Okay, so here's a scenario that's never happened before: My 9-year-old son telling me I'm spending way too much time playing with his Nintendo!
Now how's that for a turn of the table? It's usually me telling him the exact same thing.
But he's right: I have been getting a lot of thumb exercise recently while I tried out Ubisoft's new Nintendo DS game My Weight Loss Coach.
And I have to say, it was indeed fun and will probably become rather addictive for some people - which, I would think, is exactly what the designer of the game is hoping for.
As Gazette technology reporter Roberto Rocha pointed out in his story about the launch of the product in June, it's not really a game, but a lifestyle manager. It aims to help people get up off the couch and become more active.
And I'm all for things that can do that.
The program encourages the user to get out and move, and offers different challenges that will earn you points as you move toward your weight loss goals.
The game (I'll call it that!) provides a pedometer that you wear daily and plug in to the DS console at the end of the day. It measures your food intake and exercise output to make sure they're balanced. And the charming little stick figure graphic will happily tell you when they are - or aren't.
As you earn more points from successfully completing challenges, you'll get coaching sessions to help you.
The first one I earned was Steps to Health, which talked about the benefits of walking. I learned from the session's mini-quiz that while I like to walk, I have to work at finding more ways to do it - and not avoid it.
I like some of the challenges, all of which encourage a healthier lifestyle. They ask you to do things like:
- Cook enough lunches for the next three days (a 24-hour challenge).
- Get everyone in the household to plan on preparing a meal together.
- Put the salt shaker away for 24 hours.
- Add 10 minutes to your daily walk.
All reasonable challenges, I figure. Doable and good for you.
I found myself looking forward to inputting my information each night to see if I'd get the thumbs-up from my coach. (which I usually did) and earn another "milestone," which helps get you one step closer to your goal.
I also had fun with the Tips and Games section. Some of the quizzes were kind of hokey, like:
Which of the following is lowest in calories?
Hot dog
Soup
Spaghetti
Others made you think, like: How many calories are consumed by the average Japanese person in one day? (2,750)
All in all, it's a fun little tool to help you in your weight loss quest, and one that won't break the bank - unless, of course, you don't have a 9-year-old with a Nintendo DS you can borrow!
