That's Fit expert and renowned fitness guru Bob Greene has teamed up with EA Sports for a follow up to the wildly successful EA SPORTS Active Personal Trainer for Wii. The new edition, More Workouts, hits stores today, but you can win a free copy right here! In addition to including 35 new exercises, there's a six-week challenge and a Special Edition Bob Greene Nutrition Best Life Book that features tips on creating a balanced lifestyle and recipes from the Best Life Diet Cookbook.

We spoke with Bob Greene about EA SPORTS Active More Workouts, to find out how working out with Wii can help you reach your weight loss goals. You can find contest details after the interview.


That's Fit: How did you get involved with developing this program with EA SPORTS?

Bob Greene: I've beaten up the TV and computer for making us all less active. Honestly, at first I was skeptical. Can you really get a good workout moving in front of a TV? I'm big on intensity exercise and I was impressed. The biggest challenge people face with exercise is boredom. People get sick of being on the treadmill, even walking outside -- it gets old. When I get on a stationary bike, I want to pull my hair out. But with this two minutes blows by and you're on to the next activity.

"The Biggest Loser" kicks off just one week from today. The focus of Season 8 is second chances, including a former Season 7 contestant Daniel, who was the show's heaviest contestant ever at 454 pounds. But second chances aren't just for the contestants. To help fans follow along in their own weight loss journeys, The Biggest Loser Interactive game for Nintendo DSi, DS and Wii hits stores on October 6.

The game features Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels to push you through routines to help you reach your goals, just like on the show. It also offers nutrition tips and challenges. The programs have a range of exercises, from yoga and cardio to full-body circuits to tone your body. "We wanted to give people another tool," Bob says. "You're going to have recipes from the book, you can track your progress, you can put in your calorie intake so when you lost the weight you can go back and see what worked."

There are four, eight and 12-week programs. Once you enter your current weight, you can enter your goals. But unlike the show, which has raised eyebrows for its extreme weight loss that is unsustainable for many people in the real world, the game will actually limit the amount of weight you can lose in a given program. If you're looking to lose 50 pounds in four weeks, the game will set more realistic goals for the first four weeks and then you can enter new goals for the next session.

And what about the workout? At a recent preview of the game, many former Biggest Loser contestants and Bob were on hand to break a sweat with a Wii controller. And everyone did sweat. As you go through the exercises, Bob or Jillian coax you along just as they do on the show. "It's actually their voice and their personality," says Nicole from Season 7. "When you see the avatar you're like 'oh it kind of looks like Bob,' but then you hear him -- and it's totally him."


Click on the gallery below to see who wins when newlyweds Damien and Nicole take each other on in a Biggest Loser Interactive challenge.

Photo: EA SPORTS

Do you wish you could workout one-on-one with a celebrity trainer, like Oprah's fitness guru, Bob Greene? Well now you can get closer than ever with the EA SPORTS Active for the Nintendo Wii that we're giving away right here at That's Fit. The programs, created by our very own Bob Greene, along with other fitness experts, allow you to work with a virtual trainer who will give you a total fitness plan for great results. Active includes a 30-day Challenge with different workouts to tone muscle while getting your heart pumping. And if you get bored easily, don't fret, EA SPORTS has you covered. There's everything from cardio dancing to boxing to keep you moving.

• To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us your favorite activity for Wii Fit.
  
• The comment must be left before 5pm ET on Friday, July 31, 2009.
  
• You may enter only once.
• One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
  
• One winner will receive a EA Sports Active (valued at $59.99).
  
• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
• Click here for complete Official Rules. Winner will be notified by email, so make sure to check next week to find out if you've won!

Exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer Bob Greene has helped millions of people slim down, most recently with his online program TheBestLife.com. The best-selling author shares the sure-fire strategies for losing weight, protecting your health and living your best life.

If I were to ask you to name a gadget that basically everyone has in their home that can help you slim down and shape up, the last thing you'd probably say is the TV. After all, the television doesn't exactly conjure up pictures of fitness -- most people simply plop down on the couch and get lost in their favorite show along with a bag of chips or other empty-calorie food. Many experts point to the television as a major contributor to the obesity epidemic, and study after study continues to link TV watching to inactivity and an increased risk for a variety of diseases, both in children and adults.

But believe it or not, you can turn your TV into something good for your health, thanks to interactive video games like Nintendo Wii Fit. Researchers have found that for younger adults, an interactive video game workout, like boxing, sufficiently raised peoples' heart rates enough to provide a moderate-intensity workout, and that bowling did the same for older adults.

