The program puts a holistic focus on fitness, combining nutrition and lifestyle factors with a variety of hands-free workout routines and activities, all from the convenience of your home gaming console.

The all new Total Body Tracking is a unique wireless control system powered by motion sensors in leg and arm straps that accommodate complete freedom of motion. A heart rate monitor provides constant on-screen monitoring, allowing users to capture workout intensity and optimize performance over time. The wireless controller eliminates the need for the Wii Nunchuk altogether.

Users can track their workout data online via automatic uploads from their connected console to their personalized EA Sports Active profile. Connect and share information with others, join workout groups, download new routines and join the new EA Sports Active 2 nine week program. This program has been designed by certified personal trainers with a focus on total body conditioning, reaching goals and staying motivated along the way.

The game truly shines when used with Xbox 360’s Kinect, Microsoft’s controller-free answer to the Nintendo Wii, tracking your entire body’s motion one-to-one and displaying real-time movement on-screen. Coupled with Kinect, EA Sports Active 2 makes fitness fun while ensuring proper form with comprehensive exercise routines.

Other key features include a Virtual Personal Trainer to guide you towards reaching your fitness goals, and a 30 Day Challenge with customized workouts to match your fitness level.

Among the few negatives with this release are controller disconnects when used with the Wii and occasional EA Sports online server disruptions.

Overall, EA Sports Active 2 with Total Body Tracking is a worthy sequel to the best-selling original and makes working out convenient, effective and entertaining.

More Info  Price Comparisons

• Click here to find EA Sports Active 2 on Amazon
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EA Sports Active 2 (Wii, 2010) US $10.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Wednesday May-23-2012 4:50:48 PDT   | Watch this Item

EA Sports Active 2 (Xbox 360, 2010) US $15.00 (7 Bids) Auction Ends: Wednesday May-23-2012 5:52:36 PDT   | Watch this Item

EA Sports Active 2 (Wii, 2010) BRAND NEW IN SEALED BOX! US $34.88 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Wednesday May-23-2012 6:24:20 PDT   | Watch this Item

EA Sports 2.0  will include a heart rate monitor, wireless tracking, and a new online hub to download new workouts, create fitness groups and track and share workout data.

Kinect for Xbox 360 Kinect brings games and entertainment to life in extraordinary new ways – no controller required. “Delivering EA SPORTS Active 2 on Kinect  for Xbox 360 is a natural fit for fitness and the ability to track full body movement will create a fluid workout experience that delivers real results,” says Andrew Wilson, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Development, EA SPORTS.  “It is the perfect complement to our EA SPORTS Active suite of fitness products and is indicative of our commitment to deliver new experiences for new audiences. We’re excited to expand on the top rated fitness franchise on the market.” Learn more about Xbox 360 Kinect on Xbox.com.

EA SPORTS Active is currently the number one rated interactive fitness program for the Wii on the market and was recently proven to be an effective workout as measured against the American College for Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines. EA SPORTS Active focuses on improving muscular strength, endurance and flexibility, as well as improving cardio which can help achieve fitness goals including building muscle, increase energy levels and weight loss.

EA SPORTS Active 2 products will offer the same, high-quality exercise experience with over 70 new exercises and fitness activities including exercises not possible before the Total Body Tracking wireless control system.

[Source: EA Sports Active]

• Read our EA Sports Active review
• See all Fitness Game reviews

Fitness games act as virtual personal trainers, guiding users through quick sports games, exercise routines or full fitness programs, while tracking progress along the way. The fun factor and emerging multi-player options help keep users motivated as the novelty wears off.

This success has attracted the attention of not only game manufacturers but real health professionals. The University of Mississippi and Indiana University have both begun investigating whether interactive video games are viable tools to promote health and combat obesity, rather than just another fitness fad.

“Your body doesn’t care if you’re going out on the street riding a bicycle or pedaling in front of a Wii screen,” says Lew Lyon, vice president of MedStar Sports Health at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore and a sports psychologist.

These games have been effective at getting kids and adults off the couch and promoting a less sedentary lifestyle. Fewer than 40 percent of Americans are getting enough exercise, Lyon points out. “If we can get 10 percent more active (with video games) that’s a good thing.”

[Source: The Detroit News]

See our current reviews of EA Sports Active, My Fitness Coach and Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout.

Developed in collaboration with Bob Greene, known for his Best Life Program and association with Oprah Winfrey, EA Sports Active offers fun, easy to learn exercises and activities to help users stay focused on fitness.

EA Sports Active gives an unparalleled introduction to virtual exercise for those new to the concept, or a step up for those who’ve become bored with the routines included in the Wii Fit and other third party titles.

The key components of this system are the Virtual Personal Trainer and 30 Day Challenge. The Trainer delivers feedback and positive encouragement through the course of each workout, keeping you motivated and on track. Your interest is further maintained by adding variety and continually mixing things up. Just when a workout starts to feel repetitive, you’ll be directed to something new, while the system continues to track calories burned, intensity level and progress throughout the 30 Day Challenge.

EA Sports active uses the standard Wii Remote and Nunchuck controllers but incorporates some new accessories. The included leg strap attaches to the upper thigh, holding the Nunchuck controller in place to monitor lower body movement.  Also included is a resistance band designed to increase the intensity of a variety of exercises and upper body workouts. It’s compatible with but does not require the Wii Balance board.

Another unique and invaluable attribute is the ability to provide feedback on proper form. unlike some fitness programs developed  for the Wii, EA Sports Active does a great job of  mimicking your actual movements. If you’re not doing an exercise properly, you’ll be guided on how to correct it — not something you’ll get with a fitness DVD.

There are dozens of themed strength training and cardiovascular workouts which can be customized and linked into circuit training routines. In addition to the fun and addicting games, there are some high-intensity and more advanced strength training exercises available, such as jumping lunges, jumping squats, bicep curl with shoulder press, and lateral raise with row, to name a few. In addition to the various exercises there are informational segments to help users optimize their nutrition and lifestyle.

There’s not much negative so say about this product. For some, it may take getting accustomed to positioning the remote and nuncheck in a manner that will properly evaluate body movements. Watching the included videos is recommended. Also, the resistance band is relatively weak with a low level of resistance. It’s good enough for beginners and can easily replaced with a more robust band as strength and fitness levels increase.

More Info Price Comparisons

• Click here for EA Sports Active on Amazon
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• See EA Sports Active and Wii fitness products on eBay

EA Sport Active will offer a wide variety of interactive activities and exercises, linked together into an evolving circuit training routine targeting the muscles of the upper and lower body, as well as providing cardio for a healthy heart.

The title ships with a specially designed leg-strap to hold the Wii’s Nunchuck controller to track lower body movements, allowing players to increase intensity levels.

Developed in collaboration with Oprah’s personal trainer Bob Greene, EA Sports Active provides a fun, inexpensive and easy to maintain regimen designed to encourage physical fitness and healthy living.

[Source: MCV]