How Wii Helped with My Walking-Running Marathons

        My father-in-law was nice enough to get my wife a Wii fit machine for her birthday this May.  It has helped her with her balance and her fitness.  It has also helped me with my running.  The way that helped me was to teach me to balance my weight evenly on the left and right sides. 

       I had significant problems with my right knee and went to physical therapy to strengthen the knee and get it ready for my walking the marathon last year.  The knee has been a lot better since then, but it still aches more than the left knee which is fine.  When I started playing on the Wii, I found out what the problem was.  I was putting too much weight on my right knee and not enough on the left knee. 

            The Wii machine has a body test; it includes a balance test.  You stand on the platform and the machine told me that I was putting about 60% of my weight on the right knee and about 40% on the left knee.  Therefore, it made sense that the right knee hurt more and was weaker than the left knee. My technique in race-walking was much better on the left than the right leg because of this.  

            As soon as I realized that I was putting too much weight on the right knee, I made a conscious effort to shift my weight to the left knee and leg.  This included when I am standing as well as in my running and walking.  The results are slow, but I can notice them.  The right knee aches less since I am asking less of it.  All the running and walking I do to prepare for the marathons puts a lot of pressure on my knees.  Thanks to this simple Wii body test, I can put less pressure and weight on the right knee and run better. 

            I have subsequently taken the body test with this new knowledge.  In the last two times I have done the body test, I have actually been 52-53% to the left.  That is fine; I am now balanced!  Thanks Wii and thanks Baxter!