Active Life: Outdoor Challenge rivals Nintendo Wii Fit in burning calories and will definitely help you lose weight. It’s actually a lot more fun than Wii Fit. I have incorporated this into my Nintendo Wii exercise regimen. I exercise three days in a row. I use Wii Fit the first day. The second day I will use Wii Sports Boxing. On the third day I will use Active Life: Outdoor Challenge. On the fourth day I’ll take a break, or play another of the Nintendo Wii sports games.

While Wii Fit is still the formidable seller of the Nintendo Wii, the Outdoor Challenge is a close second. Not only is it fun, but it also gives you a good aerobic workout. Especially the game Timber Trail, which I use more with Active Life: Outdoor Challenge. It can keep you running and jumping.

Always consult a doctor before undergoing any exercise regimen and if you have never exercised before. You should also do some stretching exercises before you start playing. One of the problems that the participants have is not stopping when they should stop playing the games. It is like a real physical exercise. You need to relax before you start playing, or you could succumb to what The New England Journal of Medicine calls Acute Wiitis. This injury is generally isolated to the Nintendo Wii due to its realistic sports simulation.

You’ll be using a Namco Bandai control mat, which comes with the Outdoor Challenge game and plugs into one of the GameCube ports on the top of the Wii. The rug is a bit more sophisticated than traditional dance rugs. The Active Life: Outdoor Challenge mat has six directional arrows and buttons so two players can use it at the same time. The mat is divided into two sets of four button inputs: a blue side and an amber side for two people. For two player events, both players would be on the same mat. One person would take the blue side and the other player would take the amber side. If you want to play in single player mode, you need to put your feet on the center point and touch the corresponding buttons by stepping on them. The game only uses one mat. You will not be able to bring your own personal mat for the two person competition.

A good aerobic exercise is the Timber Trail game. In its training setup, the route is straight with few obstacles, so reaching the finish line is simply a matter of running in place as fast as possible. As you progress through the higher levels of the game, chasms and other obstacles are introduced that you must either jump over, literally jumping into the air, or dodge back and forth, dodging a set of directional arrows on the mat to the next arrow set. The mat is incredibly more durable than the Wii Fit board – you can step on it and it will stay put. Many people find that if they place a yoga mat under the Outdoor Challenge mat, the mat will not move. You can literally abuse this mat, something you can’t do with the Wii Fit Balance Board. This game will test your aerobic rhythms. This is my favorite aerobic exercise. You can try as hard as you want.

In addition to the 12 or more mini-games, such as mine cart, river rafting, etc., there is also a training program that gives you challenges depending on the type of fitness you want to achieve. Most of these are cardio exercises, but because you can really beat the mat up, instead of worrying about tearing it up, there’s a good chance you’ll break a sweat.