Pros

• Easy to use. I clip the device to my bra, because it is very stable there, and other than that, I don’t have to do anything with it all day.
• Lots of data. Of course, I do look at it all day, because you can get a lot of data just on the device itself. With the push of a few buttons, I can see how many steps I’ve taken so far in the day, how far I have gone, how many calories I have burned (approximately), how many flights of stairs I’ve climbed (or hills with at least 10 feet in height gain), a flower that gives an indication of my overall activity level, and the time.
• Great website. On the website, I can see even more data: how much time I have been sedentary, lightly active, fairly active or very active, how many times I woke up during the night and how much actual sleep I got, badges that I have earned and my rank compared to other fitbit users.
• Food logs. Although I don’t believe in dieting, I do believe in the importance of eating healthy food. Logging what I eat makes me more aware when I am eating bad stuff and when I am not eating enough good stuff. I don’t really pay attention to the calorie totals–I look at them, but if I am hungry, I eat something, whether I have calories left according to the food goal or not.
• Motivation to move. Just looking at the stats on my daily exercise makes me want to move more. Exercise is so important to health, whether it leads to weight loss or not. Whenever I use a good pedometer (this is not the first one I have had, but it is the best, thanks to the additional information beyond step counts), I am surprised to find  both how easy and how hard it is to get to 10,000 steps in one day. If you take the long way whenever you go somewhere and get in a 30 minute walk or two, it isn’t that hard to reach the goal, but on the other hand, if you aren’t paying attention and you have a desk job, it is easy to miss it, too.

Cons

• Emphasis on weight loss. Much of the community support centers around weight loss. This isn’t surprising, given our cultural emphasis on dieting, but I don’t like it. I certainly won’t mind if I lose a bit of weight thanks to this device, but that isn’t my goal–my goal is to be healthy. Too much emphasis on weight loss often leads to less than healthy choices, in my experience.
• Food logs can be difficult to use. There is no way to add a recipe and have the nutrition calculated for the whole recipe. It is sometimes hard to know which food to choose when you search on a particular food. You can add an item with nutrition information, and there is good information on restaurant meals, but for someone who does a lot of home cooking, it can be time-consuming and tedious to log. This really isn’t a huge deal for me since I don’t care if I am exact on the calories, but if you are, it is a bit difficult.
• You can only sync through the base. I have the base hooked up to my home PC, so the website is out of date all day long while I am at work. Come to think of it, though, that may be a benefit–I can’t spend as much time osbsessively checking my stats when I should be working. I can still keep track of all data points that are available on the fitbit itself, so it continues to motivate me to move throughout the day. In theory, you can get a second base for charging and syncing for your work computer, but I cannot find a way to purchase one separately.

There is a lot of integration with other networks and devices available. You can hook your account up to Facebook, Twitter, WordPress and Foursquare for more social interaction. I enjoy finding friends that are using the site for some friendly competition and support. You can also connect your fitbit account to Microsoft HealthVault, which will allow you to export and store historical data free of charge. There is an iPhone app to help you log food and water on the go. You can get additional detail and analysis by purchasing a Premium membership at $49.99/year. It isn’t necessary, because you can get a lot of information without it, but you can get more detailed reports and easily export your data into Excel with the membership.

Overall, I love my fitbit. I exercise more, and I feel like I am eating more healthily. Mostly, though, the exercise is awesome. I feel like I am getting more toned, and I just feel better when I move more. This isn’t a terribly cheap device at $99.95, but I feel that the value I am getting is worth the price. Also, according to the forums on the site, several people have gotten free replacements when their unit was not working correctly, so that is an awesome benefit. I am glad I have this gadget–like I said above, gadgets are awesome! If they come with charts and data, so much the better! This is highly recommended.

Through twitter, I have found GamingAngels.  The staff has embraced me as one of their own and in the months I have been working with them, have found a nice little family.  Although we are spread out across the nation, gaming, social media & the internet we are able to stay in touch and run GamingAngels.com as a team.  This has impacted my life in a positive way and given me a new outlook on my life as a gamer.  I used to hide the fact that I played video games, like it was a dirty little secret.  I had a fear that I’d be judged as a non-professional, as immature.  With the help of social media, I’ve seen that there are a great many professionals who enjoy the sport of gaming as much as I do.

