EA SPORTS Active 30-Day Challenge – Week 1

So I’ve finished my first week of the EA SPORTS Active 30-Day Challenge and I’m loving it! I’m feeling completely comfortable with the exercises now, and don’t have to watch the videos anymore to understand the proper techniques. I’ve found that with this program, you get what you put into it. Sure, it’s easy to cheat, like with any other Wii exercise game, but if you use the right techniques and give it your ALL, this really is an amazing workout!

I appreciate that it doesn’t have the “Top Ten” like the Wii Fit does, because I think that’s what encouraged cheating in the first place – to beat your fellow competitor’s scores. It would be nice if it had the ability to weigh yourself with the balance board, but that’s not a big deal… especially since most people that are going to use EA SPORTS Active probably don’t even have one anyway.

Can’t wait for week 2 of the 30 Day Challenge!!  If you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask!

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Day Seven – Sunday, June 7th

• Today I bought a new Wiimote, nunchuk, and EA SPORTS Active accessory kit so Maya and my hubby can play along with me. He hasn’t agreed to it yet, but I’m sure he’ll see how much fun we’re having and will jump right in!
• I’ve heard that some people have problems with the nunchuck sensing their movements. Whenever this happens to me, tightening the leg strap just a bit always solves the problem.
• I did my normal workout tonight – focused on upper body and boxing – but then followed it by 20 minutes of baseball with Maya. She’s obsessed with batting these days, so I created a custom workout of just random baseball drills. We had a BLAST! There’s not as much focus on accuracy as there is on just getting your heart rate up, so Maya found it much easier to catch and hit the balls than she does with Wii Sports.

16 exercises completed: Intensity: medium ~   Time: 24+ minutes ~   Calories burned: 206+

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Day Six – Saturday, June 6th

Today was my rest day, but I thought I’d explore more of what EA SPORTS Active offers by creating another custom workout. This time I tried out more advanced dancing, and still didn’t like it much. But all the other fun activities more than make up for it!

16 exercises completed: Intensity: low ~   Time: 20.01 minutes ~   Calories burned: 149

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Day Five – Friday June 5th

• Today seemed to be all about jumping! Squat jumps… lunge jumps. I was very shaky with the lunge jumps. The great thing about these workouts is that you can customize them completely. So let’s say you have bad knees – just uncheck the exercises that are hard on your knees, and go from there! Anyone could use this program.
• I think I’ve finally gotten into the zone when it comes to running – I’ve found my cadence, as the game calls it. I’m much steadier and can maintain a “perfect” pace throughout the run, where before it would tell me I was going too slow every once in a while.
• I’m looking forward to the next workout, where I’ll focus on upper body and boxing.

18 exercises completed: Intensity: medium ~   Time: 23.33 minutes ~   Calories burned: 195

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Day Four – Thursday, June 4th

• I thought I’d alternate low and medium intensity workouts this week because the soreness just doesn’t seem to go away! But I think I’ll stick with medium intensity from now on because today I hardly even broke a sweat!
• In today’s workout there was a little bit of everything – rows, walking, running, lunges, side-to-side jumps, inline skating, and a new activity – basic dancing.
• I have to admit I’m not a fan of the dancing. It’s definitely my least favorite activity so far. It was used for cooling down, which is fine, but I didn’t get anything out of it. I prefer the stepping on the Wii Fit a lot more!
• Some good news? I met my calorie-burning goal – 500 – and got a special video message from Bob Greene, which was a nice surprise.

16 exercises completed: Intensity: low ~   Time: 17.31 minutes ~   Calories burned: 114

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Day Three – Wednesday, June 3rd

• Today was supposed to be a rest day. The default setting in the 30 Day Challenge is for every two workouts, one rest… but this can be changed!
• I chose to leave it on this setting, but decided to change things up a little bit and see more of how the game works by creating a custom workout.
• Creating a custom workout literally took seconds. The game gives you a ton of different exercises and sports drills to choose from. I selected all the volleyball drills, which added up to about 14 minutes of activity.
• Just like in high school, I was terrible at serving, and not that great at setting. Bumping and blocking, though? I’m a pro. I hardly missed a ball.
• Even though the game says I only burned 72 calories, this definitely got my heart rate up and was a nice change from using the resistance band in every other exercise.
• There was one drill where I had to use the balance board and lunge left and right to hit the ball, and I was a MESS. So not coordinated.

10 exercises completed: Intensity: low ~   Time: 13.30 minutes ~   Calories burned: 72

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Day Two – Tuesday, June 2nd

• Last night we went to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (for my birthday!) and I was okay with it. I had a Tuna Tataki Salad as my meal, and a goblet of fresh strawberries with whipped cream for dessert. And I brought some of both home with me. You read it right. NO cheesecake! 🙂
• I got home, changed into my workout clothes, ready to exercise. This time around I wore a sports bra and tennis shoes, because it is a serious workout.
• I decided to try medium intensity, and at first it wasn’t too bad, but when I got to doing kick-ups on the track, I almost couldn’t handle it.
• One thing I realized is that I think I’d prefer to do my daily workout when the girls are in bed. At least until I’ve mastered the exercises and don’t have to focus as much to get the technique right! There were a couple of times when I stepped on a little hand or almost tripped on a toy, and it really threw me off.
• There’s a short cool down at the end of each workout. I wish it were a little longer… I feel like it just kind of ends abruptly.
• My favorite activities today? Tennis was fun (I believe it’s called back-court) and the shoulder presses loosened me up!

18 exercises completed: Intensity: medium ~   Time: 30.03 minutes ~   Calories burned: 236

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Day One – Monday, June 1st

See that sweatband in the box there, to the right?

I totally understand why they sent it.

After only a few minutes of using EA SPORTS Active yesterday, on easy intensity, I was drenched in sweat! Now I know I’m not exactly in great shape as it is, but this is really an a-m-a-z-ing workout.

• Getting started is easy. In the box you get the game, an unassembled resistance band, and a leg strap. Putting the resistance band together was simple enough, and I was able to start the program right away. No need to read instructions as everything is on the screen!
• I set up my profile, let my daughter pick my character’s workout outfit, and was ready to go! After selecting the 30-Day Challenge, I was immediately given a calendar and a workout plan for the day.
• I’m lucky to have the Wii Fit, so I can use the balance board with this game – and today just happened to be Wii Balance Board Day. I covered all the basics, all major muscle groups, and really just focused on technique more than anything. Boxing and in-line skating was fun.

16 exercises completed: Intensity: low ~   Time: 20.01 minutes ~   Calories burned: 149