Mecca and Paradise
Fitness Down Under
Fitness First is not only the
name of a fitness chain of gymnasiums in Oz, but also an Australian way of
life. There is no gender bias in this matter and people of all ages, from all
walks of life, are into fitness or
sports activities with religious fervour and it is widespread all over the
place.
Right from an early age, the concept and practice of fitness and sports are ingrained into the child, by parents, who themselves are ardent and enthusiastic practitioners. Sports gear, gymnastic equipment, grounds and tracks and gymnasiums abound in plenty.
Call it whatever you may, but in
this part of the world, fitness has been institutionalized. Fitness experts and
trainers have a regular curriculum specified by the Australian Institute of
Fitness (AIF).
The AIF evaluates trainers according to laid down
norms and certifies the trainer as being suitable for different levels of training. The end
requirement of the trainee is kept in mind, for eg. Is it for physical fitness
or for body building or to play a particular sport. Here again there are
different courses for cricketers, tennis players, cyclists, footballers and so on
and the epitome of it all, to my mind is Rugby., which till date is still a
male bastion. When you see a Rugby player, you might imagine that he has thighs
where we all have arms and his legs are like sculptured pillars of monuments
of the Victorian era. They are indeed
swift-footed mountains of athletic muscle
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| Lady trainer for a group- Chatswood Oval |
Trainers are in good demand and
some of them also enjoy celebrity status. The ripple effect has led to fitness
having developed into an industry in its own right. Sports clothing and
accessories, equipments, grounds and their maintenance, professional trainers,
certifications. It is a holistic approach and is not a need thrust upon people
as a marketing gimmick. People in groups and as individuals want it. In fact,
in India, millions need it, but the driving want from within is seriously
wanting.
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| Exercising at free public gym facility |
Besides the early morning and
evening jogging, exercising, cycling etc which is commonplace, there are many
office goers who regularly jog, run or cycle for brief spells during their
lunch hour. And mind you, lunch is generally a working lunch only.
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| Multiple exercising possible |
It has been heartening to see that
this wonderful aspect of Aussie life has rubbed on to most immigrants, be they
Indian or Chinese. One can see the intensity of training effort in everyone's
face and the Aussie never-say-die spirit manifests itself as competing to win
all the time. This is where Australia becomes the Mecca for sports lovers, in
terms of opportunities for practice of fitness and sports activities. I have
come across two trainers one from each end of the spectrum of ages, here in
Australia. One is Shiv, an Indian from TN, who is a certified trainer. He is
conducting sessions for us and from the manner in which he explains the
significance of each exercise, which he does himself for demonstration,
vis-a-vis breathing, body muscles and the anatomy, one can gauge what the curriculum
is like. The other person is a retired engineer, A Greek Aussie, who is a
specialist in design and construction of swimming pools. At 72, he has won gold
medals in triple jump and short sprints in International events. He too trains
as a hobby and does it for free
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| Preethi about to bungy jump |
New Zealand ! Ah! On the other
hand, has everyone participating in such activities, in solo or in groups, more
from enjoying the adrenaline pumping effort that from working to win. Boating
cycling, swimming, kayaking, surfing, paragliding, skydiving, bungy-jumping,
plain cross country running, all these are ingredients which make New Zee a
thrill seekers' paradise
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| Rohita swings after bungy jump |
And in both these countries, during
the cooler climes, while other people are fighting the cold by tugging at their
jackets over sweaters, these athletes of Australian and New Zealand origin sprint long and hard and have beads of perspiration dripping from their forehead and bare shoulders. I really
envy them
This piece will not be complete
without a mention of the other category of people in Australia, both Aussies
and others of different ethnicity. Their state of physical presentation has
regressed two vowels from fitness ( to fatness). Literally, the spread and
number of the obese is sizable. With a bit of questioning I find
that some of this is attributable to the Global Financial crisis (GFC). Most of
them affected are the Polynesians, Samoans, Papua New Guineans, aborigines,
Maoris etc.During the GFC, the business houses which made most money are the MacDonald's, KFCs and such food vendors. Reason: For less than 5 dollars, only these houses could provide a " Filling "meal (with fat and carbs). And that has stayed back within in an ever expanding mode.
But a greater factor is genetic,
arising from the diet of flour and sugar, reportedly given to the "Stolen
Generations" of aborigines from 1869 to 1969, under the Protection law
enacted by the Australian Governors during that era
