Honey, I shrunk the gym
New-age fitness tools can be packed in a small bag and go places with you
Nutan Sehgal

As director of a New Delhi-based NGO, Richa Mehta attends seminars and workshops around the country. Her hectic schedule keeps her on tour for almost half a month. Long stays in hotels and living out of the suitcase should have had a deleterious effect on her health and fitness.

But no, 42-year-old Richa is slim and fit and has the energy of a person half her age. Her secret — gymming regularly for an hour every morning. No, she usually doesn’t always stay in hotels that have gyms facilities. Instead, she carries her gym with her wherever she goes! Yes, you read that right. Her light, portable fitness gadgets can be fitted in a bag just like her other luggage.

Every morning Richa does 10 sets of jump rope with each set being 100 jumps. It is followed by body stretcher, floor exercises, stationary running with 1-kg weights on ankles. These basic cardio workouts take around 20 minutes. These are followed by back crunching exercises using a Swiss ball. After that it is the turn of the exercise band and tubing for some resistance-building muscle-pulls to improve her strength and endurance.

Fitness experts say that a combination of the Swiss ball with tubings and therabands can provide a whole range of exercises for complete body toning. Then there are flex bars that can give for all kind of weight training. And last but not the least come the set of 2kg dumbbells for some free-weight workouts to strengthen the muscles of arms and legs.

Innovative regimen

Magic? Not really. It is just a revolutionary innovative fitness regimen that promises to keep you fit without regular visits to gyms or punishing exercising regimens.

Thanks to companies like Reebok, Nike, Adidas and others, the fitness market is seeing a flood of new-age devices which not just promise to banish stress but also help build your abs, biceps, triceps and tone up other muscles of the body without the negative impact of heavy-duty nautilus machines on joints, bones and muscles.

Exercise bands, tubings, Swiss balls, dumbbells, stability trainers, rebounders, hand exercisers, flex bars, fat percentage monitors, calorie counters — all go to make a personal gym that can be carried in a bag wherever you go. These portable contraptions will never let you miss a gym.

Leading companies say these fitness tools have been developed after extensive research and have been tested for their benefits. These are not just beneficial for body toning and strength building but also have a positive cardiovascular impact. Used extensively in the west, these instruments are now clocking brisk sales in India as well.

Complete body toning

These exercise tools have been endorsed by leading fitness bodies throughout the world and are available in different resistance levels. Many of these gizmos have immense therapeutic value as well. Apart from fitness, these are of help in rehabilitation programmes of people suffering from back, knee and ankle injuries.

Along with these tools, there are other gadgets that can tell your exact fitness levels at any instant. The fat percentage and calorie counting monitors can provide you a complete update on your health.

Then there are the calorie-counting metres that come in-built in watches and chest wraps. These are very handy as these cam help monitor data about calories burnt during a workout.

All these gadgets including a deflated Swiss ball, tubing, exercise band, jump rope, a pair of dumbbells, hand gripper and calorie counting monitors can fit in a hand bag and can be taken wherever you go — on a vacation or a tour or even to your office for a quick mid-day work out.

So stop being a gym rat. Go ahead and grab these new-age fitness tools. These have the power to change your life forever.

Inflatable Swiss ball

Gives you optimum abdominal and core strength. This wonder ball can tone up any part of the body. You can work your abs, do push ups and squats to keep you in top form. Abdominal exercises on a Swiss Ball are far more effective than floor based techniques. It helps postural balance, core conditioning, improves flexibility and relaxes the body.

Medicinal ball

These are balls used for core training, balance training, stamina enhancement, muscle strength, and for overall physical well-being. The lighter and smaller balls can help in improving range of motion, tone muscles and add resistance so you benefit more in the same amount of time. They improve overall body strength.

Exercise bands & tubings

These are resistance elastic bands made from latex and are used for aerobic exercises and muscle conditioning. The alternate stretching and relaxing of the band tones up the entire body. These bands have similar benefits as free weights as they provide progressive resistance and allow a free range of motion, at variable speed. The only difference from weights is that they do not rely on gravity.

