Many of us are spending far more time in our homes than we ever thought we could stand. Most of us are allowed outdoors to exercise, but some of us, due to crowding, allergies, or other conditions, choose to stay inside anyways. So what do you do for exercise when you feel it’s better to stay indoors? In my house that answer has been to boot up the Wii and get dancing!
Why the Wii?
The Switch has become extra popular while folks are stuck home, but the increase in popularity has brought shortages and rising prices. So if you have a Wii tucked away somewhere, it’s time to take another look at this gaming relic.
In our house we’ve found a lot of use for the Just Dance games, or as my sister jokingly calls them “Just Flail.” Whatever your reason for staying in that day, Just Dance will gets your heart pumping. It may also have some unintended side effects.
Wii Enjoy Hilarity!
For instance, my dad’s current favorite tune is What Does the Fox Say? He gets so much joy from the ridiculousness of that song. If you had told me last year that he would be requesting that Alexa play that tune and then dancing around the house to it, I wouldn’t have believed you. We have Just Dance 2015 to thank for this turn of events.
I’m also greatly appreciating the community dance videos that are options in some songs. The Pharrell Williams track Happy is one such song in Just Dance 2015. It’s usually my first song. Dancing along with the videos of other players makes me feel a little more connected to the world, even though I haven’t left my yard in weeks.
I’ve also been getting some good use out of the sweat feature in Just Dance 3. I put on continuous play and dance until my knees tell me I’m done. Of course, there are other excellent activity games on the Wii. Wii Fit and Wii Sports have been in and out of rotation here over the years, and there is always Animal Crossing: City Folk to try if you need to sit down for a while.
Conclusion
So if the Switch is out of reach for you right now, take another look at a system that may be taking up space in your closet somewhere. It’s healthy to keep moving, and for me it’s the Wii, or I drag out the old exercise VHS. I choose the Wii.
For more thoughts and memories about this retro system, check out James Luff’s article Stories about Wii
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