No, I won't videotape it

Let's just get this said right off the bat: No, I won't ever let you see me doing it.

On my birthday, my wonderful boyfriend got me a Wii. He bought the Wii for me because he thought that I would like it. I was debating getting one last winter for the Wii Fit sales that were going on before Christmas. The thing was, at the time, I couldn't figure out which "games" would help me get the best work out...so like many other situations, I just didn't make a decision and didn't buy one.

But make no mistake, I think that he also got it because he wanted to play some games. Although in fairness to him, he hasn't yet played anything on it (other than the first night when we bowled and golfed and played tennis with it).

So a few weeks ago, I decided that playing Super Mario Brothers probably wasn't the best use of my time (but OH WOW is it fun - it brings back memories!). So I decided to get a workout "game."

I've seen a lot about the Wii Fit, EA Active, and The Biggest Loser games...but I didn't know which would work the best. So I asked my virtual workout buddy, Krissie, and she recommended The Biggest Loser games. Only from some of the reviews, it appears that some things are hard to do without a pocket in your workout clothes and that you can't use your real weight or name when you're "competing."

And I clicked from review to review until I finally found myself SERIOUSLY considering something that I swore I would never participate in:

Dance Dance Revolution.

I'm sure where you can see this going...I bought the game. Again, I'll just tell you right now: No, you still can't watch me.

For those that aren't familiar with this game, it started out in arcades where tweens hang out. The machine, at the arcades, look like this.

Kids hop on this thing, put in their allowance, and music starts. The object of the game is to follow the instructions on screen to know which arrow to step on at the right beat. You may have noticed from the picture that there are two little pads - which means that some other kid (who might have stolen the money from his parents) can also put in money and challenge the first kid.

The screen looks like this: So basically the arrows float up and you have to step on the correct arrow on the pad underneath you at the exact time that it lines up with the area up top. In the screen shot shows two people competing and the "PERFECT!" written in the middle of the screen indicates that both players stepped at the perfect time.

To be clear, I don't see that message often. And no, I won't videotape it and send it to you.

So the game came to my house (I ordered it online)... it has a disc and a mat that kind of looks like this:

And when you plug it in, it has a set up like this:

Only at my house, as far as I know, we don't have teenage boys. And we have a huge TV that is not on a wooden stand. And I'm trying to peek above my dog's GIANT head (she is a HUGE Great Dane that even when she's laying down can somehow manage to block the TV).

I tried it out during Memorial Day weekend for the first time and since I couldn't bribe Joe to leave our place, I tried to pretend that he wasn't there. On the couch. Watching my every move. Remembering that he is the stereotypically whitest boy on the planet (and thus has ZERO ability to shake his groove thing to any music without looking like he's getting hit with a taser gun) also helped.

The first time, I didn't use the instructional video. I figured that I was relatively talented, so I should be able to just pick a song and KNOW how to do it.

Turns out, that's not so much true.

So I'm hopping, jumping, and trying to keep up with some beats and I'm laughing - hysterically - because I look like one of those marionettes where the human controlling them is just bouncing them up and down.

And really, please stop asking: I won't videotape this and post it.

Eventually, I have gotten the hang of it and can even "dance" to a few songs without too much difficulty.

But the best part? The songs.

That's right, I'm dancing to such hits as "I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross and "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice. Rhianna's "Disturbia" and Duran Duran's "Hungry Like a Wolf" is also on there. There are a lot of popular songs on this version (names that I'm too old to remember) that are fun to dance to.

And I'm not even kidding you - Rick Astley singing "Never Gonna' Give You Up" cracks my shizzle up as I'm dancing on this.

But you know what? It's fun.

I don't break a huge sweat (at least at the level I'm at) and there are some longer pauses in between songs than what I'd like...but it's better than the couch and it's more fun than I thought I would have.

I decided that as much as I love running, I wanted something to do to exercise-wise when I don't feel like running. This fits the bill.

Now it's your turn:

What kind of non-traditional exercise things do you do? And if you have a Wii, I would LOVE to know what your take is on exercise games that you have tried. I'm looking for things to break a sweat but will still be fun.

I'd LOVE to hear your opinions!