This week marks one year since Wii Fit was released in North America, and one year since I started a regular exercise routine that has become a constant in my life. Since then, Wii Fit has topped sales charts consistently month after month, spawned the phrase “balance board compatible”, and started a new trend: exercise “games”. While I was one of the gamers who found Wii Fit a very helpful tool in the pursuit of a healthier lifestyle, many were quick to dismiss it, and the games that came after (Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout, Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatum) as fads or gimmicks. Yes, it’s true that these are more workout programs than games, and as such lack the addictive nature of other titles, but none of them ever claimed to do the work for you. Now that Wii Fit has been out for one year, I wanted to take a look back at the effect it has had on my life.

When I started using Wii Fit, I wasn’t overweight, but I was certainly out of shape. I have had terrible eating habits my entire life, which only got worse when I moved to Philadelphia when I was 18. I didn’t know how to cook and didn’t really care about taking care of myself, which meant that fast food and frozen pizza were two of my main diet staples. When I was about 23, this really started to catch up with me, and I was suddenly heavier than I had ever been. After months of being upset that I couldn’t fit comfortably into my clothes anymore, I decided to take control of my life and start eating better and exercising.



While my improved eating habits had a noticeable effect in the first few months, I wasn’t really very good at exercising on my own. I had no desire (or available cash) to join a gym, and I was determined to do it on my own—but I didn’t know where to start. When Wii Fit came out last May, it was perfect timing for me. I lost weight within the first week of use, but even more importantly, it helped me get in shape to exercise regularly, and now working out is just a part of my daily routine. When I first started, I could barely complete the short, three-minute runs, and aerobic boxing was quite a challenge. Over time, I found myself doing ten-minute runs daily. I have never been able to do that in my life! I also found myself enjoying the advanced boxing in Wii Fit, as well as some of the strength training exercises. Overall, the workouts provided in Wii Fit have served me well and changed my life when it comes to being fit.

It’s one year later, and I now own an exercise bike that I use for 30 minutes daily. I still do Wii Fit workouts from time to time because variety is really important to keep from getting too bored with exercise, and I appreciate the way it monitors my progress. I’ve lost weight and kept it off, and I really feel better about myself all around. Today, a copy of EA Sports Active landed on my desk, which is another balance board compatible exercise regimen that comes with some new accessories for the Wii. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m looking forward to checking it out this weekend and seeing how far exercise games have come. Are they gimmicks, or the latest way to cash in on a new trend? It’s easy to see it the second way, but at the end of the day, if it works, it works. Wii Fit gave me a reason to turn on my Wii almost every day for a year, making it more than worth the $90 that I paid for it last spring. In my review last year, I recommended that those interested should buy it, and now I’m still standing by that. As for EA Sports Active, you can expect a review soon, and I’m hoping that it goes even further to making me an active, healthy person.