Now that it’s summertime, everyone wants to look good in their sundresses and shorts and do so ASAP. (Never mind that the kind of fitness freaks I follow on Instagram post memes that say stuff like “Summer bodies are made in the gym in the winter” or “No days off” and such.) I realize that not everybody loves to hit treadmills and elliptical machines at health clubs, nor is grunting and sweating away in boot camps lifting 25-pound kettle bell weights their thing. However, weight loss experts say that strength training is a key component to rapidly dropping pounds.

Weight training might end up being an overweight person’s thing eventually, but due to intimidation and shyness – or just based on general preferences – some folks simply want to start working out at home first, and using a game to do so.

As such, here are some cool games and gadgets to try out on the road to weight loss:

The Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board, Kinect for xBox 360 and PlayStationMove

While plenty of Wii games will get you up and moving around, the Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board was so much fun to use when my husband bought it one Christmas and our family of four all jumped on board for a try. Although we only kept up the activities till New Year’s (I’m not big on working out at home), for the short while we used the thing I learned why there was such a furor and craze over the Wii Fit when it launched.

After all, it was fun to challenge ourselves with various yoga and balancing poses by standing on a board that could read everything from your weight to your positioning. Thankfully, they also didn’t embarrass folks by displaying the person’s actual weight on the screen, however, they did provide guidelines on whether the existing pounds fall into the normal, underweight or obese ranges.

It’s a good game and a great start for folks who are motivated enough to pull out that board almost every day – those that enjoy getting updates and accolades on the progress being made.

Those who prefer “dance battles” and fun games to shape up would be well served by using Just Dance 4 on xBox 360 with the Kinect sensor to get their groove on without worrying about structured weight loss efforts. Also, games like Sports Champions 2 that use the PlayStation Move technology have gotten rave reviews.

Weight Loss Apps for Days

Don’t discount the smartphone attached to your palm when it comes to finding fun weight loss games. When we think about the kind of apps we can download on our smartphones to encourage weight loss, perhaps calorie-counting apps like my favorite “My Fitness Pal” come to mind. However, there are games in the iTunes App Store that can also help us play our way to pound-loss. The “Eat This, Not That” app is a popular game that has a large number of reviews.

To find others, check out the “Health & Fitness” category on the iTunes App Store. That way, you’ll uncover everything from classes and trainer-type of apps to yoga and even 7-minute workouts. Some, like the “Gorilla Workout by Hecklr LLC” might really make you laugh, and lose weight while you’re having a good time.