Like countless other people in the world, one of my New Year's Resolutions was to get some more exercise and lose some weight, not just for appearance's sake, but for my overall health. Last year, I had a lot of problems with my knees and I was hardly able to do any real exercise at all.

I'm better now, but I have a lot of catching up to do in the way of getting exercise. I hope to keep my problems from getting worse or returning, so, a few weeks ago when the good folks at Collective Bias asked me if I wanted to participate in the Your Shape Challenge along with 9 other bloggers, I was thrilled.

Your Shape featuring Jenny McCarthy. It is a new fitness game for Wii from Ubisoft. It's different from other fitness games since it uses a camera to monitor your moves and you don't have to hold a controller while you exercise. It also features a virtual Jenny McCarthy who gives you feedback and encouragement as your proceed through the exercises. I'll let her tell you more about it:

My fellow Your Shape Challengers:

• Toni from A Daily Dose of Toni. (@totally_toni)
• Kim from Crafty Mama of 4. (@craftymamaof4)
• Amy From Selfish Mom @SelfishMom)
• Beth from Plus Size Mommy (@plussizemommy)
• Claire from The Mom Claire

• Kelly from The Centsible Life (@CentsibleLife)
• Lori from Operation Fatty (@acowboyswife)
• Stephanie from Mommy Musings (@MommyMusings)
• Jodi from Multitasking Mommy @JodiGrundig

Your Shape was very easy to set up, but I had to play around a little bit to get the camera to pick up my moves properly. I had it on top of the TV at first, and through the suggestions of others, I found that it works better when it's to the side. My den is poorly lit, but once I got some adjustments made there, too, I was ready to go. The game and Virtual Jenny has no problem telling you when you need to correct your form, but it is very encouraging, and the music is great.

When you use Your Shape, you can see yourself alongside the virtual Jenny McCarthy, and not only does it help you with form, I've found it to be a real motivator to see myself right there on TV in all my glory. Yikes.

You can choose what part of your body you want to work on each day, and you can enter your goals and the workout can be tailored to your needs. The workouts are good, and boy have I ended up sore, but it is gradually getting better as I get better at it!

Along with exercise, I've been refocusing on eating right, and have really made some improvements. I've really worked on increasing my water and protein intake as well as just simply eating less. I'm proud to say that even though I've had my ups and downs during the challenge, I am now in the habit of eating much more healthily at lunch at work which was a problem for me! More on that later, though,.

I've lost just over 5 pounds, and that doesn't sound like much, but you gotta remember I'm older than some of my fellow challengers ;) but I still need to work hard. I also feel like I've lost some inches, and I look forward to my next set of measurements!

But, more importantly, Your Shape has inspired me to just do something and get back on the right track for healthful eating, which is something I've lacked for a while, and I'm glad to have fun while I'm doing it.

Stay tuned for more adventures from the Your Shape Challenge!

The challenge is sponsored by Collective Bias, Ubisoft, and Walmart. I received the game and will also receive additional incentives throughout the challenge, but my opinions are my own and will not be influenced.