell us about it!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
vidGuy @ May 2nd 2007 1:27PM
More power to these people, but I think you need to be in pretty bad physical shape for the Wii to make any changes. If you don't move, sure the Wii helps. But I have noticed zero change even though I play for about an hour a day because I also run around 5 miles a week and bike another 20 miles. I also lift weights three times a week.
I'm cool with the Wii being slightly more healthy than your average console, but it's not a miracle machine.
jt_bombtrak @ May 2nd 2007 3:03PM
I just got my Wii yesterday (thanks to my AWESOME fiancee who scored the last one at Target). We played for a couple of hours last night, and I was definitely feeling it by the end. Today I'm a little sore. It comes at a perfect time, because I've been wanting to work out, but also wanted to spend more time gaming with the other half. This brings both things together!
Maybe now I won't have to quit drinking my minimum 2 bottles of Mt. Dew a day to get in shape before the wedding...!
Erick Gzz. @ May 2nd 2007 3:31PM
Two bottles of mountain dew a day? That's like 600 calories, definitely not something you would want to drink before your wedding. Average calorie intake is around 2,000 per day (but it depends on the person), so 2 dews are around 2/5 of what you should take in a day. Replace it with water or Dew Light.
I agree with vidGuy. It's only useful if you were a complete couch potato before, and if you want to lose weight with it then you've gotta play every day, I guess.
J @ May 2nd 2007 3:31PM
The Wii is Japan's way of tricking us into not being Fat-Lazy-Americans and apparently its working. Good for you JR!
@1 Some people are in bad shape, but it always takes that first activity to spark more excercise for someone to get in shape. It just happens to be the Wii for some people. By being an all around jock or health-freak you are obviously in a different category than such a person (which is good for you). With that in mind, would it be appropriate for a Genius in MENSA with 2 PhD's to mock people in the general population for playing Brain Age? I don't mean to direct any undeserved negativity towards you personally, but sometimes people just need to let a good thing be a good thing.
vidGuy @ May 2nd 2007 5:17PM
I agree J, I just didn't know how to get the point across in a less 'offensive' way. What would be a REAL success story is if Wii Sports is a gateway into some real sports. You can play Wii Tennis, have fun, learn real tennis, and still play the Wii for fun at home.
Loban @ May 3rd 2007 12:24PM
2 bottles of mountain dew a day!!! What do you weigh? Like 300 lbs!?!?! That's horrible.
Everyone, and i mean EVERYONE, should switch to diet soda. Before I switch I swore I would never drink diet EVER!! I hated it. But now I can't tell the difference and actually prefer some diets over regular. Pepsi One (technically not diet) is MUCH better than regular Pepsi. It's got the same great basic taste, without all the sugary syrupy taste.
Yogurtron @ May 10th 2007 8:04PM
I'm sorry, but that first post bugged me. Kudos for being in such great shape, but to discount what the Wii can do because it doesn't affect you is a bit silly. Saying "I do far more physical activity than the average American and the Wii didn't make me any fitter" is rather silly. If you do that much OF COURSE adding a little bit from a gaming system won't affect you.
For me, I want to get in shape, and I did go to the gym for some time, but I am in college and that does not leave me much time. I would be unable to do anything else for about 3 hours with going to the gym (including changing, 30 min cardio, weight lifting, getting home, and showering), and with homework and study to do, that became too much time to give. Not to say I don't goof off with some of my extra time now, but it's hard to find a good 3 hour block to do this in that isn't really late or really early. I know that people with careers (which I will soon be) are also short on time, so I'm not sure how I'll fit it in after I get a job, but still, college does have homework on top of everything else one has to do when living away from home.
But I digress, I just think that vidGuy was needlessly harsh on the fitness potential of the Wii. Some of us aren't low on physical activity by choice, but rather by circumstance.
As for the diet soda thing, I would love to be able to drink it, but after all the things I hear about the aspertane in it, it feels less healthy to me than the normal sodas, despite the lower calorie count.