January is in the books, and now that February is here, so is the likelihood of slacking off on your New Year’s resolutions. If you’re like most people, you decided that 2009 would be the year that you finally got into shape. And if you’re like most people, you’d really like to have some cheesecake right about now. The problem, of course, is that one of these is much easier than the other. That’s where Nintendo’s Wii Fit comes in.

When I first got Wii Fit, I was sure I’d be in shape in no time, and months later, I’ve lost two and a half pounds. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. That’s not much. But it’s not the game’s fault. No game on earth can make exercise fun to me, but Wii Fit is the closest I’ve ever come to having fun while working out. Plus it’s nice to work out at home. You don’t have to go to the gym and have some meathead ask you about which muscles-you’ve-never-heard-of you’re working on today.

It’s hard to call Wii Fit a game. It would be more accurate to call it by its name, because it is an exercise regimen on the Wii. Or you could call it ‘Exercising’ because that’s pretty accurate, although I imagine it would not have sold nearly as well. I’m sure the balance board that’s included would have helped offset a name like ‘Exercising,’ but ‘Wii Fit’ sounds so much better.

Don’t get me wrong, this game has a ton of features that can get a couch potato off the couch and roasting calories like nobody’s business. The weigh-in is one of the single best motivators on the game. Checking your progress daily lets you see tangible results and keeps you in the routine of exercising every day. Another motivator for me was watching my Mii’s waistline expand as a child-like voice says “Overweight!” The bruise to my ego is still healing.

When you first play this game, you will probably be sore the next day. That’s okay. Just take it easy for the next few days and don’t over-do it after that. Trust me, it’s a good thing that you’ve found exercises that you can not only stand, but will do until you’re aching the next day. Wii Fit offers many choices of yoga, strength training, and aerobics exercises, as well as balance games. By doing a few of each every day, you’ll be exercising the often recommended 30 minutes a day without realizing it.

For the guys reading this thinking that Yoga is a girl thing, I challenge you to try it. When you feel the burn, you will know it’s working. When you see the added tone in your muscles, just tell your girlfriend it was from rebuilding transmissions or something else manly like that. Speaking of manliness, the strength training found in Wii Fit can really help build up your muscles. You can pick your exercise, set the number of reps, and try your best not to collapse before it’s over (at least that’s what I do anyway.)

The aerobics exercises are what make me sore. There’s a Hula-Hoop game where you spin hula hoops as your friends toss more at you. The incredible accuracy of the balance board is demonstrated as you try to keep several hoops spinning at once. While Wii Fit’s aerobics will melt the calories away, the balance games have little value as calorie burners or muscle builders. According to the talking balance board in the game, balance is more important than we give it credit for. My advice for anyone trying to do well at the balance games is to sink some time into doing yoga. You’ll find your balance improving pretty quickly that way.

Wii Fit will make you think about everything you eat before you eat it. That’s the beauty of this game. The next thing you know, you’re buying apple chips instead of potato chips. Or at the very least, you make the switch to light beer instead. Either way, having this innovative ‘game’ in your home will make you live a healthier lifestyle.

Kevin “Mello Joe” Mercer is a former radio personality and a lifelong gamer. You can find him on Xbox Live and Playstation Network, Gamertag: Mellojoe. View the world as he sees it at www.youtube.com/user/mellojoe. www.myspace.com/charlesk