Let’s Get Physical

I’ll be the first to admit – I’m a bit squishy ’round the middle. Now, don’t give me those old tried-and-true lines like “oh, you’re beautiful the way you are” and “that’s all in your head”. Once a girl decides she’s in need of weightloss, nothing short of full-blown idolatry extolling her beauty 24/7 or amnesia will convince her otherwise.

So, being the tech girl that I am, I turned to video games for my exercise tools. I have three games I use: Let’s Yoga!, Let’s Pilates!, and Personal Trainer: Walking. Their uses are obvious enough from their titles, but I will explain how they are “played” for you. All three begin by introducing the system & creating a user profile. With Walking, you create a character that closely resembles a Mii. With Let’s Yoga, you can modify the avatar’s head, clothes, & mat. Let’s Pilates offers no customization that I’ve found.

Walking comes with a small pedometer that can sync to the game cartridge to record your steps throughout the day. It allows you to play minigames with your step count, like connect-the-dots or keeping your house lit. More than one pedometer can be used with a single cartridge, so you can compare and compete with other Walking users who upload their records to the cartridge, or online to the WFC.

With Yoga & Pilates, you can choose from either a tutorial/challenge mode, and a ‘free play’ option that lets you choos small workout sets that can be done in as little as three minutes, or as long as fifteen to twenty minutes. Routines can be customized and created using the types of moves you’ve unlocked to make them as long and as difficult as you like. Each game tracks your “play” time for each day it’s used. Let’s Yoga also has a section where you can choose yoga moves that can be done in a chair, for a break at your desk or to relax on a long flight. Both Yoga & Pilates help you control your breathing using audible and visual cues, and give you verbal and written instructions on how to perform the moves in the routine.

I enjoy using both Yoga and Pilates games. I will often pick one or two short sets from Yoga, then switch to one or two short sets of Pilates. I find pilates to be more challenging to me, and I’ve only recently begun to use Pilates alongside Yoga.

I used to use Personal Trainer: Walking every day, when I knew my step count was going to be more than a paltry 900-1000 steps. I used to have a job where I walked almost the entire day, and when I was unable to find a job I used to walk the block. Now, as a receptionist, I should be trying to be as physically active as I can while I’m not chained to my desk. However, it’s scorching hot outside this summer, so walking outdoors is not my first choice of exercise. So until temperatures decide to drop again, I’ll stick to my yoga & pilates.

Yours in Tech,

Jett