Grrrr...Get Ready to Wait (1.10.11)

I’ve admitted in earlier posts that I’m not very gamer instruction savvy. I like things that are obvious when it comes to games, which classes me out of most console gaming experiences. I simply don’t have the patience to learn the different combos to hit, punch, run, jump, etc and do them quickly in high pressure gaming situations. Unfortunately, my first foray into EA Sports Active 2 (EASA2) left me a bit frustrated for this reason.

First, the good news. Set up was super easy. Everything was working and coordinated in a few minutes flat. Well, except for the hand holds on the resistance band…I’ll look up how to attach those a little later. In any case, I made it through my first 21 Day Challenge workout without them.

I loved the ease of creating a realistic avatar and how my avatar moved “just like me”; I loved my trainer and the setting; and I loved the exercise set, as it reminded me of my workouts in college. In fact, I really appreciated how much thought and effort went into the entire EASA2 package.

Going through the first workout, I was getting really charged up thinking that this was all I had been looking for in a personal training program. I made it through the day one workout with flying colors. Easy Peasy.
But the workout is only 20 minutes long. That’s where my concerns came in. My big disappointment today came from my own self assessed limitations. After the initial 20 minute workout, I’d hoped I’d be able to quickly jump into a 40 minute step aerobics class or tennis clinic. In scrolling through the options, both those things were lacking. Or squash, or volleyball, or a whole lot of other activities. In fact, I needed to step outside my workout mojo entirely to scroll through different sorts of options, subcategories, and exercises. By the time I realized I could program myself into a soccer or basketball clinic, it’d gotten too close to a conference call time and I had to call today’s workout quits.

So my hopes for a “Sweat Pouring Off Me (SPOM)” clinic will have to wait to my next foray into EASA2 – if it’s as well designed as the 21 day challenge is, it’ll be great.