Nintendo Personal Trainer: Walking

The Nintendo DS Personal Trainer: Walking includes two activity monitors for two users. They can be carried in a pocket or clipped to a waistband. Users create a Mii profile, track their steps and patterns of daily activity, set goals and meet mini-challenges each day. The activity monitor has no number display, so the only way to track steps is by wireless transmission to the Nintendo DS handheld gaming console, or by the red or green light showing the daily goal has been achieved. Overall, I found it to work well. But I prefer pedometers and activity monitors that include a step count display.

The aim of Personal Trainer: Walking is to help users get more physical activity and also monitor their daily life rhythm. The monitor counts steps taken each hour of the day. The pattern of daily activity is noted when it is downloaded to the Nintendo DS gaming console. The daily rhythm of activity is assigned to an animal pattern. The walker is able to stamp each date with a smile, a frown, or a neutral face. At the end of each day, the walker gets a mini-goal for the next day, such as "eat less fat," or "walk as much as you can."

Using the Pedometer Activity Monitor

Personal Trainer: Walking comes with two activity monitors, so two people, or even a pet, can track their steps. The activity monitors can be carried inside a pocket or clipped to a waistband. The monitors have no display, so you can only see how many steps you have walked by transmitting them to the Nintendo DS gaming console. But it does show a red or green light depending on whether you have achieved your daily step goal or not.

The pedometer was reasonably accurate, and tiny enough to be comfortable in any pocket. Batteries are user-changeable CR2032, and should last about six months with 10,000 steps per day usage.

The pedometer data had only steps and the activity pattern. It didn't include calories burned or distance estimates.

Once or more per day, the walker can transmit the step count to the Nintendo DS console. The game displays totals and the pattern graph of steps per hour. The game makes comments on the pattern such as "Daytime Deer." It also notes how early and late you started recording steps, the longest activity period of the day and the longest inactive stretch of the day. I found this labeling to be a tough concept to absorb. I really didn't care what my pattern was, but maybe this makes it more fun for kids. But knowing your longest inactive period of the day can be an eye-opener.

The graphs and daily totals are nice, and you can look back on a calendar to review previous days. The activity meter itself stores the life rhythms for up to seven days (with steps per hour graphs) and step counts for approximately 30 days without downloading.

Users create a Mii character or can import one from a Wii console.

I found the graphics and overall character of the device to be aimed at tweens and younger.

The mini-goals were very general and there was no in-depth explanation as what they meant by "eat less fat" or why that is a good health goal. They are too simplistic to really be categorized as personal training.

The games within the game aim to motivate young walkers. The first is Walk the World, where a walker uses the total steps to trace a famous world landmark, with clues as to what it will be when done.

In Illuminate, the number of steps for the day translate into kilowatts to power lights in a house.

With Rankings, each user's achievements can be viewed.
With the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, world rankings can be viewed and cooperative goals achieved.

This may be a good module to pick up for a young person who loves their Nintendo DS console but needs motivation to move more. It fits into that gaming lifestyle to give gentle motivation. The graphs on the console are nice for tracking daily steps and step patterns. But as an adult, I didn't enjoy the graphics or buy into the daily pattern concept.

I far prefer sensors that have a step display, rather than the red/green light the Nintendo has. Otherwise, it is easy to underestimate steps per day and not reap the motivational benefits of using a pedometer. If you wait till bedtime to download your steps, you won't have the chance to find extra ways to add steps and activity throughout the day.

Disclosure: a review copy was provided by the manufacturer.