you don’t have to drag yourself to the gym everyday anymore, thanks to websites that offer you customised training modules.
A young fitness enthusiast Shruti Shekhar, a Montessori teacher in Kolkata, keeps aside an hour every morning for her workout. Recently though, the neighbourhood gym she frequents hiked its fee. With personal trainers becoming increasingly unaffordable, and the park next door way too noisy for a peaceful workout, Shekhar decided to log on to the Internet instead. She browsed through videos, downloaded workout plans and jotted down delicious low-fat recipes — all in the name of virtual fitness.
What is available?
Internet workouts have been around for a while now. However, full-fledged online business initiatives have mushroomed recently, and are increasingly becoming popular with the net-savvy. Some of the more popular fitness websites such as virtualfitnesstrainer.com and onlinefitness.com, typically offer online exercise regimens, diet plans and recipes, fitness newsletters, tips on equipment, supplements and vitamins, and access to ebooks on fitness. At first, you could try their trial membership that lasts 15 to 30 days, which also provides video demonstrations. If you decide to apply for a full membership, what you get are customised exercise regimens and diet plans, video and audio downloads of seminars from experts and yoga classes. A personal trainer will check in with you online to mark your progress. Online fitness packages are also encouraging customers to maintain a fitness blog, where experts can review and offer suggestions on the daily regimen and diet vis-a-vis results.
However, if you are looking for more intensive courses, portals such as onlinefitness.com also offer professional certification packages — a weight training course they offer would be more beneficial if you have some weight training experience. They also have a personal training programme, and a group training programme. Part of the deal, apart from the course, is a manual and access to instructional videos.
Is it free?
The first few lessons are usually free on most websites, like taking a 15-day trial at a gym. This entails an 8/16/30 day workout regimen, diet plan and exercise instructions. If you happen to warm up to the concept of online fitness, full membership courses cost anywhere between Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 for a three-month course to Rs 8,000 for a certification training course spread over several months.
So is it cheaper than going to the gym or hiring a personal trainer?
It’s a relatively new concept in the fitness world, as is the concept of working out with the help of gizmo fitness equipment such as Wii Fit. Wii Fit is popular and fun, but will it work in the long run? It’s too early to tell. But if one looks at it purely from the point of view of money, online packages are certainly cheaper considering you would pay anywhere between Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 per month at a gym and Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000 per month for a personal trainer. However, online courses can also be utilised combined with a gym/home workout.
How effective is it?
If you hear it from those who have tried it, the opinion is divided. Professor of French at Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, Kamalini Natesan, swears by the gym after years of trying every diet and exercise regimen in the book. “But online fitness courses are useful when one has no time. I know a lot of ‘fat people’ who try these packages seeking guidance to eating right, and losing weight at the same time. Virtual fitness has opened up avenues for healthy living given the fact that life has changed so drastically. There’s been a historic revolution in the workplace, with too many people having to work long shifts. The Net, in such cases, is a great way to find resources to help lead a healthier life,” says Natesan. There is a flipside to it. She points out, “Spending too much time on the Net defeats the purpose of good health. But then again, on the web we seem to have everything quite literally at our fingertips.”
Will virtual fitness suit your lifestyle?
Yes, if you spend a chunk of your time at home and are net-savvy. High-speed Internet is required to view exercise demonstrations. The success rate will depend significantly on your motivation levels and sense of discipline.
