Jimmy Somerville has a lot to answer for

We're Fucked.

Really, really, fucked.

Keeping Fit

Having recently made an investment in yet another set of fitness equipment in an attempt to keep trim and young (yeah right), I thought it about time I put together a comparison piece of my experiences; in the hope that my readership can be better informed when it comes to paying money for old (skipping) rope.

Assessing against the following criteria:

• Cost
• Motivation/Support
• Effectiveness
• Longevity

Against the methods covered:

• Gym membership including person trainer
• Home gym
• Yourself!Fitness
• Wii Fit

(Note I am not assessing value, as the act of working out has an intrinsic value of its own)

Cost

Many gyms will offer sessions with a personal trainer as a sweetener to signing up, however I am going to allocate a nominal charge for the trainer and incorporate it as an overhead of the membership fee.  Additionally I'm making an assumption of three month's membership without special discounts for comparison as this is an effective period to see results - see, I really am an accountant!

Gym membership plus trainer: £70 per month, with weekly 30 min session included: total £210

Home gym: Initial outlay on equipment depends on required use, assume three items at £175 each: total £525

Yourself!Fitness: Assuming the software is running on a console not a PC (i.e. viewing on a TV), and that the console is a required purchase ~£100 for a second-hand machine, £40 for software.  If aiming to get full usage of the software a fit ball, step, heart rate monitor and weights are required: total ~£205

Wii Fit: For console base package, game and required Fit Board: total £229.99 (source: Smyth's Toys, Merton)

 

Winner: Yourself!Fitness

Motivation/Support

Of course, keeping healthy and losing weight is a motivation in itself, but here I am referring to ways in which the listed methods keep you coming back to continue your regime.

Gym/trainer: Main motivation is of course cost, but a good trainer will keep track of your weight progress and the ability to handle/upgrade aspects of your workout.  At the very least the prospect of being punished will be enough to ensure you don't miss a workout.  Additionally the monthly expense of a membership not being used will be a motivation to many people, however this could adversely cause a membership cancellation.  A trainer will only support you as far as you allow, if you fail to turn up they get paid anyway and won't be anxious to berate you in case you complain - they will also more often than not be giving attention to many people at once, meaning there will be long periods where you won't see them at all while you work out.

Home gym: The outlay of equipment and the space it takes up should be a motivating factor, but those without immense self discipline and with a desire to spend without thinking, the equipment could very possibly go unused.  On a home workout with no motivational factor (i.e. a workout buddy, or excellent self control) it would be too easy to neglect the equipment altogether.  Support is only as far as you can support yourself, which is why it's important to keep to fitness goals and tracking.

Yourself!Fitness: Maya, the virtual trainer in YF, does a good line in guilt trips when you miss your "appointments" but she isn't preachy.  She does give feedback during the workout itself, but bearing in mind she can't physically keep track of what you are (or are not) doing beyond the occasional heart rate tests, the encouragements can sound false.  Regular fitness tests help to keep interest up and to track progress, and YF will change goals to suit as required.

Wii Fit: Much of Wii Fit is centred around personalisation and emotional connection to the software.  As such Fit will comment when it sees you aren't performing correctly (for example, if your balance seems out, or you're shaking during an exercise).  This is limited largely to actions based on your balance and centre of gravity, but nonetheless since many workouts rely on that key factor the responses are relevant.  Motivational comments in the game are very typically cutesy-Japanese with clumsy remarks made from time to time ("Your balance isn't that good, do you find you trip over yourself quite often?").  Additional pop-up hints and tips are given, but can be hard to read as you try to concentrate on your workout.

Winner: Yourself!Fitness

Effectiveness

Gym/trainer: Very effective results can be obtained through the use of a good trainer, but ultimately you'll be limited to your own commitment (as with any workout regime).  The ability of the trainer to see your personal development is an important one as they can give great focus to your key areas and adapt as required.

