Wii Exercise

About 300 folks in Monticello, Iowa, are taking on the challenge of losing weight in the next 11 weeks under a community-wide "Counting Down the Pounds" contest. (See today's Ramblin' column in The Gazette.) It's similar to the TV show "Biggest Loser" because the winner (the greatest percentage of weight loss) wins cash -- $1,000. The top 25, in fact, all win prizes.

I didn't sign up, but like a lot of us I could stand to lose some weight or at least get in better shape during the sedentary months of winter. I hope the treadmill and Wii Fit Plus for our Nintendo Wii game console (right) our family received for Christmas will help.

The Wii game console is amazing. Not only are the games fun as you control your "Me" (yourself) on screen with one of the controllers, but they take body motion and coordination to the extreme for a video game.

"They made that for a reason," says Becky Cooper, owner of Above & Beyond Health Home & Hospice of Monticello. "Childhood obesity is a big problem. You get a video game where the kids have to jump around and exercise, then adults will do it, too."

It is well known that the game consoles are popular in senior citizen homes, helping residents put their bodies in motion to keep them limber.

The Wii Fit game, that comes with a balance board, began the game's foray into fitness a couple of years ago. It has been upgraded with the Wii Fit Plus, which has more games and exercise regimens.

What's great about the Wii is that you can program yourself into the game and keep track of your exercise and weight-loss progress. You can set goals and see how well you're doing at any time along your journey. This could become a big benefit to the contestants in Monticello who do it at home during the 11-week contest.

I've got mine set for a two-month program and will see how I do. As with any program, the key is setting aside the time to, as Nike's slogan said, "Just do It."