What's Working For you? | Forums

[Jaladin2008]

Let’s hear your stories:

Me: 47-year-old, male.
Status: Desk job, couch potato w/ bursts of activity associated w/ raising young'uns.
Weight: 10 lbs overweight.
Goal: Get fit, improve cardio/endurance, and lose some belly-fat.
Start date: 12/8/10
Sessions: 24
Avg calories burned per current session: 360
Routine per session:
10x Virtual Smash hard,
1x Gold Cardio entire class,
10x Virtual Smash hard,
1x Gold cardio entire class.
Length of session: 43 minutes.

Synopsis: 50 isn't too far away so I figured that it would be wise to try to get fit now. I'm not a junk/fast food type person but I do like good food and drink.

Progress: Started slowly, fell into a rhythm w/ virtual smash and cardio kickboxing--could see they would suit me. No major injuries reported but knees were giving me trouble until I switched over to using a cushioned mat and technique improved.

Results: Weight has dropped about 5 lbs but noticeably slimmer in waist and entire torso appears more toned and less flabby. Endurance has improved and I feel more fit.

Tips: It took a while w/ the cardio kickboxing to be able to do the moves fluidly. If you're a beginner and middle-aged you'll battle against improper technique and it's easy to strain something. Eventually the moves flow and your joints creak less.

Suggestions: Please add a timer to virtual smash, it's sorely needed.

Overall: Pleasantly satisfied w/ YSFE, though I can see that there's room for improvement.

[Jaladin2008]

Let’s hear your stories:

Me: 47-year-old, male.
Status: Desk job, couch potato w/ bursts of activity associated w/ raising young'uns.
Weight: 10 lbs overweight.
Goal: Get fit, improve cardio/endurance, and lose some belly-fat.
Start date: 12/8/10
Sessions: 24
Avg calories burned per current session: 360
Routine per session:
10x Virtual Smash hard,
1x Gold Cardio entire class,
10x Virtual Smash hard,
1x Gold cardio entire class.
Length of session: 43 minutes.

Synopsis: 50 isn't too far away so I figured that it would be wise to try to get fit now. I'm not a junk/fast food type person but I do like good food and drink.

Progress: Started slowly, fell into a rhythm w/ virtual smash and cardio kickboxing--could see they would suit me. No major injuries reported but knees were giving me trouble until I switched over to using a cushioned mat and technique improved.

Results: Weight has dropped about 5 lbs but noticeably slimmer in waist and entire torso appears more toned and less flabby. Endurance has improved and I feel more fit.

Tips: It took a while w/ the cardio kickboxing to be able to do the moves fluidly. If you're a beginner and middle-aged you'll battle against improper technique and it's easy to strain something. Eventually the moves flow and your joints creak less.

Suggestions: Please add a timer to virtual smash, it's sorely needed.

Overall: Pleasantly satisfied w/ YSFE, though I can see that there's room for improvement.

[Gypsy816]

Hi Jaladin! I love this thread idea!! I'll start working on mine. You might want to check out Spectra's thread called Evolving Together:

http://forums.ubi.com/eve/foru...1026098/m/2271013498

It's pretty inspirational and entertaining to watch/read.
Congrats on your progress and good luck on your fitness journey! Please keep us updated!

[AuntieParticle]

[kwilds]

Great Idea! This is me -

Me: 36-year-old, female.
Status: Homemaker, couch potato with occasional activity.
Weight: 100 lbs overweight.
Goal: Lose weight, get fit and generaly improve my lifestyle. I have small kids and want to be a good role model not an example of how NOT to live your life!
Start date: Dec 25th, 2011
Sessions: not really sure but I have been using yourshape twice a day since Christmas and have only missed a few evening sessions.
Avg calories burned per current session (day): 312
Routine per session:
Morning -
Warm up with 2-3 brick smash (easy) and 1-2 light race
Usually do one session of the Michelle Bridges get fit workout then 2-3 routines of the cardio. Then I do either the nivea work your body or the shoulder/back routine(can't remember the name of it.)I alternate between these each day.
Finish off with several gym games depending on how many calories I need to reach my goal.

Evening -
4-5 gym games to warm up
some combination of a few cardio routines and the gold boxing.

Synopsis: I am approaching middle age, my kids are starting to participate in sports and I was feeling left out! I love to skate, snowboard and hike with them but can't keep up. I am also very high risk for diabetes. A total lifestyle makeover seems the only option if I want to do the things I want to do.

Progress: Got Yourshape for Christmas and did the fitness test and explored the game for about 30 minutes that day. I couldn't move for 2 days after that! I worked slowly into the routine I am currently doing and at the same time made some diet changes. Within one week I had so much more energy and started to look forward to exercising.

Results: After a month without "falling off the wagon" I am feeling fitter and healthier than I have in recent history. The weight is coming off a bit slower that I had hoped but still down 7lbs. I have lost "inches" so I realize that I have probably gained quite a bit of muscle weight while losing the fat weight. The most exciting result is that I look forward to exercising everyday instead of dreading it!

Tips: Don't try to force yourself to stick to one of the games 12 day routines. As soon as I realized there was no reward for finishing one I started switching around to work different part of my body according to what MY body needed at the time it needed it. I work upper body every second day, lower body usually every 3 days and different cardio routines every day.

Suggestions: Don't really have any!

Overall: I am thrilled with what this game has been able to do for me. There is for sure many things that can be improved but over all it is a great way to get moving and even if it is only the catalyst to a better and heathier lifestyle I will be very greatful!

