Things I Can't Say

Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom

I Lost Weight by Taking Over My Kids’ Xbox

All products mentioned in this post were purchased by me or were given to my boys by their indulgent grandparents.

When I made my resolution to lose weight this year, I knew I was going to have to exercise.

I looked into returning to the gym but the class schedule didn’t fit in with my schedule: the classes I would want to take were right smack in the middle of the mornings, leaving me with just a short time before and after class when I would be child-free. Or they were at night, when my boys have homework and sports practices.

Normally, I find excuses not to work out at home, saying “I’ll do it later ” or “oh, I just have to finish this one thing and then I’ll do it” but then never actually getting around to working out.

But since I was really committed to making changes, I knew I’d be able to workout at home. So, I took over my boys’ Xbox One(a very nice Christmas present from their grandparents- do NOT tell their cousins how spoiled my boys were this year).

xbox one fitness

I started with Zumba Fitness World Party. What is different about doing zumba on the Xbox One is that the Kinect sensor follows your movements and tells you how you are doing: you get stars for how much energy you are expending and a “Zumba” when you perform moves perfectly.

This was a great way for me to start since there are classes as short as 20 minutes and as long as an hour, with varying intensities. Plus, I actually like Zumba, so it didn’t seem like I was torturing myself(at least, not completely).

But after two months(and losing 15 pounds), I hit a plateau (which can’t possibly have anything to do with my baking obsession and eating things like chocolate peanut butter pie), so I wanted to try other workouts.

The awesome thing about xbox one is that there is a fitness channel with tons of free workouts. Or free with xbox live gold until the end of 2014, anyway. If you have an xbox one, check out the fitness channel to see all that is offered.

Beachbody workouts like Rockin’ Body and Insanity. Tracy Anderson Transform, P90x, 10 Minute Solutions, MOSSA workouts, and Jillian Michaels. There’s enough variety to keep you from getting bored.

Plus, the Kinect shows how you are doing on the screen with helpful hints like “kick higher” or “use your arms” or even “awesome job” based on how your workout is going. At various points in the workouts, it will tell you how you are doing compared to others in your age/gender group, and how you are doing compared to your average or best performance in a given workout. I’m thankful that I’m now in the 36-45 age range instead of the 26-35.

I’m a reluctant exerciser and can be a bit of a slacker, only thinking I’m really putting forth the effort when I’m really not, so this is a particularly useful feature for me.

Currently, I’m working on week one of Jillian Michaels’ Ripped in 30… and I’m sore. For this workout, only week one is free: weeks 2-4 are $9.99 total, which isn’t bad. I want to get through the first week to see if I will want to pay to continue or if I want to try another free workout(Jillian sort of terrifies me, but I’m trying to get past the 15 pound loss mark so I figured I’d give her a shot).

Who knew that when my boys were begging Santa and their grandparents for an xbox that I would end up using it almost every day?

Do you workout at home or the gym? What is your favorite type of workout?

Comments

  1. Yay!!! Thanks for sharing.  I am so excited.  I was just looking at my husband’s Xbox and I saw the fitness tv.  We were getting ready to watch a movie, so I didn’t get to really check it out, but reading your post has me excited.  I feel the same way about going to the gym.  I have the Zumba DVDs, but sometimes I wan’t a little more interaction.  I am really looking forward to it. 

    Congratulations on your weight loss!

    Thanks for posting.

    • I don’t play traditional video games, either. These are more similar to workout videos, but interactive. No need for a video controller, the sensor sees what your body is doing during the workouts.

  3. my kids would work out WITH me and we won’t have the space to do more than one person.  sigh.

    i do elliptical in our basement. and i watch tv shows that no one will watch with me LOL

    • I usually workout while mine are at school, which helps. And mine get bored if they are in there with me during the workouts, so they find something else to do.

  4. I hav tried to work out at home, but find that finding time is difficult, also I lack motivation. With warmer weather coming, we are looking at getting out running again. I hate running, but it does fit the schedule–early mornings in the summer are made for running here.

    • I have tried to get into running but I haven’t had any luck. This has been the first time I’ve really been able to get into a good workout routine at home.

  6. I am a zumba girl and I got Zumba for the Wii, but honestly it just was not the same for me.  I need that group setting to get me motivated and make me stick to the entire workout.  At home it was too easy for me to take breaks and just walk away.

    • I have had better luck with the xbox than the wii b/c it monitors whole body movement instead of just the remote. And if I step away for longer than a few seconds, the game actually pauses. I used to do better at the gym but the schedule of classes isn’t working with my schedule right now, so I’ve made this work.

