NPR's Morning Edition weighed in this morning (pun is sadly intended) on the effectiveness of Wii-based workout games. They specifically reference Wii Fit and Dance Town. It was a short fluff piece in another bad news day, and the upshot was that while these games are a good start, you really can't substitute Wiirobics for "real" workouts. On the other hand, these games can lead to positive lifestyle changes and get you integrating workouts into your daily routine.
I agree largely with these findings, but I have two things to add. First of all, I worked out with Wii Fit daily for 30-45 minutes almost every day between February '09 and late December '09, and it really made a difference. Of course I supplemented with nearly 3,000 miles on the bike, but I can't imagine anyone who would work out with Wii Fit once a day, then spend the rest of the day popping bon bons while watching daytime TV from the comfort of their barcalounger. Any daily workout routine leads to the desire to work out more, whether it's running, cycling, or poking around in the garden. So there's certainly nothing wrong with Wii Fit, especially when they upgraded to Wii Fit Plus, which allows a more seamless workout routine with less down-time between activities and calorie counting, not to mention the ability to customize workouts and flap your arms like a giant chickadee.
Secondly, EA Active totally works, and it burns calories twice as fast as Wii Fit. You really can get winded in the running and the lunges and squats are pretty brutal, especially when you're starting out. I've found that I burn around 200 calories for a 30 minute EA Active workout, and I've been supplementing that with cycling on the trainer once or twice a week, and I also do some EA Active two-player sports with my 9-year-old, which is really a blast. Tennis is my favorite, but volleyball, dancing and baseball are a pretty good time as well.
Tomorrow I finish my 30 day EA Active workout, and I look forward to starting another round on Friday. Next on the wish list is EA Active More Workouts, since it addresses a weakness of EA Active, the lack of abdominal workouts. The price is right, coming in at around $40.
It's time for a mid-winter assessment, even though I am fully aware that it's not quite mid-winter yet. The January warmup has me thinking about the upcoming road biking season, but I am no longer stressed about keeping in shape. Back in November I was a bit worried about keeping up the level of aerobic fitness that I achieved over the 2009 cycling season, but fortunately the workout cocktail of indoor cycling with the trainer, daily workouts with EA Active for Wii, and downhill skiing is really working for me.
Back in February, when I separated my shoulder in a skiing accident, I weighed in at just under 220 pounds. For the last decade or so my weight has ranged between 220 and 230, and while I wasn't happy with my weight, I wasn't working very hard on weight loss. I don't believe in diet or exercise, and I still don't, but my stellar year of road biking changed my attitude about the importance of maintaining better aerobic fitness, and now that I have reaped the benefits of significant weight loss, I am fairly obsessed with keeping in good shape.
Starting in February, a daily regimen of Wii Fit and my regular visits to a physical therapist got me primed for the cycling season. My new road bike got me attacking the hills, and between February and November I was able to lose over 30 pounds without really trying. I cut cheese out of my daily lunches, substituting sunbutter and jam sandwiches, and pretty much gave up alcohol and desserts. I wasn't aiming to diet—I just responded to my body, which was sending me some strong signals about what nutrition worked best for rides.
I've been off the roads for two months now, and I ride on the trainer two or three times a week. This may not seem like much, but a typical workout lasts between 35 minutes and an hour, and I can burn between 700 and 1000 calories, which turns out to be pretty significant. I don't love the workout bunker, but I think of it as an investment in another great cycling season from the get go. The 1up USA trainer is absolutely fantastic! I can easily get my heart rate into the 160s and keep it there for a long stretch. The new Shimano 105 pedals and Louis Garneau road shoes are a substantial improvement to my drivetrain, and I feel more sure-footed.
After some predictable weight gain over the holidays, I started working out daily with EA Active for Wii. The 30 day challenge is really something, and while the attempts to motivate are beyond annoying, I have nothing but good things to say about the results. I have so much more energy than I ever remember having during the winter, and I have been able to keep my weight between 185 and 186 for the last several weeks. With only a few more days left in the 30 day challenge, I look forward now to the 60 day challenge. I don't even mind getting up at 5:30 any more!
The ski season has been tremendous thus far. Greek Peak has had some stellar conditions, and all of the lunges and squats demanded of me in my EA Active workouts has really improved my form.
The January thaw may last a while longer, but surely we'll be back to arctic conditions before too long. Fortunately the days will be getting longer, and I can start really getting ready the cycling season. My new brain bucket is on the way, and next up will be some new road tires. Suggestions, anyone? By the way, I chose the Giro Atmos (red and black), after finding it on eBay for $120. Good price for a helmet that routinely sells for $175. I guess I avoided the Lance tax, but I'll know for certain when I take delivery. Look for the Atmos review coming up soon.
It's another beautiful winter day in Ithaca, and snow drought seems like such an aughts concept. The ski conditions at Greek Peak have been terrific and the season looks promising, with lots of snow on the ground and no warming trends in the forecast for the next two weeks at least. If you're a winter sports enthusiast in the Northeast, there's nothing to complain about.
This time of year, I look at the messy, snow-covered roads, littered with potholes and contaminated with grit and road salt and am having a really hard time imagining what it was like to bike up the magical hills on my road bike only a few months ago. Sure, I could get the old beater mountain bike out of the garage and do some sloppy winter cycling, but it's just not the same. Winter cycling in these conditions is a much different aesthetic than road biking, and it just isn't as appealing as it used to be. A few years ago I turned a pair of mountain bike tires into studded tires, thanks to a helpful online tutorial. While I can't find the exact one I used, this one is essentially the same. The trick is to screw sheet metal screws into the tire so that the tips stick out, and use tire liners or just old tube rubber to prevent the screw heads from poking into your tubes and giving you a flat. It turns out that you really only need to have a studded tire on the front wheel, though it doesn't hurt to have the rear studded as well.
I think I'll just stick to skiing and the trainer, and keep following the latest crazy experiments of Lance, as he swallows thermometers to measure his core temperature and experiments with cooling vests and other high tech silliness, as Team Radio Shack looks for whatever competitive edge they can find. And then there's the snide hilarity of Bike Snob NYC, my favorite bike blog by a mile. Oh yeah, and there's EA Active, which continues to be a fantastic way to burn calories in the living room. The 2010 road cycling season is only a few months away...
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