MUMBAI/PETIT TOWERS/KEMPS CORNER: The apartments (ranging from 1,500-2,200 sq ft and developed by Tata Housing) could set you back by Rs 2.6-8 crore but face the Arabian Sea and offer a panoramic view of the city to boot		DELHI/NCR/AMBIENCE ISLAND/GURGAON: Among the costliest new properties in the region with apartments (ranging from 6,700-7,400 sq ft, and developed by Ambience Group) priced between Rs 2.25 crore and Rs 2.75 crore, you pay a premium for the, er, ambience

Time was, when it was considered infra-dig to live in apartments. Today, however, condos across the country have redefined fine living. Swimming pools, club houses, jogging tracks and gymnasiums are par for the course with even apartments priced in tens of lakhs offering the same. The really exclusive ones offer something a bit more, well, exclusive. For instance, Arihant's apartments at Chennai's Wallajah Road offer a panoramic view of the Marina, the second longest beach in the world. And Total Environment's Footprints at Bangalore's Indiranagar Road offers apartments that are nothing short of art objects. If you are looking for one such, here is a good starting point. Go ahead, take your pick.

CHENNAI/NARAYANA ARIHANT OCEAN TOWERS/WALLAJAH ROAD/TRIPLICANE The penthouse (3,300 sq ft and developed by Arihant Foundations & Housing) at this property costs Rs 1 crore. Then, every room of the apartment besides the terrace offers a sea-view	BANGALORE/FOOTPRINT/ INDIRANAGAR At Rs 1.5 crore (for 3,000-4,000 sq ft and developed by Total Environment), plus 13 per cent registration, most have been sold at the drawing board stage. The level of customisation at these apartments, each of which boasts a terrace garden, is high	CALCUTTA/ARJUN ENCLAVE/ALIPORE Each of these apartments (4,000 sq ft and developed by Avijit 'Bobby' Mazumdar, Chairman of Tractors India) costs Rs 1.8 crore plus 10 per cent for registration. That's a premium of Rs 1,000-1,500 per sq ft over other apartments in the locality

HEALTH NOTES

Reveal Your Abs

Abdominal crunches, sit-ups, side-bends and a host of other mid-section contortions that you will see people of all sizes, weights and shapes doing relentlessly in gyms are, as this column has mentioned before, not very effective in revealing your six-pack abs. Yes, by exercising your abdominal muscles, they make them stronger and possibly well-defined. But as for reducing the layer of fat that causes most consternation among seekers of a well-proportioned body, they do zilch. Nothing. To reveal the AB muscles, the average person-who's healthy and exercises regularly-has to shed about half his body fat. Or, achieve a body fat level of 7 to 10 per cent. Given that the average, healthy guy has a body fat level of 15 to 20 per cent, this means getting rid of half your body fat.

As most people with even a nodding acquaintance with exercising ought to know, you can't spot-reduce fat. That is, it is well nigh impossible to crunch your way from a beer belly to a washboard mid-section. It doesn't happen that way. Body fat reduction requires a holistic approach. In this fortnight's column, I'd like to describe two exercises that help in reducing body fat as well as strengthen AB muscles. Incorporate in your exercise regime and see the difference.

See-saw Press. While standing upright, hold two dumb-bells using overhand grips and bring them above your shoulders with your upper arms parallel to the floor and hands facing in front. Now, push your right arm straight up while bending your torso from the waist towards the left. Bring arm back to starting position and do the same with the left arm, bending your torso to the right this time. Return to the starting position. That's one repetition. Do four sets of 10 reps. (Check Diagram I.)

Swiss Ball Push-ups. Get into the basic push-up position with your hands flat on the floor, but your shins resting on a Swiss ball (if your gym doesn't have one, get one from any good sports store). Do four sets of 10 repetitions. (Check Diagram II.) You can vary this exercise by taking one leg off the ball and alternating that position. Or, by making it a bit more difficult keep your hands wider than usual on the floor while doing the push-ups.

Apart from strengthening muscles, these exercises also burn fat, including your mid-section and those stubborn love handles.

-Muscles Mani
write to musclesmani@intoday.com

GET A GLOWING SMILE

Looking for that elusive sparkle in your smile? Well, you've got film stars and models for company. And if you're one prone to smoking, chewing tobacco or paan, and drinking excessive coffee, tea or red wine, chances are you've got yellow or mottled teeth (caused by excessive fluoride). But you can get back some whiteness by bleaching:

In-office bleach: Means bleaching at your dentist's do (not at your office!). Involves application of a strong (35 per cent) peroxide solution on the teeth, which whitens the dentin (the yellowish, sensitive layer below the enamel). Takes about an hour, but if you've got really dark teeth, it may require two to three appointments.

Home bleach: This you can do at home. Apply a weaker (10 per cent) peroxide solution in custom-made teeth trays, which are worn for a specific amount of time, even overnight.

Facts: Heard the saying "Smile, it costs you nothing"? Well, that may change. Dr. Anil Mehta, Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgeon of New Delhi's Dental Concepts informs us that the in-office bleach costs upwards of Rs 5,000, and the home bleach solution costs Rs 1,000 onwards, customised trays not included. Results are not permanent, and an in-office session should be followed by home bleach to get long-lasting results. Other concerns: increased tooth sensitivity to cold and heat, gum burn and probable allergic reactions.

-Payal Sethi