Video game work outs. Yay or Nay?

Wii Zumba 2!!!! Been a life saver! SO fun, you SWEAT like crazy! Between eating better, walking, and Zumba, I am 40 down!

Just invested in an the zumba party for X box, and started today. Even with a healing back, and being sedentary, I can see this as a wonderful way to get started. Even some of the basic "starter" games that come with the kinect will get you up and moving, though not in as much of a coordinate fashion as the zumba or dance central.

Can't make it through more than the warm up - yet, but what I did get through had me sweating up a storm! Not sure if it'll hold out long term, but so long as it's fun, and you're up and moving, it's worth something.

But, how do you log it in? Is it better to log it under "line dancing" or is there a better description for these dances?

It depends on the workout. Take my opinion with a grain of salt, I am only back on program 1 week today.

I used to be relatively fit on an elliptical 30-40 minutes a day and a high impact strength/cardio workout like a boot camp, kick boxing, or some of the high impact Beachbody videos. I used EA Active for Wii (and Wii Fit) for my "rest days". I had a slip/fall accident one winter and had physical therapy where I was turned onto the Wii.

I first bought a Wii for my parents are in their 70's. They both used to bowl and just can not do it anymore. My dad lost 40% range and strength in his hand and my mom who has a walker and electric scooter both have the doctor's blessings for her Wii Sports Resort Favorites. It has done wonders for their mood, my mom's mobility has improved a bit and my Dad has been able to use it to lower his sugar and the doctors just took him off diabetic medication.

I had an injury and I do not want to dwell on my regression, because I took control and I am back on the wagon so to speak with exercise/dieting ... but I am using Wii as a starting point and just getting loose enough to start doing other low impact exercises in short clips.

I go about 10 minutes at a clip to meet my goal of 60 minutes. I like Wii Yoga because I can gauge my balance on the Fit Board. I like EA Active 2 because of the heart monitor .. I have been "pre-hypertensive" for the past year and trying to drive that down.

I do have Slim in 6 and Tai Cheng by Beachbody and a few other High Impact Boot Camp programs (like Gold's Gym and Jenny McCarthy's boot camp for Wii) but I could never handle it right now.

I am getting my groove back with Wii and just added a Day 1 Tai Chi lesson but I still could not do anything intense like Slim in 6, or PX90. If I stay committed, I think I can get back to medium intensity in 4 weeks. The challenge will be keeping the exercise going throughout the holidays between Dec 21 and Jan 1.