Of course, there is the social aspect.  With conventions, tournaments, sites like twitter and facebook, online gaming, online multiplayer and game chats, it’s easy to connect with other gamers, talk about life and have some laughs.  Through these outlets, I’ve also seen a great number of people find jobs in the industry.  It’s good to have connections.  It’s also fun.  The number one reason to play games is for fun.  What better way to end a stressful day at the office than to sit on your comfy couch and play a game of Call of Duty?  Or how about having a family game night?  A lot of games seem to be geared toward families or groups.  Who wouldn’t want their mother to issue them a beat down in a game of The Fight: Lights Out?

Many games for kids prove to be educational as well.  I’ll be honest, my kids love gaming and I feel they learn a great deal from games.  They can teach anything from Colors and ABC’s to logic and problem solving.  Yes, there are games out there that are not for kids but that is a parent’s responsibility to ensure safe and appropriate games for their child as well as to guard them from possible online connections that should not be made.

With the Wii, PS Move and Xbox Kinect, games have taken a hard right.  The fact that sitting on your butt for hours is not very healthy can be countered with the Fitness and Motion games on the market.  These games are fun, educational and many of them can get you to work up a sweat after a while (fitness games or not).  This can get you out of those boring gyms, keep you away from repetitive work out videos and give you a customized program on your personal fitness level with progress tracking and in-game rewards for reaching your goals.  In our GamingAngels forum, we recently finished the “90 Day Challenge: New Years Edition!”, and another challenge will be starting soon.  Through our forum we are able to encourage and support each other in our fitness goals, along with a few rewards along the way.  Some people have turned to good old exercise and healthy food choices, while some of us have combined them with fitness and motion games.  It gives us a whole new way to keep in shape.  I myself have been playing Dance Central lately and I love the workout mode which calculates your workout time as well as estimating your calories burned.  On those days I don’t feel like going for a run or if the weather is bad, I still find myself turning on my Xbox for a few rounds of dancing.  It really seems to take the work out of workout!

So, with all things said and done, I feel there is a good deal of positive that can come from gaming which outweighs the negative.  I think people who oppose gaming altogether should be more open to the possibility that games could bring a positive change in their life.

Earlier in 2010 the industry suffered from plenty of bad press as a Stanford University study of World of Warcraft and Second Life concluded that the hyper sexualized characters and the scantily clad clothing perpetuated rape consciousness. They went on to say that their findings also made the gamers tested agree that women wearing promiscuous clothing should expect to be assaulted.

This week in Arlington, Va. the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) reveals that they believe fitness technologies are going to help consumers stay motivated and keep their new years resolutions. The study called Getting Fit With Consumer Electronics showed half of U.S. online consumers used a fitness technology in the past year, and 37 percent anticipate purchasing a fitness technology in the next 12 months.

Because more than half of people who pledge to loose pounds and work out on December 31st will eventually lack of motivation as the main reason not to exercise. The exercise games make it more fun and worth sticking to.

For the first time at the 2011 International CES, which is held January 6-9, will include a Fitness TechZone, showcasing the newest innovations and tools for sports enthusiasts and fitness. The Fitness TechZone is a focused lifestyle exhibition and conference within the International CES.

Can you tell us a little more about your background in gaming?

Did you approach EA Sports Active as a game, or as a part of fitness?

Although EA SPORTS Active was originally made for the Wii, it is definitely a fitness product. We do not see this product as a game and it’s become clear that we have an effective interactive fitness product that has helped many people. As we move forward with EA SPORTS Active 2.0, we will be introducing a heart rate monitor and a wireless tracking system. These new peripherals are going to allow users to track data and get the most out of their workouts.

Do you have a fitness background?

If playing varsity volleyball counts, then yes. I do not have a formal fitness background but I have always been very passionate about sport and fitness. We have a certified strength and conditioning specialist who works here at EA SPORTS – we work closely together on Active.
EA Sports has really marketed EA Sports Active to the female market. What in particular have you noticed about a change in strategy in marketing EA Sports Active and do you see that filtering to other parts of EA Sports?

