Why I love Fitness Games

I was thinking about this today while running while playing my EA Sports Active 2.0, I really love fitness games, be it on the Wii or the Xbox 360 (no idea about PlayStation, we don't have one).

 

I own a few for the Wii, and have done so for a few years now, but one of the greatest things about them is that no matter what happens, I can always easily pick them back up and get going again. It doesn't matter that I stop and start (although it is better to just keep doing it, but hey... life gets in the way sometimes!), it will be there any time, day or night and in the comfort of my own home. If I get up early I can fit it in, or (as I have done in the past) exercised late at night after I have 'finished' my day.

 

I am the kind of person who prefers to be at home... a homebody if you will. The idea of running outside honestly sounds terrifying. I can't say I have ever seriously attempted it, and I am not sure I ever will (would one day like to see what the fuss is about... maybe when I have a higher fitness level). Being able to get exercise done that covers all of the different aspects (upper and lower bodies, cardio and core muscles) without having to leave home is just great.

 

The other aspect that I only realised today is that I am competitive with the game.  Today while running, there was no way I was going to let those little computer bastards beat me! Am I crazy... probably! Along with being competitive, I do have perfectionist tendencies and like to complete the full task (12/12 goals as an example).

 

I personally have quite a few of these fitness games, on the Wii I own:

• Wii Fit
• Wii Fit Plus
• EA Sports Active
• EA Sports Active More Workouts
• EA Sports Active 2.0

And on the Xbox we own:

• Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012
• EA Sports Active 2.0 (it was B's before we were together)
• Nike+ Kinect Fitness

Along with these specific fitness games we also have games for Zumba, Sports and other dancing games.

 

My personal favourite is the EA Sports Active 2.0 (EASA2), it is one that I come back to time and time again. It is the one that has everything I want and gives me a workout that suits me... something achievable for a particularly lazy, I-don't-want-to-exercise kinda gal.

 

I have heard rumours that the consoles might not be bringing out new fitness games, I don't know if this is true, but I sure hope not! In fact EA has already downsized EASA2 by removing the online component... which makes me sad because I love graphs and stats haha!

 

I am hoping for a new game to go with the new Xbox One when it comes out... B has told me not to hold my breath, but if it can do all that fancy pants Kinect stuff, I can only imagine what a new fitness game could do!

 

Some people would say that the fitness games are a passing fad, but for me personally I would have to say that it is something I will probably always try to keep (B tried to get rid of the Wii, but I wouldn't let him lol). I have been using the Wii since I got it in about 2009. I don't use it everyday, but in my single life I used it pretty much everyday when I was losing weight then too.

 

Hopefully it is something that I can build into the routine of my current life as well... because I need to beat those damn runners....

Why I decided to study Nutrition

With this being my 200th post (HOORAY!!!!), I thought I would spend some time reflecting on why I decided to study nutrition.

 

I did write a post at the beginning of last year outlining some of the basics, but with a few new things coming up for B and I as well as my recent freaking out about not being able to manage my time and not feeling like I am getting anywhere, I figured I needed a bit of a reminder.

 

The real reason I decided I wanted to study nutrition was to be able to help people. When I lost 20kg before I had people coming to me for advice, which I would happily give based on what I had done... healthy eating, moderation and exercise... nothing gimmicky. A few of my friends have taken up that advice (given over skim lattes at McCafe lol) and have lost a lot of weight.

 

By losing the weight I did, I found a passion... something I had never had before.  I could talk about losing weight and healthy eating for hours. I loved to read about nutrition, finding healthy recipes and I loved the energy I had.

 

Over the last few years of studying, I have come to a few conclusions about weight loss, obesity and our society, and these are things that I would like to help 'fix':

• Knowledge is important! A lot of the food knowledge is being lost in the new world of convenience.
• A lot of people don't understand what makes one food healthier over another.  People will believe what companies tell them.
• A lot of people don't know how to cook... and don't know about flavours or what a lot of fruit and veggies are... and the truth is that these are still things I am learning.
• People are less inclined to think about where their food has come from, and even what their food actually is or what it contains. Additionally, people are unaware of how food is supposed to taste... this was a big eye opener for me!
• Convenience has made it's way into our lives in so many forms; from food to transport.  Fresh foods are seen as a hassle now and no one wants to walk to the shops now that we have cars

I also feel that I have grown as a person since deciding to go to university. I love combining my love of learning, nutrition, gardening and sustainability and combining them all together to create meals. By using the scraps from the kitchen I am able to nourish my garden to grow delicious, nutrient-rich foods that can be used in my cooking, and then those scraps are returned to the garden once again to continue the cycle.

