The fine folks at EA have provided me with a copy of their new fitness tool for the Wii, EA Sports Active. As such the day this arrives, yours truely will be undergoing the 30 day challenge set out by Electronic Arts and documenting my results in blog-like fashion. It’s no surprise that I’m looking forward to this as I could stand to lose a few pounds before my daughter arrives early July but I absolutely hated Wii Fit for a variety of reasons. This morning when I got in, I had a new video that shows some of the customizable options that EA Sports Active has and already I’m calling this as a much better tool than WiiFit based on that fact alone. EA Sports Actice ships May 19th. Check your local retailer for details.

Some of the features in this upcoming title are:

* Included resistance band to help strengthen and tone
* Join the 30 day challenge that starts June 1st – There’s already a 30 Day challenge underway. Click here to see more about how they’re doing.
* Works with the Wii Balance board but it is NOT required
* The virtual trainer helps to keep you focused on your goals
* Track your progress – Logs the foods you eat and the calories you burn through the day and during your workout in the daily journal
* Exercise with a friend and challenge each other to keep things interesting

I’m really looking forward to this. Just based on everything I’ve seen and heard, this is going to be the defacto standard by which any and all subsequent virtual trainers will be measured. Expect a full review soon. In the mean time check out the video below to see just how easy it is to customize your workout.