Hello everyone. A little introduction.

My boyfriend bought us a Wii Fit Plus two weeks ago, after we had been talking about getting one for quite a while. I think he mainly bought it for me, but he likes games. He is a gym rat, lifting weights, so he doesn't really need Wii Fit Plus to get in shape. Though, I believe he would benefit from some of the activities. He has good balance, but not always flexibility with that balance. He is very muscular, so BMI always puts him in the obese range, though he is not. He takes it pretty well, but I don't think he's all that happy with his Mii looking pudgy, and the game making comments.

I, on the other hand am a couch potato. There have been short periods of time in my adult life when I have gone to a gym consistently. But I can never seem to keep it up. I also did yoga for a couple of years, several times a week, sometimes even twice a day.

The last few years I have been unusually sedentary, because I had two degenerative discs in my lumbar spine. I was in constant pain for close to two years, and had been having intermittent pain for the previous 10-12 years before that. In fact during those intermittent pain years were some of the times where I had been going to a gym and also when I was doing yoga. In fact I think the yoga helped with my back.

Anyway, at the end of May 2009, I had surgery to replace the two degenerating discs with artificial discs. I have noticed, now that I don't have pain anymore, how much not being able to move normally for so long has affected my body. I have always had tight hamstrings, but I could stretch pretty well when doing yoga. But now I can hardly sit with my feet out in front of me on the floor (legs at a 90 degree angle) without it hurting and pulling those muscles and ligaments, let alone trying to bend forward - forget it. And I know that I am not as balanced as I used to be either. It is extremely evident when I try to do yoga, I just don't have the range that I used to have. What I am looking for in using the Wii Fit Plus is just to be able to get my body moving again. Stretching and getting stronger and more flexible again, while having fun.

I am a 47 year old woman. I am 5 ft. 4 in. tall and my BMI is ~22, in the normal range. I have put on about 8-10 lbs over the last two years. I am hoping to lose those extra pounds through better eating, though the activity won't hurt.

So my main goal with the Wii Fit Plus is increasing my strength and flexibility. A secondary goal is losing a little bit of weight.

You can suggest to your boyfriend that one way to get the Mii to look less plump and reflect his build better is to lie about his height and say he is taller than he is. If he doesn't really care about what the Wii is reporting as his BMI and desired weight, then this will at least make his Mii less pudgy. (I don't know what others in the forum think but I question the Wii's designation of normal, overweight, and underweight anyway -- it suggested an ideal weight for me that would actually make me look ill if I weighed that little. I'm 52 and haven't weighed their suggested weight since tenth grade. While I could always stand to lose a few pounds, I'd have no intention of trying to look like a teenager again, so I just ignore its suggested weight and BMIs and set my own goals.)

Laurie

Hi Treefrog,

I have history of joint problems and chronic pain as well. I'm starting to do much better with the exercise and my body is feeling much better too, as long as I pace myself and don't try to do too much all at once. Because of the hip and knee problems I've had, making sure I do stretching before and after I exercise is critical. Sounds like it would be helpful for you too. I usually warm up for 10 or 15 minutes with Island Cycling on the Wii, then do one of the 10 minute stretch routines before getting into the meat of my workout (walking or other Wii games). I follow up with another 10 minute stretch routine.

I do a combination of Wii, walking and exercise DVDs. I've got two DVDs that you might find helpful.

The first one is Total Stretch for Beginners with Tamilee. It's broken in to three, 10 minute stretch routines. One standing, one sitting, and one on the floor. I use one of these routines to help me stretch out before and after I exercise. I like using the DVD rather than just doing it on my own, because left to my own devices I find I take short cuts, skip certain stretches, or don't hold the stretches long enough. Having Tamilee there talking me through it keeps me honest. It's like having my own personal trainer taking me through my stretching. I don't have to remember what I'm supposed to do next.

The second DVD I'd recommend is Yoga For Inflexible People with Judi Rice. I am NOT flexible at all. And a lot of yoga is just beyond me. But I know I feel better physically when my body is more limber. I found this DVD to be very helpful. It's more interactive that most DVDs I've run across. It's broken into multiple sections and routines, so you can pick both the length of time you want to work out, and the area you want to target.

Good luck and welcome to the group!

Hi Laurie and Pam, thanks for the welcome.

My boyfriend did set his height a little higher, but I guess it doesn't bother him so much that he wants to raise it anymore.

Well, I am proud of myself. Today I did the Free Run for 10 minutes, before this I had only done the short runs. I wasn't sure I would be able to keep it up for the full 10 minutes, but I did .

I also got farther than ever before in the Obstacle Course, and got my highest score in the Penguin game.