Soon after moving to Pune we had joined a gym in Aundh and the following year it changed hands. We joined, not so much out of habit as because it still offered us what we sought and what we could not find in other gyms: a nice balance between strength, endurance and flexibility.
S.e.f fitness, Aundh, is run by a young couple: Mr. Dhaval Chorge and Ketaki Chorge.
Dashing Director Dhaval, with an MBA to his credit, has worked as CGM for Five Fitness, Mumbai and K11 Academy, Pune. He has a certification from the “American Council on Exercise”(ACE).
Petite and pretty, Director Ketaki Chorage is a Sports Nutritionist with more than 6 years experience. A Lecturer at K11 Fitness Academy, she provides gym members with tailored advice on specific diet needs.
With a team of able and courteous trainers, this young couple attends to our health and fitness needs with smiling faces and a cheerful word for all members. Always moving around the gym and mingling with all of us, they also hold regular seminars to explain fitness and nutrition concepts.
While there are many fitness machines and weights, my husband and I mainly go for the "activities". These are basically the same as what was offered by the previous gym:
Monday: Bollywood Masti
Wednesday: Zumba
Friday: Aerobics
Tuesdays and Thursdays we have Power Yoga.
The classes we attend are at 6, 6:30 pm and last an hour. For the dance classes, there is a warm up followed by the activity and winding down with stretches. The Yoga class begins with a prayer, is punctuated by short shvasan breaks as it is very strenuous and concludes with some pranayama and the obligatory shavasan.
The gym is neat but friendly and always bustling with activity. Each day new members are joining and soon they too are part of this warm ambiance.
My husband and I have found our health greatly benefited with the diet sheet Ms. Ketaki formulated for us and with the exercise schedule Mr. Dhaval designed for us we find ourselves stronger and better able to cope with daily stresses at our age.
Dhaval and Ketaki’s two little sons often grace the gym with their sweet antics and I find this most commendable-far too often jobs and earning needs separate the fabric of family. Moreover, these children are being set on the right road to life long fitness by this exposure.
I must conclude with a grand salute for all our trainers: the youths who are ever ready to guide us with the machines and strength training, our dance instructors who keep us on our toes and drive our endurance to its limits, and, last but not least, our Yoga instructor who skilfully increases our flexibility.
Though we often feel reluctant when we head to gym as we go almost as soon as my husband returns from work, we always come home feeling youthful and recharged. Not only are our bodies rejuvenated but our spirits are uplifted by the company of fellow fitness enthusiasts.
While those who are hardcore fitness freaks will surely find this place ideal, it also offers the best guidance for those who just want to stay fairly fit. There are many women of different ages who enjoy using this facility as much as the males of various ages.