Wii Fit takes the whole concept of games as exercise to a new level with the inclusion of a balance board peripheral that can tell you on the fly exactly how well–or how poorly–you’re doing with its various activities. As such, Nintendo is heavily marketing this innovative title as a mixture of fitness and fun, and for the most part it works. It’s a decent alternative for those bored with the repetitiveness of going to a gym or too self-conscious to join a yoga or aerobics class. Unfortunately, Wii Fit is hamstrung by some odd omissions (such as not being able to create your own program from the available exercises) and questionable health advice, limiting its effectiveness both as a fitness tool and as a game.

At the core of the Wii Fit experience is the new balance board, an elegant-looking yet surprisingly sturdy peripheral which features several internal scales that can detect changes in weight and pressure as you’re standing on it. The board–which is also quite hefty at roughly 8.8 lbs (4kgs)–interacts wirelessly with the Wii, and takes four AA batteries (which are included). The board has four rubber feet to help prevent it from slipping on smooth surfaces (and even comes with four extra feet that can be used to raise your balance board higher should you have thick carpet on your floors). Like the Wii Remote before it, the balance board is intuitive to use once you get into an exercise or game in Wii Fit, with its extreme sensitivity allowing it to pick up even the most minute shifts in weight. Its sensitivity only goes so far, however, with the board able to take only 330lbs (150kg) maximum weight, locking out the particularly robust from joining in on the Wii Fit fad.

Not that plus sizes need worry that they’re missing out on a prime weight-loss opportunity. Despite its moniker, Wii Fit isn’t a total fitness solution, with its included exercises focusing more on improving muscle tone and balance than on cardio and weight loss. What it does offer is a better way to track your weight, body mass index (BMI), and time spent exercising both within the game itself and from any other external activities, giving users a clearer picture of how their health is progressing over time. It’s no more going to make you super-fit than Wii Sports is going to make you a tennis pro, but it can provide a strong anchor for a more expansive fitness regime should you have the motivation.

As a title focused on health, Wii Fit makes some fairly significant judgments about its users’ fitness. This happens right from when your Mii is first registered with the game; after inputting a date of birth and height, you’re asked to step on the balance board for a weigh-in (all guided onscreen by a cartoon version of the board). From the height and weight data, a user’s BMI is calculated, with the user tagged as underweight, ideal, or overweight depending on the BMI score. A simple balance test then occurs (usually involving having to shift your balance to certain areas within a time limit) before your Wii Fit Age is displayed in large numbers on the screen. Only one Wii Fit Age result can be recorded daily, although you can practice the variety of balance tests as many times as you want.

It’s here where Wii Fit could possibly become problematic for some. Judgments such as BMI and fitness levels usually come from doctors and health care professionals, not cartoon versions of a computer game peripheral–and Wii Fit frankly doesn’t do a good enough job of explaining the science behind its measurements. While BMI, for example, is a well-established tool for measuring a person’s ideal weight, Wii Fit fails to make players aware that variables such as muscle mass and age can significantly affect a score (giving an otherwise healthy person with more muscle an overweight rating, for example). The title also throws the term “metabolic syndrome” around quite often, stating people with poor balance and low health can suffer from it without ever explaining what it actually is. Although most users of Wii Fit will probably not take the game’s BMI or fitness age calls too seriously, but there’s bound to be some overanxious player who does.

In structure, Wii Fit is most reminiscent of the various Brain Training games on the Nintendo DS, with the title broken down into a series of exercises that players can do regularly to improve their health. These exercises are split into four different categories: yoga, muscle, aerobic, and balance. The yoga and muscle categories feel the most like traditional exercise, with 15 yoga poses and 15 muscle-toning moves to work through. Yoga poses range from the absurdly simple (standing still and breathing–yep, that’s all) to the quite difficult and possibly lawsuit-in-the-making shoulder stand. It’s a similar situation with the muscle-toning section, with basic lunges mixed in with more strenuous activities such as the parallel stretch and push-ups. Virtual trainers (you can choose from either male or female) guide you through the yoga and muscle exercises, offering praise or criticism depending on how well you’re doing.

The aerobic and balance activities represent the fun side of Wii Fit with 18 games to choose from. The aerobic games include hula hoops, Wii Sports-like boxing, step dancing, jogging, and more. The balance activities are what most casual users of Wii Fit will first gravitate to, and include ski jump, ski slalom, snowboarding (where you have to turn the balance board sideways), a table tilt game where you have to use your shifting weight in a Mercury Meltdown-style challenge, and more.

Wii Fit’s included exercises do have the potential to positively impact your health, but thanks to its lack of exercise options, poor support for multiplayer, and shallow health advice, this title isn’t a gaming fitness revolution. What it does do is serve as a great introduction to the very impressive balance board, a peripheral which is already being lined up for use in other games. But for a game that’s being marketed so heavily on fitness and fun, Wii Fit is a little underweight in both.

Nowadays, things are really getting tougher for students. This world is really getting more and more competitive and if you want to survive, you will have to develop some special skills. That’s exactly the reason why students travel to different places to acquire special skills or degrees, for instance. However, it is so common to see that student always find themselves in such circumstances that cause freshman 15.

There is no denying in the fact that college life can really become so busy that students can never find time to take care about their physique. That’s exactly where the freshman 15 comes into the picture. It’s very understandable if you become fat during your college days. However, if you are one of those persons who are aware of the threats proposed by freshman 15, then you must take some steps to stay away from it.

Always get enough sleep:
The importance of sleep can not be emphasized in a right way. It is the most crucial thing that will have direct effects on your health. Sleeping for enough hours is essential for everyone, but, it is momentous for college students. Many studies have claimed that if college students will take a sleep of about seven hours, they will stay fit and slimmer. On the other hand, sleeping for less than seven hours can increase weight. So, develop a perfect schedule to get enough sleep at night.

Maintain good eating habits:
There are lots of students who always skip breakfast and go with late night meals. It is imperative to mention that breakfast can really provide you the energy that is required to perform day to day tasks. So, it must never be skipped. Students who skip breakfast always find them in a problem of excessive weight. Breakfast can have a direct impact on metabolism, so, it should never be skipped. Similarly, always stay away from late night meals as calories can make you gain more weight.

Exercising:
There is nothing to emphasize the importance of exercising. Exercise can help you to stay active and it can strengthen your immune system along with metabolism. Of course if you are obese, exercise is the best solution for you as well. Students must always try to get indulged in some physical activities like swimming, running, walking, etc. Also, students can go for weight training as this is the best way to stay fit and fine.

Bad drinking habits:
To stay away from freshman 15, students must stay away from bad habits like drinking alcohol, soda etc. Drinking alcohol can really create bad effects on your weight as it injects empty calories in your body. Drinking 8 beers means that you are having 960 empty calories which is really undesirable. Similarly, soda can also be considered bad because of the presence of processed sugar. So, try to stay away from these things if you want to avoid freshman 15.

So, these are the basic things that students must keep in mind to avoid the phenomenon known as freshman 15. However, there are some other things as well that are to be considered by freshmen. For instance, eating in cafeteria should be done in a right way and all types of deserts should be avoided. Simply put, you must have a plan and you must eat and sleep according to that as this will not only bring discipline in your life, but, you will also be able to enjoy a better fitness. Don’t forget to try various weight loss programs if you really think you need it.