Welcome to the world of virtual exercise, where you can ski without snow, row without water, and lift heavy objects without fear of dropping them on yourself. It's a high-tech world filled with rowing machines, ski machines and other gizmos manufactured by an ever-growing fitness products industry that had sales of $1.6 billion in 1992, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. Millions of Americans are sweating it out on equipment set up in their home; millions more get their exercise just by shopping for expensive pieces of equipment, carting them home and setting them up. For those millions, that's where the benefits of their purchases end. No one knows the exact numbers _ having exercise equipment at home but not using it is a shameful secret _ but many owners of stair machines, or ski machines, or weight sets have found them perfectly fine places to hang plants. Let's face it. Working out is just that _ working. It takes time and effort. Working out at home on your own equipment takes even more dedication, and that is why there are so many plant hangers that resemble stair machines. Experts suggest that, before you buy, you should consider your goals and your physical restrictions, and think about how you will stay motivated enough to exercise at home. If you do decide to buy, spend some time shopping and consider price and which type of equipment can best suit your needs. Most important, however, is deciding whether you are ready to stick with a home fitness program. ``The hardest part is getting started,'' says Jeff Reinardy, weight room coordinator-assistant at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. ``People get frustrated when they find out it's work _ that they just can't have (the piece of equipment) sitting in their living room and lose weight.'' Reinardy, who works with a variety of Olympic-quality athletes at the center, suggests a cheap, easy way to begin a home-exercise regimen before making a big equipment purchase. ``Walk. It forces you to commit to exercise, and it doesn't cost anything. As soon as you find you like that, move up to something else.'' When you're ready for that next step, how do you know what to buy? The price range and variety of equipment available can be overwhelming. Basically, the more gizmos, the more money. Consider not only your bank account, but also your particular desires. Strength-training machines (free-standing weight machines) run from a few hundred dollars to thousands. So do treadmills, stationary bikes and cross-country ski machines. Plastic steps, used to bring the popular concept of step aerobics into the home, also vary, from under $20 to nearly $100. There are elastic or rubber cables, used to target specific muscles; rubber balls to exercise hand and wrist muscles; tension devices to work stomachs or legs (think Thigh Master); free weights, dumbbells and weighted jump ropes. In an article in Women's Sports and Fitness, author Jay Shafran suggests examining different types of home equipment before buying. Whatever you buy, whatever you spend, Shafran recommends buying beyond your workout level, so you won't progress beyond what the equipment has to offer and become bored and undertrained. Once you've decided what to buy, examine the equipment closely. For consumers who purchase cheaply made equipment, exhaustion can be paired with frustration over machines that squeak or pull or grind, have parts that don't work, or screws that work their way loose. Whether to drop a hundred dollars or a thousand on a stationary bike; whether to buy a plastic step for $49.95 or pound one out of a 2-by-4 and nails _ how much to spend is a personal decision. But in home exercise equipment, the old adage generally applies: you get what you pay for. Ray Burget, retail sales manager at Fitness Systems Inc., believes buying good equipment is the first step toward a satisfying home exercise routine. ``That's the first thing you can do to help take away the stress.'' It's wise for people to consider their physical limitations and personal goals, says Bill Allerheiligen, director of education for the National Strength and Conditioning Association, based in Colorado Springs. ``There are four types of people who exercise _ the competitive athlete, the competitive exerciser, the person interested in fitness and the person interested in health.'' All four types use the same training principles, says Allerheiligen. ``But the volume and intensity vary. Only after they decide their goals can they design their program, and they should only do that after consulting their physician.'' Many consumers believe that the mere purchase of a piece of home equipment will be motivation enough to make them keep using it, but they fail to consider the time factor. In ``Tracking the Fitness Movement,'' a publication of the Fitness Products Council of the Sporting Goods Manufacturers' Association, 43 percent of survey respondents listed time constraints as a major reason they don't exercise. To figure out how to sandwich a regular exercise time into your daily routine, Burget suggests that ``when you get your new equipment home and set up, don't do a workout right away.'' Instead, he says, ``put your piece of equipment in front of the TV, and just play with it.'' ``For example, watch TV while you walk slowly on the treadmill. Try that every other day for 30 minutes, until you figure out the time factor.'' Great motivators, Burget says, are electronic heart monitors or other high-tech gadgets that help gauge exercise levels and offer feedback. But some people can't be motivated by all the gadgets in the world. For them, Allerheiligen has this advice: ``Find something you enjoy doing. ... What you choose has to be right for you.''
