In Delhi, there’s always an excuse to skip exercise. There’s the traffic, the poor air quality, or the too-hot summer, or the too-cold winter. Everything in this city seems to go overwhelmingly go against getting fit, but the options to overcome all of these are also many. Whether you’re a newbie just starting out and want more fun options than just walking, or a gym rat who’s hit a plateau and wants to try something new, the city has a lot to offer. In this week’s #DelhiMoves, we give you a bird’s eye view of the people, institutions, and technologies that have flourished over the last year and more. They’ll help us to get off our (uncomfortable) swivel chairs, and breathe, stretch, and open up our bodies and minds.
West Delhi
Bicycle with a group, from Keerti Nagar
PACE — Pedal Active Cycling Enthusiasts — operates in West Delhi, starting their rides at about 6:30 a.m. in winter, from Moments Mall, Keerti Nagar, or the Croma store in Rajouri Garden. There are daily rides, with distances varying from 20 k.m. to 200 k.m., so everyone from beginners to advanced level riders can participate. The group allows riders from 16 years, with parental consent. The oldest member is 65. Helmet and back light is mandatory, while reflectors and bright clothes are advised.
For more: Facebook.com/PACECYCLING and @pacedelhi on Instagram
Pedal Active Cycling Enthusiasts, pose after a ride in front of the Dandi March Statue in Central Delhi
Learn to ride in Dwarka
Building a relationship with a horse and learning to move in tandem with it, is possible at any age, provided you have basic fitness levels. But to understand whether this is for you, the Aspen Riding and Polo Academy in Village Dhulsirus, Sector 24, Dwarka, offers classes for beginners. You’ll be riding with a co-pilot and it will take 30 to 40 classes for you to be able to handle a horse on your own. The 20-acre facility also offers all meals and a shower and changing room. You can also bring friends along if you’d like to have a meal amidst the wildlife — rabbit, ducks, partridges, neelgai, peacocks — in the area. Membership starts ₹10,000 for three months, with individual classes at ₹300 for those below 8 years, ₹350 for those between 8 and 15, and ₹ 450 for anyone above 15.
South Delhi
Rent a football ground 24×7, in Chhatarpur
In a caged pitch on the Adidas The Base (Plaza Farm, K-713, Sultanpur Mandi Rd, Westend DLF Chattarpur Farms, Mehrauli), you can gather with friends for a 6 vs. 6 or 8 vs. 8 football game on AstroTurf. Rent boots (carry ID for this), get bibs and balls, and snack at the 24×7 cafe; the facility is also open day and night. There’s also beginners football coaching for women.
For more: +91 9999089495
Monkey around, in Vasant Kunj
Climbing by itself isn’t new. Delhi has had the solid, staid Indian Mountaineering Foundation in South Campus that trains you to climb – but with a clear focus on mountaineering (expedition planning, ice craft, rope work, and wilderness navigation). BoulderBox, Vasant Kunj, with its recreational indoor facilities, makes this accessible to all — they have a free induction class for first-time climbers, and weekly “socials” on Wednesdays (for women), Fridays, and Sundays to make a fun event out of the activity. There are classes for kids here (ages 6 and over), and they even host climbing birthday party groups.
For more: boulderbox.in
Move your belly, in Shahpurjat
With its trainer-led management, the Banjara School of Dance in Shahpur Jat has steadily found a firm footing over the last decade of its existence. Set up in 2009 by founder and chief creative Meher Malik who says belly dancing “is the one of the only dance forms in the world that is super emancipating”, adding that it is accepting of all genders and body types. Most of their trainers have been associated with the school since its early years of inception, having trained with Meher. The school has its students regularly put up shows, both corporate and private — they have amassed a catalogue of over 200 in-house choreographed routines for this. Meher, who also choreographed for a few Bollywood films, often holds workshops through Delhi-NCR along with the school’s other trainers.
For more: Facebook.com/BanjaraSchoolOfDance
Find a pole, in Kailash Hills
Once a translator from Bosnia, Vesna Jacob came to Delhi after deciding to marry a Delhi-based film-maker she was in touch with online. This was over 15 years ago. Today, she’s one of the most written-about names for Pilates. Consider training with her for artistic pole dancing — an all-body workout that the likes of actor Jacqueline Fernandes swear by — at her studio in Kailash Hills. You need a strong core and flexibility for this; Vesna says those with a background in yoga and Pilates take up pole dancing. She’s also an author of two books — Work It Out With a Workout and Fit to Fight . Classes start from ₹800.
For more: Facebook.com/vesnasaltacelo
Gurugram
Get aligned and centred, on Golf Course Road
India’s most popular celebrity trainers, Namrata Purohit and Yasmin Karachiwala, have over the last few years slowly brought their Mumbai-based studios to Delhi-NCR. Ten years ago, the now 26-year-old Namrata had become the youngest certified Stott Pilates instructor in the world. A branch of The Pilates Studio, which she runs, had opened at Golf Course Road, Gurugram. (Also, Yasmin has Body Image in the GK 2 M Block Market.)
For more: thepilatesstudiogurgaon@gmail.com and thepilatesstudiodelhi@gmail.com
Noida
Share a golf session, at Sector 38
Golf can be both intimidating and expensive. The Noida Golf Course offers training for beginners, without the investment in equipment; you don’t have to be a member of the club either. You can opt for one-on-one sessions or go with a friend or a relative (mother-daughter, brothers, couples). Golf gives you time to bond, and the practice offers time for a shared recreational activity. Each class lasts 40 minutes and two or three classes a week suffice. Practice fee, ₹200; training fee per class, ₹1,000; a bucket of balls, ₹75
East Delhi
Build strength and confidence with boxing in Preet Vihar
Boxing at one of cure.fit’s facilities
Cure.fit has expanded greatly in the city, with standard format classes and the convenience of being able to access them from anywhere in the city, whether you’re in Preet Vihar one day, Hauz Khas the next, and Gurugram the day after. Boxing helps with cardio, strength, and balance training, improving lung function and reflexes. It’s also useful for body confidence, especially in situations that demand self-defence. Download the Cure.fit app, book a free class to understand their no-machine, open-floor format.
Central Delhi
Do yoga for free at Ashoka Road
Every Saturday, at 7:30 a.m., you can gather for an hour with several others, at the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Ashoka Road, that functions under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. Participants are led to perform the Common Yoga Protocol, a specified sequence of asanas developed for the International Day of Yoga. There’s also a 50-hour, month-long Foundation Course in Yoga Science for Wellness, for which applications are currently open (₹1,500).
For more: Yogamdniy.nic.in
A view of the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Swimming Pool complex in New Delhi on Sunday
Plunge into a (warm) pool
An Olympic-size pool that’s also warm is hard to come by. The Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Swimming Pool Complex at the Talkatora Stadium near the President’s Estate in central Delhi was built in 1982 for the Asian Games and is still the most reliable. The accompanying warm-up pool is a six-lane one. The catch is that you’ll need to have already learnt swimming — they take you only after a basic test.
For more: 011-23094832
Gear up to run
The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, which will be turning 20 this year, has become one of the country’s most popular foot-race events. Despite the crowds, it’s an iconic race and worth being a part of at least once. You need to be 18 years old to run their half marathon (21.097 km); there are separate categories for amateur runners and elite athletes. The Open 10K is for anyone over 15, The Great Delhi Run, a 5K, is open to anyone over 12, and the Senior Citizen Run, a 3 k.m. leg, is open to all over 60. The Champions with Disability segment too, is open to those over 12. These last two categories are non-timed fun-runs. Registrations open on 7th August and close on 27th September.
For more: Airteldelhihalfmarathon.procam.in/
