dibya’s blogosphere

Sports clubs are a great part of our community. They give people a social outlet that helps them build friendship, enjoy healthy exercise and play a game that they love. But they can also be very tough to control financial. Expenses for offices, clubrooms, equipment and coaches all cost money, and it is important to keep membership costs low, to encourage maximum participants. So how do you come up with money?

One way is through sponsorship. If your sports club is visible in the community, then it should be easy to entice some local businesses to sponsor your club. Companies might include the local butcher, restaurants, finance companies, the list is endless really. And in return for their money, their logos and information can get added to signage at the sports grounds, the club website and even to the players uniforms.

Sponsorship can go a long way in helping the financial state of a sports club but sometimes it is good to raise additional money yourself. This can be used for end of season trips, new equipment or presentation night celebrations. There are many great fundraising ideas to make money for your sports club, a number of which I will mention here.

A great fundraiser idea is to run coaching or training sessions. Both members and non-members of the club can join in and it lets people learn more about the sport and improve their skills. If you have any contacts to
professional players in your chosen sport, getting them to appear at an event is a great drawcard and can really help numbers.

Organising a match between local businesses or schools can actually help raise funds too. Each team member can
get their own individual sponsor and again if you can invite a celebrity to appear at the match that would attract interest. People could also get charged an admission into the sports event and you could have a sausage sizzle to make more money that way too. Make sure you also provide a yummy alternative that is vegetarian because a lot more people don’t eat meat these days and you want to be able to cash in on their generosity too!

Another great fundraising idea is to hold a sponsored bike ride around the local region. Most cities have lots
of great bike paths and you can set up a route that is safe and fun. You can award small prizes at the end and
provide water and refreshments which the sponsors can take care of. All your ideas for fundraising should be healthy because you are a sports team and looking to promote fitness and good health.

With a little planning and the efforts of all your sports club, there is no reason why you can make good money
through fundraising events that the community will enjoy and help your financial status as the club moves forward.

Whenever anyone sees someone with strong and defined abs, there is definitely an immediate sense of awe and jealousy as this is an incredible means by which people showcase their overall healthiness and discipline for working out. The stomach is often a centerpiece for those that wish to look healthy and trim at all times. Thus, for a stronger muscle area, one should know the routines used for an effective abs work out to build an incredible set of abs.

Abs could be very frustrating and discouraging as they are the smallest and most difficult muscles to work on. During the workout process, there are actually three separate sections that should be worked out including the lower, middle, and upper abs that all require different routines for building muscle. Incorporating all three will lead to increased chances of success.

When working on any abs routine, one should bear in mind that they will not necessarily equate to a thinner and trimmer waste line. Truly, what will happen is the muscles will show up beneath any fat present until it is burned off completely. With this being the case, there should be solid goals in place to burn the fat off as well.

In order to work on the lower abs, leg lifts are often considered some of the most effective routines. Keeping the back and arms flat on the ground, lift this legs until they are perpendicular to the ground and slowly lower them. The weight of the legs and resistance provided actually allows for an incredible strength and endurance in the process.

The middle abdominal muscles are actually developed more effectively by performing the classic and often mundane sit up routines. When doing sit ups, ensure that feet are firmly planted on the ground to avoid using the leg muscles. Also, avoid letting the shoulders touch the floor at all times to ensure stress placed on the muscles is sufficient for muscle building.

For the upper abs, performing standard crunches are incredibly effective. These are very efficient to perform and much easier on the back for a more incredible and robust routine overall. Thus, incorporate crunches to train the upper abs as well.

When performing abs work out routines, one should also keep a low fat diet. Incorporating cardio routines into any workout is also incredibly beneficial and should be paid attention to. Thus, ensure all aspects of a healthy lifestyle are maintained at all times.

There is a multitude of muscles within your body. And trying to determine which exercises are best for specific muscles can be a daunting task.

Maybe you have been trying to tone your inner thighs with ineffective leg exercises that have you wasting time and energy.

