Blog Archives
Helen Mirren (partially) credits Wii Fit for her “Best Body of the Year”
Amazing results can happen if you work diligently enough at making your Wii Fit avatar slim and smiling instead of flabby and frowning. 66-year-old actress Helen Mirren was voted “Best Body of the Year” in an L.A. Fitness poll, beating out contenders like Jennifer Lopez and Elle Macpherson, and according to Shape, she gives credit to “regular walks with her dog and playing on the Wii Fit”.
Even though the sexygenarian actress was hot long before video game consoles were even marketed, and she’s also a paid celebrity endorser (see video above) – good for her! I don’t have Wii Fit, but there are lots of great Wii fitness choices out there for all ages.
Uncle Sam wants DDR to get Navy into ship shape
With DDR torching fat off moms and kids across the nation, the Navy is interested in turning its boot camps into boot-stomping camps! According to the Navy Times, the tech-savvy Navy Surgeon General Vice Admiral Adam Robinson wants to incorporate exergames like DDR and Wii Fit into physical training programs for recruits, for much the same reason they are being used in schools: because recruits aren’t as physically fit as they used to be, in large part because of all the time they spend in front of computers. So giving them something they enjoy, a “gateway” activity, will build their endurance and strength to tackle more traditional exercises. (Maybe the Wii rowing machine can be put to good use here.)
The article notes that many female recruits are suffering bone fractures, due to not being used to running or even standing for long periods. DDR is just the ticket for that, with all its high-impact jumping and running. Playing doubles will help develop amazing flexibility and agility as well.
I salute the Navy from my dance pad for their forward thinking! If they want to save Uncle Sam a few dollars and buy games off the shelf, may I suggest DDRMAX2 for PS2 which contains a remix of, what else, “In The Navy”.
Pro athletes and trainers put five Wii workout games to the test
In an article in today’s Boston Globe, five Wii games – Your Shape, Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010, Wii Fit Plus, The Biggest Loser and EA Sports Active – were tested by three trainers, a pro soccer player and a pro hockey player.
Your Shape, which has recently been discounted to $20 at Amazon (at that price, even I’m tempted) and Biggest Loser got fairly high marks for being effective and entertaining. The ex-Army trainer who took Jillian for a spin thought she made his drill sergeant seem nice, and EAS Active kind of brought up the rear, due to – perhaps a little unfairly – being thought of as too easy.
This would be good reading for someone looking for a comparison of Wii workouts. Plus, there’s a fun, ESPN-ish video accompanying the article:
