Leading up to the launch of Dance Central 2, a group of Harmonixers joined forces to participate in a Dance Central Fitness Challenge to get in better shape and improve overall health while having fun. As part of the fitness challenge the group has been separated into “Crews” for accountability and motivation. One of the guidelines of the fitness challenge is to make Dance Central or Dance Central 2 a primary source of exercise (that’s where the fun part comes in). Participants are required to weigh in every two weeks and keep journals for progress tracking. Four weeks of Dance Central fitness have come and gone, and Harmonixers were asked to blog about their progress to share their current results and goals. How are the Dance Central Fitness Challenge Crews doing after one month? Read below to find out! Who do you think will be most successful?

BODY BY JAKE AND THE FATMAN Name: Jessa (HMXJessaBrez) Age: 23 Pounds lost/gained since last weigh-in: -4 Total weight loss percentage: 5.7% Goal summary: Look cute in a cable-knit sweater! Also, have more energy for dancing and fencing. Strategy: Eat less, work out more. I’m starting a more difficult fencing class and Dance Central 2 is finally in stores so hopefully this will help combat the crummy weather. Crew strategy: WIN. Diet: It’s actually been interesting/successful for me to not just focus on cutting calories, but also making sure the calories I do consume are coming from good sources. I have more energy and find myself less likely to become famished and then binge as a result. I’m also listening to my body more -- if it tells me I’m starving, I eat. The novelty of dieting without feeling like you’re dieting! Other routines: I missed a week of dance and fencing because I traveled to Texas to visit family, but the warm weather had me out running again. Now that I have Dance Central 2 at home, I’m also dancing more! Fitness tips: Keep Freestyle on and use that time to do crunches, pushups, or leg lifts! Tell them how you really feel: Yesterday I was bummed – tired of dieting, tired of exercising. However, seeing that my hard work is paying off at weigh in is definitely motivating me!

Name: “Jake” (@juliusblaise) Age: 31 Pounds lost/gained since last weigh-in: -6.2 Total weight loss percentage: 6.4% Goal summary: Lose 45 lbs. by the end of the fitness challenge. 18 down, 27 to go. Strategy: Less food. More Dance Central. Got tripped up in my progress because of Halloween. I’ll keep it going, though. Crew strategy: WIN. Diet: Eat veggies. Avoid Oreos. Don’t eat two dinners. Less pasta. No soda. Quinoa is delicious. Other routines: Drumming makes for great cardio. Fitness tips: Doing something is better than nothing. I did nothing for a long time. Tell them how you really feel: I feel like I want to take that chili mac-n-cheese burger, dip it in nacho cheese and bread crumbs, then deep fry it.

CHRISTINE THE CUPCAKE LADY Name: HMXcj Age: 27 Pounds lost/gained since last weigh-in: -2.2 Total weight loss percentage: 3.2% Goal summary: I am aiming for weight loss. Strategy: I’m trying to play DC2 as often as possible, and also take longer walks with my puppy. Diet: I haven’t changed much about my regular diet, but I did manage to avoid Halloween candy! Other routines: I’ve been taking longer walks with my dog. She’s just a puppy, but as she’s getting older she’s able to take longer walks so that’s been a great opportunity for me to take longer walks, too. Fitness tips: Try not to sit still for too long. If you’re watching TV or playing a game where you sit a lot, try to move around in between levels or during commercials. Take a break and have your own personal dance party. Or do some jumping jacks. Anything to get your body moving. Tell them how you really feel: I’m feeling pretty awesome about my progress so far. I’m hoping to keep it up over the next couple of months. I’m also hoping to play a lot more DC2 over the next couple of months!

MYSTERY MEN/WE GOT NOTHING Name: Captain Good Times Age: 27 Pounds gained/lost since last weigh-in: -5.4 Total weight loss percentage: 2.7% Goal summary: I want to shed the 10 to 15 lbs of post-college weight I’ve accumulated. More generally, I’m hoping I’ll feel healthier and more fit as a result. Strategy: I’m trying to take a two-pronged approach of 1) calorie reducing and 2) improved regular exercise. Crew strategy: Whatever it takes. Diet: I’ve been trying smart snacking instead of junky snacking, but I’m not going to lie – it’s hard! There are times when you can get yourself to eat a banana instead of a cookie, but there are times when you really want that cookie. Other Routines: My wife and I are enjoying the heck out of DC2. We’re trying to play for 30 minutes every other day and you can feel the workout you get. I’m also trying to make gym visits on non-DC2 days. Fitness tips: Try to keep it fun – if it feels like a chore, you’ll stop doing it. Tell them how you really feel: It’s early days, but I feel better. Who knows how much of that reflects actual weight/fitness changes and how much is just general positive feeling associated with having a plan and taking action. I feel like I have a little more energy and a little more power over my weight, and that’s a good thing any way you slice it.

Name: JS Age: Undisclosed Pounds lost/gained since last weigh-in: +1.4 Total weight loss percentage: 1.8% Goal summary: Be healthier! Strategy: Eat less, exercise more. Crew strategy: Whatever it takes. Diet: Cutting out snacks. Tell them how you really feel: I ate two donuts today. Not a good week for the diet. Halloween candy threw me off course.

THE GREAT DIVIDE (Maintaining weight) Name: Milo M. Age: 25 Pounds lost/gained since last weigh-in: -2 Goal summary: I've dropped another two pounds and am coasting at 146.9. I'll reach my goal in another two weeks when I'll start to maintain my weight. Strategy: As a real life application of my dance skills, I put my dance moves to the test over Halloween weekend. Hours of club dancing and I never even broke a sweat. Tell them how you really feel: I've found that my ability to keep dancing for long periods of time has improved dramatically since I started working on the dance team.

Name: Thrasher Age: ? Goal Summary: Fitness! Strategy: I’ve been doing a lot of playtesting for Dance Central as part of my regimen. Crew Strategy: Since Milo and I both have different (and crazy) schedules we've been checking in with each other very regularly on instant messenger. We talk about what our fitness activities have been, how we're feeling, and whether we might actually get to see each other that week to have a dance off. Other routines: I just wrapped up a big huge Halloween show that involved a lot of rehearsal, prep, building, and running around to complete. My entire body is sore so I'm currently taking a break from exercise (save for stretching). I am also including my super fat cat Elvis’ newfound love of hide-and-seek and his attempts to sneak out of the tub during his bath last week in my fitness roundup. I've been repeatedly lifting up, catching, or holding onto an 18 pound cat multiple times a day. I feel like I've been doing a massive amount of bicep and tricep curls (and my arms are starting to show it). Tell them how you really feel: I can fit into my favorite, semi-famous, leopard print jeans again. I last wore them when I put them on for a Harmonix promo video almost three years and six tattoos ago. Even though I'm not in the competition for weight loss (I have a policy of not weighing myself), I'm feeling pretty fantastic and fit lately.

