I've been doing the jogging, there are several choices - the one where you have to be observant is good, but its very short.
The free jogging is long enough, but I find it a bit boring running a long distance as if on rails. So I've been mixing and matching.

I have to admit, the cats are great. I like dogs, but I lurv cats. I never dreamt that I would respond to cartoon animals like this in my forties lol.

It didn't occur to me that I would get more tired jogging than cycling, but it does make sense.

Anyway today I bought some rechargeable batteries for the board, so I will have more options again tomorrow

I bought a rechargeable pack also but keep a set of ordinary rechargeables ready because the pack doesn't last very long. It is aggrivating to have the Wii calve halfway through a run or obstacle course.

I use Eneloops and a Sanyo charger (most other don't fill this cells complete). I can't remember exact but the pack in the board run at least a month before I have to charge again. I one interview a guy of Nintendo says remote and board will work with them best. When I get the power low message, the board will do it's job sure longer then a half hour.

Yes the same here, although the Wii said the board batteries were low I still used it to measure me each morning for the last week, then I put it away and just did jogging. So there is a little room in the system.

Four rechargeables cost nearly $30 NZ, I thought that was so expensive

I am changing the batteries when the system stops, I rarely get a message. I am cycling and the bike pulls over and stops and I can't get it to start again. New batteries seems to do the trick. Do you think something else is wrong.

I have learned electronic at the "valve time" then switch to mechanic. So I didn't know much about the new electronic in the board.
I think one of your four batteries discharge to quick so it's not enough time for a message. The program will not check the battery voltage to often, so the connection can get lost between two checks. Try to measure the empty batteries and load first the lowest one halfway. The voltage of rechargeable batteries should under no circumstances fall under 1 Volt! Hope that helps.

I tried the canoe and, yes, it is a good workout. I found I enjoyed the training game with the ducks better than the actual games, though. The swords, though, remain my favourite. I really put quite a bit of effort into it and I do feel tired at the end of a half hour of swinging swords. It has inspired me to consider joining a kendo club. Well, that and the manga Bamboo Blade.

On WiiFit Plus, I have been working on my Basic Step. I have gone from being a complete mess with it to 325 points, that is, 3 points away from a perfect score! I thought I was hopeless at first, but now I do it three or four times a session. Just shows what a bit of motivation will do for you.

The kendo fights seem to use much more energy than I would have expected from just swinging the wii remote around. It's my favorite Sports Resort game.

It is quite a bit of fun. I particularly like hitting the green-armoured guys in the one against many as they stand around gawping. I feel as if I am out of the Kurosawa film Sanjuro or something.

I think the reason why it takes so much energy is:

(a) the amount of force one needs to swing the remote to get a good hit
(b) the amount of mental concentration it requires, particularly in the one against many fights

From my understanding of things, concentration burns off calories. I think, in part, that is the reason why I burn so many calories when I stand and draw: it's not just that I stand while drawing, but the amount of concentration it takes for me to draw.

Some WiiFit games require more concentration than others, so it is possible that their MET is higher than the number given. I've definitely come to that conclusion with the step games. I think that they may be burning off more calories than the jogging, because in jogging, my mind can just go on 'auto' mode, while when I am playing step, I have to concentrate to try to ensure that each step's timing is perfect.

I just read something about that yesterday and I don't remember where it was now. They estimated you burned 20 calories more per hour if you were doing an activity that required concentration or was mentally challenging. Standing requires a lot more of your body than sitting just for you to remain upright. I've read suggestions of sitting on a balance ball at your desk is great because you have to try to stay balanced and work your core muscles. I'd love to try it but I'd need a huge ball because I'm short and I have to have my desk chair pumped up to sit here as it is.