Dean's grand experiment is definitely our big Wii Fit bit here at N-Sider, but that doesn't mean others of us aren't getting into it as well. Personally, I almost didn't, at least not right now.
It wasn't due to any distaste for Wii Fit itself; in fact, I'd had some opportunity to enjoy it at E3 last and rather liked it. What I was concerned about was the fact that I already had a working exercise routine as well as a recent heel injury I had to be cautious of; I'm sure it would have been aggravated by some of Wii Fit's step-centric exercises. After talking to both a friend and Dean yesterday, though, I decided to grab it anyway, if only for the yoga and the balance games.
I'm pleased to report that you can use Wii Fit rather nicely alongside your existing workouts. Not only was I not pushed into any particular workout, leaving me free to pick and choose whatever it is I feel like I want to deal with that day, but I found that it's actually rather easy to record the exercise I already do and even bank Fit minutes for it—turning the thing into a rather handy way to track even largely out-of-Fit wellness. And you can do it all within the Wii Fit Channel, negating the need to jam the disc in unless you actually want to do the exercises.
The graphing has one key weakness, though, or at least it seems to here at the outset: it doesn't do any kind of smoothing. I got chewed out by the Balance Board this morning because it was under the impression I'd lost 4 pounds and blown by my loss goal I'd set the evening prior; in reality, I'd started using it the day before soon after dinner and before sleeping. I think I may start plugging the Fit weight figures into my trusty Eat Watch, which will very nicely smooth out those fluctuating numbers and give me a much more realistic idea of my weight and progress. (Interestingly, it looks like there's a new online version in case you don't own a Palm or Treo.)
One could successfully argue using Wii Fit like I plan to isn't worth $90; I might even agree with you. But if the price doesn't put you off, and you were hesitating for reasons similar to mine, it might still be worth a look.
It wasn't due to any distaste for Wii Fit itself; in fact, I'd had some opportunity to enjoy it at E3 last and rather liked it. What I was concerned about was the fact that I already had a working exercise routine as well as a recent heel injury I had to be cautious of; I'm sure it would have been aggravated by some of Wii Fit's step-centric exercises. After talking to both a friend and Dean yesterday, though, I decided to grab it anyway, if only for the yoga and the balance games.
I'm pleased to report that you can use Wii Fit rather nicely alongside your existing workouts. Not only was I not pushed into any particular workout, leaving me free to pick and choose whatever it is I feel like I want to deal with that day, but I found that it's actually rather easy to record the exercise I already do and even bank Fit minutes for it—turning the thing into a rather handy way to track even largely out-of-Fit wellness. And you can do it all within the Wii Fit Channel, negating the need to jam the disc in unless you actually want to do the exercises.
The graphing has one key weakness, though, or at least it seems to here at the outset: it doesn't do any kind of smoothing. I got chewed out by the Balance Board this morning because it was under the impression I'd lost 4 pounds and blown by my loss goal I'd set the evening prior; in reality, I'd started using it the day before soon after dinner and before sleeping. I think I may start plugging the Fit weight figures into my trusty Eat Watch, which will very nicely smooth out those fluctuating numbers and give me a much more realistic idea of my weight and progress. (Interestingly, it looks like there's a new online version in case you don't own a Palm or Treo.)
One could successfully argue using Wii Fit like I plan to isn't worth $90; I might even agree with you. But if the price doesn't put you off, and you were hesitating for reasons similar to mine, it might still be worth a look.