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Perfect for Moms or those who don't have time/$ for the gym!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 330 / 338
Date: October 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I am a WAHM of one 14 month old; I gaining a LOT of weight during my pregnancy (no thanks to the women who kept saying "You're too small!" as they shoved cake and chips in my face!) and I've had a heck of a time getting it off (even though I eat VERY healthy). I used to be VERY active and loved running and/or going to the gym, but we can't afford a gym membership (or a babysitter on a daily basis so I could actually GO to the gym and I'm too tired after my husband gets home to go to the gym anyway) OR one of those outrageously expensive jogging strollers (for those prices, they should get better ratings!). I've tried baby & mom yoga (a book)- that didn't work for me. I purchased a DVD on Amazon, Pilates for Everyone I think it was called- that was better than the yoga book, but I found that the gap between the beginner and intermediate workouts was WAY too wide for me (the beginner workouts got too easy and the intermediate workouts, yeah, I couldn't even make it through the first five minutes of one). This is the BEST thing I've found so far and I am LOVING it! :-)

So let me break it down.
Things I LOVE about this:
1. Custimization- you enter your weight, target weight (if you need to), resting/active BPM, flexibility, etc, even the excersize equipment you already own and it will tell you what your MAIN goal should be (mine being weight loss, obviously). You enter days of the week you can work out and how much time you can spend working out on those days.
2. Tempo- It doesn't seem to be repetitive at all, like my Pilates DVD was, it never got boring.
3. Scroll bar- There's a scroll bar on the bottom of the screen as you do a work out that tells you what you're doing and shows you what is up next as well. For example, it shows a picture of two free-weights before the next segment if you need to use them during the next excersize. And there is a clock counting down the time (which I REALLY need, I need to be able to see that the time is going DOWN and I'm making progress) and it tells you the level of difficulty of the exersize that you're doing- both under the time and on the scroll bar- one line for level one, two bars for level two, you get it.
4. Tutorial- You can pause and review the tutorial at ANY time, as needed.
5. The Personal Instructor- She virtual and she doesn't look like freaking Barbi, THANK GOODNESS! :-) (In fact, she looks a lot like me BEFORE I had my daughter :-) )
6. Reinforcement- Before you start your workout for the day, you can change what the personal instructor has chosen for you (if she recomends cardio, and you aren't feeling up to it, you can change it to some other area of focus). She asks you how you're feeling both before you start your workout and in between at intermitent points so if you need MORE positive reinforcement, she will do more "rooting". :-)
7. Recipes and meal plans and shopping lists, oh my! - I don't use these, I'm vegetarian, no sugar, and I'm decreasing my intake of dairy products so I have my own healthy recipes customized to fit MY life and budget, BUT these are a great idea and I may actually flip through the 4500 (gasp!) recipes for something new.
8. She KNOWS if you missed a day! Yup, I guess if you miss a day, it will show up on your "progress", which may annoy some people, but I feel guilty VERY easily so if I miss a day I'd feel guilty because not only would I know, the virtual Personal Instructor would know it too, so she'd remind me of it. And that would work to my advantage so I wouldn't skip a day unless I was really sick or something.
9. The "LEVELS" - I think this is so cool. Like most other video games, the more time you spend doing it, the more levels open up to reward you. In this case, the "levels" are the spaces where your personal trainer works out (yeah, I'd like to work out in a field surrounded by green grass and waterfalls for REAL!) but it makes for a nice change of scenery.
10. Calories - At the end of your work out, it tells you how many calories you've burned! That is SO important for me because I need to see improvement.
11. Workouts - I get bored easily, and my target is weightloss so when the personal trainer recomends I do cardio, it's not just cardio- in my cardio workouts there are some cardio weight training exersizes too, which is nice so I don't get bored! There are also water breaks after strenuous steps and stretch breaks after each cardio weight set and the workout time includes stretching at the end. ALSO even though my main goal is weight loss, the personal trainer doesn't suggest that I do just cardio for every single workout. For example, if I do a 30 minute workout, the first 10-15 minutes will be cardio, and the remaining workout could be upper/lower body strength, flexibility, core body strength, etc. So I end up with a very well-rounded week of workouts.
12. The "camera angle" changes throughout the workout so you can see what it should look like from different angles and it changes the back drop behind the personal trainer too, so it's not boring.
13. In addition to the daily workouts, you can also chose "Meditation Garden" and do a roughly 20 minute yoga session. I've been doing this at the end of the day before bed after my daughter is asleep and it's WONDERFUL! It's so great to have yoga in this "game" too! It's like having everything I need in one place!

