Rewards and Progress
My favorite thing about Yourself Fitness is the reward system. When you first sign in, you have 3 choices for music (hip-hop, eighties and latin) with other choices grayed out (dance, techno, house). As you complete a certain number of scheduled workouts--they must be completed on the scheduled day and not 'extra' workouts--you'll get another music choice. Like the music, you also get more exercise locations as you complete a certain number of workouts. For tracking your progress, Maya has you repeat the fitness evaluation every 10 workouts so you can see your improvements.
Interaction
Yourself Fitness Interaction
The other thing I like about Yourself Fitness is the interaction. Maya checks in with you at the beginning of each workout to ask how you're doing. If you say, 'You're lucky I'm here!' Maya will give you a little extra support throughout the workout. She also periodically asks how the workout feels to you as you end each section. If you indicate it was too easy, she'll tell you she'll make the workout harder the next time. Every so often, Maya will also ask how you're doing and if you're happy with your progress. Though Maya (obviously) isn't a real person, she holds you accountable for your workouts, offering encouragement if you've missed a few and praise if you're staying on track. Beginners may also find it helpful to track their progress with the simple, built-in tools as well as the ability to give feedback and have their workouts changed accordingly.
Why it's great for beginners
If I'd had this when I was starting out, I would've loved it! The interaction makes you feel accountable to someone for your workouts and the reward system keeps it a bit exciting--when will you get that new workout location? What about the new music to choose from? Also, the fact that she keeps the workouts the same, adding a new exercise each time, gives exercisers time to perfect these moves and feel comfortable with them. What's also nice is the simplicity of the workouts--there's no complicated choreography in the cardio workouts and the strength training moves are ones many of us are familiar with. What's more helpful is that you can view a detailed description and video of each exercise you choose--a must since she provides very few cues about the exercises or proper form. Overall, this is a great choice for new exercisers and even veteran exercisers will enjoy having a variety of workouts to choose from when they need something fresh and new.
