Are you in or are you out?

It's the gym versus the outdoors. We checked in with fitness experts and enthusiasts to find out the best route to fitness, so that you don't sweat the small stuff

Are you in or are you out?

It's the gym versus the outdoors. We checked in with fitness experts and enthusiasts to find out the best route to fitness, so that you don't sweat the small stuff

Does it make more sense to lug your already reluctant behind inside the sterile interiors of a gym or should you head to the 'great outdoors' and fill your lungs with that imagined commodity: 'fresh' air?

Dheepesh Bhatt, proprietor, CrossFit Om says that the answer will depend entirely on your fitness goals. "If one's idea of fitness is to look good on screen, a billboard, or stage, then one definitely needs to be inside the gym, as it (the equipment) allows one to isolate a particular muscle and provide one with the desired results to look good," he says, adding that this is because the conventional idea of fitness is centered on 'body-building'. "However if your goal is to run faster, jump higher or be 'fit', then you definitely don't need machines."

Yoga instructor Kasia Shahi agrees. "Nothing can substitute a walk on the beach or in the forest. The outdoors provide one with more freedom," she says. She admits however that the idea of walking along a beach or a forest might be a far cry from the reality of congested streets and rising levels of pollution in Mumbai. "It is tough. Even parks are congested. The best option is to practice yoga at home or inside a centre. The body doesn't need to lift more than its own weight, so working with your own body weight is sufficient."

Fit ya miss?
Dheepesh says that of the 10 elements that constitute fitness: cardio endurance, muscular endurance, strength, stamina, speed, power, balance, flexibility, coordination, agility and accuracy, only power requires an indoor facility. "This is because one needs weights to achieve that goal," he explains.

The primary incentive for occasional football player Clint Cabral to get a workout is the chance to catch up with friends. "The outdoors breaks the monotony of the gym, because no matter what you do, it (the gym) will get monotonous. When you're playing a sport with people you know it adds a lot more to the game," says Clint, who handles business development for a company.

Dheepesh agrees that working out with a group can boost motivation levels and encourage an individual to stick with a fitness regime. "Signing up for a yoga, kick-boxing or spinning class has a fun factor. It provides the opportunity to meet new people, and at the same time to work under the guidance of an instructor," he says, adding that ultimately discipline can only come from within.

But whether you choose the indoors or the outdoors, it's best not to give up on fitness. As Dheepesh says, "Something is better than nothing."