Things that I would improve:
1. Ok, this is silly, but it'd be fun to change her body type or even her weight, and her clothes/hair color/eye color, etc. But that's more play and less workout and I guess that's really not the point of the "game". :-) That's just the child in me.
2. During the cardio, while you're doing any type of work with reps and weights, I wish that the number of reps would count down on the screen as you are doing them with the personal trainer, because again, I like to see results.
3. I think this is mainly geared towards women, for the very fact that the personal trainer is a woman. But my husband is going to use this as well (for improving his core strength) and he said he'd rather have a male personal trainer than female.
4. When I was setting up my customized section, after I plugged in my height and weight, the personal instructor instructed me that I was over the weight range for my height. Now maybe this is just me being uber-sensitive, but DUH! I'd rather just have it just state at the end that my target goal is weight loss so I will be doing a lot of cardio in my customized workouts.
5. Although I don't have a problem with this because my husband already had an x-box, it would be more versitile if they came out with one that can be played on regular DVD players OR one that can be played on BOTH an x-box AND a DVD player (and for the x-box, they could just have you use the x-box remote that plays movies instead of the controller).
6. Although I LOVE the Meditation Garden yoga sessions, I would like to know how many Calories I've burned at the end of each session- the "game" only tells you how many Calories you've burned at the end of each "Workout" session.

I was a little apprehensive about this at first, I'll admit, I thought it was a silly idea, but I LOVE it now! Once I got into it and started the workout, it was fun and not boring at all! This is perfect if you are a mom (or a dad, I know some dads stay at home or work at home too)/ hate the gym/ don't have $ for the gym AND a personal trainer AND a nutritionist/ get bored easily/ need positive reinforcement/ need a schedule/ need something different in each workout/ need custimization... ENJOY! :-)

Great concept and great "game" gives you a great workout

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 74 / 77
Date: October 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was taken back when I noticed this on the shelves of my local gaming store. So I read the back, came home and did a little on line research.

It was less than 24 hours after that, when I decided to purchase this product.

This is a great "game" that takes getting in shape very seriously. You answer some questions at the beginning and do some exercises to allow the trainer, Maya, to get a feel for your overall health.

Once you've done that, Maya has created your personalized training schedule, eating schedule and I was ready to go!

During my first workout, Maya gave plenty of encouragement (based on how I was answering questions throughout the workout)to keep me going. The bottom of the screen displays the workout that you are doing along with the next one coming up, including rests and water breaks. She can incorporate a stepper, flexibility ball, hand weights and a heart monitor in the workout.

The variety of the workout was AMAZING and I sweating more after 30 minutes with Maya that I ever have doing other videos.

This is definitely worth the $34 price tag just to have your own personal trainer in your Xbox whenever you want one.

Overall, this is only a 4 star product since it doesn't really tell you how much you "need" to lose and how you are going to get there. I also would have liked a BMR calculation with calories taken in so I can see what I need to burn off to lose some weight.

So much more than just a game, more like a virtual gym.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 30 / 31
Date: November 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I'm a single male in his late 20's who one day kind of by accident found this game here on Amazon. So I went out and bought it and I have just finished my first workout tonight. I have to say that I am very impressed because this game is a workout and not really a game at all. I broke a serious sweat the first workout that I took. They even have yoga on there and I think that is one thing that I will be doing more of because it teaches you the positions as you go. This game may be targeted towards women which I think is great because not many games are. But, I think that men can even benfit from using the game too. I really like the concept and I can't wait to see what the developer responsdesign does next. They really do make as their motto says "Games that are good for you". I think any game that can make you get up off the couch and get involved physically is a good game to begin with. It's a really groundbreaking concept because Maya the trainer seems almost human at times. This is why I play video games not just to pick up a controller but to become involved with the action physically. I can't say enough about this title! It may not be the best selling or best looking XBox game but it's the most inovative concept I have seen since all the dance pad games came out and before that all the old NES games with the pad. So check this game out and this is coming from a hard-core gamer here.

Innovative

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 24 / 25
Date: October 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I think the idea of an interactive fitness programm brilliant. Because the use of beautifully animated computer models, instead of a human 'personal trainer', the exercises never get repetitive like on a DVD.

