Water exercises: fun way to stay fit
Sherry Ballou Hanson

EXERCISING in the water is good . Whether you swim laps, run in water or perform aqua aerobic exercises, the fitness value of water exercise is superb. It conditions the heart, lungs and all major muscle groups, building muscle endurance and strength, as well as cardiorespiratory endurance. Best of all, since your body weighs 90 per cent less in water, there is virtually no injury risk because there is little stress on joints and ligaments. Water exercise is probably the best choice for those who are overweight and out of shape, or have arthritis, as well as for those who have knee or lower back problems.

Calories burned while swimming or exercising in water are less than those burned while using your treadmill, but they add up. A slow crawl for a half-hour burns about 260 calories, while the treadmill uses about 350. A stationary bike burns about 250 per half-hour. A faster swimmer or more intense pace of aqua exercise will burn more calories than a lesser effort, but a slower swimmer or exerciser going longer will burn more by going longer. So aim for either intensity or time, not both.

Looking for a facility near you? Call your nearest health club for information. You can also check with a hotel in your area. Some feature pool memberships for exercise in the water. You might want to look into getting your own pool or spa. Water that is too warm can make you feel weak, while cold water can cause pain in stiff or arthritic joints. If you fear the water, wear a floatation device and stay in the shallow end of the pool or near the side. Your options for exercise are still many.

For calorie burning, strokes matter. A 123-pound woman doing the sidestroke will burn 68 calories in 10 minutes, while a 170-pound man will burn 90. That same woman burns 95 with a slow crawl or backstroke; the man 130. The breaststroke eats up about 91 during a 10-minute swim for the woman, 125 for the man. If you are a reasonably good swimmer but out of shape, start with one lap of the pool followed by one-minute rest. Do this for 1-20 minutes. During successive sessions, gradually increase the number of laps and decrease the rest periods. A good cardiorespiratory workout in the pool should last 20 minutes or longer, with a 5-minute warm-up and cool-down added to that.

There are many kinds of exercises you can do in the water, including aqua aerobics, walking or jogging across a pool in chest deep water, or running in place while treading water in the deep end of a pool. Use a floatation device to stay upright in the deep end and lift the knees high, pump the arms back and forth. Devises such as fins, hand paddles and inflatable rubber mitts help strengthen your upper body or legs by increasing resistance against the water.

The best way to learn some good water exercises is to take a class at your local club. A total body workout in the water should include exercises for all major muscle groups. A typical warm-up and cool-down can include shallow water walking with gentle arm movements back and forth. A combination of leg kicks and leg lifts can work the lower body, while arm circles and figure-eights work the upper body, including shoulders, chest and back. Running in water or bouncing up and down off the bottom are also good conditioning moves. Kicking laps across the pool holding onto a kickboard is a great conditioner, and can be done by non-swimmers. Have Fun ! —Asia Features

BREAKING STEREOTYPES
Cooking up a storm!
Aradhika Sekhon

WHEN one sees images of the new-age guy that are being promoted by the media and ad-makers, there’s usually a sense of disbelief. The new-age guy, a man who looks after the kids, shares household chores and, wonder of wonders, goes into the kitchen to cook meals, is one that just doesn’t gel with the profile of the average Punjabi male. That is, until you meet Harpreet Pal Kohli.

Harpreet’s career profile has been zara hatke. A postgraduate in chemistry, he spent 14 years in marketing and today runs the Australian School of English. Now Harpreet plans to immigrate. And with that in mind, he is busy doing a professional course in cooking at the Foodcraft Institute, while his wife sits coolly at home.

A Punjabi male in the kitchen is usually equated with a bull in a china shop, but Harpreet challenges this dictum . "I’ve been cooking for many years now. Initially, it started because I had no choice as I got transferred to mumbai and had to fend for myself. But slowly, I discovered the joys of cooking and the high that a perfectly cooked and well presented dish gives." The first thing he cooked was, what else, an omelette. " It was tasty, though slightly burnt", he claims. Then I widened my horizons to nutri-nuggets and the world (of cooking) was my oyster. I could take on any recipe and modify and experiment with it."

Then Harpreet got married and his wife, Parbin, took over the kitchen. A transfer to Ludhiana had him ‘cooking up a storm’ yet again. Now back in Chandigarh , Harpreet decided to give his hobby of cooking a more professional touch and thus the course at the Food Craft Institute. " Professional cooking is different from normal cooking—you’ve got to make a person want to pay to come back to you. Also unlike homes, there’s no scope for jugad here—you can’t take short-cuts—not unless you want to produce dhaba-type stuff. That kind of an attitude mars the quality of food…..the difference is like that in the presentation of dishes at, say, Hotel Mountview and those at the Sector 35 food joints"

The seriousness of Harpreet and his friends about the course has made the staff at the FCI smarten up their act. "We’re trying to get the most out of them—we’ve got them digging for recipes and information that they thought nobody would use," declares Harpreet gleefully.

Harpreet’s family have been pretty supportive of his hobby-soon-to-turn-profession. His son, Jasjot (10), loves his father’s cooking. "The soups, spring rolls, Chinese food and tikkas that daddy cooks are much better than mama’s", he says. Parbin, too, has nothing to complain of—"On Sundays and holidays, I get a break from the kitchen while he churns out delightful and exotic dishes for the family. Otherwise, too, he’s very helpful in sharing the household chores…specially where the woman of the house is working too, it’s really good to be able to depend on the husband for things other than just bringing in the money".

" In a world where women are taking on so many of the responsibilities that were traditionally those of males, I don’t see why men can’t take on some of women’s traditional duties. In addition, while most of the household cooking is done by women, it is a well-known fact that that male chefs are the real chefs the world over." Evidently, Harpreet intends to join the gang.