Xbox brings a Virtual Personal Trainer to gaming

The gaming market is expanding it's audience through the growth of the "edutainment" genre, with titles like "Yourself!Fitness" for the Xbox, Playstation and PC targeting gamers, women and a wider audience who want a workout from a personal "Virtual Trainer" in the comfort of their own home.

Making Jane Fonda work out videos and self-help books seem like a relic of the distant past, "Yourself!Fitness", is a dynamic and fully interactive program with a complete fitness analysis that includes personalised goal setting, a customised meal planner, a fitness calendar, multiple workout environments, multiple music options and over 200 health and fitness tips from Prevention Magazine.

Created by responDESIGN , this new approach to personal fitness takes the often sedentary pastime of gaming and gives it a healthy impetus. Customers will also be able to purchase the game online and sign up for newsletters, promotions and tips from Maya, the Yourself!Fitness Virtual Personal Trainer.

Avatars

Now in wide use in the movie industry with such films as Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider, digital Avatars are also creeping into the online world and from there into homes and everyday lifestyle. Previous high-profile Avatars have included the virtual newsreader AnnaNova and Hank, a cartoon representative for Coca-Cola.

Personalised Training Programs

Maya, the Yourself!Fitness personal trainer Avatar, will create a customised health and fitness program focused on your unique needs and individual goals. To assure that no two workouts will ever be the same, each day Maya will build your personalised routine based on your progress and commitment level. Maya will coach you through training sessions featuring Yoga, Pilates, Cardio Fitness, Strength Training, Flexibility Exercises and Targeted Weight Loss routines against a variety of optional virtual backdrops. Players can integrate the fitness equipment they already own into their workout experience.

Customised meal planning

As part of the Yourself!Fitness program, Maya offers nutritional advice with over 4,500 recipes, preparation instructions and shopping lists to make eating right an easy part of any lifestyle.

Yourself!Fitness is available now on Xbox for a RRP of US$34.99. It is the first in a planned family of game titles responDESIGN describes as "Games That Are Good For You".