These are not mutually exclusive.

As with anything, the Wii Fit is a tool. Most people buy exercise equipment and never use it.

My kids play with the balance board and love it. I've been an owner since it's release and have used it in my workout program three days a week since owning it.

Oh... and I've used it in other games as well. I love it...
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We own a Wii Fit. I'd say it's a good value if you already own a Wii, but probably not if you're going to buy a Wii just for the Wii Fit.

The Wii Fit balance board can give you feedback about your exercise that no personal trainer can (and I've had some great personal trainers) ... which foot you're placing more weight on, if your center of balance is slightly off, and how your balance is while doing strength training or yoga moves.

I know people who use it daily, though I'm not one of them. However, most people don't exercise at all, and the Wii Fit will definitely get you moving *more* than, say, deciding to start running. It's fun, has great stats, and I'm definitely glad we own one.
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I am not a daily user, especially seeing as i am 9 months pregnant (coordination and balance are not my strengths right now!) but we've had it for a while and would agree with both the other answers and would like to add that there are a number of different activities included and some of them are definitely more active than others. I doubt you will be losing much weight trying to walk the tight rope across the buildings, but you can definitely get your heart rate up by running. And have you tried the hula hoops?? talk about workout, lol!!

Anyway my point was that one of the most important factors in |losing weight and maintaining weight is to get a lot of cardio in. An important factor in working out for these reasons is getting your heart rate up and sustaining it during your workout and there are definitely activities on the wii fit that can help you achieve this. (besides, some activity is better than none at all, and (imho) i think that's what Nintendo was going for with this product)
Source(s):
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0846/is_7_24/ai_n13606403/pg_1?tag=c... read the bit on target heart rate

"One persistent myth about exercising to lose weight is that low-intensity exercise--working at less than 55 percent of your maximum heart rate--is the best way to burn fat. While your body is burning a greater percentage of calories from fat when your heart rate is lower, the overall number of calories you expend during a workout is what counts. In fact, some scientists believe exercising harder burns more calories both on the treadmill and off. A study in the journal Metabolism-Clinical and Experimental suggests post-workout burn lasts three times longer (up to 10 1/2 hours!) for those who work out at 75 percent of their maximum heart rate than for those who coast at 50 percent."

http://exercise.about.com/cs/cardioworkouts/l/aa022601a.htm

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I absolutely do not recommend buying Wii Fit. I actually did an in-depth feature reviewing all kinds of fitness games for the site, Green Pixels. I've linked my review of Wii Fit below.

For the Wii, My Fitness Coach is a much better product for getting a real workout and it only costs half as much. Wii Fit is extremely gimmicky and is focused way too much on the balance board peripheral rather than giving you a good workout.
Source(s):
http://www.greenpixels.com/articles/features/2129/Can-Fitness-Games-Really-...

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At first it appears to be a good deal, however the novelty wears out quickly....and before you know it the Wii Fit board is sitting under your bed collecting dust.(which is what ours is doing)
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Wii fit = Fail
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I think it's a great deal. In my house, my kids love to play with it and I'm glad that they can get some exercise while playing a video game. The Wii is great for rainy days when they can't get out and play. I've used it myself and had a ball. I've done the ski jumping and it was a total blast. In my opinion, not a waste of money at all.
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