IT'S time to dust off the Ab Wheel, Jane Fonda’s videos and HipTummyThigh machine and make some decisions. If a rubbery wheel enhanced with strings is not your idea of a workout, then don’t bother with these 'infomercial' equipment. Instead try the latest offering in Chennai - Lydia Marque’s Magic Workout. This workout is “not for the fainthearted,” says Lydia a 24 year old American fitness expert now in Chennai. Moving to Chennai, after her marriage to Allen Glen a personal trainer, she feels “Fitness in India is less innovative. People are far more comfortable treadmilling it.” Contrasting it to the US, Lydia gushes “We are innovative and more experimental, and that’s what I want to introduce in Chennai - a magical fun workout to make you fit mentally and physically.”
Hammock Yoga combines stretching, pilates, gymnastics, breathing techniques and meditation as a way to “enhance blood circulation and increase endurance,” she says. Striking at fat concentrations, this method “burns fat within 3 weeks and gives you a fantastic shape,” promises Lydia. Capturing the essence of Indian culture and healing techniques, Allan and Lydia enhance their training by back massages and feet rolling after a vigorous workout. On why it is magical, Lydia gushes “Fabulous body which is healthy, fit and energetic is magical.”
Breaking the mould of mundane aerobics and hitting the gyms often staffed with unprofessional trainers, Allen feels exercise and workouts should be about “Combining technique, expertise and sensitivity to the human body,” adding a softer touch to a rather heavy image of weight training he quips “For me mental fitness and physical fitness go hand in hand and with Hammock Yoga we try to make one come into their own and enjoy it.”
Going by the response at Ode Gallery in Thiruvanmiyur, where the classes were first started; Allen and Lydia are excited and looking at new opportunities to introduce their workout program.
ajayreddy@epmltd.com