Wii Workout: Shaping Up From the Couch

March 18, 2008 — -- Nintendo is at it again. This spring, gamers will no longer be limited to just standing and playing video games at the same time. Now, with the company's newest game Wii Fit, players can work out as well.

Wii Fit, which hits American store shelves May 19, is a combination workout video and electronic exercise log that charts players' progress on a series of exercises, as well as weight and body mass index (BMI); think Brain Age for your body.

Like the "Wiimote" wand before it, Wii Fit also has its own special piece of hardware: the white Wii balance board, which looks like an extra-wide bathroom scale. Players get weighed and perform most exercises on the board, which allows the game to determine the player's center of gravity, reps and speed during workouts.

Like most Wii games, Wii Fit begins by prompting players to create a "Mii" and input basic information; Wii Fit requests height and birth date. Then, players are put through a quick balance test to determine their "Wii Fit Age." The balance test measures how quickly players can shift their weight to a certain level measured on the screen on the balance board.

According to the test, my BMI and weight were right on target, but my balance indicated that I had the fitness level of someone 20 years older.

After a player's Wii Fit age is determined, he or she gets a stamp, much like Brain Age, and then moves on to a variety of exercises divided into four categories: strength training, aerobics, yoga and balance games. The game also allows players to set goals and keep track of their total daily minutes working out. Any workout time away from the Wii — at the gym, for example — can be recorded on Wii Fit.

The game is the brainchild of famed game developer Shigeru Miyamoto, who created the characters Mario and Donkey Kong. Miyamoto, who is in his mid-50s, developed the game after giving up smoking and starting to exercise, according to spokesman Eric Walter.

The balance board concept was born out of sumo wrestling.