Archives for January 2016

January 29, 2016 By Mitali Ambekar Leave a Comment

6 ways how sports play a role in overall health?

I have been always had to battle the question how come you are so thin or why are you so thin? All I say is I have been lucky to have inherited my parents’ genes who were also thin in their younger days. My father played a sport and probably and that explains my interest in sports and they have always pushed me to be on my toes and stay fit. I get very restless if I am not fit or do not feel fit.

Sports, makes sure that you are active, mentally and physically, even if you take a break for some time. If you were played a sport in your life and discontinued playing the sport because for your job, studies, family or any other reason and as a result put on weight, don’t worry, you just need to kick start your engine and your body will accelerate faster than others and make you lose on that stubborn fat, as your cells have the memory of being active. It’s never too late to start again.

Sports when merely started as an extracurricular activity in school and college gives you a break from your studies. Eventually, it will help us as a kid to be fit and healthy. I can say this out of my own personal experience. I have been a sportsperson right from my childhood and loved playing any game that I was offered.

Sports have changed the way I look at life and deal with it. I count each situation of my life as a match in the game of life. Just because, I scored less in exams or did not get a promotion it never stopped me from fighting back and winning it with a plus point next time.

Listing down some BONUS POINTS, because of Sports/ Physical Activity being a part of life:

*It teaches you to be patient, have a fighting spirit, and never settle for less in life.

*Even studies show that, children who have been into sports or are blessed with super active genes are always a quick learner, are very social with people, perform better at all the given tasks, they are more attentive in class and their grasping powers are better.

*Sports at an early age helps in life-long fitness habits.

*Earlier it was believed that any type of physical exertion can make a child feel more tired and thus less attention towards studies, which is now seen to be reversed. Where in the kids are more intellectual and perform better as compared to the sedentary kids.

*Also looking at the growing occurrence of Teenage Obesity, Sports can again be a great advantage.

* Any sport or activity will give them a dash of endorphins, thus reducing any kind of stress.

Sports do not help kids alone but, it has a similar effect on adults too. Adults who play a sport perform better at work, have a good career graph, they are better in dealing with emotional issues, more energy over the day, lesser health issues and so on.

Don’t sit back and say I am old, bring the kid out of you and play a sport and encourage your child to play too!

January 28, 2016 By Ruta Satam Leave a Comment

GO GREEN: Love your Environment

Environment is paramount. If we keep our environment clean it automatically creates a healthy atmosphere for us to live healthy. Environment encompasses a whole lot but, among all environmental issues ‘pollution’ is one issue that is widely talked about as it affects all of us on a daily basis.

In a year old report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) 13 of the top 20 most polluted cities are from India. Interestingly, Delhi tops the chart and has six times the levels of airborne particulate matter than are considered safe. With each passing day it is getting bad to worse.

Due to constant exploitation of natural resources we have endangered ourselves and our future generation. With the growing population our needs have also been constantly growing. However there have been no efforts taken to restore these natural resources on an individual level!

The way we take care of that expensive electronic gadget is different from the way we take care of the green tree in our vicinity. The difference is we are incapable of understanding the loss of the rare natural resources.

Each time we use any natural resource, it seldom occurs to us how we are going to reproduce the same rare resource. The day we decide to think about our future generation, it is the day when we will put efforts to save environment

One of the recent examples set by Mr. KaustubhTamhankar a common man from Thane, Maharashtra has proved that he can lead an eco-friendly lifestyle. For the past 12 years he has not generated a single piece of garbage in his house. How has he been able to do this? Very systematically everyday he segregates wet and dry garbage in his house. With the wet garbage he makes vermin-compost. It is his determination and motivation that has kept him going. Today, he has also encouraged his neighbors to do the same.

Going green is easier than you think. There are little things you can do every day to help reduce greenhouse gases and make a less harmful impact on the environment. Taking care of the Earth is not just a responsibility — it’s a privilege.

If you search through the internet you will find thousands of ways on how do we adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle but the real struggle is to adopt.

Some of the simple ways which could become a part of your eco-friendly lifestyle could be:

Reuse, Recycle, