Follow me as I spend a month trying to better myself by using EA Sports Active to exercise and follow its diet tips.

Coming back from Otakon, I had a nagging problem that only got worse with the drive home and some horsing around with friends. I injured my knee, and had to hobble around for a week before it was better enough to attempt exercising again.

Upon my return to playing Active, I was greeted with the message that I couldn't complete the challenge at this point. It offered to let me restart my whole adventure again, which I politely declined. I ran through another week's worth of training to see what it threw at me, and then ran out of time with the 30 days it had slotted for me.

Well, next week I'll still be using the software, just to see how the game is outside of the 30-Day Challenge. But, until then, follow me after the jump for my adventures this week.

Follow me as I spend a month trying to better myself by using EA Sports Active to exercise and follow its diet tips.

Coming back from Otakon, I've had some time away from Active to really sit and think about how the software handles, and to try it out once again with a bit of a different mindset when it comes to the game.

For those of you just joining me, I'm now heading into my third week of training using EA Sports' Active software, working to complete their 30-Day Challenge and see what effects it has on my body. Will it turn me into Brad Nicholson, or will I end up the same as I always was, except a little bit sweatier?

If you haven't already, check out my first impressions of the title from last week, and follow me after the jump, where I take a critical eye to the flaws of Active.

When you take a look at me, I don't seem like someone in dire need of a diet or an exercise program. Clocking in at 6'2" and 184lbs, I come off as a bit lanky to most people -- but the truth is, I've got a lot of fat that manages to pack its way into inconspicuous spots, and frankly, I could stand to get rid of it. Not only that, it wouldn't hurt to build up some muscle -- although I'm not expecting EA Sports Active to turn me into my counterpart here at Destructoid.

So, I decided to take Active's 30-Day Challenge in an effort to see what sort of change the game can really help with. Since changing your body for the better isn't solely about exercise, I'm doing this in conjunction with Toshio Okada's Sayonara, Mr. Fatty!, a book I've raved about over on Japanator. I really encourage you to check out the review, and the book itself -- it's not solely about dieting, but for putting the reins on any part of your life that you wish to control.

I hope you'll follow me over the next four weeks as I attempt to change myself for the better.

Last week's Dtoid boot camp debate was a skating showdown between any Tony Hawk game of your choosing versus the recently released Skate. The votes were overwhelming and together we came to a clear conclusion. Here are the results:

I buckled down with my PS3, and ignoring the giant pile of awesome games I have in my possession, I popped in Madden NFL 08 into my console to give the game a test run. I was worried: was I going to get AIDS? Was my IQ going to drop and my muscles suddenly bulk up? Was I going to get an insatiable thirst for beer?

Well, I think you can figure out the answer there. That's right, Sony's been working on a beer dispenser for the PS3 and I got to demo it. More importantly, though, you all want to hear about my encounter with Madden. It was a unique experience, and despite my abilities to write from beyond the grave, I am in fact still alive.

So let's get into this and see how I survived my first week of boot camp.