Fat percentage monitor

As the name suggest the fat percentage monitor measures the fat in the body. Body fat percentage is the amount of fat mass a person has in proportion to his/her body weight. When one is trying to lose weight by exercising, this monitor assesses one’s progress and makes course correction in the exercise regimen.

Hand grippers

These are a pair of short bars — in different shapes and sizes — that can fit into a grip with weights or resistance on each end. These are cost-effective, space-efficient tools of resistance training for the hands and wrists. They also give muscle strength to the forearm and develop the ‘crushing’ grip required to lift weights, squeeze a lime or open a can.

Ankle or wrist weights

Wrist and ankle weights are an effective way to add extra resistance during floor exercises like stretches, lunges and pushups. They positively impact muscular activity. By combining five or six floor exercises done using one’s own body weight one can get a complete and exhilarating workout.

Cook’s corner
The good old kitchen has undergone a makeover, as Engineers and designers re-invent the way we cook, and a promise to usher in a stress-free experience
Mukesh Khosla

You can ‘fry’ chips without oil. You can mince meat with the flick of a switch, whip up a frothy lassi in seconds, shred vegetables with the blink of an eye. The days of back-breaking chores in the kitchen are over. Hi-tech appliances promise to banish the drudgery and add a dash of fun to cooking. Cashing in on the growing appetite for kitchen appliances are global manufacturers, who have struck gold by introducing a glitzy range of products — from the ubiquitous mixers, grinders, OTGs, microwaves and food processors to the more innovative table-top ice makers, one-touch jar openers, compact herb choppers, ultrasonic vegetable cleaners, hands-free sauce stirrers, all-in-one grilling tools and a host of fancy gadgets that promise to make the kitchen a sci-fi place.

Recipe for success

That cooking gadgets have hit the right recipe for success is evident from the fact that the global kitchen appliances market is booming like never before. According to the Global Industry Guide, this market is expected to clock a mindboggling turnover of $154 billion up by 19.3 per cent from 2008, which was pegged at around $129 billion. In India, too, there is a growing appetite for these new-age cooking tools because of the fast-changing lifestyles. The Indian market with an annual turnover of around Rs 1,500 crore is attracting a number of foreign players, who are poised to enter with a flurry of mergers and acquisitions.

Technological marvels

Modern kitchens are no longer just your gas chulha-sink-cabinet corner rooms where food is cooked in basic utensils. Designers, engineers, and researchers are giving free rein to their imagination to create technological marvels that work with computer precision and promise to usher in a completely new and stress-free cooking experience. Gone are the days when the kitchen consisted of basics like metallic cooking pans, stainless steel stirrers and spatulas, a sharp knife and a cooking stove. Today, the modern kitchen has come in for a complete technological overhaul and electronics is playing a great role in this change. Designers and engineers are coming out with implements that perform better, are lighter, durable, sleek and high-functioning multi-taskers.

Smart innovations

In some homes, gas stoves and cooking ranges are giving way to smart innovations like the induction cook tops and convection microwaves. The ordinary wash-basin has turned into a sleek sink with touch on/off taps. Refrigerators are coming in for a serious makeover with many advanced models being wired with the android phones that monitor the availability of various kinds of foods and keep checking the expiry date of edibles. But the real revolution is happening in the gadgetry. Small, and novel, gizmos are being invented to make life easier. A housewife who has struggled all her life cutting and peeling veggies and other ingredients can now heave a sigh of relief with automated crushers, shakers, choppers, peelers, scrapers, slicers, strainers, corers and sprayers.

Design labs

Leading cookware companies are encouraging designers to come up with pioneering concepts. The thinking behind these concepts is that ideas that look impossible today can become a possibility tomorrow. Many companies like Electrolux and Whirlpool have design labs where competitions are held every year for innovative kitchen gizmos. Take, for example, a meal sniffer. Now you don’t have to depend on your olfactory powers to find out whether the fruit/meat/vegetable is past its expiry date. The food sniffer does the work for you and tells you how fresh or stale the particular food is. The market is flooded with such inventive devices like a portable microwave oven, touch screen recipe reader, egg white separator, fruit de-seeder and a salad spinner.

Multi-tasking contraptions

The multi-tasking contraptions, too, are bringing in a silent revolution by saving time and energy. A breakfast station that makes coffee, egg and toast at one go, a juicer that doubles up as a food processor, grater and a pureeing machine — all of which can be done simultaneously; an immersion blender that works as an ice crusher, blender, whisker and food processor; a coffee maker that can be plugged to your car batteries. And finally, the mother of all gadgets, the multi-machine that can weigh, chop, blend, knead, steam, juice, grate, whisk, simmer, mill and crush — in effect, it can eliminate 30 appliances in your kitchen. Space age has certainly arrived in the kitchen.

OIL MISTER

For all you people counting calories, here is a gizmo to pep you up. With the Tabletop Oil Mister, you can jazz up salads with just a spray of oil. The gadget is great to mist the pan when cooking meats and vegetable or while baking cookies. You can infuse herbs of your choice in the Mister.

Price: Rs 1,100

SALAD SPINNER

This is a very useful device to bring crispy and crunchy salads to the table. A salad spinner, also known as a salad tosser, washes and and removes excess water from salad greens. It uses centrifugal force to separate the water from the leaves. The bowl can double as a serving dish

Price: Rs 990

KITCHEN COUNTER-TOP ICE MAKER

This countertop ice maker from one of the world’s leading online retailers Hammacher Schlemmer produces 15 kilos of ice per day. Fill the reservoir with water and it freezes in 10 minutes. It makes ice cubes in three sizes and has a timer that automatically starts ice production.

Price: Rs 15,400

BOILED TO PERFECTION

Boiling a perfect egg is an art, which requires perfect timing and attention to detail. The BeepEgg Egg Timer is a clever boiler that offers an ideal solution. Simply place the device in the pan with the eggs and it will boil the perfect kind of egg you want — soft, medium or hard boiled.

Price: Rs 1,340

ROCKER GARLIC CRUSHER

We’ve seen top TV food hosts use it in their shows. Now UK-based Joseph Joseph Kitchenware has launched the rocker garlic crusher that rocks back and forth to crush and mince garlic. Made of odour-resistant stainless steel, this garlic crusher completes the messy task in a jiffy.

Price: Rs 825

MUSICAL CAKE SLICER

Next time, someone cuts a cake you won’t have to sing ‘Happy Birthday’. The Kitchencraft musical cake slicer will do the singing for you. Now you can celebrate in style with this amusing musical cake slicer, which plays four different tunes, including ‘Happy birthday’ and ‘Jingle Bells’.

Price: Rs 935

VACUUM FOOD SEALER

This Best Vacuum Food Sealer preserves and seals vegetables, fruits and all other kinds of foods. The vacuum settings adjust to ensure a proper seal for moist or dry foods and the device automatically senses and grasps on to the bag and shuts off when complete — all in just eight seconds.

Price: Rs 9,900

ONE-TOUCH JAR OPENER

Most of us have struggled to open jars and bottle tops of jams and fruit crushes. The one-touch Culinare Jar Opener simply aligns over the lid, and when the button is pressed, it removes it with ease. A battery-operated device, it is powerful enough to open the toughest jars and cans.

Price: Rs 3,300

SLOW COOKER

Switch from fast food to the slow method of cooking. The slow cooker is like a comforting return to traditional values. Great for vegetables, meats and healthy soups, the Cuisinart Slow Cooker will cook food between 30 minutes and 20 hours, and then keep the food at the right temperature.

Price: Rs 5,225

TWIN-BOTTLE WINE CHILLER

To get the best of the flavours, red, white or sparkling wines have to be served at specific temperatures. The Hostess Twin Bottle Wine Chiller can cool or warm two bottles at temperatures between five and 20 degrees, thus becoming an ideal companion for the wine connoisseur.

Price: Rs 3,575

AIRFRYER

A very innovative device, the Philips AirFryer is a gizmo for the glutton. Now you don’t have to feel guilty about chomping those potato fingers or other fried snacks as this clever devise ‘fries’ them without oil with the help of rapid hot air technology. And even expert can’t tell the difference.

