Wii for Exercise?

I just started using the UFC Trainer for Wii and found that it gives a very good work out. It's a great total body workout with different levels and programs.

I second Will Zumba and the Just Dance series. It's super fun to do, and my 11 week old smiles so big when she watches me do it. I sing along and wave at her while I work out. The Wii games are like any exercise you do — you burn how hard you work. If you move your arms and your feet, you'll get a good workout. (One exception is the Wii Fit. Really fun games, but not really cardio. You'd be better off jogging in place or stepping up and down stairs.)

We have Xbox 360 with Kinect. We do Dance Central every single night. It is so much FUN. That is a key point. To have fun with what you do!

Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum. It has rowing, boxing, running, etc. You move the entire time you do anything on this game! She also has tips and timed workouts. I will say there are only about 15 different "exercises" on here so I wouldn't use it everyday. It might get boring.

Skip the first Zumba and go with Zumba 2. Any of the Just Dance games and EA Active2. While the game PUNCH OUT! is not billed as a fitness game, I use it with the Balance board and get a better workout than with EA Active sometimes!

I do Just Dance and I love it - so fun....we exercise and laugh the whole time!!! its about 100 calories per half hour!

I have a Wii balance board and the Wii Fit "game". It does have some pretty fun games in it, but I just don't get the burn from it. The free run is kind of fun but again not very challenging. I'm a working mom to and the only way to get my exercise in is to do it before the kiddos wake up. So yes I'm having to wake up early but I'm getting my exercise in. I try to do DVD's that are only 20-30 minutes long. If I have the energy at the end of the day I go for a bike ride or swim with the kids. Every little bit counts.

I use the Wii EA Sports Active, More Active, and Active 2. I love those! I get a pretty good workout and can definitely tell that I've worked out when I'm done.

I think with any exercise it's what you put into it that really matters. I can do the free step for 30 minutes and barely break a sweat, but if I add full arm movements and quicken my pace it makes it a much better workout. The Wii counts it as the same calorie burn, but I find that it gives me a better workout then walking in my field for 30 minutes. The dog likes the field better, but I like to sweat a little bit more. I have been using it for 30 minutes every day, and every other day I have been using my gazelle which gives me a good workout too. The days I don't use the gazelle I do a toning/stretching routine in the wii fit plus for an extra 30 minutes. Honestly this is a good work out for someone getting starting and getting fit, it also helps if you have balance issues. I am actually looking at getting the ea Active 2 personal trainer program because it has a resistance band and allows you to use weights, which is lacking in what I am doing right now.

I am really uncoordinated so I stay away from things that require me to have to coordinate arm and leg movements, because I just end up falling all over the place. The advanced step requires I step on and off the board to the front and side and have to keep pace with the counter or it gets upset, so I don't use that one. I am also a lousy dancer, so to even consider that would be "fun" makes me shudder. I do however put all effort into what I am doing, so probably burn more than the normal person does for these things. Like full arm movements for me means I swing my hand from slightly behind my back all the way up to behind my head and tighten my muscles as much as possible. At first I did this off and on, but I have worked up to the point where I do it the whole thirty minutes. Just really don't know how many calories I burn, so use what it tells me which is always 143 no matter how many steps I take or if I use the wide arm movements.

Anyway, just remember that anything you do that you enjoy and that gets you moving is a good thing! Every day that I exercise my body feels so much better, it's just hard to explain how good it feels to move my muscles and do stuff!!!

I bought the Wii Active 2 personal trainer software and am really impressed with it. It's really cheap right now, because they have discontinued the online portion. I would probably never have used that anyway, so that's ok. I love how straight forward it is. I can get my exercise in and waste very little time. It has me jumping, squatting, running, skipping rope, boxing, and so many other activities which really get me sweating! I am only on the easy level, so I can see this is going to be something I can use for a long time to come. I still use my Wii fit plus, for free step and weighing in, but this is definitely a straight forward exercise program.