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ShareIt's 9am on a Saturday and Shivani and Rahul Bhandarkar, a 30-something couple from Malabar Hill, are preparing to get their daily dose of fitness -- and a fair bit of bonding -- together.
It's been 15 months since the two IT professionals took to working out together at their neighbourhood gym. "The feeling of togetherness the routine has inspired is the best thing to happen to our four-year-old marriage," says Shivani.
Strapped for time and sapped by work demands, the Bhandarkars' decision to converge their fitness routines was governed by two factors: the need to get healthy and the desire to spend more time together. Both have busy days, spending time together mainly on weekends; their gym routine now gives them two precious extra hours together.
"It's great to have company while exercising; we keep each other motivated," says Shivani.
"There is also the satisfaction of doing something together," adds Rahul.
Fitness is a big priority for many Mumbaikars, but finding time to be with your partner is probably bigger. "We have a lot of couples coming in, especially people in showbiz, who don't get enough time with each other," says fitness expert Leena Mogre.
"They enjoy it because there is so much positive energy; your thoughts are in sync and you are pushing and motivating each other."
Natasha Jiwani and her boyfriend, Akshay Trivedi, both 26, beat the stress by going for jogs every night in Bandra. "I work for an NGO while Akshay is a consultant, so morning workouts are out," says Jiwani. "We use those couple of hours in the night to catch up."
Their joint jog usually ends with ice cream on Carter Road or dinner at one of Bandra's numerous restaurants. "It's not storybook romantic, but it works for us," says Trivedi.
Most gyms in the city, if you ask them, offer discounts for couples, knocking about Rs2,000-3,000 off a year-long membership. Which is what prompted Nikhil Shetty, 29, to persuade his wife, Daksha, 28, to join him at their gym in Andheri. "It was about time we both started taking care of our health, so it seemed like a good idea to do it together," says Nikhil.
Not all couples agree. Advertising professional Lekha Nair, 30, admits her boyfriend and she drove each other nuts when they tried playing badminton at their club. "We would lose our tempers, be sarcastic to each other and pretty much misbehave," she says.
The workouts didn't last, but the relationship has. However, getting fit together seems to work for most couples, mainly because it helps them connect in a new way. "Our lives have changed for the better," says Rahul Bhandarkar.
"We are fitter, we eat healthier, and we feel much better. It's bound to have a positive impact on our relationship." That is, for our times, in the fitness of things.
