The Exercise Blues

I hate exercising. Yes, I know it's good for me, and I do it even though I hate it.

But I'd rather enjoy it.

For the last year, I've been riding my elliptical (in the picture) thirty minutes a day, five days a week. And it's boring, so I've been looking for a way to vary my routine.

Roland helped by giving me Wii Fit Plus for Christmas. I haven't yet achieved the same intensity I get from the elliptical, but the Wii is a lot more fun.

It's also much better at pointing out my weaknesses.

The Wii characters are soft-spoken and polite, but they tell it like it is. The first time I let the Wii "measure" me, it said my physical age was 10 years older than my chronological age. (I think that's partly because I had no clue what I was doing. My physical age dropped six years the next time.)

Then there is the blow to my self-confidence from the exercise games. I was a whiz at the hula hoop as a child, but I can't get the virtual one to revolve even 20 times. And I can't figure out how to throw a snowball at all.

I also stink at the downhill skiing and the bicycle race. With all the walls I've run into and the cliffs I've driven over, I should be dead. But in spite of their challenges, both games are lots of fun.

Oh, I'll continue to do the elliptical a couple of days a week, and I've put together a customized but more traditional Wii exercise program that gives me some variety while working on the areas that need it most. But I'll do some games, too.

Every year I resolve to exercise and lose weight, and I met that resolution last year. This year I want to add a little fun to the routine.

Let's hope Wii Fit Plus is the answer.