  7. I’ve never been a gym workout person at all. I prefer to work out at home all alone! I love following along with videos. 🙂

    • This has been great for that- it’s more interactive than videos and keeps track of my progress for me. I’m really happy with it.

  8. I hate working out… I only workout when I get into spurts and it is normally going on a walk or on the treadmill… But I will say that when I first played one of these interactive  game systems— bowling— oh my gosh… I was putting my all into it and felt it the next day. 

  9. That is awesome that you have done so well. I’m a zumba fan too. I take a class in the morning while Jack is in school but I would like to try to do it at home. We have an X-box One so I’m going to look into that game and the fitness channel. 

    • The timing of the zumba class at our gym is terrible so I haven’t been able to go this school year. I really like the zumba game at home. And since you have an xbox one, be sure to look at the fitness channel. I was surprised by how many free workouts there are!

  10. We used to have a gym membership, but I cancelled mine portion when I got pregnant because it was going unused. I need to get myself motivated to begin working out at home now that my son is 3 months old. I actually just joined an online boot camp so hopefully that gets me off my bum and into being more active!

  11. I usually work out at home on the treadmill. I do have a couple of Jillian Michael’s dvd’s that are really good. They totally kick my butt!

  12. I was doing Wii Fit for awhile until the scale-thingie broke . . . the only video game workout I get, now, is when I play Kinect Star Wars, which I bought for my son, but the Kinect appears to not like people his size or something.

    That said, I’ve recently adopted a bodyweight program . . . I can to it most anywhere, but still go to the gym, just because, well, I can make myself say “I’m here to work out,” where, at home, I have difficulty making myself stick to a workout sometimes.

  14. We don’t have any game systems in my house anymore or I wouldn’t see my DH again!!!! He would play that Xbox night and day. I use the gym that’s near my community pool.

    • Mine surprisingly doesn’t use it all that much. I think at this point, I use it more than anyone else!

  15. That’s awesome. Congrats on your weight loss. I don’t do any exercise daily, just running after and caring for a 2 yo. Plus taking care of the house, my older daughter and grocery shopping. That’s a work out itself, but all joking aside, I’d love to find something that works for me.

    • I remember those days! When all three of mine were little, I’d go to the gym just so I could put them in the childcare for a little bit and go take a shower by myself!

    • It really is. And there’s no excuse for me not to fit in a workout every day(or at least, almost every day).

  18. Shell – thanks for sharing.  It is amazing how interactive the video games have become. I was not aware that Xbox had a fitness channel with free workouts. I will have to look into this….

    • There are so many cool apps on the xbox one. We use it to watch movies, too. And the voice control is my favorite- after I’m done with my workout, I collapse on the floor and say “xbox, watch Lifetime” and it turns the channel for me!

  20. I was the same way with my daughter’s Wii. I loved moving and grooving to just dance and really got a sweat going. My only problem…Just Dance had me thinking  that I could really dance and it was not pretty on the dance floor!

    • I’ve been doing Just Dance on the xbox, too. Though more for fun than for the exercise.

  21. My children present weekly topics on why we should get an XBox One. If only they knew this one…they could probably sell me on it! 😉 Way to go! :)-Ashley

    • I rolled my eyes at my kids wanting an xbox and even more at Hubs for wanting the xbox one. But it is AWESOME. There are so many different apps for it. The fitness channel is great. Plus you can watch all sorts of shows through it, too. And the voice controls are my favorite- you can say “xbox, watch Lifetime” and it will change the channel for you.

  22. That is what I need to do! We bought Little Man one for Christmas, but I need to put it to use during the day while he is at school!

    • I use it more than the kids even do! Though that will probably change once Minecraft is finally released for it!

    • There is so much variety! I love that I can try out different workouts without having to pay for them.

    • Working out at home has helped me to be more consistent with it since I can squeeze it into different times in my schedule.

  26. I’m almost ashamed to say that I’ve never used an Xbox, but if it offers this many options, we may need to purchase one. I love working out at home if I have a video to guide me. Sounds super cool! Good job.

    • When we got it, I had no idea what all it could do. I thought I’d never use it because I’m not really a fan of video games, but the xbox one does so much!

  28. That’s great that you lost weight this way! All you really have to do is make the effort to do SOMETHING! I belong to a gym but use that along with videos and outdoor activities so I always have something available that I’m interested in doing.

    • The fitness channel is great! I’m not positive that it’s on the older versions of xbox, but it’s worth checking!

  30. That’s awesome! It’s great to get creative when finding a fitness plan that works. Good job on losing the 15 pounds! 

    • Thanks! It’s been so helpful to find something I can do whenever it fits into my schedule.

