At first sight, it didn’t appear threatening. Almost like a puffed up cushion. So far, so good, I thought to myself. It was a lazy Sunday morning and while most people were still planning their day, I was at FitnessFirst, a state-of-the-art gym that I visit every once in a while to check out the latest trends in fitness. The puffed up cushion was actually the Bosu ball, short for Both Sides Utilised, a fitness training device to make an already tough day at the gym tougher. It’s amazing the consistency with which fitness enthusiasts in their zest to make the world a fitter place keep coming up with new tools! The Bosu ball was invented in 1999 by one such devotee — David Weck. It consists of an inflated rubber hemisphere attached to a rigid platform. It almost looks like a stability ball (another one of those devices) cut in half and gets its name from the fact that it can be positioned in two ways. But the non-threatening, almost likeable appearance of the Bosu ball is meant to lull you into a false sense of comfort — as I found out soon enough. What it does actually is make exercise extra challenging. With a platform on one side and a rubber dome on the other, the tool adds instability to your workouts, forcing you to use your core to remain steady. Even a simple exercise like a lunge puts more pressure on your thighs and calves as you put one foot on the unstable rubber dome. “Use the dome-side up for cardio, lower body strength or core moves,” says Prandeep Bordoloi, my extremely fit trainer as he jumps up and down on the Bosu ball, landing perfectly each time. I give it a shot. I jump and land on the squishy dome…well almost. My foot slips and I land on my backside on the polished wooden floor. Oh well, may be I ought to start with stepping up and down and start jumping only after I’ve got my balance right, I say wearily. “That’s where the Bosu ball is going to help you,” says Prandeep as he sees me rubbing my back gingerly. The Bosu ball helps improve your strength and balance which is important for preventing injuries, he explains. The Bosu ball requires you to maintain your centre of gravity over a surface that is constantly changing. I find just standing on it a challenge as my body moves and shifts in and out of balance. “To keep yourself in place you have to constantly engage the stabiliser muscles in your upper and lower body,” says Prandeep even as I perch perilously atop the dome. I realise that concentration helps. My body is more aligned and balanced if I concentrate hard. It’s a bit like holding a yoga pose, the minute you stop concentrating on your breathing, you lose control of the pose. I’m still coming to terms with the squishy side, when Prandeep flips it over. “You can use the platform side for upper body exercises, like push-ups or more core moves, like planks,” he explains, again giving a perfect demonstration. He makes me do the forearm plank which targets the core, glutes, shoulders and the lower body. I place the Bosu ball dome-side down and then hold it with both arms (shoulder-width apart), with my forearms and upper arms at 90 degrees. Then I slowly raise my hips so that my body is in a straight line from head to heel. I’ve done the same exercise previously on a flat surface and have found it tough. But doing it while managing an unstable surface is more difficult and, therefore, more effective, he informs me. Thirty minutes on the Bosu ball is equivalent to 45 minutes in the gym, doing a series of exercises such as walking on the treadmill, cycling and doing weights. That’s the other thing. Everybody is in a hurry nowadays so any device which helps you save time becomes popular. A Bosu ball workout is good for the core, glutes, quadriceps, balance and strength, explains Prandeep. And to drive home his point, he asks me to do the Superman pose. I’m intrigued. Will I start flying like the Man of Steel, I joke. Unlikely, he says with a smile. But with regular exercise and holding on to the pose longer, I’ll become a whole lot fitter and stronger. The Bosu ball is put dome-side up and I sit on it with my knees bent and hands on the sphere. Then I slowly lift my right arm and left leg straight (parallel to the ground) to do the Superman flying pose. Hold for 30-60 seconds and then switch to the other arm and leg. After three sets, I’m near collapse; thankfully, Prandeep calls it a day. Is the Bosu ball worth it? I think so. Will I be using it regularly? I hope so, but going by my track record, it’s unlikely. smitatripathi(at)bworldmail(dot)in Twitter: (at)smitabw(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 12-08-2013)
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India's cash rate jumped to 10 per cent, bond yields surged and banking stocks tumbled on Wednesday after the RBI's intensified defence of the beleaguered rupee raised concerns about the cost to the economy if the attempted rescue failed.The Reserve Bank of India's strategy will be tested with a series of debt sales this week, starting with Wednesday's auction of $2 billion of treasury bills one week after it rejected yields demanded in the previous sale as too high.The sharp reaction in credit markets showed the tightrope the RBI is walking -- in trying to keep the rupee above a record low of 61.21 hit on July 8, it risks forcing up borrowing costs for companies as the economy grows at its slowest in a decade."The establishment has been telling the nation that the measure is only short term in nature and there is no change in the stance of the central bank on long-term interest rates. Believe it at your own peril," Jyotheesh Kumar, executive vice president of HDFC Securities, said in an email to clients.A week after it first announced measures to drain cash from the market and raised short-term rates sharply, the RBI on Tuesday (23 July) further cut the amount banks could borrow from it and also compelled them to meet reserve requirements daily.Markets are concerned about the collateral risks to the economy while long-term weights on the rupee such as a record current account deficit and stalled reforms remain unaddressed, and are worried more measures may be coming from the central bank.Yields SurgeThe benchmark 10-year bond yield hit a 14-month high of 8.50 per cent, up 33 basis points on the day and 95 basis points since the RBI's first round of measures on 15 July.The one-year overnight swap rate jumped to 9.30 per cent, its highest since September 2008 when the collapse of Lehman Brothers was roiling global markets. The overnight cash rate jumped to 10 per cent, its highest since March 28, from a close of 6.50/6.55 per cent.Banking shares, especially for those who are more dependant on short-term funding dropped. Yes Bank lost 6.6 per cent while non-bank financial companies fell, with