Fitness dreams cost an arm and a leg in Lahore

With health and fitness awareness on the rise among the current generation, thanks to the budding influence of social media, a growing number of youth hailing from all socio-economic backgrounds have started looking for ways to kickstart their metabolism yet as the provincial capital continues to suffer from a dearth of public sports facilities, those hoping to get back in shape will have to burn thousands of rupees in cash before they can burn a few hundred calories in fat.

One such gym buff was Yasir Sheikh, a youth spotted outside a private gym in Gulberg.

“Due to the unavailability of adequate public sports complexes in Lahore, middle-class people like us have to turn to expensive gyms, which cost us an arm and a leg to fulfil our hobby,” bemoaned Sheikh, whose woes are not unfounded considering the fact that three to five large private gyms located in posh areas of the city demand a membership fee of more than half a million rupees while their monthly fee ranges from Rs15,000 to Rs45,000.

While financial constraints might perhaps be the only hindrance preventing male fitness freaks like Sheikh from hitting the gym, women who wish to improve their fitness levels face a much more complicated ordeal since they first have to seek their family’s approval and then look for a women-only gym, which is also affordable.

For instance, Arij Khalid shared her long tussle with her family, who refused to allow her to go to the gym on the grounds that it was ill-fitted for a girl. “Ever since I had developed an interest in fitness, I kept asking my family for permission to go to the gym, but they all refused. Finally, my father agreed, and he started looking for a ladies’ gym, which was non-existent in our area. At last, we found a ladies’ gym in an area far away from our home. Unfortunately, the quality of equipment at that gym is regrettable,” said Arij.

According to Muhammad Imran, a former bodybuilding champion of Punjab, despite the numerous health benefits that exercise has to offer, the concept of physical fitness is still alien for most Pakistani’s.

“However, in recent times the younger generations have started showing interest in body fitness, which is a positive change. Yet, fitness remains a challenge for most women in the country since they have few opportunities to step outside their homes and engage in basic physical activities. Furthermore, the severe lack of women-only fitness centres across the country has only added to the problem,” opined Imran.

Even when the government decides to offer sports facilities at the state level, the imposition of a high membership fee deters gym buffs from registering. As a result, only 1,600 members out of a population of 20 million have enrolled across five active sports complexes managed by the LDA, which offer facilities for tennis, badminton, swimming, gym, table tennis, squash, basketball, chess and carom.

Although some privately owned low-fee gyms have been built in low-income residential areas, which charge fees ranging from Rs2,000 to Rs3,000, the quality of machines and expertise of the trainers is nowhere near an acceptable standard.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Dilawar, Deputy Director Sports at the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) said, “We are rapidly building more sports complexes at locations where residents of the surrounding communities can access them easily. So far, five have been activated and seven more are under construction. As far as the membership fee is concerned, a modest fee has been fixed to cover the operational expenses of such large and state-of-the-art complexes.”