Henry Ford	UPDATED: Wednesday, December 17, 2008
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Outdoor fitness activities make their way indoors for winter

Posted on Monday, December 01, 2008

By Laura Hipshire
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

The forecast predicts a wind chill factor of 10° below zero, and going outside means clearing off the car and braving icy roads. With weather like this, it seems almost impossible to go out for that brisk walk or drive to the gym.

People living at Henry Ford Village, though, don’t face such a dilemma. The question there isn’t how they’ll find a way to exercise during the winter, but rather what type of fitness activity they’d like to choose during the cold months.

Fitness center and fun classes
Henry Ford Village offers residents a wide variety of indoor fitness activities, including indoor walking through the community’s glass-enclosed, climate-controlled walkways; an all-season indoor swimming pool; and a fitness center equipped with state-of-the-art treadmills, recumbent bikes, and air resistance machines.

The community also offers a number of fun classes that help residents stay fit without having to brave the outdoor cold. Some of the classes include tai chi, water aerobics, circuit training, line dancing, and ballroom dancing.

One of the latest indoor fitness crazes to hit Henry Ford Village is the Nintendo Wii (pronounced "we"), an interactive video game. The wireless handheld controller detects movement in three dimensions so players actually perform the game movements. Games include bowling, tennis, and golf.

According to Matt Wallace, the community’s wellness coordinator, there are a number of benefits to the Wii games.

"The first and foremost benefit is the social aspect. A group of diverse individuals comes together and plays a game in which the field is even no matter what their individual status," Wallace says.

"There is a lot of support from peers all around and yet still that big competitive edge. Even people who don’t play enjoy coming down just to watch and cheer on their friends and neighbors," he says.

Jim Martin says he never played the Wii before he moved to the community a year ago from Detroit.

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"I met Matt Wallace, and he indicated he had a Wii and was interested in seeing if we could get something started with the residents," Martin says. "We set it up and played with it a little bit and settled on bowling as being the best game on the program to start for resident participation."

Strike it up
Martin says, initially, he and Wallace set up the Wii bowling in conjunction with happy hour events on Fridays.

"We would demonstrate it and call people up and show them how to do it," he says.

Now, Martin and fellow resident volunteers and set up the game in the Windows Café, an on-campus restaurant, on Wednesday evenings.

"We meet once a week—it’s enough time for one game with 12 bowlers," Martin says. "We have a sign-up sheet, and it fills up pretty fast."

A resident’s family donated a second unit that is set up at another location on campus.

Is Martin better at real bowling or the virtual Wii?

"Wii," he admits. "My high score is 221. I like it because it’s easy on the knees. People can use it, have fun, and look forward to it every week. It’s nice to see when they get a few strikes."