So, you got a Wii Fit for christmas (and looking at the sales figures you are not the only one), and you want to know how to make the most of it? You've come to the right place, WiiFitForum.org is the place to share your experiences, seek help, and get ideas for keeping going and making he most of it.

To get you started, here is my Beginner's Guide to getting the most from the Wii Fit.

But first lets get some bad news out of the way...

Don't think of the Wii Fit as a replacement for the gym, or a long run, it's more like a 21st century update of the Jane Fonda fitness video: great as an addition to a healthy lifestyle. Wii Fit is designed mainly around the idea of helping you get trimmer and stronger, building those core muscles, helping your balance, and generally toning and tightening your body. While there are cardio exercises, they are no substitute for proper cardio excises like a brisk walk, or swimming.

As so many adverts say it "may help weight loss as part of a calorie controlled diet". In fact that's exactly what Nintendo advises. You can't supersize that Big Mac just because you have done a bit of Wii Fit Yoga. You will still have to watch what you eat.

Now the Good News...

Wii Fit will help you get active and help you tone up, and with a good diet, it will help you lose weight. If you are realistic, your new Wii Fit will make a real difference, if you are expecting a miracle then it will just take a place next to the unused exercise bike gathering dust in the shed.

The Wii Fit can really make a difference because it makes exercising at home fun, because it is always there under the TV, and because it never rains in Wii Fit world You can do as much or as little as you like and fit it in around your life, you can do it in private, and you can do it at home (rather than feeling embarrassed at the gym).

If you make it a routine part of your life, Wii Fit will keep you active, making it easier to eat well, and to progress onto more strenuous exercise.

So how do I make the most of Wii Fit?

Do what you enjoy and keep things interesting

Lets face it, most exercise is dull, and over time many people give up because they find the tedium and repetitiveness soul destroying. If you have just got a Wii Fit, you have probably already tried other diets, other exercise routines, and have a small collection of abandoned fitness gear gathering dust.

If you do the exercises you enjoy, you are more likely to keep doing it. Anything that gets you up and moving will do you some good. Doing a little bit of step aerobics or a few balance games is much better than not riding that expensive static bike or not making it to that gym you bought an expensive membership for.

Vary what you do to keep things interesting. If you get bored of an activity or don't like doing it, change to something else, mix things up. There are loads of activities to chose from. To begin with I hated the step aerobics routines, I just couldn't do it. I left it for a few months and then had another go recently and started to get the hang of it. Now it forms an essential part of my daily routine and I really enjoy it.

Remember, there are other games for the Wii that can get you active, so use those as well to keep things interesting. Have a look around and see what might be fun. We will be running reviews on new active games as they are released, so check out the Game Reviews section for other great active games for the Wii.

Don't make Wii Fit a chore

If you find something too hard pick something easier, you can always give it another go at a later date. If Wii Fit becomes a chore you are more likely to stop doing it. If you just don't feel very active, just do a little of what you enjoy. If you keep it fun you will keep doing it. Treat Wii Fit as a game that just happens to be good for you, not as an exercise routine that you feel you have to do.

Do a little, often, rather than trying to to do infrequent big sessions.

Many people give up on exercise because they can't fit it in around their life. Wii Fit is not like that, you can do just 15 minutes if you want. I try to do about 30 minutes each morning before work, it wakes me up and gets me moving for the day ahead. Sometimes I have less time and just do 10 or 15, but I always do something, even if it's just a few balance exercise. Make a little activity a part of your daily routine. If you only exercise a couple of times a week, it is very easy to get out of the routine.

Try to do more reps of fewer exercises.

Switching between exercises can take time, so try to do fewer exercises for longer. Just because there are many exercises in Wii Fit, don't feel you have to do all of them to get a workout. All that switching between exercises wastes time.

Don't worry too much about your Wii Fit age, but do the basic body test every day.

The Wii Fit age is a bit of voodoo, and the full body test takes several minutes and doesn't really tell you much. For most people, the shorter body test is enough. Try to weigh yourself every day, but don't worry too much about your day-to-day changes. Being confronted by the Wii Fit's honest appraisal of your body every day is a great motivator to control your diet and keep exercising.

Your body weight will naturally vary by a couple of pounds during the day and night. Don't be disheartened by these day to day fluctuations in your weight, it happens to everyone and it totally normal. What is important is the overall trend. I discuss this in more detail here.

Get support from your friends, and online

It is much easier to keep going if you have people supporting you, anyone who has been to WeightWatchers can tell you that. So if you have friends with Wii Fits, why not team up and compare what you are doing and provide mutual support. It's much more fun doing things together, so why not have Wii Fit parties with your friends and make it a competition?

Why not sign up for WiiFitForum (it only takes a moment) and share your experiences here in the "Your Progress" section. You can share your progress, get help and advice and just get that warm feeling that your are not the only one out there battling your flab

Most importantly...

Have fun! If you keep it fun, you will keep doing it, and that is half the battle. Treat it as an entertainment, not as a chore, and you will want to keep it up.