  31. I actually really want to try a Zumba game for the Xbox. Congrats on the weight loss. I was not sure if those games really helped motivate someone! 🙂

    • I asked for the Zumba game for Christmas and my husband was so afraid to get it for me, thinking I would be offended that he bought me a workout for a gift! LOL But I really like it and it definitely works. The hour long workouts can burn over 500 calories.

  32. I love using the game systems we have to get a little more fit.  Some days when I am so slam packed with things to do at home I can’t make it to the gym, this is when I really appreciate using the game systems we have to workout.

    • That was the problem with me going to the gym. If I missed the class I wanted to take, I’d end up skipping the whole day so this gives me no excuses!

  33. That is awesome, Shell! I tried Zumba on our Xbox but there is carpet in that room and I kept getting “stuck” when I tried to move my feet, jump, etc. But it is a great workout for sure. Wish I could lose 15 pounds. Every time I start working out I gain weight (WTF?), so I’m back to cutting out everything remotely delicious and hoping for the best.

    This getting old stuff really sucks.

    • Have you tried in your bare feet? That’s how I have to do it on our carpet.
      I still have 15 more pounds to go (or really, I’d take 10). I need to focus a little more on what I’m eating. I’d like my metabolism back from my 20’s!

    • I used to do Just Dance on the Wii. And then I turned into a dirty cheater when I figured out I could actually not move anything but my remote arm and get a good score. 😉

    • We didn’t look into that one- but only because my boys were pretty much chanting xbox, xbox, xbox to Santa and their grandparents!

  37. I am working on buying a wii just for the wii fit ! I have been wanting to do this for what seems forever!

    • The Kinect is great! I love that during Zumba, if I step out of range for too long, it will pause the game for me.

  39. Oh I should get this.. I have a great work out class that a lady from church leads that I can go and I often do– though lately I have been more miss than hit, I should get something to do at home, maybe I would be better about it.  

    • I used to have to go to a gym in order to workout. But now I’ve found that at home is better for me because I can be more flexible with my schedule.

  40. What a great idea. We have the Wii and have those Dance videos. I have thought about using those as a fun way to burn calories.

  41. I use the kids Wii fitness. I can do Yoga with the board, or the running drills, or even the dance party. And what I like best is the kids can do some things with me so that we are getting fit together. It’s not our everyday option (I find a lot of videos on YouTube and just play it on my TV by connecting my computer to the TV) and I was doing a weekly Zumba (LOVE!) class in my town, until it was recently cancelled.
    I like having all these options because I also am somewhat lazy and tend to get bored with the same routine.
    Also, I tried Jillian…..she kinda scares me too.

    • The fitness channel is more like finding videos on YouTube- it just gives the added features of tracking your progress and monitoring you during the workout.
      Jillian has made me hurt this week!

    • I used to cheat with the wii. I’d sit on the couch and just move the remote in time with Just Dance. That didn’t help me any!

  43. I love the title of this post! I need to get more fitness games. We have multiple gaming systems so it doesn’t matter which one I use but I should put them to good use

    • I love that there are so many free for xbox, though I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth out of the zumba game.

  44. Good girl!  So glad you are loving XBOX fitness.  I will have to tell my sister Michelle!  She will love reading your review!  🙂

    • I need to try Tracy Anderson again. I tried when you first told me, but I didn’t get very far into that one. It was the start of my workouts this year and I wasn’t in shape enough to do it!

  48. Ok I did this today and it kicked my butt. I remembered your post when I was at the library and checked out the Zumba for kinect and the “your fitness evolved” and I’m just as tired as I was on the treadmill except my legs are sore from all the lunging. I may have to buy these. Thank you for the tip – I’m also on a 15 lb plateau. Though mine is technically a 14.5 lb plateau!!!!

    • I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth out of the zumba one. I should probably start taking body measurements. I think I’m losing more inches but just not dropping the pounds at this point. Which I’m okay with, I just need to know there is some sort of progress!

      • I took my measurements on the 1st and I’m going to do them again at the end of the month and HOPEFULLY there will be some sort of progress! Best of luck to you too! 

  49. Love this post! When I was at Microsoft I had the pleasure to work as Art director on Xbox fitness and loved every moment of it. I am also a coach for Beachbody and help support people through P90X, insanity, etc. I run a free fitness group on Facebook that’s great for support , motivation, and accountability. I’d love to add you! (FYI you don’t have to be doing any of the Beachbody programs, and it’s free)
    http://Www.fb.com/coachshanehartley

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