Price: Rs 14,995

ULTRASONIC VEGETABLE CLEANER

Ever thought of the pesticides and other invisible muck that comes with the vegetables and fruits you buy? Get yourself a chemical-free vegetable cleaner by Hammacher Schlemmar, which uses ultrasonic waves in water to remove dirt from the hard-to-reach crevices of fruits and vegetables.

Price: Rs 27,500

UNIQUE HOME COOKER

This amazing Philips Home Cooker claims to take the pressure out of cooking by stirring, steaming and sautéing automatically. The hi-tech pot has a built-in stirring arm, a temperature setting and timer to let the cook stay in control when making special dishes that need constant stirring.

Price: Rs 22,000

BOOMERANG WOK

Stir-frying may be a healthy and delicious way to make meals but it is, by no means, easy as some of the ingredients tend to spill out. But not with the Boomerang Wok. With its cupped edge, it eliminates the need for tossing as the same can be done with the simple movement of a spatula.

Price: Rs 5,225

 

SHOWPIECE KITCHENS With appliances becoming smarter and slicker, the kitchen, too, is coming in for a complete overhaul. An increasing number of high networth individuals are fast realising that in the modern world, a fully loaded kitchen can be a showpiece just like the drawing room. Tapping in to this demand, a number of international companies have set shops in India to give the kitchen a stylish makeover. These specialists go into minute details to bring out the finer aspects of the kitchen. The lighting is planned tastefully to enhance the ambience. Storage spaces, work platforms, flooring and matching colours palettes all play a dominant role in transforming the simple kitchen into an ornamental showpiece. Once the designer kitchen is complete, it can be displayed prominently. It has neatly decorated crockery and cutlery, dining ware, plates, cups and saucers, glasses and stemware. It could also have a coffee-maker and a wine chiller, a microwave oven and an induction cook-top. It has a smart refrigerator, which contains colourful juices, fruits, bottled water, soft drinks, beer, wine and other beverages. Many of these modern kitchens are an extension of the drawing room or the dining room and have a mini-bar from where the guests can be entertained. The kitchen can also have a small dining area where a table is laid out to seat four to six persons for an intimate evening with friends. This kitchen is not to be mistaken for a working area. The ‘real’ cooking is done in another area which would have a gas cook-top, an oven, a blender, a big storage refrigerator, a place to keep vegetables, oils, spices, groceries and all utensils like pots, pans and bowls used for cooking, baking and frying. It will also have a large washbasin to clean the dishes. This kitchen is usually not displayed. The two-kitchen concept is a very neat arrangement and also spares the guests the smells and odours emanating from the food factory. All they see is attractively laid-out dishes being placed on the dining table in the food showroom.

PACESETTER Siddharth Sharma
Life in music
Be it transforming everyday sounds into rhythmic beats or using the computer to create original notes, for audio engineer Siddharth music matters the most
Aruti Nayar

For Siddharth Sharma, it is varied rhythms, tones and sounds of music, especially as he mixes and remixes them with abandon, that make his world go round. An Electronica producer from Chandigarh, he is making waves with his tracks. As a young lad, he was a regular in Christmas Carol singing competitions in high school and also attended bhajan recitals in the local temples. It was when he was in Class VIII, that he entered the electronic domain and started using different beat programmes to produce hip hop and bhangra. If career counsellors had their way, Siddharth, aptly termed Dub Sharma, would have been a computer engineer. He reluctantly opted for a Bachelors degree in computer application, but his heart always beat to different tunes. During his college hours, he used to slip out of the college during the break hour to work with the community radio station in Chandigarh. Passion for music drew him to edit and mix background music and sound effects for local theatre acts, produce and remix radio jingles and promos for commercial radio stations. His heart won and his parents agreed to let him pursue his passion. It was admission to the Mumbai-based School of Audio Engineering, (SAE) an arm of the Australian School of the same name, the oldest institution in this discipline, to learn about the essentials of recording technology.