So, without further ado, here are 5 effective exercises for toning this overlooked part of your legs:

1. Standard back squats: Squats are regarded as the king of all exercises for one simple reason, they target a very large amount of muscle mass. This translates into more efficient workouts and more fat loss. And if you do traditional back squats with a wider stance, you can focus the majority of stress on your inner leg muscles.

2. The hardest squat: By hardest squat, I am referring to front squats. Not only do they do a great job at toning your legs, but they also work your core heavily. Just make sure you widen your stance for maximum effect here.

3. Barbell hack squat: Again, try to use a wider stance here for the best inner leg toning. With this exercise, you grip a barbell behind your back and squat down with it. It may be a challenge to get depth, but keep on trying and your technique will improve.

4. Pile squat: This variation of the squat will also develop your trapezius muscles and neck muscles since you have to hold a dumbbell in between your legs. You may have to use a really wide stance here since you have a dumbbell along your midline.

5. Double dumbbell squats: With this inner leg toning exercise, you hold two dumbbells on your sides and squat down. Now since you are holding two dumbbells laterally, you can’t use that wide of a stance. Nevertheless, this is still an effective movement.

Although you cannot burn fat from specific areas of your body, you can develop the underlying muscle and increase concentrations of growth factors within the muscle. So if you want to tone your inner legs, do these exercises!

Intensity truly is king when it comes to losing as much weight as possible in the shortest time period. Doing this turns your body into a fat burning machine.

This is easier said than done, however. After all, increasing intensity requires a lot of will power.

So here is how to increase the results from your workouts:

1. Pushing beyond your normal repetition range: You can’t do this alone, you will need a workout partner. Also, make sure you stay aligned when trying this. In a nutshell, you complete as many repetitions as you can for a given set, then push beyond with help.

2. Slower tempos: By slowing down the speed at which you do an exercise, you greatly increase the amount of tension your muscle is subjected to. The key here is to overcome the intense burn you get from this technique. So brace yourself before trying this.

3. Drop down sets: This technique involves doing one set at a heavy weight, then another set at a moderate weight and finally, one last set with a lighter weight. And you can’t rest between each successive set. This technique is very challenging, and you have to make sure you form stays good.

4. Giant sets: With a giant set you do one exercise immediately after another without any rest in-between. This accomplishes a couple things. First, you activate more muscle mass. Second, it automatically decreases rest time. Finally, it increases the amount of calories you burn outside of the gym.

5. Not resting as much: By not resting as much in between exercises, you do a great job of increasing the metabolic demands of your workout. And doing this is a great way to crank up the post exercise caloric burn from your workouts.

Increasing the effectiveness of your workouts is the best thing you can do to bust out of plateaus and to accelerate fat loss. The key here is taking action as soon as possible, don’t let this information sit in your head!

After a certain point, if you spend too much time in the gym you will actually get worse results. You see, after a certain amount of time, your body’s internal environment changes for the worse.

So here is how to get the most out of your arm toning exercise in the shortest amount of time:

1. Big muscles first: Always prioritize bigger muscles first in your workouts. The last thing you want is an exhausted smaller muscle limiting the development of a bigger muscle. And remember that the more muscle mass you activate during your workouts, the more fat loss you will achieve.

2. Add specific moves for your arms: Although total body exercises are necessary for fat loss, you still need to add in specific arm exercises for the best results. Common sense here: to make your arms tighter, you have to work them directly.

3. Never forget that intensity trumps everything else: No matter how solid your nutrition and exercise program is, you have to remember that intensity is the most common rate limiting factor for progress. So make sure you constantly push the envelope here.

4. Have a buffet of exercises: The more the merrier here. If you do the same workout week in and week out, you will never get to the next level. You have to change things up here for continual results. The good news, however, is that you don’t have to completely revamp everything.

5. Work your biceps and triceps from all angles: If you only do the most common exercises week in and week out, you will not be able to fully tone your arms. Instead, you will end up with mediocre results. And most people have incomplete arm toning programs.

Long gone are the days of spending countless hours in the gym to get sculpted arms. If you do this, you will actually reduce your chances of success. So make sure you follow the above tips.

After the Commonwealth Games Committee, Members of the Parliament on Wednesday slammed Sports Minister MS Gill over delays in the preparation of

the Games project. Rajya Sabha MPs raised concerns during the question hour over the preparations of the 2010 Games to be held in New Delhi.

