The platform can be used with any fitness game utilizing the Balance Board, including Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus, Gold’s Gym Cardio and EA sports Active.

The easy-to-assemble platform is lightweight but very stable and supports users up to 350 pounds. When attached to the bottom of the Wii Balance Board, the platform adds 3 inches in step height. The rubber pegs under the platform provide a secure grip on most services.

Use of this platform requires removing the press-on extensions that come with the Balance Board. Some users report slight inaccuracies in recognizing the number of steps. Be sure to use this device on a flat, sturdy floor.

More Info & Price Comparisons

• Aerobics Step Platform for Wii Fit on Amazon
• See the Balance Board and other Wii Fit products

The Wii 5-In-1 Fitness Bundle includes:

• Rechargeable Battery Pack
• USB Charging Cable
• Jeli Sleeve
• Fitness Mat
• Travel Bag
• One Pair Textured Foot Socks

The Textured Foot Socks are made of high quality cotton on top and strong rubber on the bottom, providing both comfort and extra traction.

Made of durable nylon, the Travel Bag is ideal for taking the Wii Fit Balance Board (not included) on the go.

The Jeli Sleeve fits snugly over the balance board to keep it safe and free from dings and scratches.

The Fitness Mat reduces impact on floors and the body and provides extra support and comfort. Made from durable polyvinyl chloride (PVC), it will provide years of extended use.

The Rechargeable Battery Pack & USB Charging Cable provide the necessary power to keep the Wii Fit Balance Board at maximum strength. A fully charged Battery Pack will provide hours of use at maximum power.

This bundle will help maximize the Wii Fit experience and keep you motivated. These or similar accessories can be purchased separately, but this is a convenient one-stop option with one shipping charge.

If you don’t already have the Wii Fit program or need some new fitness gaming challenges, see our EA Sports Active review.

More Info & Price Comparisons

• See the Wii 5-In-1 Fitness Bundle on Amazon
• Get the Wii Fit program with Balance Board
• See the new Wii Fit Plus (no Balance Board)
• See all Wit Fit products currently listed on eBay

Wii Fit Plus, released in October 2009, outsold its predecessor in its first month of release.

The interactive nature of these games and use of a motion-controller and balance board has attracted masses of users who don’t normally play video games.

Several publishers are working to catch up this holiday season in hopes of attracting similar consumers. The biggest competitor to Wii Fit is EA Sports Active launched earlier this year starring “The Best Life Diet” author and Oprah Winfrey personal trainer Bob Greene. The workout simulator comes with a resistance band and leg strap, which work in tandem with the motion-controller to track players’ movements.

With Nintendo rivals Micosoft and Sony slated to launch their own motion-controllers for their respective Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles next year, the exergame genre may have only begun to hit its stride.

[Source: MSNBC]

Wii Fit Plus, released on October 4, 2009, is a sequal to the 2007 original that adds new routines, features and enhancements to the existing workouts. It works with previous Wii Fit files so owners of the original game can access their saved profiles and workout history. New users will get everything in the original plus the enhancements.

The game offers a wide range of activities from four main categories: yoga, aerobics, strength training and balance games.

Most activities incorporate the Wii Balance Board, either alone or with the Wii Remote and/or the Wii Nunchuck. New Balance Board games include Skateboarding, Rhythm Kung Fu, Juggling, Snowball Fights, Obstacle Course and Perfect 10, a balance game that promotes both physical and mental well-being.

The “The Locker Room” feature lets users personalize the experience by creating a specific workout routine that is exactly suited to their fitness level and lifestyle.

“My Routine” is a customizable program that builds routines from up to 30 different exercises from the strength training and yoga categories.

The addition of a calorie counter lets users track both the number of calories burned in a single day and the food equivalent.

Wii Fit Plus also addresses one of the complaints from the original game. Instead of backing out to the main menu after each exercise, you can now program in a workout routine and move seamlessly from one activity to the next.

For those who don’t own the original system a Wii Fit Plus game and balance board combo is also available.

More Info & Price Comparisons

• Wii Fit Plus on Amazon (Game only or Game/Balance Board Combo)
• Wii Fit Plus on eBay

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.

At the E3 video game conference in Los Angeles last week, Nintendo said it will release an updated version of game, Wii Fit Plus, later this year.

“In the 13 months since it was introduced, Wii Fit has been the best-selling game in America,” Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, Cammie Dunaway, told reporters.

Other software manufacturers are taking advantage of the Wii technology and increased interest in home fitness games, evidenced by the recent success of EA Sports Active and soon to be released Your Shape from Ubisoft.

[Source: Yahoo! Tech]

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
• Don’t have a Wii Console yet? Click here
• 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]

The Wii Fit, at the forefront of this movement, has gained massive media attention. But there are many other new gadgets and exercise equipment advances that will keep you fired up about fitness.

Hear How You Run

Two of the most recognizable and successful brands in America, Nike and Apple have collaborated to develop a cutting edge fitness innovation.

The Nike + iPod Sport Kit monitors your running experience by transmitting data through a wireless connection between your Nike shoe and your iPod nano.

The microchip tracks speed, distance, time, and calories burned while real-time spoken feedback announces milestones throughout your workout .

The PowerSongs option integrates your favorite iTunes selections.

The kit works with the iPod nano 1G, 2G and 3G and any Nike+ shoe.