In 2010, he collaborated with Jeetu Ramachandran, a fellow student at the SAE. Jeetu was quite active in the South Indian music industry as a vocalist and they collaborated to produce the song Raaz. Siddharth composed Raaz on a bamboo flute and recorded it. He wrote the lyrics himself and laid down the track for Jeetu to sing on it. The track was termed a “breath of fresh air” by Bobby Friction on BBC Asian Network, UK, under the “Introducing Initiative”. He also recommended the track to the Tom Robinson Show, on BBC 6 Music. This debut composition was finally released on Monkey Dub Recording, Montreal, Canada soon after. While studying in SAE, he composed background music for a TV channel and programmed music for a Bollywood project.

The big break for Siddharth came when Sneha Khanwalkar, the young music director, came to SAE to scout around for an assistant. He also assisted Sneha to compose the music for the blockbuster Gangs of Wasseypur. Though Mumbai offered more money and opportunities, he did not want to be anonymous. He says, “You could own a house and a car but your creativity would be thwarted because very often you do not get credit for your work.” It was simple, rather than aim for big money and lose out on copywright, he preferred to opt for select projects that showcased his talent and gave him a platform. Thus came the decision to return home after his stint in Mumbai and work from home.

Siddharth also composed the track Tung, tung for Sneha’s show MTV’s Sound Trippin while on the way to Qila Raipur, the hub of rural sports. It got more than 4 lakh hits. Singers Jyoti and Sultana Nooran gave the vocals for the song and all the sounds were brought together in the studio by Siddharth as the final touches were given to the song. Dubstep and other morphing audio techniques were used and the end product was dubbed “a work of art” by critics. Besides performing with his brother Satyan, who plays the table, Siddharth has also performed in Out of The Box, Hauz Khas, Delhi and at the NH7 Weekender, Bangalore.

Bling it on

HERITAGE COMPUTING

Even as miniaturising make computers pocket-size, geeks are falling backwards to have a look at the Harwell Dekatron the world’s oldest surviving computer which has been painstakingly pieced together bit by bit. The computer built in 1951 can now be seen at the National Museum of Computing in Buckinghamshire, U.K. in full working mode. At 2.5 tonnes it weighs as much as a truck and is as big as a truck as well. Its computing power is that of a pocket calculator. But when it comes to its heritage value…it is immeasurable.

Price: Priceless!

ULTRA PREMIUM Oil

Back in 2007 it launched Lambda the world’s first ultra premium olive oil. Now Greek luxury food company Speiron has come out with the one-of-a-kind Lambda olive oil bottle in an exceptional bespoke creation that can be delivered anywhere on the globe. Customers can choose to have their signature embossed on the sleek, minimalistic flask-like bottle along with any personal marking or emblem. If you are into health foods this is your chance to make a statement with the Lambda custom-made hand-crafted bottle embossed with your name or signature.

Price: $15, 320 (RS 8,42,600)

BRUTAL POWER

Great driving experience is a byword with the Mercedes Benz which produces cars that are one of a kind. The Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS Black Series being introduced to car fanatics at motor shows is making their hearts beat faster. A thoroughbred sports car and perhaps the best ever from the German auto makers stable the Brutal Mercedes Benz Brutal AMG SLS Black Series to be available mid-2013 is a combination of state-of-the-art aerospace technology and hand craftsmanship. Its 6.3-liter V8 to 622 horsepower engine is hand-built and it can reach a top speed is 315 kmph. The bucket-type seats in leather provide lateral support, while the unique designing lends a rugged racing touch to the interiors. In short it is wider, faster and completely awesome!

likely price: $400,000 (RS 2.20 crore)

PET FASHION

Don't let your pet be seen in outdated outfits. Get the fashion forecast at askforpets.com and find out what's in vogue this season. Your pet will be the talk of the dog park or kitty condo with the latest clothes and accessories that include Donut Dog Bed, Forbis conditioning shampoo and Karlie Dog Poncho Camouflage. There are also gold-plated couture and accessories. So go ahead and check out the latest pet animal fashion trends and give your furry friend a stylish treat this winter.