ILmatic Name: John D. Age: 27 Pounds lost/gained since last weigh-in: +1 Total percentage lost: 2.6% Goal summary: My overall goal is to get to a place where I’m making time to exercise in a fun way 2 to 3 times a week to balance harder-core workouts 2 times a week. By the end of the project, I’m hoping to lose about 5 to 7 percent body weight (around 10 lbs). Strategy: Main points of my strategy have actually been to just keep my save data with me wherever I go so I can always log in to Dance Central 2. I have my Gamertag and save file on a thumb drive so I can play at the office, at home or on the road. ABD = Always Be Dancing! Right now we’re in the midst of flu season, which has sadly cut down my ability to dance REALLY hard (ever since I've been rockin' the NyQuil and coughing up my lungs, I’ve been cutting up fewer rugs). I’m hoping that, post-Thanksgiving, we can get some serious scheduled structured time in – no more skipping. Crew Strategy: Man, we have NOT been coordinating. Annette and I are both in the world of DC2 all day, I think we just assume the other one is dancing. We really need to regroup and get some team dance time in! Dancing is fun and social, but we’re acting like hermits! Diet: YO, VEGGIES SON. I’ve been trying to get a bit more heart healthy and cut out red meat as much as I can, eat a ton of vegetables (raw for snacks, cooked for sides, WOO!) and keep snacking to a minimum. I’m worried about the upcoming holiday feasts, but it just means MORE DANCING will be required! Other routines: Keeping up with running (trying to do 7+ miles at least twice a week) and, with winter upon us, it looks like the gym is going to be the best option over the snowy streets of Boston. Fitness tips: I keep the fitness tracker on all the time, so it’s great just to have a reason to fire up the Kinect! Tell them how you really feel: I feel pretty good overall, but we’ve been slacking a bit in the application of DC2. We’re acting healthy, which is rad, but with illness and business, we’ve made a bunch of excuses not to dance. And that’s not only setting me back from our goals, it’s also bumming me out! I gotta dance! It’s going to turn my mood, diet and attitude toward fitness around once we get back on the floor!

Name: Annette G. (HMXamgo) Age: 25 Pounds lost/gained since last weigh-in: +2 Total weight loss percentage: 1.1% Goal summary: Lose the weight I just gained. UGH. Strategy: Last weigh-in saw fantastic results because I had just come out of a long weekend of DC2 for New York Comic-Con. Sad to admit my activity levels significantly dropped with getting stuff done for DC2 launch. After this disappointing weigh-in I will rework my diet and return to daily Dance Central activity. Promise! Crew Strategy: Alright so we blew it this week. With all sorts of craziness going on between DC2 launch, the flu going around, and everything else in between, Drake and I haven't been quite as on top of our fitness as we should be. We both realize this and are going to come back strong. Just you wait! Diet: I went shopping for healthy food. HURRAY. Picked up some more yogurt and granola, fruits, Lean Cuisine for easy lunches, and ingredients for healthy meals. Tell them how you really feel: Bummed out about my results, but it’s definitely the kick I needed to get my act together!

THE BO$$ SQUAD Name: Big Cent Age: 31 Pounds lost/gained since last weigh-in: -2.3 Total weight loss percentage: 1.2% Goal summary: Time to kick this up a notch. I really want to accelerate my weight loss. I think I can hit 200lbs even by the time this is over with. Strategy: Personally, I’ve been taking a very healthy approach. No crazy crash diets, which is my usual M.O. Just watching what I eat and working up a sweat daily. Crew Strategy: Sabotage and subterfuge. The Bo$$ Squad is all about exploiting our position at the top. Diet: I haven’t changed my diet much. Still had cake (carrot) on my birthday. Just trying to make good decisions. Other routines: I hit the gym two to three times a week in addition to Dance Central. Fitness tips: Pushups or sit ups between rounds of Battlefield 3. Think about it – for any serious gamer that’s a lot of exercise. Tell them how you really feel: Pretty good. More alert. Focused.

Name: T-Money Age: 40-ish Pounds lost/gained since last weigh-in: -0.2 Total weight loss percentage: 0.9% Goal summary: Dance every day! If I lose weight – great. If not – feel healthier. Strategy: Play Dance Central three to four times a week. Combine that with pilates classes. No gym! Crew Strategy: Threaten competitors by making delicious baked goods for them. Diet: Nutrients! Healthy meals three times a day – not starving myself. No sweets. Fitness tips: Turning Freestyle off during Dance Central 2 routines works well for me. Tell them how you really feel: Totally feeling better. I love working out in the morning and dancing before work. Definitely gives me more energy.

This week's results: "Jake" is still in the lead with a total weight loss percentage of 6.4 percent! Will he be able to keep his lead?!

Want to get involved? Share your own Dance Central Fitness Challenge progress and tips on our official Facebook page, in the forums, or tweet @Dance_Central on Twitter with the #DC2Fit hashtag.