Five days a week, L.K. Mehta looks forward to working out on the treadmill and do his light weight training in the gym — a fairly rigorous routine for the 58-year-old tea marketing expert, keen to stay in shape and keep the doctor away.

He falls in that burgeoning bracket of 50-plus Calcuttans who, powered by the awareness that mild cardio exercises coupled with yoga and aerobics help reduce risk of heart attacks, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes, are gym-ing with zeal.

Cashing in on the enthusiasm of the elderly, city gyms are rolling out special regimens geared towards improving flexibility, muscle strength, stability and coordination and the cardiovascular system in general through a combination of exercises and massage therapy, with personalised attention.

“Our certified trainers, doctors, medical advisers and expert nutritionists provide the best platform for our senior members to formulate and follow a regular fitness regimen,” says Divya Himatsingka of Ideal Gymnasium Pvt Ltd, a licensee of Gold’s Gym Franchising Inc.

The city unit of the US fitness chain on AJC Bose Road has kicked off a seniors’ programme designed for the senior members including light cardio workouts, floor routines and massage packages. And it comes for Rs 13,000 for the 60-plus, against the rack rate of Rs 23,000.

Cardio exercises help burn calories and make the heart strong so that it doesn’t have to exert excess pressure to pump blood. Designed keeping in mind the limitations of the ageing body, these routines involving handball workouts, step aerobics and walking also increase lung capacity.

Solace, too, does “tailor-made exercise programmes” based on an individual’s personal goals and needs, while offering yoga and aqua aerobics as add-ons. “Working out in the water is a very safe way to do cardiovascular exercises. There’s no weight on the joints and the whole body is exercised simultaneously,” explains a spokesperson for the Sunny Park gym and spa.

Regular physical activity can help the human body maintain, repair, and improve itself to an amazing degree and most among the 50-plus can take part in moderate exercise programmes, but only after a medical all-clear.

“Before inducting senior citizens, we insist on a fitness evaluation. Your doctor can evaluate your physical condition, help you decide which activity will suit you best, and check your progress after the exercise programme is under way,” says Ritu Gupta, director of Addlife Gymnasium and Health Spa on Camac Street.

Cardiac surgeon Kunal Sarkar agrees that a comprehensive medical screening is critical before embarking on an exercise course, which more often than not should yield concrete benefits. “In their early 50s, most people are only beginning to switch from abandon to a more vigilant mode and it’s important to weigh all the parameters like blood sugar, blood pressure and heart function.”

It’s also naïve to believe just because you are exercising, you can’t have a problem, and Veena Sachdeva is aware of this pitfall. An avid gym-goer at 62, she recently underwent a myocardial perfusion scan (a nuclear medicine screening to ascertain the health of the heart muscles). The cardiac clean chit has given the Bhowanipore homemaker renewed vigour on her cross-trainer.