Where to sweat it out

Giving playtime a miss, city kids are now exploring fitness options such as kickboxing, spinning and power yoga, that are toned down to suit their needs.

It’s not all play and no work for children. This summer, kids, much like adults, are sweating it out with rigorous workouts and exercise routines at city gyms. Many fitness centers are even customising their regimens to suit children, especially for pre-teens, who are looking beyond burning calories by opting for interesting workouts. Here are some options.

Kick and tell
Kickboxing is emerging as a favourite fitness practice among children. Says Amit Lalwani, who runs various kickboxing and Muay Thai workshops in the city, “For kids, we stress more on the martial art aspect of kickboxing rather than the cardio part, which is used for toning and losing weight among adults. To make the workout more interesting, we use accessories like colourful hand-bandages and special kits for kids.” The next batch starts on May 9. Call 9869036872 for details.

Gym and toning
What better way to keep your kids off TV and videogames than by enrolling them to a kid’s gym, which has fun-filled activities packed in. “Our gym is for children aged two to 12 years and we try to make exercising exciting by using hoolahoops and trampolines among other traditional fitness equipment,” says Aanchal Gupta of Arts in Motion in Sion.

Spin it on
High-intensity routines like spinning, a form of exercise where a group of people sweat in out on stationary bikes in a studio with loud music and flashy lights, also has kids among its takers. “Teenagers like to join spinning classes during their vacations, mostly after their board exams to lose some pounds and get a complete makeover before college starts,” tells Baqar Nasser, a nutritionist and the owner of Topspin India Healthcare, a spinning studio at Neapensea Road. He further adds, “In our studio, we give disco-like intense workouts with pumping music and laser lights. It’s more like a party than a workout, and that’s what makes it a fun and interesting way to work towards weight-loss.” Call 32066444.

Yoga for kids
Like adults, city kids too are de-stressing with yoga routines, which are made more interesting with fun elements. “Besides teaching asanas to kids aged between 5 to 12 years, we also inculcate values like dharma, gyan, vairagya and aishwarya through interactive games and activity sessions”, says Hansaji Jayadev Yogendra of the Yoga Institute in Santa Cruz. The next batch for kids start on May 4. Call 26110506.