QuirkyFusion30 day challenge | QuirkyFusion

EA Sports Active: 30 Day Challenge

Christy — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:59:08 +0000

I got a jumpstart today on the “official” 30-Day Challenge at EA Sports Active online. I was eager to get started, so I decided to leap in with Workout #1 today. I did the workout on “Easy” mode, which typically just means fewer reps, since the Wii can’t really control the the resistance you’re working with. It was significantly harder than the quick workout I put together when I first tried it out, but I was still able to do the whole thing (with a minor exception… keep reading!).

The workout started right off the bat with a walk/run sequence. Yuck. I can’t begin to say how much I hate running. Fortunately, the next few exercises were more low-key and fun. In fact, that’s one of my favorite things about EA Sports Active – there is plenty of variety. If something comes up that you don’t like, you can be sure it won’t stick around for all that long. After the running, the hardest exercise for me so far is the inline skating. You spend most of it in a squat, until you have to jump in the air. Yikes! I don’t mind this one, though, because what’s going on on the screen is kind of fun. What killed me, though, was the final run sequence. First of all, it’s sneaky. It said it’s a walk/run sequence, but it’s like two minutes of running and 10 seconds of walking. Shady. This is the one exercise that I cheated on!

My favorite things so far about EA Sports Active:

Variety! The combination of more traditional exercises with sports activities is fun and interesting
Feedback. I love that my EA Sports Active avatar mirrors my movements on the screen.
Motivation. Having used the snarky Wii Fit, it’s nice to have a “trainer” who tells you you’re doing a good job as you’re gasping for air!
Customization. You can create your own workouts with different levels for each exercise. EA Sports Active tells you how many calories you’ll burn, how long it will take and which parts of the body are getting a workout.
Multiplayer. Ok, I haven’t used this yet, but I love that you can work out with a friend, child or partner.

Some of the things I don’t like about it:

The leg strap. It’s fine for squats, etc., but I can’t get it to stay up when I run. I end up having to move the Wii-mote to my left hand and hold the strap with my right. As if I didn’t hate running already! The strap should have small rubber grips on the back to help keep it in place.
Mii. This is small, but I wish Miis were incorporated somehow. They probably wouldn’t work as a full-screen avatar, but I do miss my Mii when I’m using Sports Active.
The resistance band. I know it’s a cost thing, but I wish it came with a few bands with different levels of resistance. It’s too weak (even for me) for most of the exercises and I’m having trouble getting the resistance up even by folding part of it over. Plus, some exercises require you to bend over or raise your arms higher. That changes the level of resistance significantly between exercises.
Weight and the WiiFit Balance Board. Since EA Sports Active can interact with the Balance Board, I wish it would take your weight from there when enabled. It only asks for your weight when you first create a profile, but I still think it would be a useful feature.

And a few tips:

Give yourself some time to understand how the game responds to your movements. Don’t expect it to be smooth sailing straight from the beginning.
If you have trouble with your EA Sports Active recognizing your movements, watch the videos closely. The nunchuck has to be seated correctly in the leg strap. It’s been said over and over, but people still seem to struggle. You also have to note when to point the Wii-mote up or down vs. parallel to the floor.
You can cheat on the running (at least on the easy level). I teased someone about this on Twitter the other day because cheating on your workout does seem a bit counterintuitive. But I should apologize because I did exactly the same thing! At the end of my workout today, I was ready to die. I wanted to walk, but I didn’t want my trainer yelling at me. I also didn’t want to just skip the end. A brisk walk worked for me in lieu of running (actually, it worked better with those leg strap issues) and was a better cool down for me anyway.
Consider prepping for your workouts by watching the instructional videos in advance. This keeps your workout time down and prevents you from breaking your rhythm as you try to figure out a new exercise.

Win an EA Sports Active and Join the 30 Day Challenge

Christy — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:47:50 +0000

This contest is closed. A winner will be announced shortly. Thanks!

The community EA Sports Active 30 Day Challenge is coming up on June 1. Don’t have your Sports Active yet? No worries. In honor of my birthday and the official launch of Quirky Fusion, EA Sports is giving one away to a lucky Quirky Fusion reader. Yay!

Read more about EA Sports Active for the Wii.

To Enter (once per person/household):

Visit my post on the EA Sports Active and exergaming. [Comments welcome, but do not leave your entry comment there!]
Leave a comment on this post (right down below) and tell me either one thing you like about exergaming OR your idea for a cool new exergaming title. You must follow this step in order to win.
Make sure you enter the correct email address so I can reach you.

Details:

Contest will end at midnight Eastern on April 30.
Winner will be chosen via random.org.
I will email the winner who will then have 72 hours to respond and claim their prize.
The Sports Active isn’t due to be released until May 19. The winner will receive theirs on or after that date, but before June 1.

Bonus Entries:

Subscribe to this blog (one)
Blog about this contest (one)
Tweet this contest (max 1 per day, up to 5 times)

To claim bonus entries, please post one comment on this post per bonus entry (include permalink or tweet url)

Questions? Contact me.

Join the EA Sports Active 30 Day Challenge

Christy — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:26:06 +0000

In February I blogged about EA Sports Active, a fitness “game” for the Wii. Since then, EA Sports has invited 12 people to take part in the Sports Active 30 Day Challenge. The Challengers, who range from celebrities to the mom-next-door, took part in a weekend retreat where they received health and fitness tips from Oprah’s trainer, Bob Greene. With their newfound knowledge and a copy of EA Sports Active, they’ll spend 30 days getting stronger and healthier and they’ll blog about it along the way.

Now, I was a tad bit jealous about the whole thing… who wouldn’t want to spa weekend away and some help creating personal fitness goals? And then I saw that their measurements are posted for all to see on the site and decided that I should be happy to just create my own spa-like action here at home!

The good news for the rest of us is that EA Sports is going to issue us a challenge as well (and it allows us to keep our stats private). The Sports Active 30 Day Community Challenge will start on June 1. You can pre-order your EA Sports Active today, or buy it in stores on May 19. Better still, you can win one right here on Quirky Fusion!