Stepping Out (1.7.11)

Full disclosure: I actually started my gaming weight loss challenge a few weeks ago.

As a non-console gamer, it took me the entire first week to figure out how to set up and use the Wii properly without killing myself or injuring someone with the wand or nunchuck (how cool is that name?). The basic Wii Sports program was a good way for me to suss out what to do and how things worked. I liked the freedom that the Wii gave me to throw myself into a game and looked forward to my first challenge - the dreaded stepper challenge.

The stepper referenced can be found at Gamercize.net. Richard Coshott, CEO of Gamercize, got behind us immediately and sent me one of his steppers to try out. I was quite grateful, as I'd used step machines during my more active years (aka life before motherhood). But I also remembered how hard step masters could be, and I was dreading what I thought would be certain cardiac arrest. On top of that, Richard and I agreed that I would use the stepper for seven days straight for the first week for 60 minutes a day.

It seemed like a perfect way to ease into a consistent workout regimen, and we were right. I’m so glad this was my first challenge.

While I had a few issues getting everything sorted out and working together, Gamercize’s customer service was great and they had me up and stepping on the first day. All those happy non-sweaty kids stepping away on Gamercize’s homepage look to me like they just started and were trying to coordinate their gaming and the stepper, because after five minutes stepping I hot warm. Ten minutes in, I was sweating and swearing, because a nifty “honesty” feature stops the game if you’re not stepping fast enough. Yeah. Damn Them.

The stepper is attached via an octopus to the Wii console and your handheld playing device. It’s not safe to use the stepper with a Wii wand – seriously, don’t even try it. It’s also not possible, since the stepper’s “honesty” feature requires lined connectivity.

General thoughts? It’s extremely fun. Here’s the deal: you put your favorite Wii compatible video game in your Wii, program in how fast you want to require your work to be, get onto the stepper and start stepping – and then you play! I stepped to Sims, GoldenEye 007 and Lego Star Wars. It was so much fun, and so effective during the holiday (party) season, that I lost 1.6 pounds over the two weeks I used it.