Price: Karlie Dog Poncho start at Rs 2,190

A LEGEND IS RE-BORN

In all he made around 1,200 archtop guitars in his lifetime. Yet American musical instruments craftsman John D'Angelico is considered the greatest designers ever in the history of guitar-making. Known for their smooth, mellow tone and excellent tonal quality, these guitars today are the prized possession of collectors and leading rock artists. Now three models of the iconic brand are being re-launched in a very limited edition and at surprisingly affordable pricing. If you are a guitar aficionado this should be music to your ears.

price: From $1,420 to $1,150 (RS 78,100 to 63,250) 

BEATING JETLAG

Jet lag is the bane of most frequent fliers who spend sleepless nights as the body clock gets warped and takes time to adjust to the new time zone. Now Australia’s Flinders University has come to the rescue of sufferers. It has developed wearable glasses called Re-timers that mimic sunlight by emitting a soft green light onto the eyes to reset the body’s internal clock to counter jet lag and induce sleep and make waking up easier. It comes with literature that indicates the best times to use it to minimise the effects of jet lag. If you are a recurrent traveller, go ahead and invest in it. There will be no more nights of tossing and turning in a new country.

Price: $258 (RS 14,190)

SPARKLING ROSE 

Flaunt your style this season with the Piaget collection of jewellery and watches inspired by the emblematic Yves Piaget rose sparkling with gold and diamonds. Combining its mastery in layered diamond setting and creative patterns, Piaget makes the best use of the square open worked structure to highlight each luminous diamond. All the precious jewels and bejewelled watches have unique designs which are both alluring and airy. Turn up the heat this winter with this collection provided you have deep pockets…very, very deep pockets.

Price: Upon request 

TAKING THE STING OUT OF MOSQUITOES

It is high time someone thought about this. With cases of dengue and malaria on the rise, LG has launched the “Anti-Mosquito” air conditioner. Expectedly the response has been excellent. It is claimed that the AC can deter around 82 percent mosquitoes. The machine uses ultra-sonic wave technology to emit a sound that repels mosquitoes. Though it has been designed for African countries like Nigeria where the incidence of malaria is rampant, it could find widespread acceptance in India what with mosquito-borne diseases claiming hundreds of lives.

Price: Yet to be announced

SCRABBLE GETS HI-TECH MAKEOVER

Scrabble is played in over 125 countries and world championship has a passionate fan following. Now a UK-based company Mind Sports International has given it a 21st Century makeover resulting in the creation of arguably the most expensive and advanced Championship Scrabble system in the world. A new technology has been used to read the entire Scrabble board almost instantaneously (974 milliseconds), transmitting the proceedings of the championship via unique software to viewers online. So next time you are searching the Internet frantically to find out how the championship is faring, just log on to the company website for a word-by-word account.

cost of preparing the championship scrabble board: $31,800 (RS 17.5 lakh)

TEE TIME FOR GOLF

If you are planning a game of golf then take the latest RocketBladez with you. It is the latest an innovation of the TaylorMade Golf Company. The golfing iron promotes high launching, long, straight and quick-stopping performance for golfers of all abilities. The company claims that the new technology maximises distance and control. The irons come in a choice of steel shafts or graphite shafts and promise to uplift your performance on the golfing course.

Price: RS 47,900 with steel shafts and RS 52,900 with graphite shafts 

A STUNNER ON THE ROAD

Luxury and Jaguar seem to be getting synonymous. Half a century after launching the legendary E-Type Jaguar, comes its follow up — the 2013 F-Type Jag. The stunning 1950s-style two-seat convertible coupe is truly a twenty-first century car in terms of design, technology and performance. Being termed as a serious and credible challenger to Porsche, Mercedes and BMW roadsters, the F-Type looks all set to capture the mood and spirit of sports car aficionados the way the E-Type did in the 1960s. After all, as the company’s line goes…"The F-Type isn't designed to be like anyone else's sports car, it's a Jaguar sports car!"

ex-showroom Price: RS 70 lakh