There’s no denying that America is one of the fattest, flabbiest nations in the world.
It seems puzzling then that one of the hottest new video games to hit the market is Wii Fit, which actually makes players put down the Cheetos, get off the couch and work up a sweat.
And it’s not just avid gamers who are after this game. The Wii game system appeals to demographics you typically don’t find browsing the aisles at GameStop: women and senior citizens.
Wii Fit, which drops today in the U.S., sticks with that theme by offering workouts that appeal to all sorts of people. There’s everything from yoga to soccer to dance aerobics to hula-hooping.
Some of the workout routines are like workout videos, you simply follow along. But you preform the workouts on an electronic board that can tell if you’re doing the motions correctly or not.
Other workout routines are more interactive simulations. For example, if you’re playing a soccer game there might be a series of soccer balls flying at the screen that you have to pretend to head-butt or kick.
Based on your performance, Wii Fitness will give you an overall health score with stats like BMI and your fitness age.
I am about as far away from being a gamer as it gets, but I do own a Wii and enjoy playing it often–proving that this system really does appeal to those of us not in the gaming niche. I can also tell you that Wii games do make you get on your feet and burn some calories (my arms were actually sore after a recent boxing match).
I haven’t had a chance to test out the new Wii Fit, and like most, it’ll likely be a few months until I can get my hands on one. But believe you me, if there’s something out there that makes working out actually fun, I’m all about it. And based on the thumbs up reviews it’s already getting from game aficionados, it seems like the folks at Nintendo may have figured out how to do just that.