The program starts with an initial evaluation of your fitness level (resting heart rate vs. elevated heart rate, flexibility and endurance) and that alone got me sweating. After you evaluation you can set your overall goals and your new virtual trainer will recommend a personalized program for you. You can either choose to go with the recommended workouts or create your own schedule. Your trainer will ask you occasionally how you feel during the workout and will automatically adjust the level of difficulty for the upcoming workouts. She will also provide you with your workout progress and eventually unlock new features (music, exercises, environments) as a reward. The best thing is that the workouts never get dull and are always different. If you're tired of the same old exercises all over again and don't want to join a gym, look no further! You don't need any equipment, but after a while you just might want to get a stepper or some dumbells and your trainer will automatically incorporate them in your workout. I was also pleasantly surprised with the "Meditation Garden" with basic Yoga exercises and tutorials.

I can highly recommend it!

Meet Maya your personal Trainer!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: May 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I've been using this game for almost four months now and have completed 60 workouts. (...)

As I'm always looking for something to inspire me to exercise it didn't take me long to come across this little gem. Yourself!Fitness is an Xbox "game" geared towards physical fitness. You are introduced to Maya who will be your personal trainer.

Maya starts you off by having you do a physical assessment where you are taken through a series of exercises and your resting and elevated heart rates are measured. You put in your height, weight and sex and from there Maya will customize a workout plan for you. Based on what your results are Maya will recommend a goal for you such as Weight Loss, cardio and other selections.

If you own hand weights, a balance ball or stepper, Maya can also incorporate those into your workout as well but you don't need to have those things to do it.

Y!F lets you set up a calendar to record when you want to exercise and for how long each session. For your initial fitness evaluation, Maya will recommend to you a weekly schedule but you can customize that for yourself. For instance, Maya recommended weight loss for me and had me scheduled every other day for 15 minutes to start. I am very overweight and I think "she" didn't want me to overdo it in the beginning. But I thought I could handle more and I adjusted the calendar to add in some 30 minute workouts. I'm entering my third week of workouts and have been doing five to six workouts a week at 30 minutes each.

Each time you go to workout, you are greeted by Maya. Maya will ask you how you are feeling. You are giving three options for an answer. Paraphrasing here but here is an example: A. Nothing can stop me, B. Feeling okay today and C. You're lucky I'm here!

Now, based on your answer, Maya will set the intensity of the workout before you even start. As you are working out, Maya will again ask you how you are doing. You can than chose if you think the workout has been too hard or too easy and Maya will then adjust accordingly.

This is so much better than a dvd or video just for the above mentioned customization but there is also some more neat things. Like you can zoom the camera in and out and pan all around Maya to get a better look at how she is doing the exercises. There is also a tutorial that you can exit out of the workout and you get more detailed instructions on how to do the workout. When you are ready you can rejoin Maya! There are different work out settings and music to chose from so less chance of getting bored.

Each day, when you start your program, Maya will suggest a daily focus - Weight loss, Cardio, Upper body, Lower Body and Flexibility. She varies these so you aren't doing the same thing over and over again. Weight loss is my main goal but I do the other workouts too and they are geared more to help me lose weight. You have a warming up period in the beginning and then you do the targeted workout for the day and a few minutes of stretching near the end.

Y!F also has a "Meditation Garden". This is a "place" to go and do yoga exercises. I haven't tried this part out yet but others have really enjoyed it.

There is also a reward system. After you've completed three scheduled workouts, Maya will reward you with some bronze dumbbells, a new location and a new music choice. There are two more sets of dumbbells to earn after this and more locations and music to unlock.

The workouts use Yoga, Pilates, Cardio, Strength training, and flexibility exercises.

After a set amount of workouts, Maya will have you do another Physical Assessment to see how far you've progressed.

There is also a great support system at the Yourself!Fitness website where you can keep an open journal where other members can encourage you and you encourage them.

There isn't much negative I can say about this except maybe a better selection of music or music you can download into it would be nice.

The graphics for Maya are excellent! She looks almost like a real person and moves pretty realistically too. Sometimes her arms look a little funny or she seems to be floating a bit but other than that, she looks great. The background graphics could be a little better but maybe the next version will address that.

I own a ton of exercise videos, dvds and very expensive exercise equipment that I just don't use. I'm starting my third week with this and I feel almost addicted to the program. There's something about being greeted and asked how you are doing or being told you're doing a great job meeting your commitments. It also keeps you on your toes not knowing exactly what to expect because each workout is different. There are over 500 exercises and Maya usually adds one to two each workout.

There is also a meal plan for those who are looking for that sort of help. I haven't done the meal plan but folks on the Y!F website who have really like it. You can download recipes from the website that you will find on the game.

This also comes in a PC version and a Playstation 2 version as well.

I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a home fitness routine.

Recommended
Yes

Let's face it, this is GREAT value!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: November 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First of all, this is NOT a game. This is an interactive workout virtual trainer. If you are considering workout options (i.e. gym membership, personal trainer, stair steppers, etc.), think about what your objectives are first, and you might save yourself big $$ by buying this program instead!

