Ode to Virtual Exercise

Stats:
This week’s change: -4.5 (BOOYAH!)
Overall net change: -10.5

Woot!  Clearly, this was a good week for me.  I was darn good on my points (not perfect, but darn good), and even was under my daily total several times. Heck, even the two times we went out to eat and I chose not to try to calculate the meal’s points, I was still good and had a salad instead of going whole-hog on something truly vertboten.  Feels really, really good.

The tricky part right now is adding the exercise.  Long story, but I actually have two gym memberships at the moment. Both places have some form of childcare.  And yet I’m still finding it daunting to actually go, attempt to drop off my more-aware-and-therefore-clingier toddlers, and exercise with all the other January resolutes.  I know, lame-o excuses, but there you have it.

What I have done, though, is get back on the ol’ Wii Fit.  I bought it a few months ago, and have used it off and on (mostly off).  I do it for a few days, then the board gets put away while cleaning, and I don’t get it back out for a while.  But I got it back out this week, and found that all the time spent doing tree pose and the ski jump have actually opened some fun exercises.  My new loves?  Super Hula Hoop and Advanced Step.  Hula Hoop, in particular, really gets my heart racing.  It’s only 3-4 minutes long, but man! Heart rate up, starting to sweat, and some serious core muscle movement. I got pretty into it and did it four times on Friday.  Saturday, I was actually sore!  Yes, that’s a little bit lame, but you have to start somewhere…

So, if you’re looking for a little fun, at-home core muscle exercise, Super Hula Hoop has got you covered. A few words to the wise if you’re new to Wii Fit, though:

1. It does not feel bad about calling you fat. It will even inflate your Mii and play a little “fat” sound, just to drive home the point.
2. If you have gained weight, it will insist that you explain why. And then lecture you on eating fewer calories.
3. If you haven’t been on it in a while, it will make snide remarks. And purposely call you the wrong name. Swear to god.
4. Oh, and it will ask you to set a weight-related goal. Note: only make short-term goals, because although it claims you can change your goal every two weeks… that’s a lie. If you set a six-month goal, you can change it when six months is up. Hrmph.

But seriously, after the guilt and shame is over, it’s a ton of fun.  No, really.

Is it as good as “real” exercise? No. But when you’re starting at zero, it’s a hip-swivel in the right direction.

My goal for this week is to log at least 30 “min” on the Wii Fit (it tends to be generous in its estimation) every day that I’m home.  I’m going out of town on Sunday (woo, Inauguration!), but will try to be reasonable in my eating, and suspect there will be an awful lot of walking.  I’ll check in again next Wednesday, when I get home, a day later than my usual posting.

Have a great week, everyone!