I have completed five of the 20 workouts in the EA Sports Active (Wii) 30 Day Challenge. At two days on, one day rest, they are coming along fairly smoothly. I have not failed to complete any of the exercises that the virtual trainer has put me through, but I am having difficulty running in place at the speed that is recommended. Frankly, I’m getting a little tired of seeing “too slow” on the screen during the running portions.
But, I do like the boxing and inline skating and tennis portions. The boxing target and heavy bag drills make me feel strong. The tennis exercises take me back to high school and college (in my mind anyway) where I used to be a little better able to participate and enjoy the sport! With regard to the inline skating activity, the jumps from the ramps are somewhat comical. I feel all of my excess fat (and as a warning to endowed ladies that read this, also boobs, even if they are well-supported) bounding up and down with each not-so-vertical leap and my dear husband cracked a joke upon each ramp landing: boy, that would have been a trip to the hospital in real life. He’s right!
All of the exercises with the resistance bands are kind of tedious, but I do know that they are helping tone the flabby loose skin I’ve collected from the weight I’ve lost so far, so I do them with determination and joy.
The lunges and squats are by far the most challenging. My posture is quite poor, and I’m not used to balancing my weight appropriately. So, when I am forced to extend myself in unnatural positions and maintain the pose for a few seconds, it’s quite uncomfortable. But, I have to do it! I must admin that although I was sore after doing the routines and first couple of times, each successive workout has been easier on my body. I know that at the end of the 30 Day Challenge, I will be in so much better shape.
I am even thinking that after this 30 Day Challenge, I might even be able to try the EA Sports Active 5K Challenge. Did I say that?!!!? Yes! Even though the running portion is difficult for me now, once another ten pounds or so is lost, running will be made a bit more comfortable and and a little less stressful on my knees. I can envision me working my way up to a 5K run!
Good posting Jen!
I’m impressed with all of the different workouts you’ve done. It adds some variety and makes it less tedious. I, too, would like to do a 5K before too long. We’ll have to continue to swap exercise stories. Good luck!
Hey I was just wondering, do you have to have that fit board to use this game? I’m thinking about getting it since we finally got a Wii!
No, you do not have to have the Wii Fit balance board. There is a configuration setting in the Wii EA Sports Active game so that you can say whether or not you have the balance board. (I do not.) If you do have it, some of the exercises are modified to make use of it, but it is not necessary. Everything in the game will work without it.
This is great! Congrats on starting the 30 day challenge! I would love to talk to you about your challenge and this journey that you have started on.
I’m always happy to answer any questions you may have about EA SPORTS Active. You can find me on twitter @Active_Girl
good luck!
Yay!
I bought it today hoping I wouldn’t need it, lol!
Kathryn, thanks for your comment. I noticed you have an email address at ea.com — are you an employee there? Also, you offered help on EA Sports Active… I’m hoping you can help with a couple of things…
1) When I do the exercises where my left leg goes back, the on-screen responses do not work as consistently as the ones with my right leg. Could that be because I am wearing the leg strap on the right leg and therefore it picks up movements better? In any case, how can I better ensure that the controllers are picking up all movements on my left side? (This does not happen often, but when it does it is an inconvenience to have to stop my workout to try and get the trainer to realize I have already done the exercise. Sometimes I’ll be standing and the virtual “me” on screen is stuck in the lunge position.)
2) During the running/track exercises, I have noticed that the speed with which I am running is more a factor of how high I am stepping rather than how quickly I am going from right foot to left foot. I happen to have a “run” that more closely resembles Jennifer Beals in Flashdance rather than what is probably the more correct way to do it (with higher steps) and no matter how quickly I alternate my feet, I still see “too slow” on screen. If I high-step it, even at a slower pace than the rapid alternating of low-stepping feet, it shows my pace as “Perfect”. Do you have any suggestions for me, or can you confirm that the running exercises do in fact measure the height from the ground that the right leg (where the controller is in the leg strap) gets?
Thanks for your time and any feedback you might provide!
Jennifer