Glenda McCormic gets rid of stress working out on exercise equipment in an upstairs sitting room.
"I have to exercise to relieve tension," said the co-owner of McCormick-Eubanks Interior Design in Memphis, Tenn. "In the type business I'm in I have to be up - I have to be creative."At least three times a week she has a 45-minute workout on a weight-training system. Four times a week she walks at a brisk pace on a treadmill. "When I don't keep it up, I feel sluggish," she said. "Exercising makes me more effective at work and makes me feel better about myself."
Ms. McCormick is among the growing number of fitness buffs who exercise at home.
According to the Commerce Department's Industrial Outlook 1989, sales of exercise and gymnastic equipment in 1988 is estimated at $751 million, compared with $746 million in 1987.
"Physical fitness is no longer a fad, but a lifestyle, pointing to continued growth in future sales of exercise equipment," the report said.
Forbes magazine called home exercise equipment that sells for more than $400 "the fastest-growing segment of the $750 million fitness industry today." The magazine reported that most of the customers are 25 to 54 years old, exercise at least three times a week and typically earn $35,000 a year or more.
"People used to have a sunroom; now that room has become an exercise room," said merchant Richard Mercer. "The home product is the main part of my business, about 55 to 60 percent."
Convenience is one important factor in the popularity of home exercise equipment, Mercer said.
"People don't need to be out exercising in the extreme weather," he said. "And with their busy schedules they might not always find a spa that's open at a time convenient for them. Or they may have to wait to use the equipment."
Walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike are just as beneficial to the heart as walking outdoors or riding a bike, said Dr. Arthur Sutherland, a cardiologist.
"You're doing the same amount of work," he said. "Walking three miles on a treadmill is the same as walking three miles outside. The advantage of something like the treadmill is that you have control of the environment."
He doesn't prescribe one particular type of aerobic exercise. "People have different talents," he said. "Some might not be able to walk because of orthopedic problems. They can use a stationary bike and still get the aerobic benefits."
Ms. McCormick has been running for 12 years. "But I often work until 8 at night and can't come home and run by myself after dark," she said. She usually works out with weights in the evening and walks on the treadmill in the morning before work.
Her 5-year-old daughter, Alex, often is in the room when she works out. "She'll watch TV or color and we'll visit," Ms. McCormick said. Walking on the treadmill in the early morning is a good time to collect her thoughts and plan her day, she said.
Many other people consider exercise time a family time, Mercer said. "One customer put his home gym right in the den. When I asked him why, he said that's where the family gathers. Sometimes exercise time is the only time families get together to chat."
A popular piece of equipment is the compact home gym called the Weight Mate, which sells for $897, said Diane Gates, a consultant at Super Store Inc.
"You can do more than 100 exercises on it and work various parts of your body - shoulders and chest, middle back, legs." Th machine takes up an area about 6 by 4 feet and comes with a one-hour videotape workout.
Larger home gyms, popular because of their multiple exercises, start at about $2,000 and go up to $7,000.
"The most popular piece of equipment out now is the climber," Ms. Gates said. "Women like it for the work it does on the rear end and the legs."
The machine's effect is like climbing stairs. It's priced from $300 to $3,000 for computerized models. The more sophisticated models show the calories burned and the total feet climbed. They can be regulated for a mountain climb, aerobic climb, pinnacle climb and downhill climb.
"The treadmill is one of the most recommended pieces of equipment there is," said Ms. Gates. "People's muscles are already in shape for walking."
Treadmills generally retail for $900 to $4,500.
Long a favorite, the exercise bike is still a winner, Ms. Gates said. One model that sells for $687 has a fan in the front wheel to keep the biker cool. The price range for bikes is $350 to $3,500.