Wii™ Fitness for Dummies®

Chapter 7. Getting Started

In This Chapter

• Exploring the contents of the box

• Getting your gear on

• Creating your fitness profile

• Exploring workout options

• Maintaining your fitness journal

• Getting fit with a friend

The original Wii Fit redefined the fitness videogame genre with its unique peripheral, the Balance Board, which uses your center of balance to track movements. Turn to Chapter 1 for more on the Balance Board and its unique capabilities. Although it was widely popular and well-received, Wii Fit has shortcomings that later exercise-based games sought to correct. Most notably, Wii Fit lacks the capability to continuously stream exercises or select a workout routine, which can leave you feeling lost and as though you are spending more time navigating menus than actually working out. Although this has been addressed with Wii Fit Plus, it doesn't provide nearly as robust a portal for setting and customizing workouts as the vastly popular EA Sports Active: Personal Trainer, which lives up to the promise of giving you a 20-minute workout. Working out with EA Sports Active: Personal Trainer is much like working out with a quality exercise DVD, with the added bonuses of having your movements tracked and providing real-time guidance and encouragement. As its title suggests, you truly feel as though you have a personal trainer at your side. EA Sports Active: Personal Trainer also generates new routines based on your goals every time you work out, keeping workouts interesting and fresh.

This ...