Getting robust, online

When belly dance instructor Chitra woke up on November 15 last year, the first thing that came to her mind was that there were barely 45 days left for her to look fit and stunning for New Years. The second thing that hit her was the fact that she’d whiled away another year full of resolutions about staying in shape.

Getting on to her Twitter account, Chitra, who goes by the moniker BombayBellyrina on the social networking website, sent out a plea, looking for workout buddies. “I was hoping to find people who will help me stay committed to my routine, and I could do the same for them,” she reveals.

The tweet was accompanied by the hashtag #TwitterGetsFitter, and before Chitra knew it, the number of buddies grew from 15, to over 70, during the course of her 45 day workout programme. So much so that Chitra decided to bring the online workout movement back for a season two.

“More than me helping people out, it was them helping me out, making sure I exercise everyday,” confesses Chitra, who would send out a new exercise routine to the participants on WhatsApp and email every day. “One of the reasons I think this worked so well is because I’m no gym rat. They relate to me better because I too am struggling with fitness. I’m not just cheering them on, but trying to better myself too and progressing with them.”

Chitra

The dance instructor is more than aware that a 45-day regimen is not everyone’s cup of tea, and she takes the drop out numbers in her stride. “I wasn’t really easy on them. You should ask the members,” she chuckles. “In fact, I thought there would be days people would unfriend and block me! A lot of these workouts were built around HIIT (high intensity interval training) and moves included classic plans and crunches. Some moves were born from my dance training, which were adapted to make them non-dancer friendly, while giving out the same kind of effect. A couple of people, who went too hardcore right in the beginning, had to drop out thanks to injuries. Besides that, some 10 or 15 people completely disappeared from the routine, which was fine.” By all means, Chitra comes across as a hard taskmaster. “Sundays are off days though,” she guffaws. “I try to structure exercises depending on what routine they’ve done the day before and what part of their body is probably killing them. I make sure they work from body part to body part and by the end of the week, you shavasana!”

The online workout movement picked up considerable speed within a few days of the launch, as it grabbed eyeballs too. Soon, there were sponsors on board and Chitra could offer goodies to the participants for sticking to the schedule. “While I still maintain that seeing your body get fitter and stronger is the best reward, it’s always nice to dangle a bit of carrot in front of people and get them to stick to their schedule,” she says. To qualify for the incentives, all one had to do was ‘check in’ with their daily work out routines. “I would accept a sweaty selfie on Twitter or Instagram or stats from fitness bands as an indicator that the routine had been completed. They were free to pursue any form of workout — running, swimming, or badminton. I didn’t hold them to doing the workout I shared,” Chitra elucidates.

For now, the instructor is busy designing schedules for a 30-day workout plan, which began on January 9. “I already have 82 people on board for season two,” she beams. “I would love to do a round three and keep going too. Alongside this, I’ve been working on a subscription-based workout programme, designed by me, for the past year. It fuses belly dance, yoga, and pilates. The response to #TwitterGetsFitter is fuelling me on!”