Police officers undergoing training in aerobic kickboxing at Mumbai Police Club. July 4: White clothed jelly bellies, wobbly legs and heaving chests tried to keep pace with the pulsating beat of music. For aerobic kickboxing has never been part of their fitness regime before. Actually by the look of it, the 50-odd policemen, assembled at the Mumbai Police Club this morning for an advanced fitness programme, looked like they needed a good dose of trimming.From today for the next two days, the first batch of 50 cops from the special branch, Mumbai, comprising officers and constables, are to participate in this novel programme, which has been organised by Dr Deepak Rao and Dr Seema Rao, fitness and rehabilitation consultants in Pune.Aerobic kickboxing, the method to be used in this programme, was formulated by the Raos. It is a blend of boxing and aerobic exercises. ``Kicking and boxing are unaerobic due to the vigorous action involved in them. By changing the rhythm of the action we have made it aerobic, where there is more intake of fresh air while exercising,'' explains Rao. The exercise is said to burn 12 calories a minute.The duo have organised medical fitness camps for the police in several pockets of the state, most prominently the Supreme Action Cop Programme and the Pot Belly Programme. The latter, he says, led to over three inches of weight loss at the abdomen after six weeks of exercise.It has otherwise been observed that between the age group of 30 and 35 more and more cases of slipped disc and spondilitis are found among those on desk jobs and lack of adequate physical movement. ``Apart from physical fitness, the programme will help in overcoming work-related stress too,'' said AV Parasnis, Additional Commissioner of Police Special Branch. T K Chowdhury, Joint Commissioner of Police (administration), Charan Singh Azad, Joint Commissioner of Police (law and order) and the Commissioner of Police, S C Malhotra were there this morning to inaugurate the workshop. The workshop will continue till July 6.
