My Fitness Coach

I really like the different workouts my workouts have not been the same. So this is what I do Monday, Wed, Friday are my 30 min workouts and Tues & Thurday are my 15 mins. Sat and Sunday are my rest day for this one. I think I will keep that for the rest of the month. And in March I will change it to make it different and to keep it interested for me. The rest of the time I'm on the wii-fit doing every thing on it. Someone say about the hula hoop after 6 mins of that my abs are killing me they hurt. I also wear a heart monitor now and I try keeping it in my fat burn range that's 130-140 bpm. Well have a great workout everyone.. Peg

A follow up on the step platform which I linked earlier. Received it this weekend and love it. Very sturdy build quality and a large platform for stepping. Best of all, I really enjoy My Fitness Coach better as it adds variety.

Recommended.

Awesome!

I would recommend using a heart rate monitor (one with a chest strap) when you use My Fitness Coach to get an accurate calorie-burning count. I love My Fitness Coach, but its calorie counter is not accurate. For example, this morning's 30-minute workout showed that I burned 100 calories, but my heart rate monitor (based on my actual resting pulse, target heart rate, etc. calculations) showed a burn of 338 calories. MFC is a great workout whether you have an HRM or not, but you'll be less discouraged if you can get an accurate calorie-burning count than it gives. Just my two cents' worth.

Debbie

Hi Debbie,

Is there some reason you recommend getting a heart rate monitor with the chest strap instead of the ones you wear on your wrist? I ask because I was advised just the opposite..... now I'm wondering what the difference is.

go2girl wrote:I would recommend using a heart rate monitor (one with a chest strap) when you use My Fitness Coach to get an accurate calorie-burning count. I love My Fitness Coach, but its calorie counter is not accurate. For example, this morning's 30-minute workout showed that I burned 100 calories, but my heart rate monitor (based on my actual resting pulse, target heart rate, etc. calculations) showed a burn of 338 calories. MFC is a great workout whether you have an HRM or not, but you'll be less discouraged if you can get an accurate calorie-burning count than it gives. Just my two cents' worth.

Debbie

go2girl wrote: For example, this morning's 30-minute workout showed that I burned 100 calories, but my heart rate monitor (based on my actual resting pulse, target heart rate, etc. calculations) showed a burn of 338 calories.

Wow, that's good to know. My wife and I get significantly different burn rates. Her workouts are slightly more difficult than mine, but her calorie burn numbers are wayyy lower. Granted, I'm bigger than she is, but that can't be the only explanation. It sounds like the numbers are all over the place.

Now I'm tempted to get a heart rate monitor to test MFC's accuracy on my profile, but I'm too cheap.

(my wife will be happy to hear your story)

Being able to monitor is first flight. A bit of a snag in the flow to suit up, I may go back to mine. How about this for goofy numbers. My wife does the wii body check and gets an age of 25, she's 49. I have had 72 and 36, I'm 52. Something fishing? You bet, these numbers are based on programming, don't be discouraged from that type of data. First off, how do you feel?

go2girl wrote:I would recommend using a heart rate monitor (one with a chest strap) when you use My Fitness Coach to get an accurate calorie-burning count. Debbie

Wow, that is a big difference! What monitor did you use? I would like to get one, but have never bought one before and don't know where to start. When I was hyperventilating after my jumping jack test fiasco, Maya said I was only burning at the low level of my heartrate or something; I'd like to have a more accurate idea.

My husband and I have a pair of Mio's we got on Costco.com They are worn as a wrist watch. You set it up with your age and resting heart rate. When you exercise, you can use a timer and check your rate. It gives you the heart rate and percentage which is helpful. I like that it shows calories burned, and has a count down of burnt calories so you'll know when you've worked off a pound.

I noticed that Mio is now selling a model called the STRIDE which incorporates a pedometer into the heart monitor. Pretty spiffy.

Hey, Steph, do you remember how much yours cost?
I don't have a Costco near me, but may be able to get it online.

Thanks!

They don't sell it at the warehouse, only online. Here's the link:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11271038&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US&s=1

Amazon sells them also, but Costco is having the $15 off through today (Sunday) plus free shipping. And as you know, Costco has a very liberal return policy in case you find you need to return it for some reason.

prism68 wrote:Hey, Steph, do you remember how much yours cost?
I don't have a Costco near me, but may be able to get it online.

Thanks!

Steph, thank you!

The link said 'product no longer available', but I searched their site and found four wristwatch styles from 34.99 to 99.00 so I saved it until payday.

From all the comments about My Fitness Coach on this forum from several different people you guys certainly have convinced me this is at least worth looking at. I'm not sure if I will get it or not and I'm still thinking about waiting to see how EA sports active ends up since that is suppose to use the balance board and motion sensing. However, I'm still considering buying this but I have a few questions.

It sounds like it will give you activities that use the fitness equipment you have. Do you necessarily need any equipment? I don't really have anything right now. What do you feel would be the minimum equipment necessary to really get a lot out of this? I would be more interested in aerobic exercises to firm, tone and increase endurance over strength training to build muscle.

I would prefer not to get equipment that takes up lots of room like a fitness ball, but I'm would consider buying things that would be easy to stash away like weights or a heart rate monitor.