Home gym: Effective only if you know what you're doing.  When working under your own steam it is very easy to think you're doing effective exercises and in fact you are just causing damage to yourself - a lot of research and clarification of goals is required.  Again a proper workout plan will help with this, as well as defined goals and support.

Yourself!Fitness: YF will help you to achieve specific goals over time, and can be adjusted to suit or left to run autonomously.  In the event you miss sessions compensations will be made, however this can be a de-motivating factor too.  One thing that YF does well is to tailor exercises to a specific area of the body, however the section of workout devoted to that area is limited to a portion of the overall workout time which might not suit everyone.

Wii Fit: Each exercise type in Wii Fit falls under a category: Yoga Poses, Muscle Training, Aerobics or Balance.  As such it's easy to pick out areas which are of most use to you - however it's also easy to limit yourself to that one area.  Fit does regularly monitor your weight, BMI and core stability but it won't force you to correct any of those things, only gently nudge you toward certain goals.  Examples of the exercises do point out which muscles are affected however, which is very useful to know.  A major gripe of Wii Fit though is the Pick n Mix variety of options - ending one exercise means trawling through menus to get to the next, an ability to chain exercises would be a very useful update/addition in future versions.

Winner: Gym/trainer

Longevity

Gym/trainer: Longevity with this method will be short unless you have a compelling reason to keep returning.  Expense and time will limit the amount of activity in a gym environment and most "regular" people will flake out after around three months: especially if the gym/trainer sessions are based on a short-term offer.

Home gym: As above, the novelty of a home gym can wear off very easily if a regular routine can't be kept to.  More so if the equipment has to be keep out of sight (i.e. in a garage, or an attic) where an "out of sight, out of mind" situation can occur.

Yourself!!Fitness: YF can quickly become formulaic due to the limited number of activities available and the difficulty of some sections - there is no option to remove certain yoga poses, for example, only to give feedback on how difficult you find them.  Again this won't remove them, it will only make them slightly easier next time.  Maya is also somewhat limited in her conversational pieces and the novelty of providing her answers wears off quickly to reveal the process as a method of gaining feedback on your attitude to fitness, rather than developing a relationship with the software.  Additional workout locales and music help to add some longevity to the routines, unlockable through regular workout attendance.

Wii Fit: Provided you are happy with simple goals and light exercises, Fit potentially has good longevity.  The pick-up-and-play factor of the Wii works to Fit's advantage here and you can easily dip into your favourite exercises at any time: many of which don't feel like exercises at all.  For example, the hula hoop and slalom "games" are so immersive you often won't think about the effect it's having on your core muscles.  Likewise the Jogging activity (which can be played in 2-player mode) adds longevity as although the circuit is the same you will find yourself being visited by other people's "Mii"s, virtual representations of players with whom you have formed relationships (hi, Kris!).  The virtual player itself also works to keep up interest as you see the size of the character change when weight is lost and gained.  The ability to unlock additional game modes becomes a good motivational and longevity factor for those competitively minded players; as will the ability to "beat" your "best score".

Winner: Wii Fit

Overall Winner: Yourself!Fitness - However...

Conclusion

It has to be said that the drawing of a winner from these options is an arbitrary one as each individual will have different fitness needs - and indeed Yourself!Fitness has not been released on any next-generation hardware and is not readily available outside the US in any case.  As a comparison piece however it remains valid.

It is my belief that in the long run, for most people, Wii Fit will represent a cost effective and fun way to keep fit - not gym-body buff, and not 30-minute-yoga-session supple, but at the average we'd all like to be achieving.  Gyms and gym equipment are the blunt tools used to get to a certain and very specific target (massive guns, hard quads etc) but the splattergun approach and look-after-yourself attitude of gyms will put off a lot of Regular Joes and could set them back on their fitness goals.

Were Yourself!Fitness more widely available/advertised it would be a very good tool for anyone wanting a well-rounded home workout; ultimately though Wii Fit has managed to corner that market through effective penetration and good timing.  For current value and the further implications of personal involvement in fitness at home, it has to be Wii Fit.

Rainbow London Mayor's Debate

LMAO...