[bekkilyn]

Me: 44 or 45 (can't remember which) female
Status: Excruciatingly boring 40 hour per week desk job, part time grad student, generally physically fit
Weight: normal range, haven't weighed myself in months
Goal: maintain physical fitness, build strength and endurance
Start date: Not sure
Sessions: Not sure
Avg calories burned per current session: 100 to 130
Routine per session:
No set routine. Whatever I'm in the mood to do that day. (I don't use this game on a daily basis. It's just one part of the whole. On other days, I'm doing my karate classes, or playing Kinect Adventures, or maybe pulling out one of the Wii fitness games or an exercise DVD. On some other days I do absolutely nothing besides using the stairs instead of the elevator.)

Synopsis: I just want to continue to get better at fitness, though it sometimes seems to be one step forward, two steps back.

Progress: Have slowly been getting better at fitness. On another positive note that I attribute to getting a bit stronger is that I can now open most jars and bottles without beating them to death first with a bread knife.

Results: The game has been contributing to my overall positive results.

Tips: Make sure to vary routines so that you aren't always exercising the same part of the body every day. You don't want your body to become too efficient or else there will be less improvement.

Suggestions: Better sensor recognition on some exercises (like Zen squats and leg curls) Ability to string together routines. Ability to pick the length of each session. Better progress tracking. Most importantly, better customer communication with both external customers and with the internal community manager so that she can keep customers informed with something other than, "I'll let you guys know as soon as I hear something."

Overall: I'm enjoying YSFE and don't plan to give it up anytime soon, but there's a lot of room for improvement.

[Oblong2007]

Me: Just turned 48 year old male
Status: Desk job and weekend warrior athlete, current sport 3.5 tennis player 2-3 times a week (when it warms up).
Weight: 232. At 6' the charts say I'm about 40lbs overweight.
Start date: Thanksgiving 2010
Sessions: Missed a week for Christmas vacation and a couple days when I was sick, otherwise every day since start...about 40 sessions.
Average cals burned: Hitting 600 now. Half that when I first started...progress!
Routine per session:
Warm up with 3 virtual smash and 3 light race
Alternate days between weights/sculpting and cardio/toning class.
Finish with cardio boxing (2X plat, 2X gold, 2X silver) - been wearing 5lb wrist weights to add resistance
On Jan 1, I also started EA SPORTS Active 2.0's 9 week program (medium difficulty). Much more hardcore training for me so I look at YS now as my "warmup" to my real workout for the day.

Synopsis: Always been into sports but my weight has been holding me back some. Never been able to stick with a program for more than a couple weeks before.

Progress: As much as I am annoyed with some of the programming problems with this game, it has done one thing no other routine has...keep me motivated to keep at it.

Results: So I'm basically 7 weeks in (3 of it using both workout programs) and am showing I've lost 2lbs. But I DEFINITELY "feel" stronger, more balanced, and have increased my cardio. Thanks to EA's heart monitor I am also seeing my heartrate lowering during activity so I must be healthier. I'd probably be doing better for weight loss if I was more agressive in dieting and drinking water. I've cut some sweets, snacking, and salt but not made any sweeping dietary changes.

Tips: Don't expect results overnight. It's taken me 20 years to put on this weight and I can't expect it to dissappear in 2 months. Those people on TV losing 6lbs a week are in the gym 5 hours a day and on very strict diets. Not very realistic for most of us. As for the program, find what you enjoy and ignore the crap (I hate the Zen stuff and the Bollywood proved to go WAY too fast once I unlocked the full program).

Suggestions: Allow us to set up our program for the day online and then when we get in the game we just hit "start" and it takes us through it without all the menu crap. Also don't need the slow reps on cardioboxing once you've done them 1,000 times. Would love to see even more cardioboxing moves added as it's really the only meaningful thing I truly like in this software.

Overall: YSFE gets kudos for keeping me motivated but leaves ALOT to be desired for designing a program for people. I am very glad I also have Active 2.0 to do just that and may add Biggest Loser at some point to further enhance my workouts.

Good luck to all in achieving your goals!

[alessusnik]

Me: 32 in a few days, male.
Status: semi desk job, lots in the car, 2 dogs.
Weight: 224 lbs, way over what i used to be
Goal: get my six packs back, which i had in 2007 when i was 2nd runner up in WFF competition
Start date: 03rd january 2011
Sessions: no idea :-)
Avg calories burned per current session: 350 to 400
Routine per session:
1 x Cardio Racer,
1x Platinum Boxing,
Length of session: 35 minutes to 60 minutes.

Synopsis: dieting and working out is something so @*home for me, like drinking water to some people. This is me at the end of 2007:



After that life took a different route: divorce, smoking, pneumonia, almost kidney failure, changed jobs, moved. I have 2 dogs now, which keep me very active but not active enough to lose weight. Running with 2 dogs is close to impossible.

Progress: started slowly for 3 weeks, without dieting, now in my first week of diet (0,00 CH), i fell a lot of progress, i've stopped smoking on 01.01.2011, i'm not short breath anymore.

Results: Weight is still waiting to drop, which is normal with me, since i lost water first, which for me is not weight.

Tips: Watch your back with cardio boxing, i have a back injury and got some terrible pain after 1 week.

Suggestions: i keep track of all my workouts, YS and dog workouts on runkeeper.com.

Overall: i love it, since with 2 dogs and my job it's hard to find time for other activities.