VietNamNet Bridge – There are needless to say many ways for people to keep fit and healthy. But the trend of going to the fitness center and following workouts has become quite popular in the city in recent years. What has driven people to workouts is not only to stay healthy, keep fit, be toned up but also to seek better opportunities for exchanges and business networking and to look for a more healthy recreation activity.

Fitness center: health, fitness and entertainment

It is not difficult at all to find some fitness centers around town, from specialized centers like California Fitness and Yoga and Nhat Dang Nhi Da to high-end fitness centers in luxury hotels. The service becomes trendy due to many factors, including growing obesity rate among locals, daily stresses of urban life, the need to look beautiful among women in the society and even emotional frigidity.

Young people train on treadmills at a fitness center in HCM City

At such centers, members can find varied options suitable to their tastes and health conditions such as cardio classes to strengthen their heart and lungs, dance classes to keep their body in perfect shape and revive their activeness, and yoga classes to keep them balanced and relaxed. Therefore, a good fitness center should be well equipped with cardiovascular machines, free-weight strength training equipments, cushioned walk/jog tracks, group exercise studios, rowing machines, or steam, sauna and massage rooms.

“Most of guests to our center are women and most of them join our yoga classes. Women have the privilege to find their own comfort and to keep them beautiful and attractive regardless of their marital status,” said Dinh Thuy Tien, a staff at Nhat Dang Nhi Da fitness center in District 1.

She also added that people often do workouts in early morning or in late afternoon, but there are also many people going to the fitness center at noon. “They snatch the lunch break to practice workouts, especially desk workers.”

Many people prefer going to the fitness center because they cannot keep the lessons at home. “I used to be a disciplined practitioner for about the first two months at home, then I gradually got lazy and bored. I go to fitness center where fitness center mates, trained staff and functional fitness equipments and amenities give me more inspiration to keep workouts,” said Nguyen Thi Hoa, a local fitness center junkie.

Angie Ngo from PR Department of California informed that the number of guests has increased day by day. “Apart from keeping health and beauty, people go to fitness centers also for a healthy entertainment instead of rushing to bars and dance floors.”

“You know what, I don’t have a natural beauty and always feel shy for my chubby figure. It seems to have a backlash from male friends and my company’s staff also. With strong encouragement from my family, I have gone to a fitness center to do workouts. The way people look at me gives me more motivation to lose about 15 kilograms and I am dating with a nice guy,” said Tran Bao Trang, a staff in a security company in HCMC.

Outdoor workouts: green, fresh and free service

It is very easy to see a lot of workout equipment installed in parks around the city like Le Van Tam in District 3, Gia Dinh in Phu Nhuan District, Le Thi Rieng in District 10, and Tao Dan and September 23 parks in District 1. It is a great chance for the people to have workouts in an open, green, fresh and especially free place whenever they want. Therefore, in mornings and afternoons, locals at all ages and from all walks of life rush to parks to jog, to play volleyball and practice workouts.

Huynh Anh from Exotic, an event organizing company, said: “Actually I have enough money to go to a fitness center but I prefer the fresh air and open space in green parks. Every afternoon I and my wife practice workouts to enhance our health, our relationship as well as to sense the breath of life around.”

Meanwhile, his wife said that it is also the way for her to reduce daily expense.

The parks are public properties so they are open to all people for many purposes from studying, doing workouts, dating and relaxing. “I often have culture research projects in Vietnam. During my stay, I experience many authentic Vietnamese cultural features in multifunctional parks,” said Roby Bellemans, a Dutch arts curator and host. He added that early every morning and afternoon he walks to September 23 Park to do workouts, to talk with Vietnamese people, to exchange the language skills and social stories and to witness the local life.

Recently, bicycling is a growing trend. Many companies and universities are organizing bicycle trips as a form of physical exercise as well as to strengthen team spirit. “I am absorbed in cycling these days and I am always eager when the weekend comes to make a bicycle trip to neighboring cities like Bien Hoa, Binh Duong and outlying districts like Cu Chi, Hoc Mon and Can Gio. I am getting close to some people that I have never talked to before in our big company,” said Nguyen Huy from Saigon Securities Company.

Nguyen Hoang Thang Long, a teacher at Phan Dinh Phung English Center, said he prefer cycling on wide and airy streets along canals in the city, especially East-West Highway.

“On the bicycle, I can see people go fishing, elderly do exercise along the canals’ banks, couples kissing each other and friends gossiping and enjoying foods at eateries. I can feel the meaning and the beauty of life,” he said.

SGT/VNN