Pumping Your Way to Better Health

“Health is wealth” might be a cliché. But, residents of the twin cities are increasingly realizing the importance of physical fitness for good all-round health.

Weights, aerobics, cardiovascular exercises, endurance and flexibility workouts etc. are gaining acceptance with all sections of people, including working executives.

“It’s no longer a lifestyle of the rich and famous,” says Dinaz Vervatwala, who owns aerobics studio for ladies called Dinaz’s. “Now, even extremely conservative Marwari and Muslim women are enrolling in fitness centers,” she adds.

Chandrasekhar Reddy, a personal instructor, who earlier worked with the Country Club, agrees: “After Mumbai and Delhi, the next place to make a fitness statement in India will be Hyderabad. People here are getting more fitness-conscious.”

Corporates, too, are realizing the need for physical fitness among employees. Working executives are participating in fitness programs either at office, home or gyms.

B. Chandra Reddy, owner, Body Flex Gym, says thanks to pollution, falling standards of diet and irregular lifestyle, fitness programs have become a must for working executives. More than a hundred working executives, from all sectors – government, public and private – come to his center, he says.

But, not everyone has time to visit a fitness center. Deepak Kuriakose, Associate Consultant at Karvy, for instance, follows a 45-minute weights and stretching schedule in the mornings at home. “When in college, I used to frequent gym, but now there’s less time.”

P.G. Hari Hara Prasad, working with ICICI Ltd., agrees. Prasad, who does weights and push-ups in evenings, adds: “It helps me combat problems arising out of irregular dietary habits, and overcome stress.”

A healthy employee contributes to a healthy bottomline. Corporates are, therefore, setting up mini gyms and fitness equipment in offices, or calling over physical instructors.

Satyam, for example, has a gymnasium at the technology center in Bahadurpally, while D.E. Shaw has tied up with Dinaz’s Corporate Wellness Program.

Apollo Hospitals also has a “Wellness Center” for its doctors and executives. S. Nadeemuddin, executive, says it’s currently open only to staff, but could soon be open for outsiders.

A.V.R. Venkatesha, COO of Tanning Technology India Pvt Ltd, who follows a treadmill routine in the mornings, says he’s planning to provide fitness equipment in the office once they move into a permanent set up.

“Physical training enhances productivity of employees. It’s a win-win situation for company and employees,” he adds.

The city has plenty of fitness trainers and centers to choose from. But, not all are professionally qualified.

However, there’s no reason to worry. The fitness-savvy city will soon be able to train under professionally certified trainers.

Reebok has brought to town a certification program for instructors, developed by the Reebok University.

The 10-week program ends this week. Radha Krishnaswamy, India’s first Reebok Master Trainer, will be in town to certify the instructors. Krishnaswamy and Ruth Croeser, also a Reebok Master Trainer, will also be conducting a workshop on flexible strength.

But, Hyderabad has still a long way to go. Like Zareer Patel of Silhoutte, says, there is still a need for “an ongoing and longer-term training process for instructors, with exposure to a variety of knowledge on fitness.”