i can't believe i got one!

ever since i first heard about the new nintendo wii fit and its supposed yoga "fitness game" sometime last year, i knew that i had to get my hands on one when it was finally on the market. the pre-launch buzz went something like this:

Get fit with more than 40 activities and exercises, including strength training, aerobics, yoga and balance games. Whether you're doing a yoga pose or snowboarding down a slalom course, there's an activity for everyone.

YOGA?!?!

i mean, how could i consider myself a true yoga addict if i didn't even try to get my hands on what was supposed to be the hottest game of the summer... a game that included, of all things, yoga?

so when word of its imminent release started popping up all over the media, i checked the usual online sources and found out that the product was already backordered. ugh. that meant i had to take my chances at the brick-and-mortars. would there be long lines? or would there even be lines at all? after all, isn't the wii fit something that only old fogeys like me would be interested in buying?

last night, on the eve of the wii fit's US release date, i told my younger daughter about my plans to buy one this morning. she looked up briefly to acknowledge that she heard me, then continued to shoot/capture/save an array of strange-looking creatures on the tv screen. that's nice, mom.

then i realized: if i can't even get her to put down her game controllers while she talks to me, how could i ever expect her to give up her wii console long enough for me to go through an entire yoga session? but first things first; i couldn't worry about being able to use something i didn't have. at least not yet.

long story short, after figuring out who sold them, i ended up stopping by a target on my way to work. before leaving the house, i had decided that i wasn't going to stress over it. if they had one, i'd buy it. if they didn't, oh well.

as luck would have it, i ended up buying the last wii fit they had in the store. 30 units sold in an hour. unbelievable.

so now that i have my new acquisition, i might be able to entice my daughter into trying it out with me. although with her gaming expertise, she may even beat me. at yoga? is that possible???

by the way, a writer from the new york times recruited cyndi lee of om yoga to evaluate this new home-fitness system. here's a snippet from that article:

THE YOGA MASTER

Wii Fit is not, however, the right choice if you want to impress Cyndi Lee, 54, the founder of Om Yoga in New York.

Before trying the system, she eyed the board and declared, “It’s too small.” Nonetheless, she sailed through a progression of Wii Fit’s yoga poses, including the half-moon, warrior, tree and sun salutation. For each pose, at least one of the user’s feet or hands is usually on the board.
Afterward, her main concern seemed to be that Wii Fit reduces yoga to a collection of physical exercises rather than presenting yoga as a comprehensive approach to physical, mental and emotional wellness.

“This is a little dumbed down and they are teaching more from a fitness or gym perspective,” she said. “They’re saying things like, ‘Tighten your glutes,’ which we would never say in yoga.”
Ms. Lee also spied what she called incorrect elements within some poses. “Like with the warrior pose they show the knee going past the foot, which is a big no-no,” she said.

BOTTOM LINE Wii Fit will not make you a yogi.

well, duh, i knew that :)

i'll keep you posted...