EA Sports Active 30 Day Challenge

A friend of mine asked me if I would like a free copy of EA Sports Activefor the Wii with the caveat that I try out the 30 Day Challenge. Why not? I thought - it's free and I could use a little exercise... Oh boy. I just finished the first workout and I'm still trying to catch my breath. Now I knew I was a little out of shape, but after that, I think I'm a LOT out of shape. I even chose 'low intensity' - and it was only a 20 minute 'let's get you started' workout. I hope that as I progress it will get easier. --That's the way exercise is supposed to work, right?

The game itself is pretty customizable. You choose what you look like body style wise (I was only a little tempted to be dishonest with that) and then of course your hair color and style, etc. You can even choose your workout outfit and shoes. There is also the option to not do some of the exercises if you have an injury or something that prevents you from doing it.

I had a little trouble with the leg strap at first (it's so you can drop the nunchuk in there for some exercises), but once I figured out it had to be all the way up on my thigh, it stayed on. And it was a little frustrating having the cord whack me in the face a few times while I was 'running.' There must be a learning curve here for how to hold the remotes...

The personal trainer character was encouraging during the workout without being too cheerleader-y which was a plus. And I even earned two trophies on my first day. One for completing the workout, and one for doing my first journal entry. You can enter your activities and food choices from the previous day in the journal as well as ticking off how you're feeling. This helps you track how 'healthy' you are, I guess.

The idea behind the 30 day challenge is to get you to do the workouts for a month (thankfully with two rest days per week) to help you get into the habit of exercising. I think there is also the supposition that if you are more active, you will make better choices with your diet. (It did ask me if I had any fast food yesterday...) So I guess we'll see how I feel a month from now... and whether my jeans fit any better!