So you probably never thought you’d see the day that I would be reviewing a video game.
I know you’ve all heard me mention on many occasions over the years that we try to limit the amount of time that the kids spend watching TV or playing on the computer. We haven’t even owned a gaming system-although I always said we’d buy an older one used with a couple of games to keep in the camper for rainy camping days.*
Then the Wii came out. While we were visiting friends last summer we played bowling one evening after the kids went to bed. It was a lot of fun. .. . but not enough in my mind to justify the expense of buying the system.
Almost a year passes. And Buddy starts having a bit of trouble in kindergarten. Not academically-he’s actually way ahead of the curve there. He gets along well with his peers and is a polite boy-but he is so active. Very active. And kindergarten includes a lot of sitting still and being quiet. . . A friend and professional I respect suggested (along with some dietary changes) that maybe if we had a Wii with some games that required a lot of movement and had him play for a bit before school it might help settle him down. After all, it isn’t like the kids here in upstate have much opportunity to burn off that energy in the winter-it’s too cold to play for very long outside.
Still I resisted. I had gotten to the point where I really wanted a Wii but I really still couldn’t justify it-despite the fact that we could afford it.
Then it came. The offer to review and give away the EA Sport Active for the Wii. I will admit-I went out and purchased a $276 just so I could review a product that costs $59.
Yeah-I know, it sounds insane and the antithesis of frugal. Give me a minute and hear me out.
I have been trying to get into shape lately. At the start of the year I joined a gym here in town. It cost $35 a month and required me (of course) to get dressed, have someone available to watch the kids (or else plan to specifically go when they were at school). I did wind up going 2-3 times a week most weeks-mostly because my girlfriend was also trying to lose weight so we’d meet there. Still, it always seemed to eat up most of my morning.
And it was BORING. Unless my friend was there to chat with I found it plain old mind numbing.
So you have a busy mom who is trying to balance kids, house and work from home job trying to do something that is good for her, that she know she should do, but it hurts (lets be honest here) it seems to take half the morning and it’s dead boring. What do you think the success rate on that is in the long term?
My gym membership expired in June-and by really weird cosmic chance the gym actually was going out of business-so I couldn’t have renewed if I wanted to. Along comes this game-the EA Sports Active. Honestly, I really don’t consider it a game at all-it’s an exercise program. Think of it as a hybrid of an exercise video and a DVD!
I had a couple of friends (Monica & Renee) who were part of the initial testing group for the system, and I had watched their progress avidly. It looked so fun! Easy! Quick!
So yes, when I was offered the chance to review it, I jumped in feet first and bought the entire Wii. Yes- I can even justify it. I spent $176 on the Wii, and the game (had I purchased it rather than been provided with it) costs $59. That’s a total of $235. My local gym costs $35 month for a 6 month contract (you pay wether you go or not!) so for my 6 months of gym time I spent $210. . . pretty comprable costs. And if I continue to use the system for another 6 months it won’t cost me any more, whereas a gym member ship would be another $210.
And those are just prices here in economically depressed upstate NY. . . I know folks in metro areas who spend $60 or more a month.
Ok, sure. The price works out, but that is only if you actually USE the thing. We all thought back in the 80’s that if we only had a treadmill in our own home we’d save a ton over gym costs. Most of those wound up as very expensive clothing racks. Then there were the exercise tapes and DVDs. Those are cheap and varied and you can do them in the comfort of your home! But I always found the pace to be off-either they went too fast and I couldn’t figure them out when I started, or they were slow enough for me to follow in the beginning but then got boring because they weren’t challenging enough after I learned them.
I believe that the EA Sports Active addresses all those problems. The company calls it “A personal trainer in a box”. You watch the exercises on your tv, and you use the remotes to let the “trainer” know what you are doing. You never do any single exercise for more than 2 minutes, so there is lots of variation. There are also lots of fun cardio “sports” games-tennis, boxing, basketbal, volleyball. These are more “game” like-you are trying to hit a ball, throw at a target, jump etc. I don’t know how you will feel, but for me the game part distracts me from the effort the exercise takes.
Just like a real trainer the system waits until you complete your rep before it starts the next, so you never “get behind” like you can in an exercise video. There are very detailed videos of how to do each exercise correctly (which you can skip as you become comfortable with them). The “trainer” even tells you if you are not doing the exercise correctly.
The system comes not only with the Wii disk, but also a leg strap and exercise band. The leg strap has a pocket where you insert the nunchuck** for some of the exercises-this actually tells the system how deep your squats are or how fast you are running. The band is used to provide resistance for exercises you typically think of needing free weights for-bicep curls, tricep kickbacks and more.
The best way to really see what the system is like is to watch a video about it.
Now for my personal experience. I really like it! I have been using it for almost a month, and have completed over 20 exercise routines. I am enjoying the variety it provides, the convenience and the speed. I like that it challenges me-there is no way I would be doing the squats, lunges, bicep curls etc if they weren’t part of the program. So far I haven’t lost any weight*** but I can tell that my clothes are fitting better! My energy level has increase and I can feel how much stronger my legs and arms have gotten. As a matter of fact my arms gained so much strength that I replaced the red exercise band that came in the box with a green one left over from physical therapy-it is a stiffer band which provides more resistance. I can see myself using this system for a long time. . . I don’t think it will go the way of the dodo and the treadmill. As an added bonus, around Christmas time they will be coming out with a second program.
Coming very very soon-the giveaway!
Bethany says
I love my wii active. My husband and I have turned it into a competition to see who can get more trophies. I am proud to say I am kicking his butt!
Like you, I have not noticed the numbers on the scale going down, put the button on my jeans is not under as much strain.
Lisa (lablady) says
Jenn,
Please don’t bother with the weight measurement, it is a false reading. If you are increasing your muscle mass, you WON’T lose weight at first. In fact, you will gain weight because your muscles are getting bigger! That’s a good thing. As your muscles increase, your metabolism is increasing too and that is when your muscles/metabolism will be burning fat even while you aren’t moving.
Rely on how you fit in your clothes, your energy level, how well you sleep and how strong you feel you are – just as you described. If you measured your arms, legs, waist, etc. beforehand, you might also see a measured difference. Good going!