British NHS lauds Wii Fit Plus for flabby bum-busting potential
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Oct 27th 2009 2:57PM
posted Oct 27th 2009 2:57PM
You know, we've been pretty skeptical about the whole "fit" part of the "Wii Fit" phenomenon, and for good reason: as studies have shown, the health benefits of gaming, whether you're sitting, standing, or faux-bowling, are minimal at best. Still, for a number of consumers at home and abroad, the game conjures up notions of leading an active lifestyle. So perhaps it is no surprise, as the Telegraph reports, that Britain's National Health Service is using it to promote its Change4Life initiative -- even going so far as to allow the company to append the Change4Life logo on its upcoming Wii Fit Plus release. And how about those who cry foul -- specifically, those who point out that the deal includes Nintendo shelling out money to help promote the NHS-funded program. See how one might get the idea that this is a "pay to play" affair? To the government's credit, it does stress that it's endorsing an exercise, not a video game system. "Active video games, where kids need to jump up and down or dance about as part of the game, are a great way to get kids moving," a spokesperson said. Rob Saunders, the British spokesman for Nintendo, had this to say: "If you are worried about your bingo wings or your flabby bum, the game will give you specific exercises to target those areas." Bingo wings? Flabby bums? Why didn't you say so in the first place?
[Via Yahoo]
[Via Yahoo]
Nice Shorts.
Nice emo pants
Looks like Hulk pants to me...
I can't figure out if that's a boy or a girl. Since there's a girl next to the mom, I can only assume it has to be a boy.
Bingo wings + Piss pits = A winning combination.
Seriously, what the hell is a Bingo Wing?
Go to a bingo night, wait until someone wins...
I Googled it...oh, that's just sad...Wii fit aint fixing that...
You are a sick person
Hey, if the gubmint says it's good for me, I believe. Where do I sign up for my tax voucher?
Can Wii Fit Plus fix the situation of "Dad's" left leg being shorter than his right aka UNO Kickers?
I hate that picture so much. Their smiles are so fake it hurts.
I think I had bingo wings for dinner the other night
The mom in the back is about to grab herself a massive pair of cojones!
Wii fit might help me get in better shape if I stopped drinking beer between each set.
"If you are worried about your bingo wings or your flabby bum, the game will give you specific exercises to target those areas."
Except spot reducing fat is impossible. What a joke. If i hear one more person tell me how they "worked out" for an hour on a Wii Fit and are so tired then i think i might cry. 10 minutes of real weight lifting in a gym(or at home) will do more for one's health than an hour of Wii Fit-ing.
Fat can reduce spots? I'm gonna get me a deep-fried pizza.
Actually, over the past year, I have lost a total of 65 lbs by using the Wii Fit as part of my routine. You can slam it all you like, but it has helped at least me.
No, I'm not using the ski jump or any of the 'games' as the core of my overall fitness. The aerobic freestep mode, a 3" riser for the wiiFit and an hour, will keep a sweat coming out of most people. I turn on my TiVo, and catch up on a show while I'm working on my wiiFit. Keeps my mind occupied.
BTW, I've seen more stand and posers at the local gym. I can do more on my wiiFit in 10 minutes than 90% of the folks at the gym end up doing.
We each find what works for us, in the long run, I use the wiiFit as one element of my routine, which also includes weight lifting, a healthy diet, and the occasional bit of biking.
Right Nathan... except the people who are 'working out' on the Wii are not ever stepping into a gym.
As such, they ARE getting a better workout than... NOTHING. If you are unfit, I challenge you to do the harder exercises on Wii Fit and see if they are not making you sweat, burn your muscles, and cause you all kinds of hurt the next day. THAT constitutes a good workout for most people.
I just worked out for an hour on Wii Fit, and I'm really tired!
Need a tissue?
But seriously, that's not really true, is it? Yes, an hour of moving left and right pretending to head a ball is not a work out by any stretch of the imagination. But if I spend an hour doing push-ups, jacknifes and running on the spot that's going to do more for my health than 10 minutes of lifting weights.
DDR kicks the shit out of Wii fit in terms of actual exercise. Not to mention it can be fairly fun.
only mom knows how incredibly stupid this is (look photo)
@ dansessions:
believe me after 10 years of media shouting that it's all the workout u need (i mean guys even the new Obama does it this way) people will definately believe..
..sad..
I have to agree that i found the wii fit useless but have you tried EASports Active? It's much better if you want to actually loose some weight.
http://www.ea.com/games/ea-sports-active
What idiot from the NHS recommended this slab of static plastic? In no way does any amount of swaying from side to side have any benefit to your fitness... if you think it is, then your fooling yourself. Also, who got the backhand from Nintendo to allow the NHS name to be associated with this crap toy?