Many families have a Wii in their house, which was most likely purchased for children. This was a great opportunity to offer something fun and active to other people in the house who may not have typically used the Wii. There are many games being developed for a wide range of people in mind – including women.

What are you most impressed with, with the improvements in EA SPORTS Active More Workouts?

I think it was clear that we listened to our community and implemented some of the things that they wanted to see, like abdominal exercises and warm up/cool down exercises. Stretching is something that many people forget to do post-workout and it’s something that we felt was important to include in More Workouts.

Has the community had an effect in helping EA strive to make an even better EA SPORTS Active products?

Of course! We want to deliver something that people are going to be excited to use as well as something that’s going to deliver real fitness results. We have such an amazing and vocal community and we look to them for suggestions.

Do you see EA SPORTS Active taking advantage of Project Natal and going with a controller-less workout approach?

We are always looking into new innovations and how we can support them, but as of right now we are developing for the Wii and PS3, which will be completely hands-free on the PS3. The program will come with a motion sensor system that will be completely wireless, allowing for complete freedom of motion. As mentioned earlier, 2.0 will be shipping with an innovative heart rate monitor that will track your heart rate on-screen throughout the entire workout to capture intensity and optimize performance.
With so many fitness games now available for the Wii, how do you work on making sure the EA SPORTS Active line grows into more than “just another workout” title?

EA SPORTS Active is committed to developing the highest quality fitness products that deliver real fitness results. As we hit our one-year anniversary, we’ve started receiving some amazing success stories from our community that really show how Active has changed their lives. We continue to be the highest rated fitness product on the Wii which is a testament to the quality of our product.

What advice do you have to women that want to go into marketing for video games?

That if you really want to get into the industry, to get in where you can, be a sponge and prove yourself. You never know which games are going to be created when you start and you may end up working on something that you never even thought possible when you took the job. There are so many talented and creative people in this industry that it’s impossible not to learn something new every day.

Platform

BUY

NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer Official Website – Australia

We all know the stigma that is floating around cyberspace when it comes to fitness “games” and the Wii – that the Wii is being marketed to women, and using fitness as bait is the way they are doing it. While this may be true, the added opinion that the console itself is for women is something I highly disagree with. Besides, both genders need to stay fit somehow, and people seem to have forgotten that the other consoles have had a stab at it at some point.

NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer is one of the most recent productions for the Wii. It has been developed in conjunction with trainers and dieticians, and the gym franchise Fitness First. While it is another fitness release, there are significant and impressive differences that helps it stand out from the pack.

When you first start it up, you need to enter your name, build, how active you are, Date of Birth, unit of measurement preference, height, whether you’re left or right handed, Dietary Preferences, Primary Goal, Secondary Goal, Trainer, Location, and then you confirm the details.

When you get to choose how active you are, your choices include no exercise, moderate exercise, and exercise is my life (my words, not theirs). A word of advice when it comes to entering your height – get it right the first time because you can’t edit it later!

With the Dietary Preferences you choose what you can or can’t eat, and this helps the game tailor eating plans for you. So since you’re only able to choose between Pork, Beef, Lamb, Poultry, Fish, Shellfish, Eggs, Dairy, Gluten and Nuts, if you were allergic to any of these (or a vegetarian) you would deselect those you couldn’t eat.

Straight after that you need to pick goals for your fitness mission – your Primary Goals and Secondary Goals. There are 5 groups from which you can pick your Primary Goal – General Health, Flexibility, Occasions, Sports, and Shape. Some examples from within those groups include Weight Loss, Yoga, New Mum, Golf Fit and Bums Legs Tums.

For your Secondary Goal the choices are the same, so if you wanted to choose Weight Loss as your Primary but you also wanted to be Golf Fit then you could choose it at this point. If you change your mind later down the track, or if you feel you’ve accomplished your goal, you can change the choices you originally made.

Next you get to pick your Drill Sergeant, or “Trainer”. You choose 1 out of 4 trainers  (2 men and 2 women) who will show you how to perform your exercises and give you encouragement along the way. You also get to change your choice of trainer if you so wish. Once you’ve done that, you need to pick a Location – choose between a Tropical Beach, Alpine Mountains, Forest Meadows, or the Health Club.