If you want overall tone and fitness, especially around cardio/aerobic improvement, then this is the tool for you! For less than $40, you can get very personal, interactive focus to improve your fitness level.

I am rating this 'game' as 4 stars for "fun", since pushing yourself to get in shape is not exactly "fun"...it is hard work, which is exactly what it takes to get in shape!

Here is what I like about the program:

- Interactive. Maya (the virtual trainer) performs a fitness profile and goal setting in your first session. She also adjusts your program based on your responses to her questions about how you feel and how you are doing. She will push you (like any great trainer will) but won't clobber you to ensure you will not be discouraged.

- Commitment/Incentive. Maya is really good at encouragement, and you can set a reasonable workout schedule that you can commit to. She will tell you things like "Okay, I'll see you on Tuesday!", where you actually feel a bit guilty if you miss. There are also incentives that open up new music and locales when you perform your workouts.

- Tutorial. In an aerobics/fitness class, you wouldn't have the option to interrupt the teacher to review proper form and how to learn different steps. This game lets you enter a 'tutorial' mode where Maya will coach you through each move and the proper form. This is invaluable to me. I don't want to be in fitness class and look like a total idiot with out-of-synch moves! This helps you do the moves properly and at your pace of learning. Since I'm not a natural dancer with A+ rhythm, this is one of the better features for me.

- Professional. Ok, I expected the virtual trainer to be somewhat rigid and inhuman. Maya is actually very professional, inspiring, and well-programmed. Sometimes you will swear that she has 'eyes' that see what you are doing! What I mean by this is that as you are doing different exercises she will tell you little refinements to prevent you from 'cheating' on different moves, or to make the moves even more effective ("As you are doing this move, keep your abs tight"). It seemed like every time I was shortcutting a little, she would say "now, don't do XXX, let's not get lazy". Man, she's good! Also, she has a sense of humor too. Once she said "Let's see you really get animated on this next move, just like me. Get it? Animated?". I thought it was pretty clever.

Here is what needs to improve in the next version:

- Taking pulse. It is hard to check your pulse rate while pressing the controller to start the timer...a minor flaw, but they should give five seconds before the timer starts to allow you to find your pulse.

- Use your own music. It would be great if you could Use your own music for your workouts. It could even be set up as a reward...I know this will be hard to do since Maya does her exercises to the beat, but this would be a really nice feature.

- Print options. I don't use the meals and recipe feature because I can't print them. I think some of them would be good, but it would be nice if there were a website I could surf to and print the actual recipes. It would also be helpful for it to create a printable shopping list that you can take to the grocery store.

- Print Newsletter. How about offering an inexpensive print subscription newsletter from Maya that has some additional fitness and health tips, plus print versions of the recipes I mention above. This could turn into a franchise for the company and increase a loyal fan base.

- Gender focus. As a male, I wasn't exactly a fan of some of the skipping aerobic moves that make me look like an elementary school girl. In the profile, you specify gender, so perhaps Maya could tailor the exercises a little...This is definitely more female targeted, though anyone can benefit.

Overall

- This is a well done workout system, and well worth the cost. Before you decide to shell out $$ for a gym membership, give this a try if you are looking for getting general tone and aerobic fitness. You will feel the results after your first workout. This is better than any static workout regime you can find on DVD.

- The variety, interaction, and occasional humor is what makes this game 'fun' and helps with your commitment level. The reality is that if you can't commit to this, you are unlikely to be able to commit to anything.

- The focus is definitely on tone and aerobics. If you are looking for muscle mass or hard core strength, then this isn't the right tool for you.

- This is a good system for multiple people to use. Because it is personalized, you can use the same software for multiple people. This is nice if you and your spouse both want to workout through a similar program but may have different needs. You can also do the meditation garden (stretching and basic yoga) at the same time if you want.

- This is easier to commit to that going to the gym, since you can do it in the comfort of your own home. It is ideal to have a reasonable workout area, but you don't need a ton of space to do the majority of exercises.

Enjoy!

A new kind of work out video

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: November 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have been looking for some workout videos that wouldn't bore me within a week or drive me crazy with overly perky stars. Then I discovered this title when browsing through the video games during some preliminary Christmas shopping with my husband. I was intrigued, but not an owner of the XBox system. (We owned one of its competitors.) Then my brother came to visit and bought a copy of the game to demo with me and his wife on his system. Everyone in the room was impressed.

