Wii EA Sports Active Workout Programs
I am a very active user of the Wii EA Sports Active program. I love how it makes working out fun and interesting again and really motivates me to keep going on my journey to improved fitness and weight loss. As an active runner and bike commuter, I get my fair share of cardio exercise so I wanted to start to focus my use of the Wii on building some additional strength training into my program.
Now before I get into describing the actual routines I have developed, let me emphasis that in no way way am I under the delusion that I am going to build huge muscle mass using the Wii. However, as I have not been doing any strength training in the past the addition of some strength training is a welcomed addition. I have already noticed some tightening and additional toning of my muscles so it must be doing something! I simply want to continue with that.
In a future post I plan to outline my weekly workout schedule that I use to help lose weight and get in shape. Part of that weekly schedule will now include a more integrated use of the Wii and EA Sports Active program. Here is what my program is going to look like, three times per week:
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Alternative Biceps Curls with Shoulder Press x 3 Alternative Biceps Curls with Upright Row x 3 Lateral Raise x 2 Front Raise x 2 Back Row and Triceps Extension x 3 Lunges (various) x 2 Squats x 1 |
Running | Choose One x 2 |
My plan is to do this before I go to work in the morning so that I do it on an empty stomach to ensure I am burning as much fat as possible. I will keep you up to date on my progress and how I adapt the program over time.
Working Out While Traveling Using a iPhone App
This week I am traveling for business. I thought this would be a perfect time to try on the the apps I have on my iTouch to help with my workouts. I have been using the Wii EA Sports Active at home to help get some of my workouts in, but while traveling I obviously do not have that luxury. The app I have been using is iFitness.
What is iFitness
iFitness is an application that a user can place on their iTouch or iPhone and essentially is a tool to help build exercise routines to help build strength and overall fitness levels. There are at least 100 different exercises in the database and they are nicely categorized by body region to help focus on different target areas. The app provides detailed pictures and descriptions of how to do the exercises properly. Exercises range from using free weights, cables, machines, exercise balls and even no equipement!
How I Am Using iFitness
One of the features of the iFitness app is that there are a few pre-build workout plans that provide you with an overall workout over a series of days. Because I wanted to keep things simple and ensure that I was provided with a balanced workout, I chose the muscle-building program. Other pre-populated workout routines include a fat-building program, Beginner Program, Abdominal Defining Program, and Weight Loss Program.
There seems to be a good balance between upper and lower body exercises in my chosen program and each day I feel that I get a pretty good workout in. I do miss my EA Sports Active, but this program will help in a situation like this. I know of some people who use this to design and track all their workouts which will work, it is just not something that I will do right now as I am on the Wii kick!
What Could be Better
My main beef with the program is that I could not find a way to organize exercises as with weights or without weights. I do not have a readily accessible weight room available and I could see the app saving people a lot of time if they did not need to search through all the exercises to find the bodyweight only examples.
Summary
Overall, I have found iFitness to be great while I have been traveling. The workouts are well designed and there really is a huge choice of exercises to choose from. I would recommend it if you are int he market for this type of app on your iTouch or iPhone.
Started Working Out with Wii Fit EA Sports Active
Tonight I started my first workout using the EA Sports Active
Started with Wii Fit
I have been using the Wii Fit “game” that came with the Wii Balance board for about three weeks now and I had been pleasantly surprised with the flexibility and additional strength I have achieved using the program. However, I knew something was missing and that I could get a much better workout using something a little bit more robust and even more of a workout! Don’t get me wrong, the Wii Fit is pretty good in terms of overall exercises but it definitely emphasizes flexibility and balance and not necessarily strength and cardio.
Bring on EA Sports Active
However, with all these games on the Wii I did not think I would get a really good workout. By the time I was done with the first workout on the “30 Day Challenge” I was soaked. I worked up a great sweat and felt like I did a very intense workout.
The program takes you through a workout program that includes a mix between cardio and strength exercises. The pace is constant and the program exceeds at moving your heart rate up and down. Since it was my first time using the program there were a lot of videos explaining in detail (sometime too much detail) which was a bit of a time waster, but as I progress through the program I suspect these videos will not come up again.
With the EA Sports Active package you get a huge elastic band that helps with the strength exercises as well as a leg band that allows you to put the Wii Nun-chuck into so that the program can track your lower body movement. While you hold the controller in your hand, the system does a pretty good job of tracking your body movements. The elastic bands seems really cheap and I actually would prefer one that provides more resistance as for some of the exercises I think that over time the resistance will be too little for me. I may look for a stronger elastic in the future.
Overall , I am looking forward to working through the program and seeing what results I can achieve. Of course I will keep you updated.
Welcome to Digital Weight Loss
Welcome to Digital Weight Loss, a new blog that is going to marry the pursuit of a fit body with that of digital technology that can help me lose weight. Losing Weight and achieving a toned body has always been a struggle for me. I have turned to digital technology to help me in my fight against the bulge. In this blog, I will document my use of digital technology to help me in my fight against weight loss and a fit body.
The Stats – Numbers
Now how about the stats. As a technology user and the fact that this blog covers weight loss using digital technology it is only appropriate that I provide you the details as they are provided by my new trusty sidekick – the Wii Fit!
Height: 5 ft 6 in
Weight: 176.4 pounds
Body Mass Index: 28.49
Next Steps
And that takes us to the next steps. Stay tuned to the blog for updates on my progress, and most importantly how I use various technology products to help me lose weight and achieve a toned and fit body.
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