The latest video craze is thanks to the Wii and complimentary games like Wii Fit and EA Sports Active. These “exergames” have made fitness enjoyable by allowing physical activity to be fun, challenging, and adventurous. These fitness video games are great for improving eye-hand coordination, balance, stability, and stamina; all of which you can do at the gym as well.

Although the sweaty gym or health club may not be the most enjoyable place to spend an hour or so of your day, the benefits are endless. I understand that driving to the gym is an inconvenience and full of germs and people you may not want to talk to, but suck it up and hit it hard!

I strongly believe there is no substitute for exercise itself. Although “exergames” do a good job, exercise cannot be imitated. Cardiovascular training can be done anywhere and everywhere, but there is no exception for weight training. Weight training has been proven to increase bone density and lean muscle mass, improve posture, and reduce the risk of future injuries, which is not something you’ll be able to accomplish with your video game.

As a fitness expert, I encourage you to proceed with your normal workout routines (cardio and weight training) and let the digital workout world be an added benefit to your physically active lifestyle. In other words, don’t rely on video games to get your physical activity, use them for fun and additional exercise.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Gym Workouts More Beneficial than Fitness Video Games

The REPS app allows you to set a target weight loss goal, has a rep counter, shows calorie burn rate and provides motivational messages. The iPhones weigh less than five ounces, so don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll be ripping muscles while you cruise to work in the subway. But in the same vein as the Wii Fit, the REPS app introduces additional, simple movement into your routine, allowing you to burn calories and keep those muscles working.

Try the REPS iPhone app for yourself for $2.99.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Mobile Free Weights with REPS iPhone App

Just released during the first week of October, the Wii Fit Plus has a few added tricked-out features which will help inspire even the glued-to-the-television couch-potatoes to stand up, press play and get moving.

The latest version includes more exercises like three additional yoga, three additional strength-training workouts and mini-games to its original menu of workouts, in addition to expert guidance that teaches you how to get the most calorie burn out of your workout.

Plenty of recent research has shown that daily food journaling is an effective way to lose weight, control portions and maintain weight once your diet goal has been met. Wii Fit Plus capitalizes on this growing body of evidence with its new food journal that allows you to input what you ate, how much you ate and how many calories you consumed. It then subtracts your food intake from the calories burned during your workout.

Remember that the interface system keeps track of your data including weight, height, age and BMI. This information allows the program to calculate how many calories you burned during your workout as well as how far you need to go to meet your health goals for the day. Just keep in mind that its reliance on BMI as its sole computation of progress is not the only way to track weight loss and fitness goals.

If you already have the original Wii Fit, you can upgrade for $19.99. If you’re a Wii Fit newbie, the entire package including the Balance Board, exercises and virtual trainers can run about $99, $10 more than the first edition.

Here is DietsInReview.com’s complete review of the new Wii Fit Plus.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Nintendo’s New Wii Fit Plus

As a follow-up to her Fitness Ultimatum 2009, this new game challenges players to a Hell Week-style boot camp featuring one-on-one workouts and all-new core exercises in cardio training, strength training, and balance training super-set routines. The game includes new additions like the “Fitness Resolution” in which you plan your six-month workout routine with a training schedule and the “Exercise with Jillian” component, which provides you with a one-on-one game with a 3D avatar of Jillian Michaels that demonstrates pre-made or custom routines.

The Pocket Trainer 2010 will be available this fall and is a portable game that allows you to track your workout routine and progress through the innovative “My Diary” feature. And with more than a dozen real-world exercises and Jillian Michaels’ tough love and supervision, you can take advantage of the trainer’s signature challenging workouts to get in the best shape of your life.

Pre-order Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum for Wii (available October 6).

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Jillian Michaels to Release Fitness Ultimatum 2010 for Wii and DS

The workouts range from basic to extreme based on your desired intensity level. For those gamers looking for more than the Wii Fit has to offer, the Sports Active product is a more robust and comprehensive lifestyle and exercise manager. It has extensive workout and food journal capabilities for those activities that happen outside of your living room. Catalog outside exercise activities and foods you eat throughout the day in the system for a more holistic view on your progress toward a healthier lifestyle.

