For every year that passes onto the next, collectively the world looks at one date in particular when setting the bar for every goal and milestone; January 1st. Whether or not we choose to mark this day as a place to get a fresh start as we get older, chances are the thought crosses the mind the moment someone else promotes their own desires to work towards in person or on social media. It’s not a bad premise; what could not be accomplished the year before, in the next year things can be different by changing the habits, outlooks, or any number of factors in order to better pursue a dreamed-up vision of our personal futures. What better way to make a difference? As many well know though, it isn’t as easy as saying it out loud and repeating it. Action is tough, especially when the desired goal requires consistency to achieve and keep up, so many of the same goals end up repeated year after year.
Well folks, I’m one of those “unfortunate souls” caught in their own loop, and while there is nothing remotely different about this year, other than it being a continuation starting out of the new status-quo since Covid-19 came to our collective doorstep back in 2020, my attention had been grabbed on yet another game abandoned, one that has helped others excel past themselves.
On December 21st, IGN’s Rebekah Valentine updated an article she wrote for the gaming news platform back in September of 2021 called “How Ring Fit Adventure Transformed the Lives of Those Who Beat It”. Within it, Rebekah chronicles the 15 or so individuals that took on Ring Fit Adventure since its release in 2019, and the effects playing the game to completion (& beyond) has had on their lives since their entry in. What came of those interviews quite clearly is just how much their outlooks had changed when it comes to their own fitness, and just how far fitness in general has come at the question of accessibility.
For Nintendo, it has almost been 14 years since the Wii Fit first hit many household living rooms for the first time, drastically changing how many gamers got their exercise or added to their regiments. Truthfully speaking, it wasn’t a complete revolution, with (pun intended) Dance Dance Revolution having hit both arcades and home consoles back in 1998, prompting many to buy up plastic floor-mat controllers for their Playstation consoles when not in front of the local area’s arcade cabinet. What did make it a renaissance product was the battery-operated Wii Board, which not only was used for playing mini-games, but it acted as a scale, a balance beam, a yoga mat, and many other things as players unlocked the next stages in the program. Its popularity would prompt Nintendo to produce an extension to the original game, Wii Fit Plus, 2 years later with more activities and games to choose from. While the game would end up with substantially different results for a few of those that grew up with the game initially, as presented by Polygon’s Ana Diaz, history will remember the pair of titles as Nintendo’s first push into bringing exercise to their consoles for the next generation (the first being in collaboration with Bandai and Human Entertainment, circa 1986).
So, where are we going with today’s history lesson and reflection? I’m about to provide both “show and tell” to the class on that.
After reading through the 15 interviewee’s experiences and results, I had my own moment of shame when it came to thinking how my own character in RFA was stuck at the beginning of the 2nd World and both parts players use for playing the game had been at that time collecting dust downstairs on the right side of the entertainment cabinet. That was at the end of December, and at that moment, I decided that enough was enough, and from January 1st on, for the rest of the year, I’d make this game part of my routine on an almost daily basis.
I wrote a little about Ring Fit Adventure in 2020, combining it in an article with Fitness Boxing’s first entry. The best way I can describe the game, as occasionally I will with friends, is it being Wii Fit on steroids just in how RFA takes that mantle and improves on every area the Wii Fit might have fallen short on. While the overall game doesn’t track the player’s weight after the initial entry, it offers a full adventure campaign that, instead of taking on enemies with programmed attacks, allows players to utilize both the Ring-Con and Leg-Strap, when each is paired with a Joy-Con controller, to choose unlocked exercises to defend themselves with. Additionally, there is a customizable workout program players can curate themselves, based on individually set goals, as well as rhythm games to exercise to and a function where utilizing the Ring-Con outside of the game translates to experience in-game up to 500 reps, making for creative motivation.
One of my main goals, and challenges, for 2022 is as simply said as it is rough to fully execute; Play through the game most of the 365 days in this year, and be able to summarize it at the end, in preparation for 2023. Month-to-Month, updates will be given at the end/beginning of each, and every month will have something new tacked on for added benefits as well as in general mixing things up. I initially wanted 365 to be the absolute number, but rest days are as needed as the consistent exercise that precede and follow them. To further the results and add a bit more to the journey, I’ll also chronicle the lifestyle changes I plan on making along the way, whether that’s other added routines or different habits I’ll take up in the place of previously harmful ones. What I hope to gain from this experience, along with the proof that it is possible to make a dramatic change in my own life, is a different of life by the end of 2022 that might follow me the rest of mine.
As this will serve as the start of the journey, here’s a look at where I currently am in-game, along with today’s (1/10) short session;
Currently, I am:
| Weight: 251.3 Ibs | BMI: 36.0 | Body Fat: 37.1% |
For me, this challenge exemplifies putting words I want to follow with action out into the world, in a fun as well as challenging way. In the last several days since I restarted, I noticed immediately how out-of-shape I was, both by the immediate sweat and by how tense my muscles felt afterwards. Slowly though, most of the initial reactions my body displayed started to ease up, and though I still feel certain places are tight, my movements have gotten easier in and out of the game. January still has more than 20 days left in its roster though, so the focus this month will be to play to the end on an almost daily basis. With that said, I look forward to sharing the results, and most importantly, building out a new set of healthy habits along the way.
If your goal here are like mine, and you have this title as well, feel free to join in the journey with your own experiences. Send us your Friend Code on the RF20XX Social Media, either on Twitter or Instagram, or email it to reportingfrom20xx@gmail.com, and tell us a little about yourself along with your goals for 2022! From us at Reporting From 20XX to you, Happy New Year, and best of luck in all that you pursue!
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