Cutting across party lines, MPs came down heavily on the slow execution of projects for the 2010 edition of the games. Some of the prominent MPs, including BJP’s Arun Jaitley, Samajwadi Party’s Jaya Bachchan and JDU’s NK Singh, slammed Union Sports Minister MS Gill over the lack of preparations for the showpiece event.

An irked Jaya Bachchan slammed Gill saying, “We are a great nation at laughing at ourselves. This is such a big joke. The Games is going to be the most humiliating experience of this nation.”

JDU’s NK Singh questioned the Games Committee’s commitment towards the building up of adequate infrastructure for the sporting event. He said, “There are too many cooks in the kitchen. All that the statements issued say that the work is on track and will be completed on time, but there is no physical and financial progress of the same.”

Meanwhile, BJP leader Arun Jaitley too took a dig at the Sports Minister saying, “We are in a state of last minute panic. There is a legitimate concern on whether the infrastructure necessary for the Games will be completed on time. We got the project in 2003 and the international committee visited India in 2005. I don’t understand why the stadium construction should have started as late as 2008. There has been an ugly conflict between the international committee and ours. We don’t come up and say that this organisation of the Games is actually a fight against imperialism.”

Earlier during the proceeding of the House, allaying fears of delay in preparation for the Commonwealth Games 2010, Gill assured Rajya Sabha that all state-of-the-art stadia and infrastructure will be completed in time and security steps taken to ensure that the mega event is incident-free.

“The stadia will be completed in time. The Government is investing substantial amounts for upgradation of various stadia to be used for the games. These stadia will become state-of-the-art venues of international standard,” Gill said.

In a statement on the Calling Attention on the preparation for Commonwealth Games, he said that the financial sanctions for all the stadia, estimated to cost around Rs 4,100 crore, have been accorded and “work is progress at a rapid pace”.

He said work on three stadia — Dr SPM Swimming Complex, Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range and the Cycling Velodrome – had a delayed start due to some design issues. The Group of Ministers, constituted for the Games, review the progress every week, Gill said.

The Minister said the Games Village was being developed near Akshardham Temple by the Delhi Development Authority on Public-Private-Partnership model and the work is being closely monitored by the Ministry of Urban Development. “The work is well on schedule and will be completed in time”, he said.

NEW DELHI: She calls him the god of cricket and as Sachin Tendulkar completes 20 years of a glorious international career on Sunday, melody queen

Lata Mangeshkar hopes the batting maestro plays for another 10 years before even considering retirement.

A self-confessed Tendulkar fan, Mangeshkar said she wants the veteran right-hander to win the 2011 World Cup for India.

“I want Sachin to win the 2011 World Cup. Not only that, I wish he continues as long as he is playing well, hopefully at least for the next 10 years. He has a lot of cricket left in him,” Mangeshkar said.

Mangeshkar said she gets upset every time there is speculation about Tendulkar’s retirement.

“I don’t know why people start talking about his retirement despite the fact that he is playing so well. I don’t like any criticism directed at Sachin.

Asked if she considered Tendulkar as the world’s greatest batsman, Mangeshkar said, “Sir Donald Bradman has acknowledged Sachin’s greatness, can I say more? Bradman saw glimpses of himself in Sachin, I don’t think there is any better compliment for him than this.”

“He was and remains a very good player. Bowlers are still scared of him. Nothing has changed,” she said.

The veteran singer, who follows every series that Team India plays, said winning and losing are part of the game and we should not get too critical in case of a defeat.

“We like winning but we should be prepared for losses as well. Australia beat us recently, I didn’t like it but this happens.

Tendulkar fondly calls Mangeshkar ‘mother’ and the legendary singer recalled the story behind the bond.

“Both Sachin and my father have their birthday on April 24. I once met Sachin a day before his birthday and journalists asked him what he would like to say about me.

“He replied ‘how can I say anything about my mother’. Since then, he addresses me as mother,” she said.

Also a fan of Sunil Gavaskar, Mangeshkar said she got very upset when he retired from cricket in 1987 and even asked him why he took the decision.