• Futuristic Factor: *****
• Fun Factor: ****
• Fitness Factor: ****

How does it work? Click here to see the Apple FAQ.

More info on Nike + iPod Sport Kit

Virtual Reality Enhanced Cycling Systems

Although The Expresso Upright Stationary Bike is designed for commercial fitness clubs (you can’t afford it), the cool factor merits a mention.

This futuristic system engages not just the muscles but also the mind by fusing exertainment with web-based personalization.

Imagine playing a visually stunning video game, but instead of planted on the sofa with a game pad, you’re actually riding a top-of-the-line recumbent or upright stationary bike.

The handlebars move for realistic steering as you pedal and compete on an interactive course, creating the immersive illusion of being on the open road.

The web based high-res screen delivers personalized, real time fitness information. You can set goals, track progress and log data online, taking your workout places it’ never been.

• Futuristic Factor: *****
• Fun Factor: *****
• Fitness Factor: *****

Check out the Expresso demonstration video.

For more affordable options see the Cateye line of Game Bikes.

A Personal Trainer in Your Pocket

Easily bored by your exercise routine? Get personalized guidance form Hollywood fitness trainers on your iPod or MP3 player. ITRAIN Personal Trainer downloadable programs include customized audio routines for running, walking, cycling, rowing, climbing, sculpting, stretching, swimming, boxing, pilates and yoga.

Celebrity endorsements include Courtney Cox, Sarah Silverman and Olympic Gold medal swimmer Natalie Coughlin.

If you’re apathetic about your current exercise routine, iTRAIN’s ever-changing menu of workouts will keep things new and fresh.

• Futuristic Factor: ***
• Fun Factor: ****
• Fitness Factor: *****

More info on ITRAIN

Transform Exercise Into “Gamercise”

Some fitness-themed games can only keep your attention for a short time before becoming boring and routine. What sets this system apart is the ability to plug in to any of your favorite games or systems.

Gamercize interacts with your Xbox360, PSP3 or Wii, letting you play normally while exercising — but when you pause the game pauses with you.

Adjust the exercise level to maximize enjoyment of the game and provide the greatest fitness benefit. The system records your statistics and you’ll be amazed at how much workout time you’ve logged when the game is over.

The Gamercize system is available as a cycle or stepper, the best choices to leave your hands free to operate the controller.

• Futuristic Factor: ***
• Fun Factor: *****
• Fitness Factor: ****

More info on Gamercize

Monitor Body Fat with a Bioelectrical Impedance Algorithm

The Omron Body Fat Monitor and Scale uses full body sensing technology to accurately measure weight, body fat, visceral fat, skeletal muscle and resting metabolism. Knowing you’re losing actual body fat, not just water weight will keep you motivated, and the additional indicators help determine your ideal exercise levels and calorie intake.

How does it work? Bioelectrical Impedance (BI) is an accurate and safe method of screening body fat. Muscles, blood vessels and bones have a high water content that conducts electricity easily. Body fat has little electric conductivity.

The monitor transmits a harmless electrical current (you won’t feel it) through your entire body. It then calculates the amount of fat tissue using a formula that factors in electric resistance, height, weight, age and gender.

• Futuristic Factor: *****
• Fun Factor: ***
• Fitness Factor: ****

More info on the Omron Body Fat Monitor and Scale

Track Cardio & Weight Lifting Progress on Your Wrist

For the gadget loving exercise enthusiast the Polar F55 Heart Rate Monitor for Fitness and Weight Lifting takes fitness monitoring to a new level. This multi-purpose device tracks three essential components of good health –“ cardiovascular, strength training & relaxation.

• Cardiovascular: Wireless ECG Heart Rate Monitor
• Strength Training: Body Workout Program (counts sets, reps and recommends weight)
• Relaxation: OwnRelax Program (checks the body’s state of relaxation and helps you “listen” to your body)

The Polar F55 prescribes the best total body program for your fitness level, and all training data can be uploaded and tracked on the Polar Personal Trainer website.

After 3 weeks of following the initial exercise program the unit will ask you to re-test your fitness level and then recalculate the next three-week program. This ongoing cycle of monitoring and testing is a great motivator.

• Futuristic Factor: *****
• Fun Factor: ***
• Fitness Factor: *****

More info on the Polar F55

Globally Position Your Workout

Take your ride to the next level with the Garmin Edge 305HR+ GPS Navigator. With this Bicycle Computer, Heart Rate Monitor and Cadence Sensor on board you’ll always know where you’re going and how far you’ve gone.

The easy-to-install and highly sensitive device measures pedaling cadence, heart rate, speed, distance, time, calories burned, altitude, climb and descent.

The “Virtual Partner” makes your training more fun by matching you against a virtual competitor. The training timer auto pauses when you drop below a specified speed and resumes when you speed up again. Auto Lap automatically triggers a lap every time you pass a specified location or travel a preset distance.

From competitive road racing to mountain biking, the cyclist-friendly, lightweight Edge will keep you engaged on the path to achieving your personal best.

• Futuristic Factor: *****
• Fun Factor: ****
• Fitness Factor: ****

More info on the Garmin Edge 305HR+ GPS Navigator

• Have you tried out any of these new gadgets or machines?
• Have a favorite?
• Don’t agree with our choices or know of some others?
• Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.