We Fit

We Fit

I know it doesn’t sound quite right, but since I stopped going to the gym I’ve lost 5 lbs. and rediscovered my biceps. Let me explain.

About a year or so ago, my husband and I decided to join our local Bally’s Total Fitness. As most burgeoning gym patrons are, we were gung-ho from the get-go, and in our enthusiasm we paid upfront for a three year membership and time with a trainer. The trainer was nice enough, pert and perky and very encouraging, and the gym was packed with more machines and equipment than we’d ever use. But the novelty of being gym rats soon wore off, and we found ourselves making excuses not to go: it’s too far to drive, we’re too busy tonight, there’s a new episode of The Office on (never mind the DVR). After six months or so, our membership cards were lost somewhere under the car seats or in the forgotten gym bags crammed in the back of the closet.

Then a funny thing happened. Bally’s abruptly and unceremoniously closed their Salt Lake location. And boy, were we mad! How were we supposed to get in shape now? Where was I going to go to do the elliptical, treadmill and weight machines all in the same workout? And what about the money we paid?

Well, we did eventually get our money back, but we were still gymless earlier this year when my brother surprised my sister-in-law with a Wii Fit for her birthday. She convinced me to attempt some of the balance games and after just a few tries I was completely hooked. I began to drop hints at home. When I opened my very own Wii Fit for my birthday a couple of months ago I was thrilled to jump in, and I haven’t stopped using it since.

It seems I’m not alone. According to US New and World Report, the new generation of interactive video games is getting a lot of former couch potatoes moving.

Where gaming used to involve vast amounts of time sitting on one’s keister with a joystick in hand and a bag of Oreos nearby, it now requires the participant to simulate the activity on the screen. Even seniors are becoming more active since being introduced to video game bowling. And I’ve lost track of the number of friends and acquaintances tweeting or facebook posting about cancelling their gym memberships in favor of active gaming.

But let’s be real: is the average younger-than-retirement-age male going to get ripped pretending to hula hoop or headbutt soccer balls on a screen? Probably not, if that’s all he’s doing. In my case, I’ve been using the Wii Fit’s yoga and strength activities to supplement my two or three times per week jogging regimen. And it’s working! The thing is, it’s just so much fun, and the competition with anyone else using the system (in this case my husband) is so addictive, that I find myself logging a lot more time “working out” than I ever did at a gym. I don’t have to get in my car. I don’t have to worry about childcare for my one-year-old daughter. I don’t even have to find a cute outfit to wear; in fact, I’ve been known to do the plank and pushups in my pajamas.

But beware: although active gaming is a great way to build muscle, burn calories and improve your balance, it’s not an exact substitution for the real thing. Consider a story my aunt told me this week. Her teenage son works at a Boy Scout camp in the summers. He recently had a young scout come to him to do his “swim check.” The teen asked the boy if he could swim and the boy said yes, he could. With that he dove into the water and promptly began to panic. The teen jumped in and saved the boy, but demanded answers once he got him to the shore.

“I thought you said you could swim?” he asked.

The boy, innocently and earnestly, answered, “I thought I could! I do the Olympic swim on my Wii everyday!”

In other words, keep your video game console, but don’t throw out your waterwings just yet.