Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Wii Fit

I realize I stated this Blog would be all about DB2 stuff, but, I can't help myself. I have to say a few lines about the Wii Fit. I bought my Wii Fit in June and have only been using it a short while, but it's awesome.

As an IBM employee, I found myself doing heavy travel for the last 8 years. My typical week entailed getting on a plane Sunday or Monday morning and returning on Friday. After a long week , at sometimes a city across several timezones, I found it very easy to fall into the excuse of not exercising. It was either, I'm too tired or I'm too busy.

Well, when I returned from my Redbook Residency in Germany I decided to take a new position with IBM. My travel is now limited to a local area, and so, I no longer could fall prey to the 'no time - too tired" excuses. That said, I somehow was still in that old pattern of very little exercise.

I'm not exactly sure when I entered this era of my life. When I was younger, both in high school and college I was an avid runner. Exercising was one, if not, the main focus in my life. Well, exit that era and enter a 20plus some of IT and work. Being in the shape I was, it didn't hit immediately, but at some point I must have stopped looking into the mirror with a realistic view. I'm overweight and over forty, ...ugh.. And, although I'd never like to admit it - I'd rather have a beer than go out for a run.

So, in an effort to inspire myself I purchased the Wii Fit. When you start with the Wii Fit it politely calculates your BMI (while hiding your weight if you'd like) and then gets you going an a set of exercises. The Fit has 4 categories: Yoga, Strength, Aerobics and Balance. It is designed to start you off slow, but not too slow, and as you work with the Wii Fit it opens up new games ( or exercises) for you to play. See, I already called them games ...see the point... now exercising is fun again. I may actually get my nerdy out of shape body a bit back to the image it should be and not the one I see in the mirror.

If your having a tough time starting, I think the Wii Fit is kinda fun and I don't think it's because I'm kinda a linux girl that I like the Wii...it's just that cool. Don't look for it to be a substitute for outdoor activities, like running or biking - but use it as a supplement and an instrument to get you going ...and you might find you like it. I did.

And, I like it so much I was willing to write about it. I'll post another short update in six or eight months, to let you know if the "novelty" of the Wii has worn off and it's just collecting dust. I hope not, cause if so ..then I'll probably not have achieved my goal of lowering my BMI and weight. .... wish me luck.