“Critics had made life miserable for him at that time and I felt perhaps he retired because of that. I asked him a year after why he retired, he said ‘My time is over but Sachin is there for you’.”

MUMBAI: Just a couple of days away from completing 20 years in international cricket, Sachin Tendulkar on Friday said his first India cap in a Sachin Test series against Pakistan in 1989 was the most cherished moment in his illustrious cMUMBAI: Just a couple of days away from completing 20 years in international cricket, Sachin Tendulkar on Friday said his first India cap in a

Test series against Pakistan in 1989 was the most cherished moment in his illustrious career.

“20 years is a long time and I have many special moments and it would be difficult to count them. But the first one (Test), the first day walking out in the playing XI in Pakistan probably was the greatest moment,” Tendulkar, who made his international debut in a Test match against Pakistan in Karachi on November 15, 1989, said.

“It was a long journey and what I did after that was a reflection of my contribution to the game in the country. Playing for the country was my childhood dream and I have fulfilled my dream. I am fortunate to have played for my country for so many years,” he added.

Asked what changes have occurred in the game in the 20 years of his career, Tendulkar picked the advent of Twenty20, television assistance for umpiring decisions and batting innovations as the major changes that have taken place.

“From 1989, the game has changed a lot from the introduction of third umpire and Hot Spot system to the introduction of Twenty20 and so many things”, he said.

“The most significant is that lot of innovative shots which were earlier occasionally used but left are being played by the batsmen now,” Tendulkar said.

“There is a lot more risk taking by the players now. Because of this, the total in the One-dayers have increased. Nowadays, 275 on a good pitch is not a great score.

“The same is the case in Test also. There are a lot more results now than in the past. Earlier, people used to get bored of Test cricket because there were few results but nowadays there has been more results and that has made it more entertaining,” said the 36-year-old champion batsman.

Asked how much has changed in his game in the 20 years, Tendulkar said, “I have changed a lot. I am trying to improve myself every game. It is a never ending process as everyday is a fresh challenge. So it is hard job to be on your toes everytime.”

“A combination of factors made me remain focussed on the game. My parents, brothers, sisters and wife supported me all through. My mother does not know cricket but will pray for my success and for the country. I discussed cricket with my elder brother a lot. The other brother and the sister also supported me. With my wife, I talk about cricket to her also and that is the main reason why I was able to last such a long time,” he said.

“Above all, the affection and support from the cricket fans of the country was immense. You need people to share your success and I have more than a billion people. That is more than enough for me,” Tendulkar said.

Since his debut Test against Pakistan in 1989, Tendulkar has played 159 Tests, scoring 12,773 runs with 42 centuries at an average of 54.58. From the 436 ODI matches he played since December 19, 1989 against Pakistan in Gujranwala, he had amassed 17,178 runs at an average of 44.50 with 45 hundreds.areer. “20 years is a long time and I have many special moments and it would be difficult to count them. But the first one (Test), the first day walking out in the playing XI in Pakistan probably was the greatest moment,” Tendulkar, who made his international debut in a Test match against Pakistan in Karachi on November 15, 1989, said. “It was a long journey and what I did after that was a reflection of my contribution to the game in the country. Playing for the country was my childhood dream and I have fulfilled my dream. I am fortunate to have played for my country for so many years,” he added. Asked what changes have occurred in the game in the 20 years of his career, Tendulkar picked the advent of Twenty20, television assistance for umpiring decisions and batting innovations as the major changes that have taken place. “From 1989, the game has changed a lot from the introduction of third umpire and Hot Spot system to the introduction of Twenty20 and so many things”, he said. “The most significant is that lot of innovative shots which were earlier occasionally used but left are being played by the batsmen now,” Tendulkar said. “There is a lot more risk taking by the players now. Because of this, the total in the One-dayers have increased. Nowadays, 275 on a good pitch is not a great score. “The same is the case in Test also. There are a lot more results now than in the past. Earlier, people used to get bored of Test cricket because there were few results but nowadays there has been more results and that has made it more entertaining,” said the 36-year-old champion batsman. Asked how much has changed in his game in the 20 years, Tendulkar said, “I have changed a lot. I am trying to improve myself every game. It is a never ending process as everyday is a fresh challenge. So it is hard job to be on your toes everytime.” “A combination of factors made me remain focussed on the game. My parents, brothers, sisters and wife supported me all through. My mother does not know cricket but will pray for my success and for the country. I discussed cricket with my elder brother a lot. The other brother and the sister also supported me. With my wife, I talk about cricket to her also and that is the main reason why I was able to last such a long time,” he said. “Above all, the affection and support from the cricket fans of the country was immense. You need people to share your success and I have more than a billion people. That is more than enough for me,” Tendulkar said. Since his debut Test against Pakistan in 1989, Tendulkar has played 159 Tests, scoring 12,773 runs with 42 centuries at an average of 54.58. From the 436 ODI matches he played since December 19, 1989 against Pakistan in Gujranwala, he had amassed 17,178 runs at an average of 44.50 with 45 hundreds.

MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan took a dig at former India captain Sunil Gavaskar for ridiculing John Buchanan’s multiple-captain

theory saying he bought the team and would run it the way he wants.

“Almost 97 to 98 per cent of the players are available and it’s a strong line-up. I hope the team performs better than last year,” Shah Rukh said

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – India were closing in on their first test series victory in New Zealand since 1968 as they extended their lead to 233 runs at the close of play on the second day of the third and final test on Saturday.

The visitors, who hold a 1-0 series lead after a 10-wicket victory in the first game in Hamilton, were 51 for one at the close after Zaheer Khan’s seventh five-wicket haul helped bowl the hosts out for 197 in their first innings.

Zaheer finished with five for 65 from 18 overs as New Zealand conceded a 182-run lead after they had bowled India out for 379 earlier in the day.

The visitors extended that lead with only the loss of explosive opener Virender Sehwag, who blasted three boundaries in his seven-ball innings of 12.

Sehwag was caught by first slip Ross Taylor when a vicious bouncer from Chris Martin brushed his glove.

Gautam Gambhir was on 28 while Rahul Dravid was on nine as the shadows lengthened across the ground.

New Zealand reverts back from daylight saving time on Sunday, which will undoubtedly shorten the remaining days’ play by at least 30 minutes in the fading light.

Zaheer took advantage of a blustery northerly wind to produce some swing and sharp bounce, though New Zealand’s batsmen did not help themselves with poor shot making.

“He had an extra yard on his, looking up at the screen it was his normal speed, but he bent his back and hurried the batsmen up a little bit,” New Zealand’s Taylor said of Zaheer’s bowling. “He bowled extremely well.

“Only batting 65 overs is very disappointing and also not giving our bowlers enough rest is also disappointing,” he added.

FOLLOW ON AVOIDED

India had a chance of enforcing the follow on after tea when Tim Southee (16) mistimed a hook off Zaheer, who took the skied catch for his fifth wicket and left New Zealand 160 for eight.

Iain O’Brien (19) and Brendon McCullum (24), however, guided the hosts past the 180 needed to make India bat again when O’Brien sent a thick edge past gully for a boundary.

McCullum was then virtually immediately dismissed by Harbhajan Singh with the score on 181 to become wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni‘s fifth catch of the innings.

Harbhajan also dismissed Taylor (42) and James Franklin (15), while Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel grabbed one each.

Munaf’s dismissal of O’Brien was Dhoni’s sixth catch, which helped the captain equal the record for the most dismissals in an innings between the two countries.

Compatriot Syed Kirmani took five catches and made a stumping in Christchurch in Feb. 1976.

Earlier, Zaheer had dismissed Martin Guptill (17) and Daniel Flynn (two) before lunch and captured the wickets of Tim McIntosh (32) and Jesse Ryder (three) in the afternoon session to destroy New Zealand’s top order before tea.

Three of his five-wicket hauls have come against New Zealand.

India’s first innings ended in just the third over of the day when Sharma edged a catch behind off Martin to McCullum for 18, leaving Munaf unbeaten on 15.

Martin finished with 4-98 in India’s first innings.

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