wiiFit - worthIt?

WiiFit is good if you're jut getting started, you REALLY hate working out/going to the gym, or you need to begin with low intensity workouts.

I found it was good for helping maintain weight, but not as much for trying to drop pounds. The hula hoop and free running exercises were super helpful in getting me moving again--when I started I could barely do a "basic run", and now I can do a full 30 minutes.

If you're looking for something with higher intensity and more bang for your buck, for the Wii, I would HIGHLY suggest EA Sports Active. I got it for my dad for Christmas last year. He does it three or four times a week, and that along with a 20 minute jog outside every morning has resulted in him losing a ton of weight. He loves it, and he's always exhausted by the end of it, so it's definitely a good workout.

Does the wii calculate calories burned and/or heart rate? How do you know how much you are burning?

Yes it calculate calories burned. I'm not sure how accurate it is. It does not calculate heart rate.

I have the wii fit and I really like the free run or free step. You can change the channel and do it while watching a show or listening to music.

I like it because I have to use my brain for the games at the same time as my body. That makes it more fun for me than just a mindless slogging away at an exercise.

No, the calorie burn isn't *as* great - and it's true that the games are short, and there's a start/stop aspect to them. This could be a plus if you're totally out of shape and need that little break between games, though. You aren't going to get a good sustained burn going.

But what I like is that after each game, it clinks little 'coins' into the bank, and lets you know how many minutes you've been at it, and how many calories you've burned. The low number per game is kind of disappointing, but on the other hand, if you just want to rack up "a few more calories" - it's pretty motivating to just play the game again. I often find myself going longer than I'd planned, because I might have 160 calories burned, and I think - hey, I can make it to 200, just a couple more games and I'm there!

And maybe I don't want to go all out on a particular day - maybe I've already worked out, or taken a walk or something, and I just want to shave off 40 more calories. The Wii Fit is great for that.

Wii Fit is fun but you won't burn many calories doing it because each exercise/game is only a couple minutes long at most unless you do the running. I love my EA Sports Active for Wii much better. They came out with a More Exercise for EA Sports Active and I intend to get that one after Christmas.

I was doing the Active program and then bought the Active 2. If you enjoy the active you will really like the 2. It has program you can design and a heart rate monitor. Many of the programs you don't have to use the controller which sometimes is a pain. Plus I noticed with the Active there were times that no matter what I did with the bar, etc. it wouldn't register, it would seem to freeze up. I don't get that much at all with the 2. It has a 90 day 3 phase program you can do also, or you can design your own or have a trainer design something for you. Overall for the money, I believe this is a good buy.