Journalism of Courage
Busy schedules and odd working hours is changing workouts timings of fitness freaks from early mornings to late night
Nine pm would mean unwinding after a hard day’s work. Certainly not an hour to indulge into any kind of arduous activity. However while most dig themselves into a book or flip through channels a few like Nakul Jadhav hit the gymnasium. As work commitments and tight schedules keep them occupied many in the city have started to ignore the conventional early mornings or evenings hours for hitting the treadmill and taken to night time to remain fit.
I attend college in the morning and then look after my family business so its difficult to squeeze out time during the day. Nine to 10 pm is very convenient and many people workout during that time and I dont have to do any special variations in my diet in particular, says Jadhav who works out at Golds Gym six days (or nights) a week.
While in Mumbai the timings might extend well beyond midnight,most gyms are open till 10 pm in the city. Many people prefer the timings of 3 to 5 pm. We generally have housewives and professionals who manage to spare time in the afternoons, says Nilesh Wadekar,floor manager Talwalkars Gym.
While dieticians introduce slight alterations,the basic precaution taken is avoiding working out on a full stomach. Its more about time management. I have a hectic schedule and late afternoons are a little light so I head to the gym. Its working great for me and I have managed to lose weight. I take my lunch a bit before time and follow the specified diet,other than that no time is more beneficial as long as you are shedding those extra kilos, says,Shashikant Phatke,a dental surgeon who goes to the Talwalkars Gym.
Odd timings also remain the ideal ones for housewives like Mangal Kulkarni as she explains,I go from 3 to 5 pm. Afternoons are generally stationary and rather than sleeping or lazing around I would rather exercise and since its also in the middle of the day the training help keep me active. I have been following this for the last five years.
Some gyms also have discounted rates during these hours. Tanaaz Nair,Sales Head,Kalyani Gold Gym says,We have silver hours from 10 am to 5 pm and 9 to 10.30 pm which have a considerable difference in terms of the charges,the customers we have are by and large housewives or employees working in call centres. Although there are people coming in,we have been expecting a better response in terms of the number but cannot really figure out why they havent increased lately.
