Erik Schlimmer tells the story of how he learned to fastpack the Adirondacks, a grueling 110 miles and 19,000 vertical feet of climbing, in five days with only 11 pounds on his back.
As I write this letter there is a scalding heat wave causing record highs in the Northeast.
Recently I was forwarded a press release about the new Nintendo Wii game called Wii Fit. It comes out this month in the United States and it would seem that the fitness industry is abuzz about the video game and its potential to replace “real” exercise.
This is a lively debate on dozens of levels, but I have to admit that it cracks me up. First and foremost, what is “real” exercise? By dictionary definition, exercise is “bodily or mental exertion, especially for the sake of training or improvement of health.” And with that all-encompassing definition comes the question, what about Wii Fit isn’t “real” exercise?
Does it get you up off the couch and onto your feet? Does it get your heart pumping? Does it make you sweat? I have relatively inactive friends who said their muscles ached for a week after playing Wii’s boxing game. So how then, is it any different from a fitness video that you do at home in front of the TV?
I hear word that one of the arguments against it is that people are not moving “properly” while doing these actions resulting in repetitive motion injuries like carpel tunnel and tennis elbow. Doesn’t sound any worse to me than sitting at a computer all day—or actually playing tennis. Sure, the workout isn’t as good, but I doubt that our great tennis talents are giving up the game because Nintendo has offered them an easy alternative.
From the improper movement argument comes the plea that no one is supervising Wii Fitters to do the movements properly, adding to the injury factor. I hate to break it to you but I’ve done more fitness classes in the last 10 years than anyone I know, and I’ve seen more fitness instructors who don’t bother to correct bad posture and movement than I can even remember.
Is a bad instructor any better than a computerized one? If someone is just starting to get into fitness or wants to shed a few pounds and get healthier, is it so bad that he starts slow in the comfort of his home with something like Wii Fit?
The important question in this debate is, who are the video games reaching? Are they preventing active people from going out and doing “real” exercise? Or are they motivating people who might otherwise just sit on the couch and watch TV or play sedentary video games to get up, get moving and use their bodies actively?
I don’t think it’s a matter of replacing anything, it’s just making activity more fun and accessible to a certain demographic. I, for one, am excited to try it out for myself. Maybe on those gross winter days when I can’t bring myself to leave the house it’ll come in handy.
We want to hear from you! Send your letter to the editor to melanie@metrosports.com and we’ll print it in our next issue.
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