Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party
Cost: $49.99
Accessories needed: Dance Dance Revolution Pad Controller, Wii Balance Board
Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) swept the video game nation years ago, bringing exercise to the ever-lanky computer and fantasy world lovers; but the latest incarnation of the wildly popular game actually intentionally incorporates workouts into the dance mix.
In workout mode you have three options: standard, hypermove, and balance board. Standard is the traditional DDR action, hypermove builds on standard mode by adding the Wii remote and nunchucks, and balance board mode requires you to move your hips with the game almost like hula hopping while using the Wii remote and nunchuk for punching.
EA Sports Active: More Workouts
Cost: $39.99
Accessories needed: Wii Sports Active leg strap for the nunchuck and resistance band
As an upgrade to the EA Sports Active, the More Workouts addition not only gives you more variety, but offers the perfect blend of fun and fitness to get even the laziest couch potato up and moving. Take on the six-week challenge, chart your progress in the virtual diary, and select from three levels of difficulty (easy, medium, and hard) to design a personalized regimen. This version of the game reportedly allows you to focus on certain muscle groups more intensively and do so while actually having fun; the workouts include water skiing, paddle surfing, cardio boxing, step aerobics, squash, and an obstacle course.
Wii Fit Plus
Cost: $19.99
Accessories needed: none, balance board comes with Wii Fit game
Much like EA Sports Active: More Workouts, Wii Fit Plus builds on the exercises you learn in the Wii Fit original program. But instead of selecting a type of exercise (strength training, yoga, etc.) you select a workout that incorporates multiple exercises or you create your own. The Rhythm Kung-Fu game pairs simple Kung-Fu moves and rhythm for a fun activity that just so happens to double as a great cardio exercise. Feel like a real-life Mario in the Obstacle Course workout as you move your character through a series of balance and agility challenges.
Wii Sports Boxing
Cost: Free with Wii console
Accessories needed: none
The great thing about Wii Sports Boxing is if you have a Wii already and are hoping to use it for exercise you’ve already got one of the top-rated games for fitness on hand.
Wii boxing, if played with exaggerated movements for a half hour a day, actually caused one player to lose nine pounds and two-percent body fat after six weeks. Wii Boxing can burn up to 125 calories/half hour, plus it helps release some of the tension that accumulates during a work or school day.
The Biggest Loser
Cost: $39.99
Accessories needed: Wii Fit Balance Board
Pick and choose from this game’s extensive offering of callisthenic exercises to create and recreate great workouts. Work your way up from light to hard challenge grades and vary the intensity of your workouts by following the color-coded intensity icons and properly pair your muscle groupings together by following the body diagrams and instructions.
Wii Tennis
Cost: Free with Wii console
Accessories needed: none
Not only is Wii Tennis arguably one of the most fun Wii Sports games to play against friends, when played with intensity can burn up to 92 calories/half hour. Play on your own against the machine or set up a tournament with you friends and you can easily work in an hour of decent cardiovascular work into your day. Plus you can work on your best Venus or McEnroe impersonations.
Active Life Outdoor Challenge – Mole Stomper
Cost: $49.99
Accessories needed: Wii Fit Balance Board
The most fun and beneficial mini-game in the Active Life Outdoor Challenge game is Mole Stomper. Get the whole family together for this fitness/mind-game challenge. Stomp out the moles with your feet that pop out of six holes in the ground. Once you work your way up in difficulty you’ll quickly get your heart pumping and your legs racing.
Walk it Out
Cost: $29.99
Accessories needed: Wii Fit balance board or Dance Dance Revolution Dance Pad
Live in a city with unbearable summer heat or paralyzing winter storms? Walk it Out is the perfect way to get your body moving and feel like you’re actually enjoying a stroll with nature by your side. Studies show that just 30 minutes of walking can cause vast health improvements. Walk in synch with lively music to earn points, then use your points to create or build on your own virtual worlds. And use your Wii remote and nunchuck to get your arms moving.
Wii Fit Lunges
Cost: $99.99
Accessories needed: none, balance board comes with Wii Fit game
Although newer, more strenuous fitness workout games have been released for the Wii balance board, the lunges portion of the strength-training exercises in the original Wii Fit game are killer because of how controlled you have to make your movements. Add a weighted belt or chest strap to the workout and you’ll be building some serious muscle.
Tags: burn, calories, exercise, games, safe workout, wii, workout
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