After you’ve confirmed your details it will then ask you to turn on your Wii Balance Board so that it can weigh you. If you don’t have a Balance Board you can select cancel and you will then be asked to manually enter your weight. Once that’s done, you’re right to get started on the new you!

You are now met with a menu that allows you to get straight into your workout. Your choices are My Plan, Express Workout, Challenges, Profiles and Options.

My Plan is shown in the picture above. You can view the workout exercises which you will be doing today, or have a look at tomorrows. You can also view your meals for the whole week, as well as today and tomorrow, and it will even produce a shopping list for you. It also includes recipes so that you can follow the eating plan to the letter, and you can download and/or print them from the NewU website. You can also access your progress, and read some informative Lifestyle Tips.

In the Express Workout menu, you have 4 choices: Quick Workout, Before Work, Lunch Break, Evening. This just gives you quick access to a workout session – there doesn’t appear to be anything different about these workouts compared to those you find in the My Plan menu. The other thing in this menu is the access to a recipe in the last 3 choices where you will get a Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner meal to look at. These recipes are not the same as the ones in your meal plan though.

Challenges allows you to test yourself if you think you’re up to it. You can choose from Dance, Cardio Test, Army, Boxing or Football. I personally haven’t given these a proper go but they appear to be pretty tough. I would suggest that you give these a go if you have plenty of time, and if you think you are able to attempt the more advanced exercises.

In the Profile menu you are able to select another profile (if there is another set up), edit your profile, create a new profile, or delete a profile. As I mentioned earlier, you can’t edit your height, but you can edit your dietary choices as well as a few other details.

The Options menu allows you to access Settings, Workout Location, Trainer, My Weight and Credits. If you use your Wii Balance Board to weigh yourself when you first create your profile then the My Weight option is known as Diagnostics instead. With the Workout Location and Trainer options you are able to change your original choices. Be aware that the trainers may irritate you, and if they do you can go to the Settings menu and turn the voice volume down and the subtitles on instead.

Time for my final verdict! Having tried both Wii Fit and EA Sports Active already, my expectations weren’t exactly set high. I was pleasantly surprised, and I was happy to have found something that covered diet as well as exercise the way NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer has. I was also happy to start an exercise program that eased you into working out, instead of one that left you breathless and feeling like you were Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin.

I think this is a worthwhile addition to your fitness collection, whether you have or haven’t started one yet. Be prepared to discover some yummy recipes that you will want to try right now, and exercises that are suited to whatever it is that you are aiming for.

Review product was provided by All Interactive Entertainment, and does not affect the outcome of this review.

“The Biggest Loser interactive fitness game takes the same successful formula of The Biggest Loser television show and applies it to the virtual world,” said Nicole Armstrong, divisional vice president, marketing for THQ Kids, Family and Casual Games. “Players are led through a wide range of workouts and given proper nutritional tips to help them safely change their lives through diet and exercise.”

“In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have to turn away applicants from The Biggest Loser TV show,” said Bob Harper, The Biggest Loser trainer. “Now that The Biggest Loser interactive fitness game is available, a wider audience can be reached and anyone who has the game can get access to the show’s expert health advice and body-changing workouts to reach their personal fitness goals.”

About The Biggest Loser Video Game

The Biggest Loser interactive fitness game is a fun and engaging way for players to get in shape and maintain their ideal fitness level. Set at The Biggest Loser ranch, players can take The Biggest Loser challenge and compete in 4, 8 or 12 week programs against former contestants from the television show, or work out with a friend to form a support system to see who really is The Biggest Loser. Players will work out to a series of structured routines with special weekly challenges, weigh-ins and eliminations, or they can even create their own workout routines. Workouts include upper and lower body exercises, as well as core, cardio and yoga exercises. Progress is documented on a calendar that keeps track of in-game achievements, upcoming training and weigh-in dates. Players can also input exercise done while not playing the video game, such as going for a walk or a bike ride.

