A year ago, Apurva Sinha had to almost give up her passion for fitness. Working as a dance instructor in the morning and logistics officer at a stationery store for the rest of the day, the Andheri resident found no time for the gym.
So when Planet Health gym opened a 24-hour centre at their Kandivli (east) branch eight months ago, Sinha signed up immediately.
Located in the same building as her office, she is a regular at the gym from the end of her shift at midnight to 1.30am.
“Gymming at night may sound unusual but it is perfect for people with late schedules, once the body gets used to it,” said Sinha, 25, one among a rising number of professionals in the city who have taken to late night workouts.
With longer hours of sitting before computers and a growing culture of eating out, people are feeling the need for physical exercise, and in the past year, at least four new 24x7 gyms have mushroomed in Mumbai to cater to the changing work life.
“Stress levels are high among corporate professionals working late, and all-night gyms are the best way to ensure that they exercise regularly to cope with it,” said Sachin Kamli, chief operating officer at Planet Health, which has more than 25 regular clients between midnight and 3am.
{{/usCountry}}“Stress levels are high among corporate professionals working late, and all-night gyms are the best way to ensure that they exercise regularly to cope with it,” said Sachin Kamli, chief operating officer at Planet Health, which has more than 25 regular clients between midnight and 3am.
{{/usCountry}}The trend began four years ago when fitness professional Leena Mogre launched a 24-hour gym in Bandra, which she describes as the hub of professionals from the BPO and glamour industries.
“These jobs have no fixed work hours, but with 24-hour gyms, people have no excuse to avoid exercise,” said Mogre.
Now, while Planet Health has plans to transform three other city branches into all-night gyms, the 24x7 Snap Fitness Centre in Malad is also receiving demands from clients in other branches to do the same.
The latest to join the bandwagon is fitness franchisee Gold’s Gym, which has not been able to open its gyms all night but is offering 24-hour healthcare services-telephonic access to doctors, dieticians, physiotherapists and trainers-to anyone joining their weight loss programme.
“People’s body clocks have changed,” said Ketan Aghav, fitness manager, Snap Fitness, which sees at least 35 clients post-midnight every day. “I believe it’s better to work out at night than not at all.”