USING EXERCISE EQUIPMENT REQUIRES MORE THAN PHYSICAL EXERTION

MANHATTAN -- Christmas is over. New Year's resolutions are almost forgotten. That shiny, expensive piece of exercise equipment that was so cool Christmas Day now sports clothes on hangers.

What's it going to take to keep that promise to exercise?

David Dzewaltowski, associate professor of kinesiology at Kansas State University, said the basic problem with inexpensive home gym equipment is that it isn't very good.

"People learn very quickly that something is uncomfortable or jerky or not very much fun to do. Yes, it's convenient to workout in your home. But if you aren't having a positive experience, then you won't keep it up," Dzewaltowski said.

Dzewaltowski suggests making a large investment in home equipment or forget about exercising at home. In the cold weather, head for a mall, indoor track or fitness center for that winter workout, he said.

"Try a variety of different activities," he said. "If you try all things, you'll get the best of all things. We call it cross training. It can keep you from getting bored with exercising."

Dzewaltowski's research shows people need an immediate reward from exercise or they won't keep it up. The two central rewards are social interaction and competition.

"Showing up at a fitness center is 30 minutes of exercise but it's also like going to lunch. You see friends, you talk to people. It's a pick up physically and mentally," he said.

"If you crave competition, then some people are better off with a lunchtime basketball game," he said. "The thing is you have to think of exercise as play rather than work. If you think of it as a structured experience, then chances are you will have a problem staying motivated."

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February 1996