Shriram Finance Transport Co down 3.2 per cent.In contrast, the rupee was little moved. It was at 59.42 per dollar, stronger than its 57.76/77 close on Tuesday but not too far from a 15 July close of 59.89/90.The RBI is due to sell Rs 12k crore in 91-day and 364-day treasury bills on Wednesday. Six of 15 traders polled by Reuters expected the auction to be scrapped again, while others thought buyers would only be interested at yields above 10 per cent. Results are expected after 1:30 p.m.That will be followed by auctions of 60 billion rupees in cash management bills on Thursday and 150 billion rupees in a government bond auction on Friday.A failure to significantly boost the rupee would raise concerns the RBI would take stronger action to create demand for the currency, such as raising banks' reserve requirements.It could also resort to an outright hike in the policy rate, analysts said, undoing the 1.25 percentage points in rate cuts since April 2012 to support a slowing economy. Its next policy review is on 30 July.The government is considering options of its own, including raising money from citizens abroad in a bid to reduce its record current account deficit, the key strain on the rupee.(Reuters)
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The rupee on Wednesday (24 June) gained 26 paise to 59.50 in early trade at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market on fresh dollar selling by exporters after the RBI announced additional measures to arrest the local currency's slide. Forex dealers said additional tightening measures announced by the RBI last night to contain excessive speculation and volatility in the foreign exchange market, supported the local currency.RBI has reduced the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) for each bank from 1 per cent of the total deposits to 0.5 per cent, thus limiting the access to borrowed funds from the central bank. Read: Rupee Keeps Govt HangingIn another measure to suck out liquidity from the system, RBI has asked banks to maintain higher average CRR (cash reserve ratio) of 99 per cent of the requirement on daily basis as against earlier 70 per cent. CRR is portion of deposits that banks are required to keep with RBI.The rupee had lost four paise, to close at 59.76 against the dollar yesterday on sustained demand from importers and a rise in the US currency overseas.Sensex Down 76 Pts In Early Trade; Banks HitSnapping its five-day rally, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) benchmark Sensex on fell nearly 76 points in early trade pulled down by financial sector stocks, including ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank, after the RBI announced additional liquidity tightening measures to check rupee slide.The 30-share barometer fell by 75.94 points, or 0.37 per cent, to 20,226.19 with banking, realty and consumer durables leading the fall. The index had gained over 451 points in the past five sessions. The wide-based National Stock Exchange index, Nifty shed 38.20 points, or 0.63 per cent to, 6,039.60.Brokers said fresh round of selling by participants after the RBI last night announced additional liquidity tightening measures to check rupee slide mainly dampened the trading sentiment.The BSE banking index suffered the most by falling 3.16 per cent to 12,424.40 points as stocks of SBI fell by 2.10 per cent to Rs 1,822, ICICI Bank by 2.97 per cent to Rs 960.40, HDFC Bank by 2.57 per cent to Rs 665.20 and Yes Bank by 4.44 per cent to Rs 419.25.In the Asian region, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index traded lower by 0.35 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei Index shed 0.58 per cent, in early trade.The US Dow Jones Industrial Average, however ended 0.14 per cent higher in yesterday's trade. PTI SUN(PTI)
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Virtual Reality (VR) is making major inroads in the Indian real estate landscape and is expected to gain traction further in the coming years. Several leading real estate agencies in India have embraced VR technology to gain a competitive edge in the market. VR has the potential to transform customer engagement profoundly and take businesses to new heights. As technology evolves, Millennials are becoming more attuned to this sophisticated technology, which is why real estate companies in India are becoming more proactive in seizing this golden opportunity. Let's now have a look at the five companies that are revolutionizing the real estate sector in India with VR technology:
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Many phones are available with many features. Here we have a list of 5 best phones with the best dual camera under 20,000.
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List of Top 5 Electric Vehicle Manufacturers in India who are making waves in this segment
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Many successful entrepreneurs had to step down in the face of a controversy. Let us have a look at some of the successful entrepreneurs who had controversial exits
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Hatchbacks are smaller cars usually intended for economical & convenient city driving around congested roads. The idea of taking a regular family hatchback and turning it into a performance car has been very popular all over the world. Indian car market has always been about fuel efficiency and Price. But slowly the trend of hot hatches is building up. The popularity of regular hatchbacks with extra power and better handling has made car makers offer models packing quite a punch under the hood. We have hatchbacks which can make the dash to a ton in less than 10 seconds which was the criteria taken into consideration while compiling this list of the 5 fastest hatchbacks in India for our readers
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SUVs have taken the world by storm and this breed’s popularity is showing no sign of stopping. Just about every segment of car has an SUV version these days. When it comes to the high-performance end of the market it's no different – these family-friendly cars have the power to give more purpose sports cars a run for their money. Here are the top 5 Super Exotic SUVs to look out for.
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Asus Zenfone 5z is a new contender in the race of becoming the best smartphone in India's affordable high-end smartphones category. With price starting from Rs 29,999, Asus Zenfone 5Z is the brand’s latest flagship offering in the Indian market which is packed with Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, AI-backed dual rear cameras, 19:9 ratio display with 90 percent screen-to-body ratio, Android 8.0 Oreo
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