Wii Fit: Love It.

Santa got us a Wii last Christmas (which is proof in itself that there is a Santa, because the kids know that there's no way on earth we would have bought one). I've had a lot of fun playing various titles but this one is by far my new favorite.

I pre-ordered it at our local Toys R Us and wandered over there yesterday to pick it up. There was a line of people waiting outside the store for it to open. Hardcore gamers. Asserting their place in line. All of them mommies! We were all laughing. Some told stories of long lines and assigned numbers to buy game systems or titles in the past for their kids. Some had grown kids and could speak at length about product scarcity and overnight vigils. One woman told a Cabbage Patch Doll tale that left us all wide-eyed. We were all there for the same reason. We were getting Wii Fit for ourselves. We bonded in that way mommies can, just like kids at a playground.

When the doors opened, we walked in an orderly fashion to the game department and lined up. All those determined moms must have looked a sight, because the clerk picked up his phone and called for backup. He had some reason to be nervous though. He had a huge stack behind the counter that were pre-orders and about six out on the floor that weren't spoken for yet. I'm sure it got ugly when that last one sold. I paid for mine and left, declining his offers to buy a coordinating towel and travel case. (Seriously Nintendo, a towel?)

Then the fun began. It took all of about a minute to pop the batteries into the platform, sync it up with the wii and start the software. I stepped on the platform. It *groaned* at me! It asked me all sorts of personal questions. Then, in a gentle voice it told me that I am - are you ready for this - out of shape. Go figure. If ever you want to hear someone tell you all the ways you are out of shape/off balance/clumsy, I think the only acceptable way is if that voice is a soulless piece of electronics that speaks gently to you in the privacy of your own home. Nobody else needs to know. It even told me what age my body acts, which is not the age I really am, and certainly not my mental age. Shhh shhhh. Let's just keep this between ourselves wii fit. Then it casually asked if I wanted to put a password on my data. Very caring and sensitive, that wii fit.

On to the exercises. Yoga 1: How to breathe. Nothing like getting positive reinforcement right off the bat. The personal trainer I picked acted like I was some sort of prodigy. (You have your choice of a male or female trainer. Unfortunately you don't get any choice of face. I think it would be even more fun if you could get, say, Johnny Depp, to talk you through your routines, but I digress.)

Once I showed the wii what a great breather I was, I tried out nearly all the exercises. What a blast. I have a severely arthritic hip which leads me to limp most days, but I could handle everything. Many moves have you try to keep a small red dot within a larger circle as you work, to show that you are staying aligned and in balance. It's this feedback that makes it like a game. I think I probably used better alignment and positioning (and breathing! let's not forget breathing!) than when I used a live personal trainer in the past.

To add to your sense of accomplishment and feed your competitive side, it gives you scores and puts you on a leaderboard like any other game. It sets up charts and reminds you often to work daily towards your goals. It counts every minute of every exercise and adds them up in a bank. How fun is that? After you reach certain levels, you are rewarded with more unlocked exercises.

I'm in love. Let's see how long the honeymoon lasts.