A girl works out at a gym in Patna (picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey)

Entrepreneur Divya’s fitness regime helps her stay fit to take care of her four children and manage her business with elan.

“When you are healthy, you feel physically and mentally strong and can perform all your duties,” said Divya, who joined Gold’s Gym in January this year.

She added: “I have to manage time for my four kids and also manage my business. But when I am at the gym, it is my time.”

Women have to keep fit to satiate the demands of managing their home and their professional lives. As a result, many of them are joining gyms and fitness centres that have mushroomed in the city.

For some, it is an effort to keep their weight in check. Others find it an effective way to boost their self-image and confidence.

Professional Shweta is a fitness freak. She is also very serious about having the right weight. “Six months ago, I weighed 73kg. But the right fitness regime and diet have helped me lose around 8kg,” she told The Telegraph.

“I visit the gym regularly. But I also keep a watch on my diet. Now, I have more fruits and salads and less sugar and rice,” said Shweta.

She also said: “Earlier, I had aches in my knee and my joints. But now, I am energetic and happy.”

A proper diet and workout sessions can indeed help women flaunt the body they want, claim experts.

Vikas Kumar, a trainer at Gold’s Gym, said: “We opened this facility in December last year. The number of women joining has increased. Around 50 per cent of our members are women — both professionals and homemakers.

“Most of them work on their weight problems. We provide them with all kinds of facilities and teach them different exercises. Our dietician suggests a proper diet chart for them according to their weight and body type.”

Besides traditional exercise regimes and hitting the treadmill, women are also trying newer fitness regimes.

Pratyush, a trainer at Torque Gym, said: “Women are experimenting with all kinds of workout, like kickboxing.”

Kickboxing is a martial contact sport developed in the 1960s in Japan by combing aspects of boxing, karate and other martial arts. While it is a very popular sport in Japan, Thailand and US, it has also become fashionable as a fitness regime.

Experts claim it is a social change making women more confident and in control of their lives.

Raju Kumar, the manager and trainer in Addiction Fitness, said: “There are 60 members in my gym, of whom 25 are women. Professionals, homemakers and students come to the gym to keep their weight in check and get the desired look through workout and prescribed nutrition.”

He added: “This is a wonderful development that has taken place over the past decade. Women are now taking their health very seriously.”

Good health is a great confidence boost as well.

Chartered accountancy student Mehul was very conscious of being overweight till a few months back.

“I have lost 13kg in a year by doing cardio exercise and weightlifting for two hours daily,” she said. “A healthy body makes me feel wonderful.”