At home with fitness

Rahul Agnihotri,a businessman,cites other reasons for converting his guest room into an exercise room. “The wait for the treadmill at the gym,the feel of someoneelse’s perspiration on the stomach crunching apparatus and the odour of the locker room put me off public gyms and I decided to opt for my own space,” he says,adding he revamped the area last year.

It’s just not gyms that are finding their way to city homes. Facilities for sports activities like swimming and table tennis too are high on the priority list of the fashionable homes. “If space permits,swimming pools are among the first things that people ask to be included in the plan,” says architect-planner Archana Chaudhary. While a sauna and jacuzzi come complimentary,the endeavour at most houses is to have one that is all-weather and planned indoors. “Sandwiched between children’s studies,managing the home and in-laws,this one’s my own private retreat. While,it’s my area of relaxation,it keeps me fit as well,” says Poonam Sharma,a housewife,who feels that with a work-out area at home,people are more likely to stick to an exercise program.

With sporting arenas gaining popularity,“my activity room is like a playroom for grown-ups. It has table tennis,a yoga corner and few dumbbells,” says Sunaina Mehta,a BA final year student of Government College for Girls,who says that she did not have to spend much on the room. “All the equipment is priced reasonably and basement provides for the space,” she points out.

Virtual games like Nintendo’s Wii and mini-golf are also part of these destressing dens. “In terms of convenience,nothing beats an activity area at home,” says banker Puneet Bansal,who feels that good ventilation and if possible mirrored walls are required to give the advantage of observing and correcting your form. With Bansal set to shed the extra kilos before Diwali with his new investment — a cross-trainer— he says,“If you thing the equipment is expensive,just remember that so is the membership of any gym or club.”