The Wii Fit craze seems to be taking over, but how much exercise can we really get from a video game?

Sharifa Coover has one very happy reason behind her incentive for buying a Wii Fit. "I got it after I had a baby, this baby, last year. I just felt so overweight and I didn't want to go back to the gym right away."

So every day, exercise included time with a Nintendo Wii Fit. "It weighs you every day so I knew what my weight was, so I was watching my diet, all the sudden a little better and just doing the exercises, it kept me in check."

From balancing to hula hoping, boxing and stepping, Sharifa developed a daily routine. "I think the first week I did it I lost five pounds because I had been doing nothing."

"It is beneficial, especially for people who are new to fitness, people who are maybe afraid to go to the gym to work out in front of a bunch of people or don't know what they're doing, people who are significantly overweight and they're just intimidated by it and they don't feel comfortable,” says personal trainer Katie Kottman.

Channel 6 News asked her to evaluate some of the Wii workouts picked by Sharifa, like balancing. "I think that it's great for finding your center of gravity, for finding your balance of coordination,” says Kottman, who believes those are some of the best benefits the Wii Fit offers.

It's not much for cardio when it comes to stepping. “Your heart rate may get up a little bit, but I've never seen it to the point where your heart's actually getting up high enough that you're going to get that great of a workout out of it."

Does the boxing program deliver? "Definitely an arm workout, especially up through your shoulders and your upper back."

While the Wii Fit does deliver some workout benefits, Kottman also has a few warnings. Don't go by the Wii's BMI (body mass index). It can be misleading. Also, the Wii won't tell you if you're using bad form which can lead to injuries.

"I wouldn't replace a gym membership or the outdoors traditional workout," says Kottman.

Channel 6 News also asked a Nebraska Medical Center cardiologist his opinion on the Wii Fit. Dr. Dan Anderson says any exercise is better than no exercise.

"Essentially what I always tell my patients is exercise is an essential part of cardiovascular health. In there, we like to see people do 30 minutes of exercise a day."

Dr. Anderson says hopefully time on a Wii Fit will eventually lead to even more activity for the user.