Wii Active

Wii Active
Price $60
Features A 30-day workout challenge customizes your exercise routine to work different muscle groups on alternating days of the week. A daily calendar tracks your progress.
Special equipment Works with Wii Balance Board (not included), but also without. Requires use of included leg strap to hold the Nunchuk Controller on some exercises and resistance bands.
Personal trainer A trainer (you can pick a man or a woman) chooses your workout for the day and walks you through each exercise, showing you proper form on the lower right hand side of the screen. Your eerily realistic personalized avatar lets you know if you’re doing it right.
Trainer says “Don’t get soft on me!”
Fun factor Dodge barrels on inline skates; lunge out wide to catch baseballs or hit tennis balls; and knee, kick and punch your frustrations away in cardio boxing
Will I sweat? You bet. Intensity varies based on preference and increases during the 30-day challenge. After running with high kicks, you’ll never associate video games with couch potatoes again.
Love it Active’s claim that it’s “like having a personal trainer in a box” is fitting. The workouts are fun, challenging and varied enough to keep us coming back.
Hate it The flimsy resistance bands flip out of the handles unless tied on very tightly and, even then, feel as if they are going to snap at any moment. If you have other bands at home, use ’em.

Wii Fit
Price $89
Features The original fitness game for Wii lets users choose from a series of games and exercises to build a workout. New moves are unlocked after achieving certain goals. The game keeps track of weight-loss goals and progress.
Special equipment Wii Balance Board required (not included; $90).
Personal trainer Primitive graphics make the trainer (your choice of a male or female) come off as cold and impersonal, rather than inspirational. He or she demonstrates exercises on screen, or you can select demo videos for more detail.
Trainer says “Great. You’ve got excellent balance.”
Fun factor Take your animated avatar on a run around an island filled with other Wii characters; ski jump (warning, this is addictive); Hula-hoop or head-butt soccer balls
Will I sweat? Eventually…maybe. Running will get your heart rate up, but many of the games focus on balance, and you have to unlock more reps on exercises before you’ll even come close to the kind of workout Active provides.
Love it If you’re looking for yoga, improved flexibility and balance work, this is your best bet.
Hate it Having to stop your workout to select a new exercise after each activity blows. This is Fit’s biggest drawback, and Active improves on it by offering a planned, nonstop workout.

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