New Year...New Mii?

New Year…New Mii?

Happy New Year!

I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions. Why set myself up for the disappointment? Here's how it goes: You start out on Jan. 1 all gung-ho. I'm going to lose weight this year. Or kick my smoking habit. Or remedy my bad boyfriend addiction. Whatever it is, you're on board full-throttle...until about Jan. 5. Then you fall off the wagon and gobble up that cookie (or 12), light up, or dial up your ex for a booty call. And the cycle of disappointment and failure continues. I say no thanks to all that. Besides, I strive to improve my life, and the lives of others, 365 days a year. I don't need a new year to renew my commitment to something I do every day anyway.

But perhaps not coincidentally, I tried out my new Wii Fit Plus today. Ironically, this is probably the first year I don't need to lose weight since college. But I have to say, I was seriously impressed and inspired by the exercise routines. I consider myself more than an exercise novice - although I'm by no means a hardcore fitness buff - so I thought the routines wouldn't be challenging enough. I wasn't even sure I'd break a sweat. In fact, I confess - I thought of the Wii Fit Plus as little more than pithy party games masquerading as a fitness program. I was pleasantly surprised.

I worked out for 33 minutes, but I was having so much fun and there was so much variety in the routines, it felt much shorter than that. Wii Fit Plus allows you to choose different goals and different areas to target. I chose to pick specific areas to work on and it picked the routines for me, but there's also a My Wii Fit Plus option where you can compile your own routine. I did a variety of activities that included games like hula hooping and juggling, along with standard strength training moves like lunges and squats. My favorite part was the yoga moves that Wii Fit Plus incorporates into the routines. At 106 calories, the burn was decent for the amount of time I spent working out.

In addition, you work with a trainer who shows you the strength training moves before you do them yourself. You can choose a male or female trainer, and they do the moves along with you. Wii ups the ante by measuring your balance or center of gravity as you complete each exercise. This makes it more challenging and requires you to focus more on form than I thought. It's a great tool to keep your form and concentration on target. There's really no room to cheat here.

I also really like the trainers. They offer an additional source of motivation, and they give you little tips and offer encouragement as you're working out. I need a little kick in the pants when I'm working out. So again, having the trainer there as I work out is a big plus.

All in all, Wii Fit Plus is a great all-around exercise program. I think I'll need some more challenging workouts down the road, but it's good for now as I'm getting back into strength training after taking a few months off.

So will 2010 be the year of the new Mii? I'm not making any resolutions, but so far, I'm totally gung-ho about Wii Fit Plus.