Mar 12, 2009 by Kelly Whitton
Hi! My name is Kelly Whitton and I'm a member of the EA SPORTS Active development team. I'm thrilled to be able to share some insights with you as a female developer on this product.
I'm a Development Director which means that I project manage the development of EA products. This involves working with the team to translate the vision and designs for our products into plans and roadmaps that allow us to build them. My responsibilities include ensuring our products are completed on time with a high level of quality. It's a challenging job but one I absolutely love! I've been with EA for 3 � years and have worked on titles such as Fifa Street 2, Tiger Woods 08 and Need for Speed Pro Street prior to joining the EA SPORTS Active team.
First of all, let me say I am very proud of this product and the impact it will have on people who are looking to make positive changes in their lives. Working on EA SPORTS Active has been an entirely new experience for me, both as a developer and as a female who fits within the target demographic of this product. EA SPORTS Active is a unique and innovative product that is breaking ground for EA SPORTS as a brand...who wouldn't want to be a part of that!
The concept for EA SPORTS Active is one that's been in the making for some time now. We knew from the beginning that we had to set ourselves a part from our competitors in order to be successful in today's crowded fitness marketplace. The concept of the leg strap really started to set us apart. Our first prototypes happened early on and it really allowed us to capture lower body movements and in turn build more intense workouts.
A lot of research was conducted and we brought on fitness experts like Carmen Bott to assist us in creating balanced workouts at various levels of intensity. That's one of the cool things about EA SPORTS Active, you can choose your intensity and personalize your workouts. Carmen, along with the designers created exercises that cover a wide range of muscle groups to get maximum benefits but they also kept it fun with our sports drills like cardio dance and tennis.
We've worked really hard on ensuring we assist people in learning new exercises which for me is always a challenge. We created a trainer that provides real time feedback and can help you improve in doing the exercises correctly and safely. We created great tutorial videos that provide detailed info on form and timing and are really beneficial when you are trying out the exercises for the first time. That's an important one for me because I usually have to be shown more than once how to do an exercise - having access to a video to watch over and over really helps.
The journal was key in making this product not just about fitness but really about overall health and well being. Like anyone else, I've tried to get results by just working out or just watching what I eat and it's so clear that a combination of both is really important. Having a tool to track my nutrition intake and all of the other factors that affect my health is important in helping understand where I may need to focus more attention.
Finding time for fitness and a healthy lifestyle tends to be challenging when work and family schedules get busy and I'm the first to admit to that. What I love about our product is that the 30 Day Challenge is a prescribed program that takes the thinking out of your workout. We also have preset workouts that you can choose from to fit the amount of time you have during the day (not to mention the variety in routines it provides). So when you finally get some personal time at the end of the day, just following our trainer at home makes things that much easier.
It's been so fun to be a part of such an innovative product that offers so much more than just the product experience itself. Using EA SPORTS Active really can be a life changing experience and is a great motivator for people looking to change their habits and make a healthy lifestyle a priority.
Working with people like Carmen has taught me so much about fitness and the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Having had exposure to all of the information around the benefits of a healthy lifestyle has had an impact on the way I view health and has raised the importance of making time for myself in my busy schedule. I'm doing my second ever 10k run in April and if feels great to be Active!
Feb 17, 2009 by Bob Greene
Bob Greene talks about the importance of a balanced health program—which includes achievable goals, cardio and weight training exercises, and good nutrition. Just like the EA SPORTS Active™ program!
Jan 27, 2009 by Bob Greene
Bob Greene on dieting and calorie-cutting; plus, his suggestions for incorporating fitness into a busy lifestyle.
Dec 31, 2008 by Bob Greene
Success for 2009!
By Carmen Bott
EA SPORTS Active Strength & Conditioning Specialist
I love a new year. It almost seems like we can start all over and finally become that fit and healthy person we want to be. The trouble is, the enthusiasm to make changes with respect to physical activity, nutrition and leading a healthier lifestyle, tends to fade once we realize we can't change everything overnight. So, please don't set yourself up for this potentially negative situation. Even the most motivated, organized and seemingly "perfect" people do not put that kind of pressure on themselves for the new year. Relax, get excited about 2009, and take my advice.
Motivation . . .
Making lasting changes is not about a long list of New Year's resolutions; it is about creating an action plan and having a mindset of focusing on the process of achieving what we want. The motivation to get started begins with a need, vision, dream or desire to achieve the seemingly impossible. In any worthwhile endeavor, barriers and failure will be there. That's life! Success is based on learning what works and does not work. It is simply a learning process and what works for you may be very different for what works for somebody else. I want you to start by making some "process-oriented goals." Saying I want to lose 20 pound by spring is an outcome-based goal or more accurately, a reward. Instead, think about the steps you are going to take to achieve success. An example of a process-oriented goal is "I am going to walk my kids to school each day to get 30 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise in and I am going to buy more whole, natural and unprocessed foods to make healthy meals each night for my family." By shifting your mindset to the action plan, or the process, you will meet your outcome goals naturally, or better yet be rewarded!
Keeping on Track . . .
With the new year upon us, and our minds focused on our action plan, it can be easy to fall off track. Do you want to know how to stay on the right path? Believe it or not, it is all about attitude. Each day we have a choice of what attitude we bring to the table. If you have the wrong attitude about physical activity and good nutrition, you're already setting yourself up for failure. If you view exercise as punishment for poor eating habits, an obligation, a chore or even painful, you will need to steer your thought process in a more positive direction.
Check out a video with Bob Greene discussing New Year's Resolutions.
Without the right mindset, how long do you think you'll stick with your program? Nobody wants to do something painful, boring or obligatory. Before you throw yourself into an action plan, reflect on your attitudes about health and fitness. Then, try a different perspective and perhaps view exercise as a break from a stressful workday, a way to elevate your energy levels and mood or a chance to move your body and let your mind take a break.
Committing to a healthier you . . .
This year, I want you to commit to a healthier you. This commitment is going to take some work though. Long-term success requires planning, discipline and finding ways to motivate yourself each day. We are not robots; we are human beings with deadlines, stresses, difficulties and emotions. Each day will be different and each day your level of motivation will be different; that is normal. You will have to recommit to your action plan each and every day and tweak your plan to fit your schedule and priority list. You will not always want to exercise and eat healthy. Even the most committed and serious fitness buff needs a pep talk every so often. So, make your action plan based on realistic changes - if you cannot follow it for the rest of your life, then perhaps you need to reframe it, so it fits into your day and isn't viewed as a chore. And lastly,
own your action plan. Create an itemized list of what is important to you. If you value being fit and eating healthy, then write it down. If being active with your family is important, then write that down too.
Then, align your action plan with that list. Physically write down your action plan and the steps you are going to take each day. Use a calendar, or a journal to map out your strategy. And remember, keep focused on the process, not the potential rewards, no matter how tempting that is. Your action plan is for you and a part of your new value system. Now, let's get started!