//WII FIT U
I’m not normally one to mix work with pleasure, but today is a special circumstance.
What you’re seeing above (because Nintendo inexplicably won’t let me share a screenshot through normal channels) is an accomplishment over a month in the making: I’ve managed to run/walk the perimeter of Oahu, the largest island (hopefully this is factual, I didn’t Wikipedia this) in Hawaii.
So while I’ve clearly managed to find a healthy activity that I enjoy and will help me in the long run, I can auspiciously talk about it because I tracked my progress using Wii Fit U. Or maybe you’re not interested; after all, I have been spamming Twitter/Facebook with RunKeeper posts and you’re more than likely tired of hearing about how I’ve gotten my tubby butt off the proverbial couch and into a pair of jogging shoes.
That’s neither here nor there really; I enjoy the fruits of my labor every day with a better metabolism, more energy and a hobby that is less lethargic than the one I am currently writing about.
What I do want to hone in on is how influential Wii Fit U was in keeping me going. This isn’t any kind of inspirational tale of an overweight man overcoming his slothfulness and became fit; my life and my writing skills would never make it that interesting. Rather, I’m being quick to point out that by “game-ifying” something like running, I was able to build my skill and confidence and have an arbitrary goal to keep me motivated to boot.
If I’m being honest, I’ve had a couple of failed starts at running. I’ve been using things like time, weather or family life as an excuse to bail; any reason to hop off the wagon and I was more than happy to oblige. Here’s another painful truth: I’m not overly enamored by jogging, even though I’ve been consistently doing it for over two months now. The prize is that maybe I can live a little longer and enjoy my family because of that. I don’t think I’ve ever felt the mystical “runner’s high” that seems to push so many people.
It’s hard and it always feels like work. But…that’s OK. There’s a certain satisfaction to accomplishing things that are tough and not necessarily a comfort to you. At this point it has become habit to lace up and take a run outside. I don’t question any more than I would doing a load of laundry or remembering to get an oil change. But in order for it to become a habit, I needed a little extra push.
I originally got a Fit Meter because I was hoping to compete against my wife in the same way we did with Personal Trainer: Walking. It didn’t pan out as she didn’t get one too; but after comparing my progress with her Fitbit, I can’t hold a candle to how many steps she puts in anyways. There’s also an option to join a club within Wii Fit U that I thought might be of use; but I joined one that had only a single member and he kind of gave up the ghost after a week.
I was on my own.
I’m well aware there are apps that “game-ify” running; they look like fun, but I wasn’t interested in reading a log of where my travels took me. I was looking for something a little quicker, succinct and that gave me more long-term goals. Being as I had an underutilized Balance Board as it was, the price of free with the purchase of any Fit Meter (which I know doesn’t technically make it free per se), Wii Fit U looked like as good a place to start as any.
The Fit Meter tracks both altitude (which I haven’t quite nailed down yet) and distance with steps and gives you a simple start and finish for you to accomplish. In between you’ll hit checkpoints where the talking Balance Board will pop up and give you some kind of informational nugget of wisdom about wherever you happened to pass and keep you moving on your merry way. There aren’t any role-playing elements, leveling or other tropes attached to gamification; just you plugging your way from one end of a marathon course to another. It doesn’t sound like much because…well, it isn’t.
But it was enough of an impetus to keep me motivated.
I’ve blazed through shorter courses through London, Tokyo and Chicago, but Oahu was the first big challenge for me to tackle. And I flipping did it. Sure, it was only a matter of time, but it didn’t make finally reaching the end any less gratifying. It’s too bad Nintendo doesn’t let you save screenshots to Miiverse, but a cell phone picture will do just as well.
So what’s next now that I’ve tackled Hawaii? The mother of all races: the tour of Italy. Its some 656 miles of terrain tracing its way through the boot-shaped country. By my guesstimation it should take me just under six months to finish, at the rate I’m going. Give or take considering I’ll also be biking and hiking this summer as well, which may add or subtract to the time. Either way, it will be finished. And there’s something to be said for tackling something few probably will. Hopefully by then they will have patched the ability to post a photo of my completed run so I can share it with pride.
But even if I can’t, at least I’ll have known I’ve done it and feel better about my life because of it.
Source:
http://ift.tt/1dZbKx6