No exercising blues here

The brain child of T.S. Dhillon, an NRI from UK, this state-of-art health club came up six months back to provide Chandigarh the feel of a real health club rather than a gymnasium named so. About health consciousness in the city. Dhillon says,8220; People here tend to associate slim and trim8221; with fit. They fail to realise that fitness comes only with a regular exercising schedule.8221; To meet the fitness requirements, the club has machines to suit every need.

Jaskirat Singh, who is managing the centre, informs, 8220;Before joining, each member is required to fill up a proforma specifying his age, health history, food intake and job requirements. On the basis of this information he is assigned the machines that provide the greatest benefit to him.8221;

Besides the regular weight training and body building exercises, there is the multi gym to exercise all body parts on separate machines and for toning and shaping the body.

The star attractions are the computerised cardio-fitness machines which have caught the fancy of all the members. They comprise the rowing machine, the treadmill, the cross-trainer, the stationary cycle and stepper which give the pulse rate, the speed, the distance covered and the calories burnt at the touch of a button. These latest versions of hi-tech machines are customer friendly and considered very safe.

Linking technology to man8217;s own effort is a stairway leading to the mirrored aerobics hall. As the members put their best foot forward to match their instructors, the room resounds with catchy tunes and the machines are easily forgotten. The room also witnesses an immediate shift of scene from the echoing music to the calmness that comes when yoga and meditation take charge. Explains Sanjay Kundra, the instructor, 8220; Yoga has a permanent effect on the body and mind after rigorous machine work. It brings peace of mind to the weary soul after a long day at work.8221;

It that8217;s not all, the beauty care centre for men and women has soothing stress and tension as the guiding principles. Besides body massage and conditioning, this centre provides facials, manicures, pedicures and treatment of pigmentation. The latest galvanic machines also serve a purpose. Sherly explains, 8220; These machines help restore the shine and glow on the face that goes away with enervating exercises and, weight loss. They rejuvenate the skin and form an integral part of keeping fit and looking healthy.8221; She is assisted by a team of five members in her work.

To facilitate the members and put them at ease, Dhillon has separated the men and women sections. While the men are confined to the ground floor, the women sweat it out in the basement. This means the jacuzzis, shower, sauna and steam rooms are available to all members at all times.

A feather in the cap for the club is that it remains open throughout the day, whichever time you may choose to workout. It opens at 6 in the morning and shuts at 9 o8217;clock in the night on weekdays. On holidays and weekends it begins work at 7 am and the employees call it a day by 8 pm. The membership fee is a whooping Rs 20,000 for singles and Rs 30,000 for a couple annually.

In case you have time during the day and are not particular about beginning your day exercising the fee is slashed to half the original 8211; you can stroll in at 10 o8217; clock and leave by 5 o8217; clock in the evening. The club also offers Rs 75,000 membership fee if you can come in a group of five. For those wanting to try the club on an experimental basis, all you need is to cough up Rs 2,000 monthly. Confronted about the high changes, Dhillon justifies, 8220;These charges might be high for a gym but are very nominal for a health club considering the facilities provided.8221;

Since the club has a package deal, you can8217;t be choosy about what kind of exercises you want. This was prompted because most members worked out on the machines. Yoga, aerobics and swimming were completely ignored. The deal includes access to the spa area, exercising in the gym, aerobics, machine work, swimming and yoga.

Akanksha Saxena, a BA student, says, 8220; I spend 3 hours in the club. I burn 1000 calories a day and in two months I have lost 7 kg.8221; Ira Grewal adds, 8220; The relaxed atmosphere, motivating coach, selected crowd and the weight loss is worth the money. It gives you the psychological satisfaction of being fit.8221; When Rajwinder Singh Virk joined on the advise of his doctor his wife decided to accompany him. She says, 8220;I joined for body toning. The weight loss came as a bonus. I have not changed my diet and yet lost 5 kg. We ended up getting much more than we paid for.8221;

So, if you are a fitness freak and yet hate working out on the same machines, Nirvana is the place to be. From strenuous exercises to a splash in the post and then a dive into meditation, it8217;s all there under one roof at this health club.