Fitness fad hits vizag this summer

Young Vizagites have decided to use their summer holidays in a productive way. They are taking to everything from jogging, cycling and swimming to even horse riding to get into shape this season
Summer time is not just synonymous with heat, mangoes and frozen treats. It’s also that time of the year when young Vizagites have all the free time in the world.Even as youngsters are busy thinking up different ways to spend the new-found freedom productively, this summer, all of them seem to have unanimously set a common goal — mission fitness! Walk along the Beach Road any morning these days and you can spot youngsters involved in all kinds of workouts — from skating, cycling and jogging to even horse riding! Gyms too have reported a sudden increase in the number of youngsters who have taken up two-month memberships to get fit this summer Santhosh Kumar, a fourth year student at Gayathri Vidya Parishad, is one such summer fitness enthusiast. He can be seen walking and exercising on the Beach Road road everyday. But that’s not all for Santhosh. “I also joined a gym and work out for an additional hour there. Once college starts, you don’t have the luxury of time. So before college opens, I want to use all this free time to get healthier,” he says.
Prawej Alam, a 2nd year student at CIFNET, who has taken up cycling during the summer holidays, says, “Cycling offers a full body workout when compared to other forms of exercise. Although earlier I would cycle only during the weekends, since I have all this free time now, I make it a point to come to the beach every day along with a couple of friends. Plus, it’s so serene and beautiful at the beach early in the morning. I don’t mind waking up early in the morning to experience this!”
Fitness time is also a great excuse for family bonding, for most Vizagites. Gowtham Raj, a class XII student from Sri Chaitanya College, after being bitten by the fitness bug, has lured his entire family to get healthy too this summer. “While my sister skates, I jog and my parents have started going for a long walk at the VUDA Park. It’s very peaceful at the beach and this is also a great habit to cultivate as it is important to stay fit. As a family, we thoroughly enjoy these outings.”
What’s more, gyms in the city too are busy cashing in on this summer fitness mania and are doing everything it takes to lure customers. A local gym is even offering a special ‘summer camp offer’ which gives concession to students who want to work out only during the summer months. They have already had 30 enrollments for the camp so far. Prakash, the manager, says, “Summer is when youngsters have the most time on hand and we do get a lot of enrollments and enquiries. In fact, right now, half of the clientele in the gym comprises of students.”