A recent study from the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Tokyo suggests the Nintendo's Wii Fit offers the same vigorous exercise as outdoor (non-video-game) exercise.
Funded by Nintendo, this study has echoed across the Internet, bolstering arguments by Wii enthusiasts who have long held their wireless fun is not just entertainment -- it's busting calories.
Nintendo, also based in Japan, funded the study amid dropping profit margins over the past year, as the company seek to expand the Wii market segment from young boys to mothers and families.
One American fitness study offers a different report.
"It's a very, very mild workout," experts at the American Council on Exercise (ACE) said of the Nintendo system in a recent study.
The ACE experts say Wii Fit is not a substitute for a primary exercise routine -- but that it can be an entry point to exercise. And for many people it's a whole lot easier to keep up with the Wii Fit than to join -- and commit to going to -- a gym. Think of Wii Fit as your starter home gym.
For home fitness with a bit of entertainment, get Wii Fit.
by: By Z. Padmore
eHow Contributing Writer