109 Days to Go: I am Niki's Bitch

I'm going to pat my self on the back for a fabulous use of Christmas gift cards yesterday. I was at Costco (intentionally avoiding the sample tables) and I stumbled upon this little ditty.

Not $89.99 but $59.99 with instant rebate. Pick. It. Up.

After reading the box thoroughly and getting confirmation from an employee that it was in fact returnable if my husband didn't like it (or I chickened out) I threw it in the cart.

It's unlike any other thing Wii has to offer. It really is like digital personal training. The good stuff too.

Now don't get me wrong I love my Wii Fit! But it's kind of for sissies. It's fun and games and hula hooping, but it's really not much of a hardcore workout... and if you're anything like me you figure out pretty quickly that if you flick your wrist a certain way you don't have to move the rest of your body.

Well this is not that.

Along with a fabulous heart rate monitor, there are two motion sensors, one on a thigh strap and one on a forearm strap (this one has the HR monitor positioned on your inner arm). You enter personal data like age, height and weight (if you have a wii fit board it can weight you) and it uses these things to develop a personal training program for you.

The heart rate monitor makes the calories burned super accurate and is in the upper corner of your screen throughout your workout for easy viewing. And if you're like me and aren't super aware of the target heart rate zones/ max heart rates there's a quick little cheat right below your HR to tell you if you're in the zone or not.

The work outs are intense and include warm ups and cool downs, everything from stretching, to cardio, to resistance training (with the included band). I chose to commit to a 9 week program with 3 phases. I get a calendar on which I choose my workout dates (you have to choose at least 3 off days) and track my stats. There are even little awards along the way (I got one for burning 200 calories in a workout) which really make you feel like you're earning something.

This morning I had a 24 minute workout in which I burned an astounding 266 calories! My trainer ( you choose one) is Niki and she has no mercy... which is precisely what I need. The motion sensors make it impossible to slack so beware if your lunges aren't low enough. At the end of my 24 minute workout I was covered in sweat, gulping water (102 oz yesterday!) and smiling from ear to ear.

I wish I could say that EA Sports has paid me for this review, but I could only be so lucky.

Seriously people if you have a few gift cards lying around, pool them together and buy this! It's cheaper than a live personal trainer and it's at your beckon call. They also make it for any gaming system so whether you have a Wii, PlayStation 3, or Xbox you can find it!


Stay hydrated!