The new fitness mantra: Gymming and Zumba dance to complement Yoga

“Who is your life partner or partner for life?” asks a gym instructor dramatically before going on to complete his point, “Husband? Wife? Children? Well, it is your body. It stays with us all through our lives. And we need to take good care of it.”

Long working hours, increasing stress and competition are driving the professionals and the middle class to explore the perfect fitness mantra as the market witnesses an expansion of gyms. Medical leave because you are not feeling well is no longer available and is held against employees. And employers, keen to ensure higher productivity, encourage employees to be physically, mentally and emotionally fit.

Fad or not, the proliferation of gyms cater to a felt need, point out experts. Even non-working women and housewives are flocking to gyms, they point out. One of them, Ritu Singh, a housewife says, "I hit the gym five days a week for about two hours. I indulge in all types of routine gym exercises ranging from cross workout, cardio, & weight training.”

The trend, not surprisingly, has been accompanied by the growth of stores dealing in appropriate apparel. Satpal Goyal, a shopkeeper in East Delhi's Madhu Vihar claims to be selling 2-3 sets of clothing every day. The starting price for gym clothes, he says, is Rs 850."

While Yoga and meditation are popular, gym instructors insist that ‘ Gymming’ is not just about developing muscles and the body. It is about challenging yourself to pick up heavier weights, about going through innumerable days of sore muscles and still not giving up.

Those who do not give up, they emphasise, develop an attitude of resilience and persistence which comes handy in facing challenges in life. Yoga and meditation on the other hand bring peace, tranquillity and balance. While Gymming is synonymous with action, yoga and meditation are about finding harmony in silence. Thus, the two are equally important for holistic fitness.

Two main aspects on which gyms focus upon are cardio exercises, which involves treadmill and strength training involving lifting weights. Apart from cardio and strength training, modern day gyms also prescribe a strict diet regimen which needs to be followed.

Ashish Tiwari, a trainee at Trinity Gym in NOIDA says, "Heavy weight exercises are a must in the Gym culture because of which trainees are prescribed a balanced protein and fat diet to build body muscles as healthy muscles are related directly to body’s mobility.

Gyms, trainers say, have also evolved and kept pace with changes. New and different forms of exercises have been included like the Zumba dance. Zumba was invented by Colombian dancer and choreographer, Alberto "Beto" Perez during 1990s. Aerobic dance, Jazz contemporary, Hip-hop, Belly dance and Salsa have also enriched Gyms with their kinetics.

These dance forms are so much energy consuming that people are increasingly joining these dances for fine tuning their body and losing weight.

It is believed that these kinetic dances also help in overcoming the bouts of depression and anxiety. Psychiatrics are increasingly beginning to recommend these dances to their patients as aids for curing low feelings, loneliness and anxiety.

Nazir Anwar, the Director of Delhi Dance Academy in South Delhi which runs many centres in the area says, "Every dance form is unique. However, Zumba dance is best suited for losing weight. Every month at least 300-400 students

join Zumba. Students undergo a graded training regimen from basics to higher stages. We charge ₹2500 to ₹4000 per student for Zumba dance."

As per a study conducted by the Harvard Medical School exercises likes strengthening, stretching, balance and aerobic exercises would keep a person active and energetic at all times. Aerobic exercises increase our heart rate and the ability to breathe deep. Strength training builds the muscle mass. In addition to this, it also stimulates the density of bone tissues, lowers blood sugar, assists weight control, improves balance and posture and reduces stress and pain in lower back and joints.

Squat exercise is essential for toning down the lower parts of the body, especially the legs. Stretching helps to maintain body's flexibility.

In addition to protein and fat rich diet, a lot of stress is laid on fruit diet. Minimising junk food has also become a new motto in these fitness centres as increasing consumption of junk food is believed to be the major reason for weight gain and obesity in urban youths.

Many people these days only eat fruits, especially in breakfast which is increasingly becoming a norm. The formulation of diet charts has become an essential task and due to this, the dietician has emerged as a job in demand.

Data published on collegegrad.com (an entry level job site) claim that 30 percent of nutritionists are employed in hospitals, 14 percent in the government sector, 10 percent in outpatient care centres, 9 percent in nursing and residential care facilities and 6 percent self-employed.

Despite being home to Yoga, as per the World Happiness Index of 2018 released by UN's Sustainable Development Solutions Network, India is ranked 133rd out of 156 countries and the sad part is that it is even behind countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan.