I am really curious to know if the Wii Fit could actually be used as an exercise tool, or if it is just a device to make parents feel less guilty about abandoning their children in front of the TV.

Luckily, I was able to get a hold of a Wii Fit this week (Thank you ToysRUs.com).  The Balance Board and Wii Fit game has been a new fun toy to play with on my breaks from studying for the Bar.  When you first sign-in to Wii Fit, you select a Mii to represent you and then you begin a body test.  The body test involves getting your height, weight and age, and then having you perform a balance test.  The results produce your “Wii Fit Age” as well as providing you with your BMI and weight.  The scale was accurate, but sadly the Balance Board is not able to calculate your muscle mass.  My dad registered as obese.  Dad is not obese.  He can bench press two of me and his biceps are thicker than my head.  Big he is, but not obese.

I however, measured overweight.  Not a shocker as I know I am heavy for my height.  Wii Fit gives you the option to set BMI/Weight goals after telling you how big you are.  It was a pleasant surprise to see that they recommend you not try and lose too much weight too fast.  Overall, I have found that the Wii Fit provides some really great fitness advice.  Plus, they re-enforce the game aspect by providing you with a FitBank that stores all of your FitCredits.  You earn credits for training.  The more credits you earn, the more games you unlock.

Speaking of training, you have four training options: Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics and Balance Games.  I will not lie, I love the Balance Games.  I have unlocked them all already.  You are still using your body, although not to the extent you do in the other training areas.  But the four training areas give you a well-rounded approach to fitness.

So will Wii Fit help you lose weight?  I don’t have an answer for you after 4 days of fun.  I can tell you that I have worked up a a sweat more than once.  I have had a sore bottom and sore legs the following day.  I have been down right WORN OUT!  But I will have to get back to you on the weight loss part.

I finally finished my first week of training under the One Hundred Push Ups program.  I am proud to say that I made it all the way through.  It was challenging, but a success.  Now only five more weeks to go before I can do the big 100.  The training program has made me feel like I need to do more strength training.  Since moving to Tennessee I have not had a gym to go to, so my strength training has really just turned into resistance training.  In stead of lifting weights, I have my body weight and resistance bands.  It is at least something, but I feel like I could be doing more.  I guess I feel like that in other areas too.  Like Bar studying…

Speaking of Bar studying, I completely bombed the practice MBE that I took on Friday.  I mean below average raw score bombing.  I feel like I need to be cracking down even harder since I only have four weeks left until the big day.  I am now only 3 lectures behind the in-class study schedule.  I was about 1 1/2 weeks behind when I started.  I just need to practice more questions and focus on some concepts that continuously trip me up.

And finally, the House Hunting.  It is on a semi-hold right now. The Husband left today for three weeks (possibly more) in Argentina for his job.  While I can still keep looking, no firm decisions can be made until he gets back to look at the house too.  The way the market is moving along, I that any house I find will go flying off the market anytime soon.

We did go to three open houses today before he hopped on his plane.  They were mainly disappointing.  It is a combination of not finding what we want and then finding houses that people didn’t take good care of.  I mean, if you are having an open house, the least you could do is clear off the cobwebs from the side entry, toss out the dead plants and put a screw into the loose railing so no one falls down the stairs to the basement.  I mean, you are trying to sell your house, right? *sigh*  We did see one house that was taken care of and was below our price range, but it also meant it was too small for us.  At least we are starting to understand more what we will and will not accept as far as size and condition are concerned.  So the hunt, on a smaller level, will continue.  The massive assault on the real estate of Blount County will occur in August.  I will be done with the Bar, the Husband will be in the country and I want to be settled in a home before Thanksgiving!

I started my first day of training to reach 100 push ups in a row and it was a rough day!  I was able to complete all the push ups required, but I felt like it was a bit more difficult than it should have been.  If you are training too, check out the Week 1 Chart over at One Hundred Push Ups to see what you should be doing.  I am in the middle column so I did 7 + 7 + 5 + 4 + MAX (8).  I guess I shouldn’t complain too much because my max was greater than any one set.  However, when I got out of my shower, I had great difficulty fixing my hair.  My arms didn’t want to reach above my head at all!

Now there has been some chatter on the web about how this training program might not be good for you because all it focuses on is your upper body - mainly chest with some shoulders, back and upper arms.  I understand these concerns, which is why I will point out that I do exercise other areas of my body.  This morning I ran 4.5 miles in 60 minutes.  Slower than what I was doing 6 weeks ago, but that happens when you take an extended break.  I also do yoga and strength training for all of my body parts. 

So if you are going to do this challenge, don’t neglect the rest of your body.  I know everyone out there has seen one of those guys who only do bench presses and curls but never do a squat.  Big chest with chicken legs.  They make me laugh.  Don’t look like a chicken - remember your other body parts.

I would like to think I could do it with lots of practice and increased upper body strength.  Obviously I am not the only one out there who thinks they could do 100 push-ups.  Both J.D. at Get Fit Slowly and workoutmommy have blogged about One Hundred Pushups which is a six-week program that will end in the ability to do 100 push ups.

The programs involves doing sets of push ups three days a week and you only need 30 minutes for each session.The initial test makes you do as many good form push ups as you can.  I was easily able to do 5 and made it all the way to 10 before I thought my arms were going to give out.  Now I just sit tight until Monday when I start the training program.  See you in 6 weeks!

We are coming to the end of the month, so I thought I would give you an update of my month long experiment: The Great Walking Experiment!

The walks have turned into errand runs 100% of the time. It is hard to find time to walk while I am also trying to train for my running and cross train on the rest of the days. So the only way I walk is when I have to go to the grocery store or when I am at the mall or out running other errands. I did do a long walk to breakfast on Friday, but that only exacerbated my knee injury from my sprinting on Thursday. So walking has been at a minimum and no 30 minutes at one time was achieved on Sunday. I basically made it all the way to April 27th before having a day where I did not get a solid 30 minutes in. So close!

Now that Finals Studying has begun, I will be even more sedentary than average. I will continue to go to the gym so I am not on my butt 100% of the day. However, I will put TGWE to a close as days have now been missed.

It was a great experiment that has made me realize that I love to go outside and explore new areas of the city that I have never been to before. I feel that I need to get outside for my runs a bit more often. The experiment has also enlightened me to the fact that I spend my time doing wasteful things. Like too much television and internet. This week I begin tracking my time to see how I spend it, noting what I am doing for every 15 minute increment. We will see how much time I spend doing frivolous things and how much time I actually spend accomplishing what I need to do.

Thinking that you might be waisting your time? I highly suggest watching the YouTube video by the same guy who brought you The Last Lecture: Randy Pausch. It is very informative! While your at it, watch The Last Lecture too!

Here is Time management by Randy Pausch: