So, Hot Mama has asked me to do Friday’s Feature. More specifically she has asked me to review the Dance Dance game. So, here it goes!
I have forever been attracted to gimmicky things. It’s a fault of mine and not good since we are really trying to be good with our money. Well, we decided, months ago, to get a Wii and a Wii Fit along with it. I LOVE the Wii Fit. It’s playing games and working out at the same time. I LOVE playing games, so it’s perfect for me. What’s awesome is that there are multiple games that you can get for the Wii that are workout specific. There are the normal Wii Fit games, which are awesome. Then, I got the Personal Trainer game for Christmas. You set up a workout and a trainer works out with you. It’s like being in an aerobics class. But, my favorite is the Dance Dance game that I just purchased. The full title is Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2. (They make versions of this for all gaming systems, we just happen to have a Wii) Basically you have a dance mat that plugs into the Wii console. The mat has a forward, back, left and right arrow. You then follow the arrows on the screen and step on the correct arrow. It sounds silly, but if you like dancing it’s really fun!
Positives of Dance Dance:
It’s a fun way to keep moving. Allows you to burn calories in an unconventional way.
It has really fun music; Tootsee Roll, I Want Candy, We Got the Beat, Walking On Sunshine and MANY others. Some songs I have never heard of, but they still have a good beat.
It has many different levels. My favorite is the Workout mode. You are able to choose a workout and it chooses the songs and gets more intense as the workout goes on.
The mat can be folded and tucked away for easy storage.
The workout segments are 10 min. long. So, you can quickly do 1 or do 3 for a 30 min workout.
You can also set a mode for how many calories you would like to burn. It will keep track and let you know when you’ve reached that goal.
Negatives of Dance Dance:
There are 4 levels of expertise; Beginner, Basic, Difficult and Expert. I consider myself a good dancer with good rhythm and I can’t successfully do the Basic level. Beginner is where I stay right now. I haven’t even attempted the Difficult. I wish that the intensity of the steps was more gradual.
My husband laughs at me. He hates dancing and he hates techno music, but he thinks it’s fun to watch me flail around the living room.
You HAVE to have some sort of rhythm. This wouldn’t be fun for someone who struggled with that.
You also have to hold the remote and the nunchuck (Those Wii people out there know what I’m talking about). You do different hand things with those. That can be tricky and took me awhile to figure out.
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Well, it took me to come to Houston to get a "hands on lesson" on how to blog. OK. . .give me a break - I AM the oldest one in this illustrious group of awesome women! Corey had commented that once I set up my profile, there was a noticeable lack of communication. I had to admit that I needed a tutorial which she happily provided. So, here I am. . .
ReplyDeleteExercise!!!! Until a year ago, I figured out that that was for everyone else. I was one of the group that felt that walking up the stairs was burning enough caleries! Then, on September 23, 2007, I began "the first day of the rest of my life!" I committed myself to a program at the newly opened Medi-Weightloss Center. My ob/gyn had been told by her doctors that she needed to get healthy ("multiple snacking on Ding Dongs was not acceptable"). She researched programs and found this one. Not only was she successful, she opened her own clinic. She is the "poster girl" having lost over 100 pounds in less than a year. So, on September 23rd, I began my healthy lifestyle journey. Although exercise was definitely encouraged, I was reluctant to embark on a program. I had gone to a Curves "gym" for two years with out results and, quite frankly, my knees were not up to it. I am a wedding coordinator at a church that rents out the community room to a Jacki Sorensen Aerobic Dance group. When I would come to work, my exercise program was walking by, waving, and smiling at everyone. Finally, having lost 30 pounds, I felt better and realized that if I was going to reach my goal, I'd better begin to do more than walk around the house for exercise. Last spring I signed up having decided gave it a try! I love to dance and this seemed the perfect combination. My commitment is one hour 15 minutes on Mon-Wed-Fri mornings from 8-9:15. I really enjoy the dance format and feel good that I'm also getting a workout. I recently told my instructor that 9 months ago my knees would not let me sit Indian style (don't they call that "criss-cross" now?) Now I can for the first time in years. Has my life changed since September 23? Definitely - Yes! I have lost 50 pounds, am healthier, have a new wardrobe, and can sit criss-cross! Am I where I want to be? Not yet! It seems that I have lost 20 pounds in the "see-saw" results of trying to loose the last 10 pounds to MY goal. But, this IS the rest of my life and I know I'll make it.