While at the event we caught up with Donny and Kari Claxton to check in on their results from the 30 day challenge. Donny and Kari were very enthusiastic about Sports Active, and the lifestyle change it has brought to them and their entire family. Donny told DietsInReview.com that he is now down 24 pounds in just 30 days using Sports Active and in addition his family is now taking up more traditional exercise activities, playing tennis, swimming, and more walking.

“The most life changing 30 days of my 43 years … we have made a holistic change on what we eat at home, what we feed our children and how we exercise” – Donny Claxton

Find more information here on the EA Sports Active and don’t forget to keep up with Claxton’s. Photos from the event are on our Flickr page.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

EA Sports Active – On Tour

There’s an interesting New York Times article on the widespread injuries inflicted upon Wii enthusiasts. The author even reports a pop in his left shoulder after playing Wii tennis.

If you’re not familiar with the Wii phenomenon, gamers use a handheld, wireless remote where you mimic the motion of the activity in the video game. This could include tennis, boxing, bowling, among others.

“It’s great in the concept that it gets people active and involved,” said Dr. Brian Halpern, a sports medicine physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. “It’s not great in that you get lost in that and are overloading areas that you haven’t worked out in a long time, if ever.”

Dr. Halpern says he’s treated two types of injuries: traumatic injuries like twisted knees and sprained ankles from playing Wii in confined spaces, and repetitive stress from lengthy play.

If you’re interested in purchasing a Wii Fit system, or currently own one and have been fortunate enough not to fall victim to an injury, here’s some handy advice: you don’t need to exactly mimic the real-life motion. You don’t need to make a full swing when a flick of the wrist is usually enough.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Is Wii a Medical Liability?

This past year, Jillian Michaels’ released her own Fitness Ultimatum for the Wii to lack-luster reviews, and there are rumors that the Biggest Loser will release its own game. But before that, the show’s host Alison Sweeney is giving EA Sports Active Personal Trainer a try.

“When do I have time to go to the gym? It really is like a personal trainer in a box. It’s perfect. I recommend it to all mothers!”, raves the new mom about the game that releases May 19. Alison is also joining 11 others in a 30-Day Challenge, to be the first to try the new game and report their progress. The challenge begins with a spa retreat hosted by Bob Greene, and it’s no surprise that his involvement earned the product a Best Life seal of approval. Other participants include web celebs, mommy bloggers, gamers and daddy bloggers.

EA Sports Active works with the Wii to give you a stimulating workout in the privacy of your own home. With 25 exercises and activities that burn calories and tone muscles, you’ll be able to get gym-like results from your living room, den or game room. Virtual personal trainers will guide you through your Bob Greene-approved workouts, and daily progress reports will keep you motivated to stay on track. Other features you’ll enjoy:

• Multi-player mode lets you workout with a friend, spouse or even the kids!
• Includes a resistance band for more intense workouts.
• Use the included leg strap to have your movements replicated on-screen, and receive feedback to improve your technique.
• Use in conjunction with Wii Balance Board.
• Virtual trainer offers instruction, feedback, motivation and tips.
• Activities includes tennis, dancing, inline skating, boxing, volleyball and 20 others.
• Log foods you eat and activity outside of EA Sports Active.

Pre-order your EA Sports Active Personal Trainer for the Wii now.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

EA Sports Active Personal Trainer for the Wii

Alison Sweeney with daughter Megan Hope. (via People.com)

Fans of Biggest Loser watching the current season seven might be a little confused by a very noticeably pregnant Alison Sweeney when they learn that she’s got a two-month-old baby girl at home. Sweeney announced her pregnancy during late filming of season six, and was pregnant throughout the filming of season seven. People were surprised to see her six weeks shy of delivery at the season six finale, only to show up a few weeks later on the season seven premiere with a barely-there bump.

