A health club in Canada is offering people bored with treadmills or cycling classes the Wii Workout Station.

Using the Nintendo Wii, Studio 55 in Vancouver has incorporated the new console into circuit training where users can punch, run and jump with the system's movement-sensitive controller.

A spokesman for Nintendo Canada said this is the first they have heard of a gym using the Wii in its schedule rather than just relying on bored fitness fanatics playing consoles while they work out.

"We're always trying to break down paradigms and keep things fresh. It's used here to break up the monotony of traditional work outs," Nathan Mellalieu, the owner of Studeo 55, told Reuters.

The console is set up in a 400-square-foot theatre room with a large projection screen. Clients are encouraged to use Wii as part of circuit training, warm-up or cool-down.

According to the club's owner, Nathan Mellalieu, one session of Wii boxing, tennis or bowling provides the athletic equivalent of going for a brisk walk - burning anywhere from 75 to 125 calories, depending on the person's size and activity level.

Nintendo seeing the fitness benefits of the console have recently announced gaming accessory, the Wii Fit, a balancing bored designed to allow users to exercise using the console. The new accessory is expected to be launched next year.
Meanwhile, a study conducted by Liverpool John Moores University found that regular use of the console could burn up to 1,830 calories a per week.