Video Game Time 6/8 Edition Fitness Time

I'm going to do something a little different with this weeks Video Game Time, I'm going to focus on fitness.  Now I am not a fitness expert, but being a parent you do need to be in decent shape to be chasing your toddler around.  Sitting around all day playing video games kind of takes a toll on your health, so you need to be a little more active to be prepared for parenthood. So today's edition is going to focus on exercise games and real life achievements/trophies.

Now if you own a 360 or a PS3 you know what achievements and trophies are, but for the uninitiated, these are rewards you get for completing certain tasks in a game.  The rewards vary in points on the 360 and trophies on the PS3 and give you an overall gamerscore on how many points/trophies you have in total.  Now the ones that I am going to put up will have no points value on them, because I think that your health is more important than points, but you can add whatever points you want to.

Now these five are just to start with, there are probably many more that you can add to this list, it all just depends on you desire to workout.  I think that if we were given real achievement points in life things would be a little more interesting. 

Now if you have a Wii, you know that it can be exhausting at times playing certain games, but why not use that to your advantage. Try playing something that keeps you constantly moving around or invest in one of the fitness games that are out there like, Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus or EA Active.  Now I have tried both Wii Fit and EA Active and I would have to say that Active is the way to go. 

What I liked about EA Active is that I was constantly involved in an exercise and the wait time between them was only a few seconds.  Another added plus to Active is the resistance band and leg strap that comes with the game.  The leg strap helps out in your workout by keeping tabs on your movement while the band give you the resistance you need in certain exercises.  EA Active had preset workouts catered to your individual goals and you gained trophies for completing certain exercises.  One advantage of the EA Active was that , unlike the Wii Fit, all the exercises were available from the beginning.  When I used Active I lost about 5 pounds, I think I need to start using it again.

If you have the PS3 and are excited about the new Move coming out here is something else to be excited about EA Active 2.0 is coming out for the PS3.  The new game will come with wireless sensors and a heart rate monitor that will display your data on screen. 

I am pretty excited about this because, since it's wireless, the movements are not limited by the strap connecting the Wiimote and the nun chuck.  I think with E3 coming up, there will be a lot more information about this game in the days ahead.  So something to think about: exercise and parenting.  They both go hand in hand.  Trust me, when you have a 9 month old that is constantly crawling around and keeping you on your toes, you have to be able to keep up.

Next week I'll get back to talking about games because a few big titles came out, but today just pointing out something different.

Notable Mentions

Rock Band Green Day (360, PS3, Wii)
Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker (PSP)
Tiger Woods 2011 (360, PS3, Wii)