I am still sore from two days ago -- that's when I did Day 1 of the 30-Day Challenge of the new EA Sports Active personal trainer (Electronic Arts, $59.95) for the Nintendo Wii.

I might have been a little more sore than I should have been because I had the leg strap down too low on my leg. This makes a big difference because one of the exercises is squats and your virtual personal trainer makes sure that you are squatting low enough. So if the leg strap is down too low, your squats become preposterously deep. "Oh, come on!" I screamed at the TV. Then I realized that the position of the leg strap may be the problem.

Squats are just one of the exercises in the EA Sports Active program. You may find yourself jogging on a track to a soundtrack of your choosing, doing a little boxing or jumping over ramps on inline skates.

The inline skating was pretty brutal for me. It consists of staying in a squat and then leaping over ramps -- really tough on my quads. And apparently I'm a lousy jumper because my avatar (customized in a workout outfit of my choosing) was pretty wobbly.

The intro to the program is done by Oprah's trainer Bob Greene (who gives this his Bestlife seal of approval). Other helpful videos show you exactly how to do the exercises, and if you get confused, you can return to those instructional videos.

The kit comes with the game software, the leg strap (which holds the nunchuk) and a resistance band that you use for upper body exercises such as bicep curls and shoulder presses. (You can buy extra leg straps and resistance bands if you want to work out with a buddy.)

Video game novices will have no problem with this. I'm not a big Wii user (I leave that to my kid) but I wasn't tripped up by the whole Wiimote-nunchuk handling thing. 

The program is fully customizable:

• You choose whether you want a male or female trainer
• You customize your avatar with hair color and style, skin color, body type and outfit (down to the shoes)
• You plug in your sex, age, height and weight so the program can tell you how many calories you burn doing the program
• You fill out a journal that asks you about your eating and exercise habits
• You can choose the level of intensity you'd like to do on any given day

You also don't need the Wii Fit balance board, but if you have it there are exercises that utilize it, such as kickboxing, dancing and baseball. 

I really like this program -- it gives you a solid workout and the calories burned meter up in the corner is highly motivating. I haven't fully explored the program (it's not a game) but look forward to a game of volleyball and breaking out the Wii Fit balance board for some kickboxing. And my 10-year-old got a good workout with it, too, which will be a great way for him to stay in shape over summer vacation. Something to think about if you have an exercise-averse Nintendo-loving child.

More than 600,000 units have been sold since its release a few weeks ago, and there are more exercises in the works. An expansion pack will be out in time for the holidays that features 30 new exercises and sports, including an emphasis on core strengthening.

Here's a presentation that EA Sports did at this week's E3 video game conference in Los Angeles. Biggest Loser host Alison Sweeney is a fan of the program and shared her experience with it.

And here's a review from Sarah Dussault, of Diet.com and Examiner.com:

The Flat Belly Diet has become so ingrained into my daily eating pattern that I don't even think about how to add monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) into my diet.

The Sassy Water, a refreshing spa-type water flavored with lemon, ginger, cucumber and mint, is a bit more effort. But I had the opportunity to try R.W. Knudsen's new line of Sparkling Essence waters, and its cucumber flavor is about as close to Sassy Water as you can get in a premade form.

The new line of waters comes in four flavors: cucumber, blueberry, lemon and mint. The mint was a bit meh but I love all the other ones. They're not sweetened with anything -- the flavors come from organic extracts mixed with carbonated spring water. So it's just a hint of flavor.

But the cucumber flavor turned out to be my favorite of them all. My son couldn't wrap his head around the idea: "Cucumber soda?"

It's really refreshing and has notes of cucumber and lemon. If you really want to make it taste like Sassy Water, you can mix the mint and cucumber flavors together.

Sparkling Essence waters come in a 4-pack of 10.5 fluid-ounce cans and can be found at stores including Whole Foods. Check HERE for stores near you (click Where to Buy in the upper right corner).