High-tech sweating made easy

My basic job description is to sit and watch sports, then sit and write about these sports I've seen. Through in a few sitting-based hobbies, and I might be mistaken for a chair enthusiast.

Then a huge chunk of these sporting events take place during dinner time, suddenly cutting into my dietary choices. This past weekend I was buying a chicken sandwich out of a lack of time and a kitchen to cook in, and I was reminded that in only a few weeks, I'd be eating at least one of these sandwiches a week as I tour the various football fields of Maryland.

There will also be the pretzels, the candy bars, the fries, the hot chocolate, and the diet sodas. And this says nothing of the times that the Lancer Dog will threaten me with its calories and possibly fatal cheese.

Meanwhile, the past failed attempts at getting back into a shape that doesn't immediately remind people of Buddha are starting to stack up. So for me, it's a fine time to start up an exercise regimen.

Recently, I've turned to one of the culprits of my current overweight status - video games - for exercise. In a fascinating bit of evolution, gaming moved from just making the thumbs twitch to creating games that needed full-body workouts.

This started first in the arcades, where digital combatants would throw down quarters and play games like Dance Dance Revolution. Before any disturbing mental pictures form, let me assure you that I've never played such a game. In fact, of all the immersive video games I've played, most have required me to sit down.

But taking a stand and getting in my video games didn't work for me until I finally got a Nintendo Wii. I held off on buying one when it first came out, due to a lack of titles to play as well as a lack of time and cash on my part. I had places to sit, and things to watch while sitting. It was the release of Wii Fit that pushed me to getting this, though.

For those unfamiliar with this "game," allow me to explain it to you. First, you must find a copy of it. It generally isn't easy to spot in stores, as they will sell out within the first couple hours of getting unloaded off the truck. This is because of two great American realities. One, people will buy something immediately if they know they can sell it on eBay for a &#e6;50 profit. And two, overweight Americans with disposable cash like the idea of throwing money at something if they believe it's an easy way to loose weight.

So for months, the elusive Wii Fit will be hunted by its potential buyers. These buyers are a strange lot, taken to memorizing the delivery dates of various stores. If they're in a different state for vacation, they will be drawn to other stores' electronic departments with the loose hope that maybe distribution is different in Connecticut, or maybe Nevada. And those scalped Fits on eBay start to tempt them. This neurotic scurrying around is good for losing at least one pound, and it is only the start of losing weight.

Once a hunter finally captures a Fit, they can hook it up to their Wii and step on the balance board. And within minutes, they're told just how overweight they are, or that they have the body of an 89-year-old. Who does nothing but sit.

I've started using Wii Sports and Wii Fit as a regular routine. But as a workout, they leave some things to be desired. The workouts are still done in a video game mentality, so the concept of "unlocking levels" might be foreign to non-gamers. What it means is that out of the box, all of the games are not able to be played immediately. Instead, you have to beat levels to advance to the next part. In the fitness mode of Wii Sports, I had to master the heavy bags workout for boxing being I was allowed to move to the agility training. And while the heavy bags were a good bit of cardio, there were times that I really wanted to start working my sides instead.

Also, the games currently have ways to cheat. Cheating in video games has evolved into a bit of an art, from the up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start of that first Contra game to getting hidden content. But cheating at a video game designed to help your life is silly.

Neither Wii Fit nor Wii Sports have codes for cheating. Instead, you can get away with waving the Wii-mote and stepping on the balance board with minimal effort, sometimes getting a better result, too.

Instead, I like to take it in the opposite direction, adding more challenge for me. If I'm playing tennis, I'm moving my feet constantly to copy Cardio Tennis programs. And if it's boxing, then I'm bobbing and weaving Muhammad Ali-style, and taking victory laps around the living room in between rounds.

Even with all of my added efforts, the Wii isn't a complete replacement for exercise and good diet. It focuses a lot on muscle tone and balance, but it lacks in cardio work-out and weight loss.

The best feature about the Wii Fit, though, is the routine that it offers. With easy-to-read charts and graphs, it tracks your weight and time spent using it.

If you combine these workouts with some scheduled running or biking, as well as laying off the Lancer Dogs, then it becomes a rather fun way to lay off the sitting.

Ü