In a bid to improve the fitness level of Delhiites, the local authorities, taking note of China’s National Fitness campaign of 2008, initiated the ‘Open Public Gyms’ project in 2012. Integrating public spaces with health and fitness, the project has proven to be a hit amongst people and several other cities of India are planning to or already have installed such gyms in their urban spaces as well
The rate of urbanization in India is greater than an ever. People from all over the country are migrating or have migrated to a select few cities in order to gain access to more opportunities for personal growth and these cities like Delhi and Mumbai have become some of the biggest metropolises in the world. But there are some negative aspects of urban lifestyle. Inadequate attention to health and fitness levels has deemed India one of the most unfit countries of the world.
According to an estimate by the World Health Organisation (WHO), 1 in 3 Indians is classified as medically unfit, suffering from easily preventable lifestyle diseases like hypertension and diabetes. Another study conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research–India Diabetes – further highlights the severity of the issue. The study was conducted on a sample of people from various parts and showed that approximately 65 per cent of the urban population is physically inactive. Further, the study shows that a large percentage of people in India are inactive as less than 10 per cent Indians engage in regular recreational physical activity. Considering that 65 per cent Indians are younger than 35, inculcation of health and fitness awareness in our lifestyle is a must for better health.
The issue has been identified by authorities of India who are now seeking ways to better the situation. Making exercise more conveniently accessible to people would definitely be a way of improving the health of people. The authorities in Delhi, considering this argument, have implemented a new program which integrates open spaces in residential areas with health and fitness.
The concept of open public gyms was first developed in China, where public gym facilities were installed in open spaces as a part of a national fitness campaign prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics. The Chinese government had assigned over 220,000,000 sqft for the construction of outdoor gymnasiums across China. Currently, a third of the sports lottery is dedicated to funding this concept. According to the Active People Survey, the concept has been successful in China as physical activity of the Chinese people has shown steady improvements since the concept was introduced in China.
Following the success in China, the municipal corporations of Delhi agreed on the installation of free, open gyms in 2012 and installed 40 sets of such gyms in the areas under their jurisdiction. The concept was well received by the public and by 2018, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has installed 780 open gyms, North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) 251 and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) 48 open gyms. The success of the initiative can be verified rather easily; you can see people working out on the equipment almost any time of the day.
Fitness made more accessible
All the gyms are identical in design; more or less nine fitness equipment are installed on a platform made up of cemented tiles. The machines are lined up in three columns. One column has equipment designed for aerobic exercises, one for core exercises and one for strength training. Some of the gyms have also been beautified by planting flower beds in the gym’s surroundings. One can access the gym at anytime of the day, making it a hit with school-going children as well as adults.
Open gyms successfully replicate the exercising environment of commercial gyms. Exercising in an open environment, in fresh air, makes a valuable addition to the concept. Another pleasant observation that we made during a visit to a public gym in Moti Nagar of West Delhi was the popularity of such gyms with middle-aged women. Inactivity is a major problem amongst homemaking women of India. APan-India survey conducted in early 2019 by HealthifyMe, a fitness app, shows that 53 per cent of Indian women are “physically inactive” as they burn less than 50 per cent of the calories that a normal person should be burning through physical activity throughout the day.
The initiative has reduced this problem for women of the national capital as these gyms have become a hub of social interaction as well as exercise. Parveen Bhutani, a homemaker from Karampura, says that she really enjoys the contributions the public gyms have made in her and her friends lives as exercising has now become a part of their daily routine. “The intensity of the exercises that we can perform on the gym equipment is just enough for people of our age. Also, we are able to socialise while staying active, which is a win-win,” she says.
The concept was well received by the public and by 2018, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has installed 780 open gyms, North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) 251 and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) 48 open gyms. The success of the initiative can be verified rather easily; you can see people working out on the equipment almost any time of the day
Room for improvement
While the initiative is definitely a step in the right direction, it also has some flaws. Most of these gyms are not commissioned with informative plaques or any other descriptive text to instruct the user on how to use the equipment properly. Also, there are no specific instructions regarding the amount of training one should do, leading to over or under training, which are as problematic as inactivity is. “I often observe people exercising in improper form in such gyms. Many children end up overtraining due to no guidance. Hence, the government should see to it that people are well informed about the technique and the amount of training that should be done on the equipment,” says Tejinder Singh, a gym owner in Kirti Nagar.
Although the equipment could sufficiently stimulate older people, it is not adequate for younger people with better fitness levels. “I don’t really feel that the movement does anything for me physically, that’s why it is of no use to me,” was the common sentiment of young people. The gyms could use equipment for intense exercise in addition to the existing equipment. However, the authorities are only planning to add jogging trails to the public gyms.
Also, some environmentalists have come out alleging “concretisation” of green patches at parks and forests to set up open gyms leads to choking of trees.
Verhaen Khanna, founder of the New Delhi Nature Society (NDNS), said outdoor gyms could be set up without cementing the grass and soil. He said concretization would affect the groundwater table. “It is not just the ground but even the base of trees is being cemented. This would choke trees. It is also violation of the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order. After the matter was highlighted, concrete at the base of trees was removed but the ground is still being concretised, which would affect water percolation into the soil,” Khanna told Hindustan Times in June 2019.
Conclusion
While the Delhi government has proven to be successful in inculcating a healthy lifestyle amongst citizens, other cities are also coming up with innovations to integrate public spaces with healthy lifestyle promotion. Seeing that the benefits of the open gyms far outweigh the cons, authorities of various other cities of India have also come up with similar open gyms for the benefits of their citizens. Dehradun, Coimbatore, Raipur and Chandigarh are some examples of such cities which have taken similar initiatives.