| Wednesday, January 7, 2009 |
| WiiFit Day 4 {Prologue} |
So here's a funny thing, and maybe it's a coincidence. But since I started working out every time I eat greasy food it doesn't agree with me. It's more of an indigestion (burping it back up.. I know TMI) thing than anything.. but it's almost like my body is trying to tell me something. I had a similar thing when I was pregnant. Not the typical cravings like you hear about where you want an ice cream and pickle sandwich, but I would only be in the mood for specific things on certain days. I remember wanting steaks more often and milk, which when not pregnant I almost NEVER drink. Like automatically my body knew it needed those vitamins and adjusted my body accordingly to want those things.
My mom bought me Alli, back on Valentine's day. They're probably not even good anymore. I'm not into diet pills and miracle drugs so I never even opened them, but I remember reading like maybe one page of the booklet that comes with it and it warned that greasy foods would most likely make you feel really awful. Of course as with any diet drug, they suggest you take it along with proper diet/exercise... now I'm curious if I'm feeling this way just from the exercise how much worse that would have made it. As of right now I don't plan to find out.
I'm a little sore and tired today, and considering skipping my workout. I can't decide if it's better to take the rest if you think you need it so you don't hurt yourself or tough it out and force yourself to do it? I ended up looking it up on the Internet and it seems most people recommend rest if you are sore. Of course they also recommend alternating the workout with upper body one day and lower the next... so maybe I'll switch up my routine. I'm just wary about skipping, since I already know I'm going to miss the whole weekend... and then next week it looks like we will be up in NH which means I'll have to go Th-Sun with no WiiFit. Perhaps I'll have to take some walks... also I will be cleaning a lot, and house cleaning believe it or not counts as "light" exercise.
Other than that have to apologize for the lack of "real" writing and blogs lately. I'm still getting the hang of the workout and writing everything down for the blog, so my 30-40 minute workout takes me the better part of 1 1/2 hours (especially with the recommended rest/water breaks every 15 minutes).
When I'm not doing that I'm hard core hitting the TBA paperwork desperately trying to get it organized and filed so I can get the taxes going for the EOY. |
posted by IshtarAndromeda @ 2:10 PM  |
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| Tuesday, January 6, 2009 |
| WiiFit Blog Day 3 |
OK, welcome to day 3 of my workout. Big improvements today all around IMHO. The first thing I noticed is that pretty much everything in my body feels stretched (not sore). This means I am getting some benefits without hurting myself! I feel progress most particularly in my abs and calves, but today after finishing I also felt some stress in my thighs and shoulders. The good news is I was down in Weight, BMI and WiiFit age today, as such I pushed myself pretty hard, maybe too hard on a couple of things which I'll talk about when we get there.
So starting off today, here were my stats:
Age: 35
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 167.1 Down 2.41 Lbs
BMI: 31.55 - Obese Down 0.46
At this point my Wii made me do a couple of balance tests to find my Wii Fit age:
Walking in Place: 20 Steps. L 47.1% R 52.9%; Balance 73%. *I find it funny that when standing I favor my left foot more often than my right. The right would seem to make sense as I am a righty, but I think I have some displacement due to being overweight. Hopefully these workouts will eventually improve that.
Single-Leg balance Test: Time Held 26.55 seconds. Stability 60%
Wii Fit Age - 33 (-2) Down 5 Years
Center of Balance: Left-55.6% Right-44.4%
Total Fit Credits = 40 Minutes
So in an attempt to make my Yoga workout more productive, I at first decided to bypass WiiFit Yoga exercises altogether and try my Yoga DVD "Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss" by Gaiam. I only lasted about 10 minutes at this, just long enough to finish the warm-ups before I got completely frustrated. Rather than aggravate myself to a point at which I would give up working out altogether, I quit the DVD, chalked my DVD time as my warm-up, and moved on.
I just couldn't concentrate on everything at once. The breathing, the lining things up, and trying to remember what to do in the exercises all at once. I may have to just watch the DVD through a few times to get the gist of it beforehand. I kept thinking (especially during exercises where you have to bend downward or away from the TV) How the heck am I supposed to know if I'm doing it correctly when I can only hear, not see what they are doing?!