 

I love that not only am I learning how all of this can come together to produce foods and meals that have a lot of nutrients, but I am able to pass this knowledge on to Miss 5 who will hopefully know a lot more than I did when I started... and will hopefully know a lot more than my generation does about what they are actually eating and what their lifestyles mean.

Weigh In and Update

So I have been back on track for over a week now, and other than 1 day I have exercised when I said I was going to... I think that counts as a win!

 

I weighed in yesterday, but was a little too hormonal to actually come in and update the blog. Didn't think I would have really been posting from a positive place (was freaking out trying to fit too much into one day). Don't get me wrong, I was happy about my weigh in. It was probably better than I expected really due to the time of the month.

 

I was hoping for a loss, but would have been happy to maintain this week. While it was my first week back, I know how my body works, so I was really happy to see a 400g loss on the scales. I am still aiming for a 500g loss each week as my goal, and I do need to remind myself of this sometimes as I often find myself hoping for a much larger loss.

 

Once again, I need to get myself in the mindset of slow and steady and no pressure as well as who cares as long as the number is going down.

 

Food wise I have been doing pretty well. I have dipped into my weekly propoints a little for both weeks. I am trying not to, but it is nice to have that buffer there. I think I will be using them all this weekend when a few of my friends come over to kick off the Tour de Fleece. I have been trying to eat filling and healthy foods, but have had a few freddos to help with chocolate cravings.

 

As for exercise, I have started a 9 week challenge on the Wii (EA Sports Active 2.0), and it's so nice to have a variety.  Yesterday B and Miss 5 (yep - 5 now!!) got home not long after I had started exercising and Miss 5 joined in with me! So cute watching her do squats, lunges and running. She even pushed me along to finish!

 

I am looking forward to next weeks weigh in already.  Lets hope I have another good week :)

Hoping to make a comeback!

Over the last few days I have been thinking about how much I miss blogging.  Don't get me wrong... nothing has changed really, I'm still busy as hell, overthink everything, am too hard on myself and feel like I have poor time management skills, but have really missed being able to lay myself bare and reach out to people.

 

I am still (*ahem* back...) doing Weight Watchers, and I am still really enjoying it and  I have met some wonderful women also doing WW who have really helped me and been a fantastic support. I did have a short break from WW, which was about 2-3 months, but in that time we moved house, I changed stores for work, lost my Nana which I am still grieving and also became quite sick (basically bedridden for 2 weeks) and also managed a trip to the dentist (I have a phobia, trust me, that's significant!).

 

I am very proud to say though, that during that time I hovered around the same weight, so while I was off-plan and not eating very well at all, something must have stuck because I at least don't feel like I am back at the beginning, which has been such a big issue for me in the past.  I am currently sitting at my second mini goal which will get me to a loss of 10kg, I still have 4.9kg to get to that, and I am hopeful for a good weigh in this week.

 

Mentally, I actually feel really at peace and confident that I can succeed.  At the beginning of the week I had a bit of meltdown and fully realised just how truly unhappy I am with my weight and just how much my body image and self confidence have suffered because of it.  I am not saying that weight loss will be the miracle cure to fix it, but I do believe it will be a step in the right direction

 

While speaking with some of the WW girls supporting me I came across some older pictures of me where I was at different weights. Usually I would be horrified and ashamed of what I have done to my body, especially after working so hard to lose the weight in the first place, but now I can look at these pictures and see them as inspiration or goals.

 

 

A few of my friends have been running recently, and I have always had it in my head that "I am not a runner", "I cannot do it"... but recently I have been questioning it.  I love the idea of running, but am unsure of whether or not it is for me... at this point in time I am still pondering...

 

As I am technically on uni holidays (although still studying for deferred exams), I am attempting to fit exercise back into my life. I am hoping to do this through fitness videos, free weights and a barbell set and once again the Wii and Xbox fitness games.

 

Also, to save your guys from the continuous onslaught of gardening and sustainability posts, I have started up a new blog here, where if you are interested you can follow me there too!

 

Hopefully I will be around to post more.  Weigh ins, as always, are on a Wednesday... that's a good place to start! If you are still around and reading, please say Hi... I do love getting comments on my blog and always try to reply to each one!