The new Ato Z of fitness
The new Ato Z of fitness
Altitude Training System
Jogging or cycling in a specially constructed chamber, or with a face mask, which simulates high-altitude pressures, might not be your idea of a perfect
Bridal Bootcamp
Bootcamps, as the name suggests, are intensive classes that involve working
The Cliff was born when a group of six climbing enthusiasts realized that no
Domestic Training
Eating healthy is everybody’s priority today, but can the maids and cooks who
Cruise down the California coast or bike through the Peruvian mountains on this
Functional Fitness
Abs on Day 1, pecs on Day 2 and arms on Day 3 is yesterday’s workout
Rafael Nadal and Leander Paes use it, so do some of the world’s leading golfers,
Another handy device is the HydraCoach (Rs3,000), a neat way to keep track of your daily fluid intake. This water bottle has a built-in meter to calculate how much water or fluid is required for a particular body weight, the amount consumed through the day and the average per hour. Available at www.powerballs.co.in and www.hydracoach.co.in, as well as select sports equipment stores in metros.
Hypoxi Therapy
It is a treatment developed in Austria and aims at targeted body shaping. “The
Indian Army Workout
The Indian Military Academy, which trains officers for the Indian Army, has given out some exercises from its fitness programme to Men’s Health magazine, which has simplified the programme for civilians. It comprises squats and dead lifts while holding sandbags or dumb-bells, squat to push presses, planks, side bridges, hanging leg raises, and Supermans. Do it thrice a week, with a day of rest between each session. For the full regime visit www.menshealthindia.in
Developed by Reebok in association with entertainment company Cirque du
Kombu
A seaweed commonly used in Japanese preparations such as dashi, kombu can be incorporated into Indian dal-based dishes to give various
LunaRacer
155gm. That’s what Nike’s latest shoe, the LunaRacer, weighs. Made of
The training regime for a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter wouldn’t be out of place
“We do a lot of cross-training, a combination of fitness programmes that focus on overall speed, flexibility and strength," says Prashant Kumar, the founder-director of Full Contact Entertainment, which organizes MMA events in India and runs the Full Contact Gym in Mahim, Mumbai. “Our fighters train between 4-6 hours a day, five days a week."
MMA is a pastiche of a number of martial art traditions, from kickboxing and judo to karate and freestyle. But not everyone would want to don a mask and an alias and take to the ring for the world championship, and Kumar agrees. “Anyone can do MMA. For beginners, our trainers gauge your fitness levels and get you started with an overall training programme." For the serious, there’s the promise of epic bouts, cheering crowds and your own entrance music.
No Favourites
Cheating on your preferred workout method or sport is actually a very good way
Office Workouts
“I have no time to exercise because I work," is the most common excuse people
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Neck: 1) Turn your neck from left to right. 2) Move your chin up and down, as far as it will go.
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Shoulders: 1) Raise your right and left shoulders alternatively. 2) Raise both together till your ears and bring them down.
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Back: 1) Put both hands on shoulders with elbows parallel to the ground, and feet on the ground. With your butt firm on the seat, twist to the left and right, moving your chin in the same direction as well. 2) Put your hands on your pelvis, stick your chest out and arch your back. Bend from the waist till you are parallel to the floor.
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Legs: 1) Raise one leg at a time, till it is parallel to the ground. 2) Rotate your ankle clockwise and counter-clockwise.
Whole grain breakfast cereals, known primarily for their high fibre content, and
Researchers who conducted the first study to measure the total phenol antioxidants in breakfast cereals and snacks reported at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society earlier this month that whole grain products have comparable antioxidants per gram to fruits and vegetables. The whole grain cereals with the most antioxidants are made with wheat, corn, oats and rice, in descending order. Among snacks such as pasta, crackers and salty munchies, popcorn tops the list.
Shilpa Shetty’s favourite new muscles to work out are the quadriceps. The
The trampoline’s exercise benefits are many, and one of them includes
Spinlates
Two of the past few years’ biggest fitness crazes have been combined for a
The Art of Movement
The Art of Movement or Parkour, as it is called in French, is similar to freestyle
Inspired by the Jamaican sprinter, who set the new 100m world record at the
Video games and exercise may seem mutually exclusive, but try telling that to EA Sports Active, a new fitness video game for the Nintendo Wii.
As a game, it’s the best fitness regimen outside of a gym subscription, and with its host of customization possibilities, it’s perfect for those with an active lifestyle.
Here’s how it works. You create your in-game profile (inputting weight, height and age), choose from a male or female trainer, and choose from a variety of daily workouts or weekly programs that range from light and easy to heavy and tiring. The game tracks calories burnt, asks about the meals you ate, and takes surveys on activities you may have performed outside of the game. Medals and awards are dispensed for good and diligent performances. It’s a wonderful game-like approach to fitness, one that dangles a sugar trail of rewards to encourage you to continue.
EA Sports Active is the video game that answers all the fitness- and activity-oriented concerns that usually plague gamers. It’s a title that takes a medium considered the preserve of the indoor and out-of-shape, and shows that an active, healthier lifestyle is possible even through the virtual disconnect of a video-game controller. It’s easy to approach, and accessible to everyone. Watch out, however, for slightly flimsy peripherals, and minor calibration issues. And don’t expect the virtual trainers to go easy on you. Priced at Rs2,999.
Wobble Board Worouts
A wobble board is a piece of training equipment used to develop physical
XBOX 360
Microsoft’s Project Natal, for the Xbox 360, is part of a plan to get gamers
Yoga
Trance Dance Yoga is yoga teacher Deepika Mehta’s latest offering. One of the
Another new form of yoga, billboards of which have already begun to appear in Mumbai, is cryptically named Sufi Yoga. When we met Junaid Shaikh, the yoga practitioner who devised the eclectic form, we couldn’t get a first-hand experience because, as Shaikh said, Sufi Yoga is a “mind-body-soul experience that works best as a two- to three-day workshop in a group of about 10 people". He breaks up the two days into rigorous sessions of classic Hatha yoga asanas, which stretch muscles in the body, increase flexibility, improve blood circulation and release pent-up energy. These physically gruelling sessions are punctuated by soothing Sufi practices—spontaneous body movements to Sufi music, chants and meditation, which aim to channelize energy and breath awareness to achieve a holistic sense of euphoria. For details of forthcoming workshops, visit www.sufiyoga.com
Zany Dance Forms
B-Boying or breaking is an energetic style of American street dancing which has
“Krumping is a great way for teenagers and young people to vent aggression and release energy," says Gupta. It serves as a high-energy workout, involving whooping, shouting and clapping, and normally burns 500-600 calories an hour. Contact Arts in Motion (09820183231).
Seema Chowdhry, Krish Raghav, Seema Singh and Sanjukta Sharma contributed to this story.
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