My final decision is that perhaps Yoga is not something you can truly do at home, or at least not without having been to a proper instructor first; and then practice at home. I KNOW I was totally doing it wrong just trying to mimic movements... so this is what I did instead:
I printed out instructions for Mountain Pose from yogajournal.com and focused on learning the technique. I concentrated on attempting to follow those steps and keep things aligned and stretched. From there I did 5 repetitive trials along with the WiiFit breathing exercises to try and concentrate on breathing/maintaining the pose at the same time, without feeling rushed to keep up with the instructors on the DVD or do as many poses as possible in a single time frame.
Here's how that went down:
Trail 1 - 40Pts. I mainly concentrated on the breathing and not at all on the balancing, and it shows!
Trial 2 - 60 Pts. I started breathing in counts of 5. I also tried to focus on one spot in the room. This helped me keep my balance.
Trial 3 - 86 Pts. Now I got the hang of the breathing and balancing at the same time I decided to kick it up for trial 4.
Trial 4 - 66 Pts. I tried adding in stuff from Mountain pose, mainly extending my spine/sternum. This shifted concentration off my balance momentarily as I continued to try breathing correctly.
Trial 5 - 58 Pts. I found that if I extended properly in the pose, the outward breathing came more naturally. My body forced itself to breathe rather than me forcing it. I think this is a good thing? My balance was still way off, hence the low score but I was satisfied in the small discoveries I made today by focusing more on the exercises and less on the point goals. I think if I keep it up I'll see some improvements all around by the end of week 1 (day 7).
In an attempt to focus more on learning the fundamentals of Yoga first, I did not do any of the other poses today. Total Yoga Deep Breathing = 10 Min
My workout included the following exercises:
Strength Training - Single Leg Extension 2 Min 10Reps/Leg Left 35pts/Right 42Pts; 72pts=3Stars Down 14 Pts
Strength Training - Torso Twists 3 Min 6Reps Horizontal/Vertical 37/46; 83Pts=3Stars Down 11 Pts
Strength Training - Push-Up and Side Plank 2 Min 3Reps/Side 16Pts=0Stars Down 50 Pts
Strength Training - Jack-Knife 3 Min 20Reps 65Pts=2Stars Down 25 Pts
Strength Training - Lunge 3 Min 15Reps/Leg 100Pts=4Stars No Change
Strength Training - Rowing Squat 1 Min 15 Reps 33Pts=1Stars Up 33 Pts
Strength Training - Single-Leg Twist 1 Min 10 Reps/Leg Left 40/Right 41; 81Pts=3Stars Up 5 Pts
Total Strength Training = 15 Minutes
As you may recall, I unlocked more reps of some of the exercises yesterday. As such I decided to push my limits today and see if I could do them. This accounts for the lower scores as I grew tired and less balanced. I did not increase the reps on Push-Up/Side Plank (though it allows my 6reps/side now) due to the fact that I still cannot consistently do a true push-up without dropping my knees. I don't intend to up it until I can do the exercises properly. I did adjust Single-Leg Extension (from 6-10 reps), Torso Twists (From 3-6 reps), Jackknife (from 10-20 reps) and Lunge (from 10-15 reps). Of these items the only one that I seriously had a hard time completing was the Jackknife. I think I will step that back down to the 10 Reps for tomorrows' workout. The rest I will keep the same and try to improve. Again my strong suit seems to be the Lunge. I did not do any of the new exercises in this category, as I decided I had already over-exerted myself by doing more reps.
