Bored of hitting the gym? Love the fresh air but don't have a running track in a concrete city? Phorum Dalal finds out four different fitness programmes, held at open spaces across Mumbai
If the only excuse that is keeping you from waking up half an hour early for a workout is sleep, here’s the inspiration and motivation you need. To kill that inner voice that let’s you snooze a couple of times, take a fancy to a fitness group that will not only help you regularly get out of bed, but also make you look forward to working out with like-minded mates. Take your pick:
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Tai Chi
Sensei Sandeep Desai has been helping fitness enthusiasts tap positive energy for the past 17 years. He conducts Tai Chi classes at the Juhu Beach, Carter Road, Andheri and other locations. “Tai chi is for beginners and advanced level practitioners. When practiced in a group, the combined energy of the class rubs off on each individual. “The group practice gives you an opportunity to observe the timing of other people's movement and also the way they utilise their space,” says Desai.
Benefits
>> Improves physical ability
>> Helps you calm down
>> Strengthens organs and bones
Contact: taichiindia@hotmail.com
Aerobics and running
Marathon mania hit Mumbai in 2004, and by 2006, Praful Uchil and Deepak Londhe founded Striders, which offers fitness classes through outdoor training. Students work out at Navi Mumbai, Powai and western suburbs such as Andheri and Bandra. It also includes weight training, stretching and core strengthening. The classes start with a warm-up run of about 3.5 to 5 km, and then move to either abdomen and back strengthening exercises or speed endurance, using medicine balls and resistance exercise bands.
Benefits
>> Fun workouts
>> Overall improvement of fitness and stamina
>> Team-building
Contact: praful@striders.in
Bodyweight training
Thirty-eight-year-old Niranjan Singh has recently started this training programme along with a few colleagues — offering personal fitness classes. A certified trainer from Gold’s Gym, Singh has designed a circuit-training workout, which involves using your own body weight, bands and lightweights. He charges R3,000 for three training sessions in a week. The best part? He conducts his sessions inside the Borivli National Park as well as, at beaches and parks around Mumbai.
Benefits
>> Open air training
>> Relatively low on risk, can be replicated at home
Contact: 9930885915 or
email info@fitforlife.in
Capoeira
Salonee Gadgil and Sandhan Chowdhury run Capoeira Fitness Mumbai at Andheri. The classes, open to both adults and teenagers, is a Brazilian martial art form. Capoeira masquerades as a harmless dance, which is playful, non-violent and deeply rooted in Brazilian culture. Students kick, jump, squat and do cartwheels, while moving to the rhythm of music.
Benefits
>> The music keeps you going
>> Helps develop a sense of mutual respect
>> Loosens tightened knots
Contact: 9820566649, 9820997042 or
email saloneegadgil@gmail.com
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