Wii Fit Is Great, But In Moderation

In a recent New York Times article about the Nintendo Wii, there have been many reported shoulder injuries linked to the Gaming platform. They refer to these as "Nintendinitis". This is linked to the swinging movements in the Wii Sports games and workouts.

Nintendo created Wii to break away from sedentary video-game systems. In doing so, it lures users off the couch with a handheld, wireless remote and a selection of familiar, free-swinging games like tennis, boxing and bowling.

According to Dr. Brian Halpern, a sports medicine physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, “It’s great in the concept that it gets people active and involved". However, “It’s not great in that you get lost in that and are overloading areas that you haven’t worked out in a long time, if ever.”

Dr. Halpern said he had treated two types of injuries tied to Wii: traumatic injuries like twisted knees and sprained ankles from playing the games in confined spaces, and repetitive stress problems from playing too long. A common problem is the realization by players that a full swing is not required; a flick of the wrist is often enough to return a serve or bowl a strike. As several doctors pointed out, that is the exact motion — concentrating the force of a swing in the muscles of the forearm — that can cause tennis elbow.

The Wii system displays warnings about prolonged use. It also interrupts players regularly to urge them to take a break. Like any type of exercise or physical activity, doing it in moderation is best. Also, please check with you physician if you are healthy enough to perform this type of physical activity.

The benefits of the physical activity that is done when using Wii far outweighs the negatives. Wii has helped many people lose weight, gain muscle tone, improve flexibility, balance and improve their physical health while having fun doing it.

Wii Fit Yoga Workout

This post will provide a routine that is easy to follow and changes up the exercises provided by the Wii Fit.

The goal is to simulate a real yoga studio step-by-step workout with a warm-up, cool down, and even meditation time included. This routine should also provide new options for a well-rounded, full-body practice.

Due to the Wii Fit determining how long you hold each pose, this workout will last about one hour. Because of a pause between poses, those poses are not counted by the system. You will only earn about 35 min on you fit bank.

To warm up:

Balance Game: Lotus Focus - try to focus your gaze on the floor in front of you not the screen and listen to the sound of your breath

Yoga: Deep Breathing

Yoga: Half Moon

Yoga: Sun Salutation

Build up Heat:

Yoga: Downward Facing Dog - the first time you do this, try to make the trainer say that you are putting too much weight on your feet. Really feel the stretch in your hamstrings

Retry Yoga: Downward Facing Dog, perform instead in Plank Pose. That is the upright push-up position where the hips are low and the heels pressing toward the back of the room. Your trainer will tell you that you are putting too much weight on your hands. The goal here is to have a steady horizontal line above the blue line in the final score.

Yoga: Cobra

Build up Heat & Balance:

Yoga: Warrior - Perform instead Warrior 1 with hips and torso face forward, arms reach overhead with palms facing one another. Be sure your hips are square to the front of the balance board.

Retry Yoga: Warrior - Follow instructions and perform Warrior 2 as it is described by the trainer

Retry Yoga: Warrior - this time perform Peaceful Warrior. Following the trainer's instructions into Warrior 2, flip the palm of the front hand to face the ceiling and then windmill the arms gently vertical, keeping your gaze on the front / top palm. This "raises" your spear and gives a nice side stretch along the thigh and torso.

Yoga: Downward Facing Dog

Cool down:

Yoga: Bridge Pose

Yoga: Spinal Twist

This routine will give you more variety than offered by the Wii Trainers.