Aerobics - Hula Hoop 2 Min Beginner Level 231 Spins w/5 Hoops 2Stars Up 101 Spins and 1 Hoop
Aerobics - Basic Step 3 Min Beginner Level Perfect (2Pts) 92, OK (1Pt) 65, Miss (0pt) 0; 263=3Star Up 70 Pts
Aerobics - Basic Run 3 Min Long Distance 49% Burn Rate=1Star Up 2%
Total Aerobics = 8 Minutes
I am getting to be a regular whiz at Hula Hoops! Maybe that Circus career isn't out of the question after all, LOL. I've gotten a lot better at both maintaining my center of gravity and keeping a steady pace, not to mention doing all that while trying to "catch" the hoops (which IMHO is the hardest bit). As I promised yesterday, I nailed the steps in Basic Step and concentrated on the rhythm, with very satisfying results. A few more sessions and I confidently think I can more up to a harder routine. In running I decided to try my newly unlocked "long" distance mode. Boy was that a Mistake. I hardly got halfway through the course and had to slow down to almost a walking pace before I mustered up enough second wind to finish the course. Definitely overdid it, tomorrow I'm going back to the short course until my stamina improves!!!
Balance Games - Soccer Heading 1 Min Beginner Level 57Pts=2Star Up 21 Pts
Balance Games - Ski Slalom 1 Min Beginner Level Time 32.95 Sec, 4 Misses x 7 Sec= 28 Sec; 1:00.95=1Star Up 8. 81 Seconds
Balance Games - Ski Jump 1 Min Beginner Level 1st Jump=119m; 2nd Jump=93m. Total 212m=2Star Up 30m
Balance Games - Table Tilt 3 Min Beginner Level Completed level 7; 70Pts=2Stars Up 30 Pts
Balance Games - Tightrope Walk 1 Min Beginner Level 16Yards=1Star Down 2 Yards
Total Balance Games = 7 Minutes
Today was experimental day in the Balance Games section. I decided to take my real life knowledge of these events and apply them to real life. In soccer, as I used to play Goalie, I was used to trying to catch items. Sometimes this involved heading, but more often than not I used my hands. So I played the heading game with my arms outstretched like I was trying to catch the ball, and was better able to determine my movements. In Skiing, much like I used to do when I was on Ski Team, I concentrated first on trying to keep in the gates and speed secondary. I always found that in trail runs it was better to get a feel for the course, and that applies here as well. Once I can nail all the gates then I'll work on taking them tight and building up my speed, eventually shaving precious seconds off my time. In ski jump I remembered what I learned yesterday about first and foremost keeping a steady center of balance. This brought my speed coming into the ramp at over 55MPH and sent me flying once I straightened my legs. Now I think if I can just find the sweet spot on the ramp for maximum height. In the Table Tilt, I again focused on my center of balance. This kept the marbles from flying off the table and made it easier to steer them. I still have issues with trying to pressure my heels for reverse rolling, but I'm getting better. I was so happy to not be stuck at level four for a third day in a row! I still however royally suck at tightrope. Not so much the walking part but every time I have to jump I inevitably fall off...
Items Unlocked = Yoga: Palm Tree, Strength Training: Sideways Leg Lift, Strength training: Push-Up Challenge, Strength Training: Jackknife Challenge, Aerobics: Rhythm Boxing, Balance Games: Super Hula Hoop, Balance Games: Penguin Slide. Also based on my higher scores in the Strength Training Category, I have now unlocked more reps of some of the exercises. Rowing Squat - 15 Reps, Single Leg Twist - 20 Reps/Leg. |
| posted by IshtarAndromeda @ 7:38 PM |
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| Wii Fit Blog Day 3 {PROLOGUE} |
No, I haven't done my workout yet. And sadly I promised myself no computer time until I do my workout (for fear of slacking off). However I made an exception due to a complication in my workout.
As Steggy so aptly pondered, how accurate are the Yoga exercises in Wii Fit?
As it turns out, not exactly as accurate as I previously thought. Sure the AI mimicry of true Yoga poses seems fine. Your "trainer" does all the same moves you see on Yoga websites and workout videos. However there seems to be a missing key ingredient: how to do these poses correctly for both the maximum benefit and to avoid injury.
Even a reviewer on Amazon.com who happened to be a Yoga instructor, warns of the danger of seriously hurting yourself if you do not do these poses correctly. Obviously I didn't want to do that... so I took it upon myself to look up the poses on yogajournal.com.
Again it wasn't that they were so far off the way the Wii was telling me, it's just that it kind of forgot to emphasize the bits about lining up the parts of your body (if I'm not mistaken.. you're trying to get your Chakras in alignment?). I think this is a key point in getting the Yoga to actually work for you.
