Addicted

I am addicted to exercise. Wow, I never thought I’d say that. More to the point, I’m addicted to the Wii Fit. It’s true, I really do love it.

I think I realized today why I like it so much. You see, before something was missing from my workouts—and today I realized what that was. Company. I am a very social person, and it has always been far more tempting for me to have a beer or watch TV with Iwanski or pretty much anyone else than to go walk on the treadmill by myself. But now—even though it’s a virtual person—I really do feel like someone is working out with me. And exercise videos just don’t cut it, either—Denise Austin is peppy and encouraging to the point of being almost annoying, but she doesn’t actually interact with you. The Wii Fit does. And that’s why it’s so awesome.

My new favorite exercise game on there is Wii Fit boxing. The “instructor” is an animated, talking punching bag who sounds like Adam Corolla—even though Iwanski insists he doesn’t. (He does. Trust me.) Anyway, basically the punching bag instructs you on the pattern of punches to do, and then you use the remotes to “punch him” in that pattern. (Iwanski has to continue to remind me to back up from the TV when I’m playing this game. Oh yes, the Wii Fit has added a whole new set of rules to Iwanski’s list.) Anyway, the animated punching bag tells you when you’ve thrown a good punch or done a good block—and he continuously reminds you to “feel the burn” and other motivating phrases. It’s fun!

I also love all the balance games. One minute I’m skiing down a hill trying to slalom through checkpoints, and the next minute I’m tubing down a river, trying to avoid hitting the riverbanks and other obstacles. Most recently, I unlocked a fun balance game where I’m a penguin on an unsteady iceberg, trying to catch fish by moving back and forth across the ice, without falling in the water.

Oh yeah, that’s another great thing about the Wii Fit. After about every 10 minutes of game play, you unlock new games and exercises, so there’s always something new to try. I know eventually I’ll unlock everything, but it’ll still be fun because there are so many different exercises to choose from.

So far, I’ve exercised between 30-60 minutes every day since we got the Wii Fit. That sure beats my previous track record of—say—30 minutes a week (not counting walking to work and to restaurants & stores).

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna get my penguin ass off the couch and go try to catch some fish.

Wee!

The Iwanski house is all abuzz. The cats are walking around trying to avoid getting stepped on, Iwanski is bemoaning his suddenly lighter wallet, and Miss Healthypants is nursing an extremely sore right arm. What calamity has befallen this house?

I’ll tell you what. The Wii, that’s what! Yes, the Iwanskis have purchased a Wii. And it was no easy feat; the Wii is pretty scarce around these parts. Believe me, we tried. (I have been wanting this thing for a while.) Best Buy was sold out, and so were Target and Sears…but by pure luck, we found one yesterday at FYE Music Store. It was almost an afterthought to stop at FYE yesterday, and I was almost apologetic when I asked the salesman if they had one. It went something like this:

Miss Healthypants: Hi, I’m so sorry to bother you with this--and I know this is a huge waste of your time, so more sorry I could not be—but do you happen to have a Wii in stock?

Salesguy: Hmm…I think we might. Let me check.

Miss Healthypants: (Gasping for air.)

Salesguy: Yes, we do. We’ll bring it out front for you.

Miss Healthypants: (Still gasping for air) Re-really? Right here? You have a Wii right here in the store? (Throws herself on the floor, grabbing the salesman’s leg.) Thank you! Thank you! Oh, thank you! How can I ever repay you?

So we took the Wii home, and last night I played virtual-reality tennis for about an hour—and then Iwanski joined me for doubles tennis, for another hour. (Thus, my sore right arm.) I loved it! And let me tell you, it is very easy to fool yourself into thinking you’re actually playing the game. Iwanski had to continuously remind me to back up, so as not to destroy the tv as I swung for the ball. And the poor cats! After a couple of incidents of tails getting stepped-on, they stayed as far away from the tv as possible. I don’t think they like the Wii very much.

So now my next conquest is the hunt for the Wii Fit. Have you heard of this thing? It’s basically an exercise game with a virtual-reality trainer who coaches you, motivates you, and even chastises you. I need that!—particularly the chastisement.

I will do anything to avoid disapproval, even if it’s from a virtual person.