Post Covid, not only youngsters, but middle-aged and elderly people also focus on fitness

A lot of people are seen working out and using equipment installed in open-air gyms in several parks as well as other fitness centres across the tri-city.

“Covid-19 taught people how health is of utmost importance. Before that, I couldn’t really focus on my fitness and I lacked consistency. I was not in the same mindset then as I am now. Working out is not something one does to improve his or her physique only, but it is rather more about gaining mental strength and willpower. If you exercise regularly, obviously your diet will also improve and you tend to eat a more healthy diet,” says Suruchi Sharma, a 40-year-old homemaker and regular gym-goer.

A 21-year-old student, Ishika Gupta trains regularly at a gym in Panchkula and says the foremost goal is to look healthy and fit. “Also, the equipment and other infrastructure provided by gyms and fitness centres add to the motivation for achieving goals in daily workouts,” she says.

Rudraksh Roy, another student who trains at a Panchkula gym, says, “Consistency is the key to achieving the desired results for your body and mind. Keeping short-term goals in focus further leads to achieving the long-term goals of maintaining a consistent healthy lifestyle, which includes regular exercise as one of the key components.”

“We see people from every age group at our gym, from those as young as 17-18 years old to men and women in their late 50s and even older people,” says Shivam, a trainer at a gym in Panchkula Sector 8.

“Working out with dumbbells or free-weights or using treadmills is no longer the only workout methods. To ensure that workouts do not get monotonous, we offer pre-workout sessions including yoga, zumba, pilates and other creative exercises,” says Amarinder Singh, owner of a fitness centre in Panchkula.

“As people coming to us have different goals in mind, workout sessions and schedules are arranged accordingly. For instance, youngsters are more into building muscles, the middle-aged are into reducing weight and those above 50-60 year old mainly want to maintain their muscle-mobility and overall fitness. In fact, people in the age group of 40-50 are more disciplined and regular towards their workout sessions. The younger lot basically wants quick results to enhance their physical appearances,” says Amit, a senior instructor at a Chandigarh gym.

The use of food supplements to achieve such quick goals is also increasing among gym-goers. “There has been a significant increase in the intake of supplements among gym-goers. We personally do not recommend the intake of supplements because if taken without proper guidance and arbitrarily, these may be extremely harmful for human bodies. The diet-workout balance has to be properly maintained and with proper guidance of a trainer or dietician,” says Romeo, a fitness instructor in Panchkula.

All these fitness gains come at a price as gyms charge from Rs 3,500 to Rs 10,000 per month. Shivali Birla, a 55-year-old homemaker who is a regular gym-goer, says, “The concept of fitness and personal training is a kind of privilege for the upper middle class. These gyms and fitness centres offer monthly, six monthly and yearly subscriptions that are sometimes extremely hard to afford for a common man. But even those who cannot afford workouts on these sophisticated machines and instructors should include stretching, walking, jogging or playing some sport in their daily routines to keep themselves fit.”