This does not discourage me from using the Wii Fit, in fact all I will probably do is incorporate the new found knowledge into the workout. I don't expect the WiiFit to entirely take the place of a real workout. I think it's basic point with the software bundled with it is just to get you moving. As such it has accomplished that, and then some as the strength exercises at least make me feel like I've done some serious work.
I think their intention with the yoga portion (since you do them first) is more to warm you up to do the more strenuous exercises rather than as a real honest-to-goodness Yoga workout.
Another minus is the fact that you have to continually stop what you're doing to select the next exercise. This doesn't keep your heart rate at a constant rate, which is something I think a exercise routine is supposed to do.
As a general rule I believe the companion CD is meant more to introduce one back into the habit of exercising and to help the users feel less intimidated. In this manner I believe it excels. There are current and pending titles for the balance board that I believe will focus more on maintaining a "real" workout. Currently on my radar is the upcoming EA Sports "Active" {5/1}, which promises to give more "in depth" instructions as well as a secondary peripheral (used in conjunction with the balance board); leg straps where you put your controller/nunchuck combo into for a more one-to-one analysis of your actual body movements. Until then I'll just keep working on this title with modifications as I see necessary. :-D
In non WiiFit related (but still Wii related) news: woo upcoming "Samurai Shodown Anthology" {3/9}, those games will totally rock with a Wii Controller (I hope)! |
| posted by IshtarAndromeda @ 4:54 PM |
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| Monday, January 5, 2009 |
| Wii Fit Blog Day 2 |
OK, welcome to day 2 of my workout. Overall I am more or less happy with my improvement for today, despite my BMI and Weight being more than they were on Fri. More on that in a second:
So starting off today, here were my stats:
Age: 35
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 169.5 Up 2.2 Lbs
BMI: 32.01 - Obese Up 0.42
At this point my Wii made me do a couple of balance tests to find my Wii Fit age:
Agility test: this was similar to the Table Tilt game, only instead of having to get marble in holes I just had to shift my center of balance to touch lighted squares. I completed 12.
Single-Leg balance Test: Just what it sounds like. It made me hold my balance on one leg for a total of 30seconds. My Stability was 68%
Wii Fit Age - 38 (+6) Down 3 Years
Center of Balance: Left-54.6% Right-45.4%
Total Fit Credits = 34Minutes
So here's the deal. On Friday when I started Wii Fit, I had not eaten. Today I had just returned from a huge feast after visiting Terri at work (Vals'). I doubt that counts for the entire 2.2 lbs I gained, but I'm sure it makes some difference. I kind of hope the rest is muscle (though I doubt it this soon, I did feel the results of the stretching in both my legs and my abs all weekend long).
My workout included the following exercises:
Yoga - Deep Breathing 2 Min 74Pts=4Stars Down 16 Pts
Yoga - Half Moon 2 Min Left 33Pts/Right 44Pts; 77Pts=3Stars Down 7 Pts
Yoga - Warrior 2 Min Left 37Pts/Right30Pts; 67Pts=2Stars Down 1 Pt
Yoga - Tree Pose 2 Min Left37Pts/Right 35Pts; 72Pts=3Stars Up 6 Pts
Yoga - Sun Salutation (new exercise) 2 Min 94Pts=4Stars
Total Yoga = 10Minutes
I was trying to concentrate more on my breathing and less on my balance. As such I think my work out in this area suffered a little. All I can do is keep practicing! I was however happy with my score in the Tree Pose, which by far aside from push-up/side plank is my absolute worst exercise. At least I didn't drop my foot this time, though I still find that holding my foot up there seems to be less about my balance and more about slippery clothes. I did my workout without socks this time which helped, but not entirely. I think I need to get a better workout outfit, primarily one in a petite pant size as I keep tripping over my cuffs.
Strength Training - Single Leg Extension 1 Min 6Reps/Leg Left 42pts/Right 43Pts; 86pts=3Stars Up 9 Pts
Strength Training - Torso Twists 2 Min 3Reps Horizontal/Vertical 50/44; 94Pts=3Stars Up 10 Pts
Strength Training - Push-Up and Side Plank 2 Min 3Reps/Side 66Pts=2Stars Up 8 Pts
Strength Training - Jack-Knife 2 Min 10Reps 90Pts=4Stars Up 40 Pts!!!
