Bhubaneswar, May 22: This summer season, youngsters are taking up a number of interesting activities to keep themselves mentally and physically fit.
To make exercise fun in the heat, city-based contemporary dancer Anupam Nayak gave classes on aqua zumba at a hotel in Puri today. Around 35 youngsters made a splash in the water as they indulged in some exercises.
Anupam recently completed training in zumba from New York, USA and at present runs camps at his dancing institute Anu's Dance Freak. But this time, he wanted to popularise aqua zumba keeping in mind the hot weather.
"It is a form of water-based workout that integrates zumba into traditional aqua fitness disciplines. It is very popular in the western countries and is ideal for the summers," said Anupam. He will shortly conduct such lessons in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
"Traditional workout sessions are boring. This involved dance and twirling, jumping and prancing in the swimming pool. I felt lighter and energetic," said Subhasish Patnaik a 22-year-old participant.
A number of young professionals, especially those working in IT firms, are taking up power yoga. A fitness-based approach to Vinyasa style yoga, this form is all about gaining power.
Abhishek Das, who imparts training in power yoga at his gym Kalinga Fitness, said: "It helps the tensed areas of one's body to relax. I introduced power yoga here around four months ago and the turnout has been encouraging."
A number of fitness centres are offering power yoga classes this season. The sessions end with meditation and chanting. "I was earlier going for yoga classes, but I found this better as it keeps the mind peaceful and also increases stamina and flexibility," said Lipirekha Das, a 26-year-old IT professional.
At a roller skating camp hosted in Bargarh, Sambalpur, many youngsters are exploring the fun that their wheeled sandals have brought. Groomed by young corporate employee Nimish Sharma, this is the first camp being hosted by the Roller Skating Association of Odisha. Similar classes are also being held in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
It is a great form of exercise and helps a skater learn the art of focusing. My interest came when I saw youngsters skate at Raahgiri and I wanted to do the same," said Ankur Patnaik, an amateur skater based in Bhubaneswar.
A number of youngsters are also going for film-making and magic classes. On May 28, an overnight camp in the woods will be hosted by city-based event management company Club Knox.
"Nights are fun, so, we thought of hosting a camp for fun and adventure. Over 50 people have already registered," said Soumya Banerjee from Club Knox. The camp would feature a number of band performances, film talks and activities such as rock climbing, zorbing, archery and angling.
