Spring is here and the weather is warming, which means people will begin to feel more active and want to shed those pounds gained over the winter and holidays. There are many new and old options available that are so entertaining you might not even realize you’re exercising.
New ways of keeping active include inventions such as the Wii Fit by Nintendo and power workouts that allow you to work out in the comfort of your own home, sometimes in as little as five minutes.
Programs such as the Bender Ball, Eight Minute Abs, and P90-X are routines you can do in your home that offer great fitness opportunities. The Wii Fit or even just the Wii also offer activities you can do in your own home.
Wii Sports has games such as baseball, tennis, golf, and boxing and the Wii Fit offers activities such as strength training, yoga, and cardio. The Wii Fit also allows you to track your progress and tells you if you are at a healthy weight. The Wii Fit comes with games like skiing, hula hooping, snowball fighting, and an obstacle course.
“The most entertaining new way to stay active is definitely the Wii Fit due to the multiplayer option and interactivity,” said Rob Shutler, senior in the finance program. “I enjoy video games and you can work out and be entertained with your friends.”
Lucas Hanson, junior in the surveying program, is skeptical about the actual effectiveness of the Wii and said, “New forms of exercising such as the Wii Fit are game systems that might work to a point, but Nintendo promotes it as a great way to exercise to sell their product and make money.”
Hanson added that he believes that depending on how dedicated a person is to a program like the Wii Fit determines whether it will actually work or not.
More traditional forms of exercise are also still common place. Ferris students seem to agree that group activities are the best way to be active.
“I think playing sports outdoors is the best way and the most fun way to get fit,” said Amanda Krebs, freshman in the music industry management program. “You get to have fun with your friends and you’re not focused on working out; you’re focused on playing the game.”
Getting together with a group of friends, especially in sunny weather, to play a game of football, baseball, basketball, or even tag are all great ways to get your body going. Hiking and jogging with your friends are also common and inexpensive activities students enjoy.
Hanson said roller blading is a fun activity to do with friends and also a good way to work your body.
“Roller blading is a great form of exercise for anybody looking for a good workout and a good time,” said Hanson.
Taking fitness classes such as yoga or dance classes are also great alternatives and can be done with friends.
LaBreonna Bland, senior in the health care administration and legal studies programs, thinks a dance class, such as a Zumba class, would be fun and a great stay to active.
“Classes that teach Latin dances like the Salsa and the Merengue allow you to be active and you could do it with your friends,” said Bland. “I have friends who take classes like these and they say it really gives them a great workout.”
Exercising doesn’t have to be a chore. There are new forms of exercise that make fitness options available to everyone. Whether it’s working out with friends or in the comfort of your own home, staying active doesn’t have to consume a lot of time and it can be extremely entertaining. n