Wii Fit

Nintendo launched the Wii Fit in the US Today. As an individual who takes his endurance exercise pretty seriously, I can't imagine that this game / fitness device will make a significant impact in someone's fitness.

However, I did get a Wii for my son's 11th birthday a few weeks ago and it's the most fun game machine I've played with in a long time (not withstanding $20M Flight Simulators). When I play simple tennis on the game, I get a decent sweat going even if I'm not running around a court. It's a fun, simple distraction from a base line of solid endurance work. It's certainly more entertaining for cross training than watching TV from an elliptical machine.

The best stationary cycling machine I've used is from Expresso. The virtual reality and competition is only way I can stay focused indoors for more than an hour.

Combining an entertaining visual, kinetic and audible experience is a great way for time to pass on otherwise extremely dull indoor activities. The Wii Fit is just a baby step in the right direction for combining exercise and entertainment in new and interesting ways.

Snowshoeing as Cross Training

Last week, running along the beach in Ipanema – this week snowshoeing in Lake Placid. Wednesday was a cross training day, so I tried snowshoeing for 1.5 hrs. Advantages:

• Easy on the joints, under the crunchy snow
  
• Weight distributed more evenly across the foot due to the wide pad of the snowshoe
  
• Still weight bearing, unlike the bike or elliptical
  
• Great to be outdoors in the woods, rather than in the boxy gym
  
• Good for the muscles as it took a non-trivial effort to pull through deeper sections of snow.
  

Disadvantages:

• Hard to reach appropriate aerobic levels. If you try running on a bumpy trail, it’s easy to fall. I saw only one other person on the trail, and that was just ¼ miles in. Even with a PLB, it would not be fun alone in the cold woods with a twisted knee. So I was satisfied with a quick walking pace and enjoyed the wonderful Adirondack scenery.