If it's been a while since you picked up a video game controller, you might be surprised by how things have changed. Video games used to require very little physical effort -- you could play virtually any sport by simply clicking a few buttons. Nintendo Wii requires much more activity. Now, you stand and use a motion-activated controller or foot board, while you run, jump or swing, to make your avatar (game character) do the moves on screen.

There are a number of interactive games you can do, including yoga, tennis and dance. I actually teamed up with EA SPORTS recently to create EA SPORTS Active, an interactive game for the Wii system that features resistance exercises and cardio workouts that will help improve your fitness level, strength, coordination, agility and balance.

Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images

Even if you don't consider yourself competitive in daily life, breaking out the Wii can turn the most mild-mannered person into a grunting, remote-slinging, living room version of Monica Seles (known for her guttural on-court outbursts). These random bursts of faux-athleticism spawned by the Wii (and also Wii Fit) have led to injuries that run the gamut from the not-so-serious (sore elbows and shoulders) to the serious (torn rotator-cuffs and dislocated knees).

With Wii Sports Resort coming down the pike on July 26, a host of new games lies in wait to stretch, injure and strain legions of former couch-dwellers, providing fodder for blogs, such as Wii Have A Problem, that track Wii-related injuries. Can't you just imagine throwing your arm out in a high-spirited game of table tennis? And who knows what kind of injuries are lurking around the corner for those who attempt swordfighting, wakeboarding or power cruising. The injuries people incur with Wii don't necessarily lie within the games -- some even tell users to take a break -- it's the competitive nature of the beast that generates a balls-to-the-wall, 0 to 60 attitude with people who may otherwise not exercise.

That's Fit had the opportunity to speak to Dr. Laurence Laudicina, sports medicine spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, to find out which injuries are most common and what you can do to prevent them.

This morning, I encouraged you to start a new tradition with your family -- a healthy one. So instead of chugging egg nog and gossiping about Aunt Rita's new facelift, don your winter coat, hats, mittens and snow boots and head out to the great outdoors. Here are five activities you can do as a family:

• Go tobogganing. The going down part? Exhilarating. The going up part? Exhausting. You're sure to work off those extra calories you're planning on eating at Christmas dinner -- or perhaps you've already eaten them.
  
• Build a snowman. Extra points if you can make it look like someone famous. Though I'm thinking Amy Winehouse might not work, seeing as the hair is bigger than the body.
  
• Have a snowball fight. Play nice ... or not. It depends on your family dynamics, I guess.
  
• Make snow angels. Come on, when was the last time you did that?
• Play Wii. OK, the outdoors isn't for everyone. If the whole clan ishappier in front of the TV, so be it -- just make sure you're getting active at the same time.
  

Have a healthy family tradition of your own? Do share.

At That's Fit, we've written about Wii Fit several times. But there's another alternative to video gaming exercise that will work with almost any console system. Gamercize is plug and play equipment that will get you fit while you enjoy your favorite video games.

Your Gamercize equipment includes a small device that plugs in to your existing gaming console. You'll be able to set the intensity of your workout here. Then, you can choose from either a power stepper or an endurance cycle. Then plug in your favorite game and start exercising. With the Gamercize modification, your video game controller will stop working when you're not exercising. So in order to play, you've got to work.

I haven't tried the system and, frankly, I question whether I'm coordinated enough to do it. Besides, I'm just not much of a video game fan. But it does seem like playing a fitness game over and over could get a bit boring. With Gamercize, your video game choices are limitless.

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"How am I going to survive without TV and the Wii?" proclaimed our friend's young son as we began a short camping trip with four other families and their kids aged eight through one year this past Sunday. Not only did he survive two nights sleeping in a tent, he thrived.

Most of the time I saw him perched in a tree ... or fishing ... or clambering ahead on a 2.5-mile/1,000 ft in elevation gain hike. My favorite part of this entire multi-family camping trip was quietly observing the kids getting filthy, swimming in the lake, catching baby frogs, scrambling billy goat-style up and down a tough trail and then digging deep near the hike's end even as their legs felt like jelly. How often do kids' legs feel that tired these days?

When we returned to camp for dinner, the kids didn't have a couch to climb upon or a remote to click. Instead they headed to the trees, the tents for imaginary play, the 'secret trail' for a new adventure. If you have the opportunity to go camping this summer, do. If not, unplug your children and head outside your front door. Check out Jennifer Ward's new book, I Love Dirt!: 52 Activities to Help You & Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature.

Parents need a plan when pulling that plug.

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Find a way to incorporate fitness into your hobbies.

Wii pole dancing might be coming to a living room near you. But, don't worry ... dollar bills aren't necessary.