After a long day of filming for season seven, a very 9-months-pregnant Sweeney went into the hospital for a routine check-up, still donning hair and make-up from the set. “My doctor was a little concerned and said, ‘I don’t want to leave her in there one more day!” says Sweeney, whose labor was then induced. The short notice gave barely enough time for her husband, California State Trooper Dave Sanov, to make it to her side.

EA Active for the Wii releases May 19, 2009.

On January 12, Alison and Dave welcomed a little baby girl, Megan Hope Sanov. The couple also has a four-year-old son, Ben, who is a frequent visitor to the Biggest Loser ranch, where contestants say he runs up and down the halls and is a joy to have a round.

Mothers every where will gasp to know Sweeney returned to the set of Days of our Lives to play her long-time role Sami Brady just six days after Megan’s arrival, and was back on the Biggest Loser set eight days later. As for taking off the baby weight, Alison is reliant on her Wii Fit. She’s using EA Active, a new game for the Wii that releases May 19.

“When do I have time to go to the gym?,” asks Sweeney. “It really is like a personal trainer in a box. It’s perfect. I recommend it to all mothers!”

(via People.com)

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Alison Sweeney’s New Baby and Post-Pregnancy Workout

Not really, says Brian Crecente, managing editor of the popular gaming blog Kotaku. Despite optimistic predictions that Nintendo had unleashed a new era of videogames, Crecente calls Wii Fit little more than an exercise fad that’s bound to come and go like any other. “I don’t know a single person who has bought the game who uses it routinely after a month,” he claims, stressing that getting results from the game requires dedication and real physical exertion.

Read the rest of this story.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

The Reality of Wii Fit

Update: Check out the Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010, completely updated!

We were as excited as everyone else to get our hands on the new Jillian Michaels for the Nintendo Wii- Fitness Ultimatum 2009. It seems anything Jillian touches turns to fitness gold. We’re huge fans of hers, and have always had nothing but nice things to say about her many other products. There’s no way to know how hands-on she was in the development of the game, if the developers rushed the job or if they did much consumer testing, either way, it doesn’t seem like much attention on any of those accounts.

When I launched the game, I was immediately struck by the graphics. That’s one of the most impressive characteristics of the Wii games. But this? Reminded me of the Duck Hunt days. Very grainy, unrefined images that didn’t reflect the quality we’ve come to expect from the Wii. We don’t want you to just take our word for it, hear the comments left on the review. “The graphics are horrible. The screen hardly moves at all when you’re exercising… you basically get to watch your avatar run/kayak/bounce in place just like you,” said Gin. Kurt agreed, “Graphics are on par with Atari I played as a kid.”

Additionally, the avatar character can be difficult to use. Your actions aren’t as easily mimicked on screen as with other Wii games. I also noticed that I could stand perfectly still and my avatar would continue working out. Gin also commented “moving all about searching for the right motion to get your activity recognized may be the biggest part of the workout!” Scott added “You can literally start the game, put the controllers on the couch and it responds as if you are actually doing the exercises while Jillian is telling you that you are doing a great job!”

The sound was also disappointing. The music wasn’t all that motivating or even something I’d choose to listen to. Jillian provides the voiceovers with motivational messages and encouragement to keep you going. Anyone who is a fan of the trainer will know that the Jillian on the game is not the one we’ve all fallen for. Whether her act on Biggest Loser is all for show or how a genuine workout with her really is, it doesn’t come through on the game. Lizzy commented “she’s TOO NICE! not the Jillian i know! I expected… her to scream at me!”

Like other players, I spent more time trying to figure how to move in a precise way that my avatar would recognize it than I did focusing on a workout. Scott suggested they rushed the job- “They obviously pushed this game out the door before they worked the bugs out of it. This by far is THE WORST Wii game I’ve ever played!”

The Wii can be a useful fitness tool if you’re pressed to find time to exercise anywhere else. Unlike other video games, this one actually encourages your kids to get up, move those little bodies and get their hearts pumping. So maybe consider one of Jillian’s fitness DVDs or the Wii Fit, but this game is likely to leave you with more frustration than calories burned.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Jillian Michaels’ Wii Game Not Worth the Hype