Fabulous Physique: Achievement Unlocked?

I’m pretty confident in saying that the majority of individuals find partaking in exercise is something they often have to force themselves to do. People primarily associate the word exercise with gruelling fitness regimes, possibly within a gym or fitness focused environment.  People often find it arduous to partake in exercise for various reasons.  Occasionally, individuals find it difficult to designate time in their scrupulous schedules to engage in exercise. For some it may be a financial issue that hinders their opportunity to exercise. So the question is, is there a method to resolve these issues and to grant people with more opportunity to exercise? I wouldn’t call it a solution, but it comes pretty darn close…

With a goal to get myself fit in 2012, I’ve started taking exercise seriously. Constantly being engulfed by college work and lacking the funds to invest in gym membership, I rattled my brain for a method of exercise I could partake in. The fitness games that have emerged for consoles swiftly triggered my interest. People often criticise these games and state that they are unsuccessful in encouraging fitness and weight loss. I for one disagree with this statement and I’ll be explaining why in this article.

Kinect:

I purchased both titles in the Your Shape series thus far and have found them extremely useful in my quest to improve my fitness. Your Shape provides you with an array of diverse exercise to complete. The exercises have been separated into categories dependant on which part of the body you wish to improve. It also states the recommended level of fitness, duration and difficulty of the exercise regime for the individual.  Your Shape also provides exercise regimes in categories such as; yoga and boxing. The intensity of the categories varies immensely, which makes the title an extremely accessible one regardless of your fitness. The game also displays the amount of calories you’ve burned for completing an exercise. There is an option available which allows you to highlight what you are hoping to achieve through using Your Shape. Examples of this are building muscle mass or slimming down. Upon selecting your goal, Your Shape suggests which exercises will aid you in successfully completing this task.

I found Your Shape to be a remarkably accessible title to begin with, taking into account that I had not exercised in quite some time. It provided sufficient challenges for me but allowed me to test my limitations if I wished.

 Another title I found myself purchasing is the UFC Personal Trainer game. It triggered my curiosity but also made me quite apprehensive. I wanted to improve my fitness, not resemble an MMA fighter but I gave it a chance. Upon starting the game, you are required to complete a test which allows the game to evaluate your fitness. Once completed, you have access to an array of different exercises. These activities include tire flipping and a punch bag regime. You also have the opportunity to participate in regimes with actual UFC fighters. These regimes will present various exercises depending on their fighting class. UFC Personal Trainer grants you access to your own personalised workout. You can select any fitness techniques/methods available within the game and conjure your very own workout. This game also provides you with a calorie counter which is extremely useful to evaluate how successful your workout has been.

The UFC Personal Trainer title took me by surprise regarding how useful it was to me. I thought it would merely be useful for people wanting to build muscle mass and carve a muscular physique. Surprisingly, UFC Personal Trainer provides an array of cardio exercises which has aided me in improving my fitness.

Pros and Cons:

Pros: The extremely diverse selection of exercises the Kinect titles provide allows people of various fitness levels the opportunity to enjoy this title. I found both titles extremely responsive in terms of the Kinect devise tracking my movements. This level of response allowed for a productive workout.

Cons: With any product, there is always a negative. The Kinect requires a significant amount of space especially when using the fitness titles. 

Wii Fit:

Of all the fitness products released for video game consoles, the Wii Fit received the most amount of criticism that I know of. Despite the criticisms, I decided to invest in it and test it out for myself. I believe the Wii Fit to be an extremely effective product regarding exercise because the design and animations of the game itself take away the stereotypical view of a gruelling workout. An example of this is the jogging activity. As you traverse the island in the form of a Mii, you find yourself becoming distracted by the picturesque views and the actions of the Miis around you. These minor distractions throughout the game provide an enjoyable experience which takes the focus away from the exercising itself.

The Wii fit allows you to weigh yourself and provides your BMI along with your weight. It also provides the opportunity for you to set a weight loss goal for yourself, along with a period of time in which you wish to achieve this goal. A calorie counter is also present within this game but possesses a unique twist. Upon burning a set amount of calories, the Wii Fit will provide an example of food with equivalent calories to which you have burned. The exercises available to you are divided into categories such as balance and aerobics.

The effectiveness of the Wii Fit truly did take me by surprise. I approached this product with an open mind which I think is essential when there is such a divide in opinion regarding it. I swiftly noticed that I’d spend a prolonged amount of time on the Wii Fit because of the level of enjoyment it provides.

Pros and Cons:

Pros: The simple yet effective exercises included provide for an enjoyable experience. As the activities are entertaining, it encourages you to play for a prolonged amount of time thus providing a lengthy workout. The Wii Fit doesn’t require as much space to play as the Kinect which makes it ideal for working out in the home.

Cons: I found that although the exercises were split into various categories, there could have been more of a diverse selection of exercise provided. The exercises were similar within each category which could potentially lead to it becoming repetitive. 

Conclusion:

After utilising both the Wii Fit and Kinect avidly for the past month, I have honestly seen a massive difference in my fitness levels. I believe that with effort and determination, you will witness a difference regarding your fitness and appearance using these products. For those who may have tried these methods and failed, can you honestly say you placed a healthy level of effort and determination in your fitness venture? People are often quick to boycott a method that they feel ‘isn’t working’ when in actual fact, they merely lack patience. I know this from first-hand experience; it’s a difficult process but determination is vital. This goes for any fitness method you undertake. I hope people who may have been seeking an alternate method to the gym or other activities have found this article useful. Despite the effectiveness of these products, the main component is self-belief and discipline. A combination of a healthy diet and regular exercise regime will help you reach your goals! You will witness explosive results if you are patient. ;)

I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy article, I hope you’ve enjoyed and possibly found it useful. Many thanks!

Hannah