With the festive season behind them, fitness enthusiasts are finding newer ways to get back into shape.
While many are hitting the gym to lose the extra pounds they gained over Diwali, some fitness enthusiasts in the city have taken up unconventional work-outs and activities to get back into shape.
“I took up dancing because while the music and choreography makes it (the exercise) lively, the workout helps me build body strength.
In the bargain it helps me stay fit,” says Shibani Moorjani, a young professional. Moorjani attends Jazz Funk classes at Bandra’s Split Sole Dance Academy (SSDA) twice a week after office.
Jazz, as a dance form, relies on technique while hip hop adds the element of fun. SSDA has classes at the beginners, basic elementary and elementary levels for its 100-odd students.
Company member at SSDA, Mrigakshi Jaiswal, elaborates, “We follow the universal jazz workout at the beginning of each class which focusses on strengthening the core, back, hamstrings and neck muscles. This helps our students to increase their strength and ability.”
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Aqua aerobics specialist Deepali Jain understands that some women above the age of 40 may be unable to join dance classes owing to health problems. That is where Aqualates — a challenging water aerobic workout based on the same principles as Pilates — comes in.
“Pilates is known to be a good weight-loss method. However, when the same work-out is done in water, you are likely to burn up to 700 calories an hour,” says Jain. “Aqualates is a zero impact exercise, making it ideal for people who have had surgeries or even for expecting mothers,” she adds.
People between the age of nine and 84 visit Jain’s centres in South Mumbai. According to preferences and goals, one can work with any of the 20 different equipments ranging from aqua mitts, aqua ankle-weights to aqua kickboxing gloves.
Many choose to retain the fun element in dance and opt for a more vigorous dance form. Parikshit Sadh’s Capoeira classes at Prabhadevi, Juhu, Khar and Versova provide just that.
“Capoeira started when Portuguese sailors took African slaves to Brazil… the slaves sang and danced to disguise their martial arts,” feels Sadh who trained under Reza Massah in 2005. Though he describes it as the only non-violent form of martial arts, it may be used lethally when required. “It is a mix of self-defence and exercise. As part of the training, students also learn Portuguese and pick up different instruments like the tambourine, conga drums and berimbau,”he adds.
Nutritionist Renata Pavrey chooses to be fit not just by eating healthy but also by adding fitness training to her daily routine – she takes Capoeira and Muay Thai classes twice and thrice a week respectively. “The Muay Thai classes involve regular fitness training followed by combat training,” she informs. “Regular boot camps also help in practising self-defence and help people without any martial arts training.”
This Thai combat sport focusses on striking your opponent with punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes. Since Muay Thai uses eight points of contact as against the two points in traditional karate, it strengthens more muscles.
“Muay Thai was used as a battlefield skill by Thai soldiers. But since then it has come to be practised as a sport. However, we don’t follow a regimented style... it is suitable for all age groups, for both men and women,” adds Amit Lalwani, founder, Amit Lalwani’s Muay Thai Academy.