Strength Training - Lunge 2 Min 10Reps/Leg 100Pts=4Stars No Change
Strength Training - Rowing Squat (new exercise) 1 Min 0Pts=0Stars
Strength Training - Single-Leg Twist (new exercise) 1 Min 10 Reps/Leg Left 41/Right 35; 76Pts=3Stars
Total Strength Training = 11Minutes
Awesome improvement in this area. After my horrible results in Yoga I went back to concentrating more on the exercise and less on the breathing. The breathing (I hope) will come in time, especially if I keep working on it during non-workout periods. I am particularly happy with my huge improvement in the jackknife area, I really concentrated on making my up/downs more even. Also I already felt stronger in my bad category the push-up/plank. I was much better at planks, though I still don't have the strength to do a full push-up without cheating and using knees. I honestly don't know what happened with the new exercise "rowing squat" other than it was new. I just couldn't get the hang of what they wanted me to do?!
Aerobics - Hula Hoop 2 Min Beginner Level 130 Spins w/4 Hoops 2Stars Up 21 Spins and 1 Hoop
Aerobics - Basic Step 3 Min Beginner Level Perfect (2Pts) 33, OK (1Pt) 127, Miss (0pt) 4; 193=2Star Up 91 Pts
Aerobics - Basic Run 2 Min Short Distance 47% Burn Rate=1Star Up 10%
Total Aerobics = 7Minutes
I also saw some improvements in the aerobic area, particularly in Basic Step. I had such a hard time following what they were doing the first time, so it felt good that I copied all but four of the steps this time (last time I was falling off left and right). Next time I will hopefully have it down pat and should concentrate nailing the steps to the beat a bit better for more perfects. The running is taking a bit of getting used to since you don't use the balance board and instead you have to run about with the Wii controller in your pocket. Since I don't have pockets in my sweats I usually just carry it like a relay baton, but then they suggest moving your arms more for a better workout and the next thing you know my score gets all haywire. Oh well... at least I improved since last time, though I honestly didn't feel as worked out despite the computer telling me I did 10% more. Lastly I have to giggle that I am infinitely better at hula-hooping in virtual reality than I ever was in real life. LOL!
Balance Games - Soccer Heading 1 Min Beginner Level 36Pts=1Star Up 9 Pts
Balance Games - Ski Slalom 1 Min Beginner Level Time 27.80 Sec, 6 Misses x 7 Sec= 42 Sec; 1:09.80=1Star Up 12. 90 Seconds
Balance Games - Ski Jump 1 Min Beginner Level 1st Jump=112m; 2nd Jump=70m. Total 182m=2Star Up 93m
Balance Games - Table Tilt 2 Min Beginner Level Completed level 4; 40Pts=2Stars No Change
Balance Games - Tightrope Walk (new exercise) 1 Min Beginner Level 18Yards=1Star
Total Balance Games = 6Minutes
In the last category, Balance Games... also some improvement. This is one of the more frustrating categories, in that I used to play both soccer (as a goalie) and was on varsity ski team (downhill slalom) in H.S. As such it makes me highly competitive to get a better score on the Soccer Heading and Ski Slalom games. My balance was better in the skiing (both slalom and jump) which makes you go faster, as such it is harder to time your turns. Mainly I blame the fact that using the Wii Balance Board is nothing like wearing actual ski boots, which pretty much prevents most of your lower leg/foot from moving at all thus putting all the stress of turning into your knees; which is what I'm used to. In the Ski Jump once I realized that maintaining a better balance makes you ski faster down the jump, I was concentrating on speed so much I almost forgot to jump(hence the shorter distance)! All and all I have fun with this category, though the only thing that really feels like a workout is the Table Tilt. Also the new game "Tightrope Walk" pretty much dashes my hopes at ever being a Circus performer (considering my horrid score in Hula-Hoops) ;-)
Items Unlocked = Yoga: Standing Knee, Balance Games: Balance Bubble. Also based on my higher scores in the Strength Training Category, I have now unlocked more reps of some of the exercises. Single-Leg Extension - 10 Reps/Leg, Torso Twist - 6 Reps H/V, Jackknife - 20 Reps, Lunge -15 Reps. I have also unlocked Aerobic Basic Run - Distance: Long. |
| posted by IshtarAndromeda @ 8:40 PM |
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| Friday, January 2, 2009 |
| Wii Fit Blog Day 1 |
So started the WiiFit today. It is in fact a workout, but then I suppose that is the point. Right now my calf muscles feel seriously worked out.
I didn't realize I couldn't see my individual exercise scores after the fact, so I'll have to write both scores down the next time I work out and edit this entry.
From my recollection the only two things I was really good at were the Yoga Breathing exercise and the Strength Training Squats.
Despite the good score in breathing, I do believe I have a lot of work to do in that area. Mostly I was rated on the balance I maintained while breathing, not the actual breathing itself. I happen to be a mouth breather... a condition I am trying to work on, but it's difficult to break a lifetime of bad habit. Right now I am seriously considering using some packing tape or something to force it shut! :-)
So starting off today, here were my stats:
Age: 35
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 167.3
BMI: 31.59 - Obese
Wii Fit Age - 41 (+6)
Center of Balance: Left-52% Right-48%
Total Fit Credits = 29Minutes
My workout included the following exercises:
Yoga - Deep Breathing 2 Min 90Pts=4Stars
Yoga - Half Moon 2 Min 84Pts=3Stars
Yoga - Warrior 2 Min 68Pts=2Stars
Yoga - Tree Pose 2 Min 66Pts=2Stars
Total Yoga = 8Minutes
Strength Training - Single Leg Extension 1 Min 6Reps/Leg 77pts=3Stars
Strength Training - Torso Twists 2 Min 3Reps Horizontal/Vertical 84Pts=3Stars
Strength Training - Push-Up and Side Plank 2 Min 3Reps/Side 58Pts=2Stars
Strength Training - Jack-Knife 2 Min 10Reps 50Pts=2Stars
Strength Training - Lunge 2 Min 10Reps/Leg 100Pts=4Stars
Total Strength Training = 9Minutes
Aerobics - Hula Hoop 2 Min Beginner Level 109 Spins w/3 Hoops 2Stars
Aerobics - Basic Step 3 Min Beginner Level 102=1Star
Aerobics - Basic Run 2 Min Short Distance 37% Burn Rate=1Star
Total Aerobics = 7Minutes
Balance Games - Soccer Heading 1 Min Beginner Level 23Pts=1Star
Balance Games - Ski Slalom 1 Min Beginner Level 1:33.70=1Star
Balance Games - Ski Jump 1 Min Beginner Level ist Jump=0m; 2nd Jump=89m. Total 89m=1Star
Balance Games - Table Tilt 2 Min Beginner Level Completed level 4; 40Pts=2Stars
Total Balance Games = 5Minutes
Items Unlocked = Yoga: Sun Salutation, Strength Raining: Rowing Squat, Strength Training: Single Leg Twist, Balance Games: Tightrope Walk
I decided to start off slow, I can change my fitness goal to less over more or less time anytime I see fit. For now I set myself a goal of -22 pounds over three months. The computer tells me this means I have to try and lost appx. 3.5 pounds a week, which doesn't sound that unreasonable to me.
I think my only setback will be that I won't work out everyday. This is because I am totally self-conscious about working out and will only do it when no one is in the house with me. As such I won't work out on weekends when Steve is home, so I'll probably only do a M-F workout. |
| posted by IshtarAndromeda @ 11:32 PM |
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| About Me |
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Name: IshtarAndromeda
Home: Medford, Massachusetts, United States
About Me: I dabble in many things. I'm not really a professional anything, though I try to be all of the following: music critic, dream intrepreter, DJ/podcaster, Astrologist, crafter (jewelry, clothing & acessories, as well as other miscellany), television theorist, video gamer, and the list is always evolving and changing.
See my complete profile
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