My Wii and My Mii

Like most people, every year I make a New Year's resolution related to eating better, losing weight, and exercising more. We always mean well, but we seldom stick with our goals much past January.

This year, I decided that if my exercise plan included something fun, it might just work. So, having played many matches of bowling on my niece and nephew's Wii, I decided I would get one for myself...along with the Wii Fit. I had also read in People magazine (yes, one of my favorite sources of health information!) that many people were able to lose weight with the Fit.

As those of you with Wiis know, one of the first things you do when setting up your system is to create a "Mii," which is the cartoon representation of yourself that will display on the screen when using the Wii. I tried to make mine as a more attractive version of myself, although the only makeup included is light blue eyeshadow. Being a child of the 70s, I thought retro eyeshadow would be forgivable.

Now ready to go, it was time for my Fit Test. I followed the instructions on the screen, which first tested my balance and then moved on to weight. I know it wasn't going to be pretty, but it was kind of like an episode of scared straight. I got on the Fit Board as the weighing process began. On the screen, I saw the scale go higher and higher. Then, to my shocked horror, my skinny Mii suddenly made a "pouf" sound, looked down at her little fake cartoon body, and suddenly--complete with sound effects--expanded to be more representative of my actual size. My Mii got chubby right before my eyes. While it was indeed humiliating, it was also funny.

Photo: My Chubby Mii

Now, everytime I fire up my Fit, there is my chubby Mii to greet me for my workout. I have to say, it is motivating to see myself through the wise eyes of the Wii imagery. If I get down to my goal weight, I hope that my Mii will reproportion herself accordingly. For now, I have diligently done most of the balance exercises (I'm getting better at the soccer balls and the hula hoop, and I'm a pro at the ski jump). I've started to do some of the strength exercises and yoga. There is a cute dance routine that took me a while to figure out but is now pretty fun. The boxing is great for upper body work and getting out your frustrations. And, if I miss a few days, my Wii gently scolds me. But, I do have to say, this form of exercise just might work!