Granted, I haven't owned the program long enough to discover lots of flaws. Instead, I am thrilled to get so much of my workout wishlist fulfilled in one place! I'll detail a few of my favorites below. I am sure many people are afraid this is a game, but it's actually a programmable workout DVD you can personalize to fit your own stats and needs. You begin by answering a series of questions about your weight, current activity level, desired workout times, exercise preferences, etc. This first-time only set-up is lengthy, but worthwhile.

Maya, the personal trainer, is neither perky nor bossy. Her voice is calm and professional. You also have the choice of several different workout locations (or backgrounds--my current favorite is the Dojo), five styles (weight loss, upper body, etc.), music preferences, session length, diet plans, menu suggestions, calendar schedule and so much more. If an exercise doesn't make sense, you can choose to see a body grid to get a better idea of what exact movement and body placement is being described. You can choose between three speeds and Maya will occasionally ask during your session if she is going too slow, too fast, or just right and change accordingly.

For Yoga fans or just the curious, there is a yoga meditation garden routine. Maya can also incorporate familiar equipment such as hand weights, an aerobic step, and balance ball.

The day after my brother's demo, my husband and I bought the XBox system and our own copy of the program. The price was still cheaper than a personal trainer, gym membership, or an ever increasing exercise DVD/video collection.

ResponDESIGN's motto is "Games that are good for you." They are telling the truth. I can't wait to see what they do next.

My $35.00 Gym

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 16 / 17
Date: October 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was thinking of joining a gym until I found Yourself!Fitness. This game gave me everything I wanted, aerobics, yoga, and weightlifting all from within my living room, using equipment I already own. I have done 5 workouts and overall I think this is a great program. It is at my level, it pushes me, I can focus the program to my needs, and I feel like it is a great value for the money.

The personal trainer is just right- not too annoying, and the length and intensity of the sessions are challenging but not overwhelming.

The workouts are heavy on aerobics, but so far each workout has included strength training exercises. I'm excited to add a stability ball to vary my workouts even more.

Give it a try, it is suited to both men and women.

Fun even if you're out of shape.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 14
Date: January 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm very busy and I HATE exercise because it is so boring. As a result, I was very out of shape and about 80 pounds overweight. My husband purchased Yourself Fitness because he had heard that it was easy to adapt to you own needs. I did the initial fitness test and thought I was going to die. (Don't do a workout on the same day if you are out of shape.) I decided to give the program a chance anyway and the workouts in the beginning are much easier than the fitness test. Anyone really out of shape might even consider skipping the fitness test or stopping as soon as something becomes even slightly uncomfortable. You can adapt the program appropriately once you begin the workouts.

The program adjust the workouts based on your fitness test. It also asks you questions after segments of the workout to determine if they are too easy, too hard, or at the right level. If you have to you can also decrease or increase the difficulty of the workout at any time during the workout. However, the program gauges pretty well, so I've only had to adjust the difficulty once in over 20 workouts.

I started the program in mid-December and I've already lost nearly 20 pounds by mid-January. I have also been able to increase the difficulty of the workouts much more quickly than I had imagined. I actually get upset now if something comes up and I have to miss a workout.

The program is also great for people in shape. My husband is young and at his ideal weight. He prefers to exercise outside, but has trouble finding time before dark during the winter months, so he has switched to using Yourself Fitness instead. The workouts are still challenging for him even at his fitness level.

The meal planner has some good recipes that I have enjoyed when I made them. Overall, I haven't used the meal planner because my job very often requires me to eat out. The good news is, Yourself Fitness works very well even if you essentially ignore the meal planner portion.

I have also not used the meditation garden very much until recently. It is difficult to do yoga until you are at least in decent shape. I also did not know many yoga poses, but I have learned a lot of them through the flexibility workouts. For anyone who does want to do the yoga workout and does not know yoga poses, it tends to repeat the same sequence of moves several times, so I recommend watching the first series of poses before trying to do them. It is much more effective than trying to use the tutorial alone.

Personal Trainer at Home

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 16
Date: November 26, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I bought this title for my girlfriend because she wanted to loose some weight.... And I can tell you I was so amazed; before you even start you need to register yourself and then the program makes you do many exercises to evaluate in what areas you need to improve. It's so impressively build! After the evaluation you can set up the schedule of when you will work out and how long and then you set up how many calories a day you will eat each day... After all the set ups you get into the program where you basically have 2 choices; exercises and meditation/yoga. Besides that you can check your progress and change your schedule. In exercises you can pick of which ones to do like for example upper body, lower or flexibility. I believe there are 6 choices. Besides exercises you can pick option meditation where you can relax with the trainer. Overall I was impressed with the program and I believe that it was worth the money plus more!

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