Why have I shared my story? I would not have been successful without the support of family and friends. And this is what this blog is all about - support! We're all in this together, no matter where we are in our life's journey. I don't have the multiple challenges and distractions you all have - done that. . .been there :)! You all are amazing that you are making the terrific effort to be healthier! The advice I am reading is totally on target i.e. breaking the exercise into segments of a day if there isn't one 30 minute uninterrupted time slot. And, remember, tomorrow always gives you another chance! Don't beat yourself up because you didn't meet your goal today! Your attitude is the most important motivator that you have!
My next challenge? Corey, I mean Cutie Pie, is going to teach me how to do the Wii Dance Dance while I'm here in Houston for a couple of days. Do you think they have a pre-beginner level?
So, now that I know how to do this "blog thing," I'll be more diligent in staying in touch. Mmm - maybe I should get creative and come up with some clever name. . .
I am so going to get Dance Dance today. I have a house of sick kids that are driving me to drink...I mean crazy.
ReplyDeleteI didn't get to the gym this morning, way too tired after a late night of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice crossover show. So instead, I walked the neighborhood for 45 minutes. I am going to try and do some wii Fit this afternoon as well.
I guess the message about exercise helping lift the spirits is true. I got back on the "horse" and did the DVD again last night. Although yesterday at Bible study I was still walking on the verge of tears, I am beginning to feel beter already. Still not happy about having gained 20 lbs in 3+ years of marriage, but I did do something for me. And yes, it meant making another one of those choices I whined about before. Sleep came at 11:00 pm instead of 9:30 by the time I exercised, gulped down water, and then showered I got less sleep than I hoped for and was convinced I needed. That said, I woke up with a better atitude and I little more energy than I expected! I have to add, I just claimed VICTORY over left over powdered donuts! The kids had them with the nutragrain bar for breakfast and the left overs have been eyebaling me all morning... I won! They are in the trash!!!
ReplyDeleteI am proud of everyone from today. I have to say that to completly got away from me. I went to work, took a half day off, ran home changed clothes and then went to a family funeral. After that we spent the evening with family until now... 10:20 pm... so I will have to claim this as a day off. Tomorrow will be a new day. I love you all and really appreciate your honesty about life. Julie, I love you! Way to throw those donuts in the trash, even though they sound so yummy.
ReplyDeleteToday is Sunday, I was able to workout my 30 min on Wii Fit and Dance Dance. I was teaching my mom what to do and she was pretty good. I think that she should get a Wii :)
ReplyDeleteNow, for Lexi... she is going to need to work out a lot since she decided to steal a pound and a half of pound cake off the counter (freshly baked by my mom) She did throw up a little bit, we're going to have to talk to her about her binging habbits!
It's been a wonderful weekend here in Houston and I'll be sorry to leave in the morning. My body will get a well deserved rest after the training session I had with Cutie Pie as my Trainer. Some of those exercises sure looked easier when I watched her do them. I got my 30 plus minutes in and I must admit it was fun. However, I learned that I'll have to work harder on being a "Tree." When I balanced using Corey as a prop, I scored very high. When I tried to do it on my own, not so good. I think it was something like "no points!" The Dance Dance was not as easy as it looked. I think the brain got exercised as much as the muscles in some of these expected dance movements. Now, about Lexi. . .it's off to the dog park for her!!! Tonight we played Mexican Train Dominoes. Do we get credit for arm exercises? Tomorrow it'll be a 10 hour Relaxation Session as we drive back to Wichita. It'll give me a chance to think about whether I should have a Wii or not. It sure was a fun way to work on being fit! We'll see. . . . . . .!
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