Oprah's trainer talks about "Video Game Workouts"

Does it feel unusual to be a health expert advocating a video game?
Actually, it does. To be honest with you, if you've ever seen one of my speeches I'm pretty brutal on the television and the computer. They've made us stop moving as a culture, and it's been a detriment to our fitness, especially for this generation coming up. But this company, EA Sports, contacted me and they set up a meeting. I didn't know what to expect, I'm not a tech person or a gamer. Then I got to look and try out some of the exercises and a lot of them were things that you would try to get your clients to do, it really opened up my eyes.

How does it compare to other fitness video games?
I haven't played a lot of them, but I did get a chance to try the first-generation ones and, you know, you're not really moving, you're doing yoga or a beach volleyball type of thing. I don't know how satisfying they really are. But I was really blown away by these exercises in "Sports Active." I was sweating, and my legs were burning.

How much hands-on involvement did you have with the game?
I had a lot of input into saying we should have people twist at this angle or bend at that angle, and I gave them all my notes and then they would let me know how they would incorporate all those things. It was great because I wasn't just working with software people, I was talking with trainers, so we were speaking the same language. So yeah, I was really hands-on and the people at EA Sports were really receptive.

How does this game fit into someone's overall fitness regimen?
It really depends on the person. I've seen people have some pretty incredible results. There was one guy who was 45 pounds down from using it, so it speaks well about the product. We're also not recommending, "Hey, go ahead and throw away your gym membership." It's great for some, but it's really great if you supplement it with going to the gym.

Would you recommend the game to Oprah? Has she tried it yet?
We're sending it to her. She's really busy, obviously. I actually think she's a great candidate and in many ways she represents many women who might try it. I mean, 15 years later she's so sick of looking at a treadmill and she's up front and says on camera, "I hate exercise. I hate it every time I have to do it." This game is something fun and different. You know, you've got water sports and throwing a ball around and jogging where it feels like you're jogging on an island and I think she may enjoy some of those exercises.

A lot of people say it's hard to stay fit in Chicago because of cold winters and amazing food like deep-dish pizza. Any advice to Chicagoans?
I grew up in New Jersey and I'd throw on my layers and get my workout in, so I was never that sympathetic to people who use weather as an excuse, until I went to Chicago! Wow, the winters can be pretty brutal. Honestly, a product like "EA Sports Active" is phenomenal to use in inclement weather. On the eating side, I keep a drawer [of menus for] my favorite restaurants. It's nice because it helps me choose a restaurant that I know has healthy options and it also tells you, "Oh, hey, here's a favorite place. I haven't been there in awhile." On exercise, Chicago is actually a pretty good city to exercise in. You've got the lakefront. It's very bike-friendly. But there are days even in the winter when it gets warmer for awhile and if you layer yourself you can go out and it's pretty wonderful. The results in cold weather are actually quite good.