Home is where the gym is

Fit as a fiddle is the new mantra with Bollywood stars and industrialists today. The Ambanis, Birlas and Ruias all have gyms at home. Even business professionals are buying homes with installed gyms. A home gym offers physical, mental and emotional stability, while addressing chronic health issues. Also, it is ideal for people with irregular working hours.
For more than a decade now, actor Suneil Shetty has been working out in a gym in his apartment. “I spend at least an hour, five days a week in my gym. My entire weight training helps me keep fit. When I am travelling or at a shooting location, I like to cycle or run. Mostly, I stay in hotels which have gyms.”
Geetanjali Kirloskar finds her home gym very convenient. “I can use it when I come home from work. Also, I can follow the exercise routine most suitable to me. My instructor comes home.”
Geetanjali’s hectic work and life schedule requires multi-tasking. “I have realised it is critical to be in good health and stay fit. I follow a regular fitness routine, eat enough greens, fruits, salads and fresh juices and keep dinner light.”
For Yash Birla, physical fitness is also the basis of creative intellectual activity. “I don’t agree that spending huge bucks on fitness regimes is enough. Consistency and dedication, along with the right diet, can get desired results,” he says.
Holistic health guru Mickey Mehta, feels, “If you visit a gym outside the home, you may not land up going 3-4 days a week. But if there is a gym installed at home, you would end up gym-ing six days a week.”
According to fitness trainer Jeevan Aujla, “Circuit training is one of the best ways to stay fit as it is the perfect way to ensure a wellrounded training session.”
The fitness equipment industry in India is witnessing a significant growth as Indians become fitness-conscious. However, Dr Dilip Nadkarni, sports injury specialist, is cautious, “Many home gyms, bought with great gusto and enthusiasm, end up as hanging devices for wet clothes. Come New Year, fitness resolutions are made. Exercise cycles, cross-trainers, ab crunchers are bought. Often, people have poor knowledge of exercise techniques and land up with injuries.”
But virtually no celebrity exercises alone. They usually have a personal trainer. “A person with an inherent passion for fitness, who engages a personal trainer, benefits from these home gyms. A personal trainer ensures correct form and technique and keeps up the motivational levels to exercise at home,” says Dr Nadkarni.
What makes a home gym?
Dumbbells and bars: These are designed for the forearms, upper arms and shoulder and chest muscles. They support biceps and triceps.
Exercise bikes: They help develop calve muscles and that of the ankles and toes.
Elliptical trainers: They make your feet move in an elliptical stepping movement. They are gentle on the knees and joints.
Treadmills: They help you follow dedicated walking exercises.
Abdominal exercise equipment: These come pre-fitted with monitoring systems, which help measure the calories burned and the time spent on each abdominal exercise.