The interactive fitness game also features 50 healthy recipes from The New York Times best-selling book series The Biggest Loser to help users learn how to eat right for optimal weight loss. Throughout the Wii workout program, suggestions and tips from contestants and trainers will also help guide players as they transform their lives via diet and exercise. The video game also features an interactive calorie counter that tracks what players are eating and recommends their daily intake based on individual height and weight and fitness goals.

When paired together, the Wii and Nintendo DSi/DS products become powerful training partners with Nintendo DSi/DS serving as a portable tool. Featuring nutritional information on thousands of foods, including menu items from some of today’s most popular restaurants, users can count their calories and even get healthy recipe suggestions on the go. Players can take their ‘trainer’ with them for food and fitness tips, as well as complete exercise routines that encourage them to stick to their wellness goals no matter where they are. To find out more information on The Biggest Loser interactive fitness game, go to www.biggestloserthegame.com.

The fitness craze for Wii certainly isn’t over, and we should all know a bit about the NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer “game” by now.

The launch date for this title is the 17th of September in Australia (which is today) – but if you haven’t heard about it, here’s what you need to know!

NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer allows you to setup your own profile and set your own personal goals no matter what your age, gender, height or physical activity level is. You can choose between 4 goals: Sport, Shape, General Health and Special Occasions. NewU has 84 different exercises, and when you combine them with the 50 different goals available you have a total of over 900 possible workouts!

When you begin your profile, NewU will ask you to select a primary goal and an optional secondary goal. This helps the program to construct a personalized fitness and nutrition plan based on your choices. You then get to pick a personal trainer and a training location where you want your session to take place. There are also ways of telling you how well you are carrying out the exercises, which are:

• Traffic light system – green = good, red = try harder
• Timing bar at the top of screen – with audio pips and coloured sections
• Vocal encouragement direct from your trainer

You can also get a preview of the workouts you will carry out in the next day or week by going to the fitness section. But if you’re pressed for time, there are also short workouts available. However if you’re game, you can try out one of the 5 trials designed to push your limitations – including an Army fitness test!

NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer is a publication from Black Bean Games.  It has been made in conjunction with advice from personal trainers at the world’s largest gym franchise, Fitness First. It’s available on Nintendo Wii today in Australia, priced at $99.95AUS and can be found at Kmart, JB HiFi, Dick Smith, Harvey Norman, EB Games and other major retailers.

(Source: All Interactive Entertainment, Australia)

“NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer” is not just about the fitness – it is also about having a healthy eating plan. The game has a user friendly healthy eating program that has been developed by nutritional experts of a well known UK TV show and book range.

Carina Norris, Journalist, MSc (Dist) Public Health Nutrition:

“Creating NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer we have thought about an easy and fair approach, instead of a demeaning or an un-motivating one. You will never find references to calories but you will have the guidelines to take control of your eating and enjoy the rewards of a healthier and happier life”

The game includes 138 recipes, which is equal to 20 weeks worth of meals. It also caters to those of us who rely on a special diet, for example if you are a vegetarian you can unselect all of the meat groups when you are creating your profile!

There are five meal options – breakfast, snack, lunch, dinner & desert. With these you can select from two options, one of them being that you can have all of the ingredients and preparation steps displayed. You can also set up an entire weeks worth of recipes to follow! Additionally, if you set up your profile on the NewU website you can access the recipes and other useful functions connected with your nutritional plan.

The intention is that with these recipes you will have the perfect balance between nutrition and exercise, and well on the way to the “NewU” that you are seeking.

Here is an official trailer (credit to GamespotAU for the video):

Black Bean Games and Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. have come to a new agreement in regards to the fitness release “NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer“.

Ubisoft has agreed to publish and distribute the title in all PAL territories excluding Italy, New Zealand and Australia. Black Bean Games has retained the rights to publishing the release in Australia and New Zealand with their partner All Interactive Entertainment.

“NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer” is a development by Lightning Fish in collaboration with Fitness First and You Are What You Eat^TM. It’s a fitness training program that focuses on giving you a balance between professionally developed workouts and a healthy eating plan based on your eating preferences.

The first release in the NewU range will make it’s way to Nintendo Wii^TM in September.