Peekaboo Pole Dancing is looking for a partner to license a pole dancing game for the Wii video game system. Peekaboo has previously marketed other pole dancing programs for fun, health, and out-of-the-ordinary fitness -- they're the creators of Electra-pole, Carmen Electra's pole dancing kit.

Pole dancing for fitness is nothing new. Some fitness centers have offered classes for years. The moves require plenty of strength and muscle control. But enthusiasts say that the benefits go beyond the strength and cardiovascular gains. The classes take you out of your comfort zone and help you to become more confident with your body and your sensuality.

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I finally had a chance to use a Wii. After getting over some initial embarrassment, I had an awful lot of fun! I tried the tennis game and, sadly enough, I'm as bad at virtual tennis as I am on an actual tennis court. While the Wii was certainly more active than playing any other video game system, it wasn't nearly the same type of exercise as a real sport.

Both Bev and Bethany have written about the exercise potential in the interactive gaming system before. And, compared to sitting like a lump playing regular video games, the Wii is a great thing. But it doesn't take the place of real exercise. The active games are a great alternative to regular video games. Also, many of the games aren't violence based -- as a parent, I know I appreciate that. They also offer hand-eye coordination benefits. And, for kids (or adults) who aren't active at all, the games may be a stepping stone for developing interest in real sports.

So the Wii isn't a bad thing at all. But don't count time spent playing interactive video games as exercise time. It's just not the same as the real thing. The CDC recommends that kids be physically active for at least an hour every day. So put away the video tennis, grab a racquet, and play a game of REAL tennis with your kids.

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Looking for ways to motivate your kids to exercise this winter? The ever-popular Nintendo Wii will soon release Wii Fit. Just like Wii games are played on your feet, simulating the movements you'd use in a real sport, Wii Fit aims to get players hearts racing.

The program records your height and weight and gives each participant their BMI. Then it takes players through different physical activities, including skiing, hula hooping, balancing, push-ups, etc. Players can get immediate feedback from their Wii personal trainer and keep track of their progress.

Just like the Wii, Wii Fit isn't exactly like a real workout. But it is physical and for reluctant exercisers it may just bring enough novelty to the workout to make it fun.

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X-Box, Playstation, Wii, Game Cube -- oh yeah, and let's not forget the internet. Throw in some standard television programs and cartoons, and before you know it, every waking hour of a kid's day is spent doing something that involves zero physical activity.

Some may argue that the Nintendo Wii system, which requires you to move in a manner that dictates the movement of the character on the screen (for example, if you are playing a tennis game, you have to "swing" the game controller), does involve physical exertion. But let's face it, it's still a poor excuse for exercise. Obesity rates continue to climb in youth and adolescents, and now research points to the fact that high blood pressure may also be on the rise -- all due to spending too much time engaged in sedentary activities.

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It's not hard to see how some people would identify the physical therapy initials "PT" as "pain and torture." Trying to recover after a surgery or broken bones can be very unpleasant. Having gone through a few sessions myself, rehab is boring too! If only Nintendo had released their Wii gaming platform back when I could have used it for rehabilitation.

Does using a video game for therapeutic purposes sound strange? To some people it might, but to others it's a way to get outside the box and have fun while staying healthy. Many of the movements that the Wii gaming system require players to do are similar in nature to those demanded by physical therapists. But instead of a rote boring routine, this is actually fun.

The great thing is that this loosens up limbs and gets people active without them really being aware. Sure, they obviously know that they're exerting energy, but by playing the Wii they are avoiding having to painfully stretch, lift and pivot that much more. Even though Nintendo's console is a supplemental rehab device used in this particular setting, it could also be a great way to bring the therapy home -- especially if the costs of traditional PT start to stack up!

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There are several video games out there that involve actual human movement in order to activate the players who appear on the screen. Nintendo's Wii system is a gaming phenomenon, especially with its tennis and golf games (both requiring the player to hold onto the joystick controller and swing it like a real racket or golf club). Video games are becoming virtual sports, making this once sedentary activity a bit more physical. In fact, researchers from West Virginia University not that long ago found that one video game in particular is actually helping kids improve their heart health and fitness levels.

The game is called "Dance Dance Revolution," and yes, if you've ever stepped foot inside a Dave & Buster's (basically, it's a Chuck 'e Cheese's for adults, with wall-to-wall video games and cocktail-serving barmaids), this is the game where people bounce around a light-up dance floor and make utter fools of themselves. Fortunately, there's a home version, so you can still reap the calorie-burning and heart-pumping benefits of dancing around like a crazy person, only you can save yourself the public embarrassment. More or less, it's the perfect thing for self-conscious kids who may want to lose weight, but aren't really comfortable enough to exercise with friends (or for the adult who simply wants a new, fun way to exercise).

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