The Workout for People Who Hate to Work Out

I used to exercise a lot.  Back in the day.  Before arthritis made life so painful and slow.  One of the things I looked forward to after my surgery was getting back into shape.

But I'm out of the habit of getting up at 5 o'dark and going to the gym.  And I'm self-conscious about being out of shape.  I needed something I could ease in to.

And then I found the most fun workout I've ever done.  Disguised as a game.  It's called Walk It Out and it's made for the wii.

The cover image is awful, so let's ignore that.  This is serious sweaty fun for grown-ups.  You can play alone or walk with a partner using the balance board, a dance dance revolution mat, or putting the nunchuck in your pocket.

After a brief tutorial, the game places you on a virtual island.  There are sandy beaches, forests, farms, a shopping district, suburbs, etc.  As you walk, your steps are tallied up and you can spend them to unlock new areas of the island, trees, buildings, fountains, windmills, and even an airship.

Does all that walking and clicking sound boring?  There's a catch.  You have to walk to the rhythm of the songs in the game, like "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas, and "Holiday" by Madonna.  What starts as a 10 minute stroll ends up being an hour-long workout as I try to unlock one more flower shop or cherry tree.

I can't wait to get on it every morning.  My legs, and especially my new hip have gotten so much stronger and toned up.  I selected to use mostly the slower songs, but I'm inching up the speeds.

There are active fan communities on facebook and at Amazon that offer a lot of support.  USA Today did a great review.  Do you have a wii?  This game's worth a try.

This review was not sponsored by Konami, the makers of Walk It Out.  I purchased my own copy.