Hi, MFC will incorporate weights, the stability ball, a step, and a heart monitor. All I have is weights and a ball, but I'd like to have the step because my primary goal with MFC is aerobic/cardio. You could definitely get a workout WITHOUT any extras (she REALLY kicks my behind on cardio!!), and just add things later for variety.

Prism is right on target.

MFC works fine without any extra equipment. You will get a window prior to exercising which asks you to check off any of the extra equipment you have. That equipment will be integrated into the workout. I have barbells and the step platform, and, with my prescribed workouts, it has exercises for the step a lot more frequently, although you can add the weights to many of the exercises on your own. Really, thinking about it, you could probably just use 42 ounce glass bottles filled with water for beginner weights.

My favorite addition is the step, though. It just adds a lot of variety to the workouts and keeps things more interesting. If you end up buying a step, I'd strongly recommend you get a larger one as this would most likely work better with the way MFC uses it...ie moving across the board and keeping your entire foot on it.

Thanks for answering! That I could just buy the game (which is under $30 on amazon right now) and then maybe get more equipment later for variety is something to think about.

On one of those messages after you're done with your workout on MFC, I think it said that people who eat three pieces of fruit lose 30% more that comparable people who eat the same amount, but without the added fruit.

I find that interesting. On the face of it, it doesn't make sense in the calorie in/calorie out sense. Still, I've been reading how the body metabolism can go into starvation mode if it's not receiving enough nutrients. It does make sense that, if the metabolism is kept from going into this type of shut down, one would lose more weight. In other words, more calories in...true, but even more calories out.

KeithA39 wrote:
My favorite addition is the step, though.

I think having a step for MFC doubles the variety offered by the game. If you get anything in addition to MFC, the step is it!

The ball isn't used often, perhaps for some upper body stuff and some rare ab work ( I rarely am told to use the ball although I have it checked that I have one available), and hand weights can be replaced with anything that you can hold in each hand (books, I like the bottle idea (milk jug perhaps?), or small pets ).

I have been exploring the game lately, and it's been both challenging and fun!

I don't mind getting some hand weights since I feel they would be useful (also easy to stash away somewhere when not using them). As "fun" as using small pets as hand weights sounds, I think I'll decline.

How does the step in MFC compare to the one in Wii Fit (besides the obvious difference that it doesn't use the balance board so can't track your steps)? I like the one in Wii Fit because it's kind of like dancing. It has upbeat music that's fun. Is the MFC one like that?

Thanks!

Lady Gryphon wrote:
How does the step in MFC compare to the one in Wii Fit (besides the obvious difference that it doesn't use the balance board so can't track your steps)? I like the one in Wii Fit because it's kind of like dancing. It has upbeat music that's fun. Is the MFC one like that?

Thanks!

MFC uses the step as part of the aerobic exercise, so it incorporates the step and mixes it in with all the other stuff you have to do Maya makes you do without the step.

The speed is much faster on MFC compared to Wii Fit. You get to chose your music style at the beginning ( I've found about 3 that are good enough), between hip hop, 80's, techno, etc... Each track has about 6 songs that play. It gets a little stale after a while (sure), but offers a lot more variety compared to WF. But the pace is much faster.

The exercises offered (I feel) for the step exercises on MFC are also more interesting. So, not only is it mixed in with all the other stuff to do without the step, when you do get step work you get all kinds of variety. See here for the different types of step work involved with MFC:

https://wiifitforum.forumotion.com/general-discussion-f10/wii-my-fitness-coach-aerobic-exercises-list-t88.htm

(the second section)

Sometimes you're just stepping up and stepping down, but other times you're jumping over the step, or kicking, or doing knee ups, or whatever. It's pretty cool! (I never did any aerobic or step type stuff before MFC)

Because of the fast pace and the music, it is kind of like dancing. You gotta keep up with Maya and keep up with the beat.

But, because there is not feedback to the game, Maya doesn't know if you're actually performing the moves or just sitting on the couch enjoying a cocktail. But just watching Maya do the work doesn't really accomplish anything anyway.

It really is good. I know I've drooled all over it here, but I have really gotten my money's worth with this "game".

Well, I have now ordered My Fitness Coach. Amazon has it on sale for $19.97 so I just had to get it. It'll most likely arrive some time next week.

It sounds like the step work adds quite a bit to it so I think I'll look into getting one before too long. I'll probably try it out MFC first just to see how it is before getting the step though.

Thanks!

Here is a video of what you can expect:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJFNL8a9qPM

Check out the cardio portion shown between 1:45 - 2:35. Kind of like dancing? It's the closest I'll ever get.

Lady Gryphon wrote:Well, I have now ordered My Fitness Coach. Amazon has it on sale for $19.97 so I just had to get it. It'll most likely arrive some time next week.

Yay! I hope you'll like it. You got a good deal too. I paid $30 at Target!

I just realized that I've had My Fitness Coach for almost 3 weeks now. I am very impressed by it. Even after 3 weeks it gives me lots of variety and keeps me motivated. I'm still doing a bit at the lower levels so it also has more room for me to grow into.

The only equipment I've been using so far is weights so I also have to option to buy more equipment like the step in order to add more variety.

Now I understand why you all love it.