Lump of the day

There's new hope for couchpotatoes:

Nodaway, Ia. — J.R. Cook would not be the first person to credit a video game system with bettering his life.

He just may end up as one of the first to be right.

Nine weeks and 120 rounds of air boxing, 80 games of air tennis, and several dozen lanes of air bowling into his "Nintendo Wii weight-loss plan," the 27-year-old Nodaway native says he's shed a little more than 20 pounds.

He's shooting for 80 by the end of the year.

News of Cook's quest has reached an international audience, thanks to his blog, www.wiiweightlossplan.com, which registers as many as 25,000 hits a day.
The Des Moines Register

Now don't get me wrong, the fact that this rotund young man is exercising is good. But the question remains:Why does he need a computer video game to accomplish it? Well let J.R. speak for himself:

The idea behind Wiiweightlossplan.com came to me the first day that I had received and started playing my Nintendo Wii back in early January. I knew after a couple hours of playing Wii Sports (and a few sore muscles later) that this gaming system could really be a good workout and could probably help me get back into shape. Best of all though, it was FUN.

However, I'm lazy(emphasis added by me).Wii Weight Loss Plan.com

Nodaway, Iowa is a town of 132 people, out in the middle of nowhere, with plenty of open spaces in which to wander. But this young man, until he received his Wii, perferred the life of a couch potato.

Now, granted, the nearest fresh pizza to be had is at the Casey's General Store in Villisca. That's a hike of five and four tenths miles! Not an ungodly distance, mind you, but by the time one walks the return trip the pizza will either be stone cold or consumed. That is a dilemma.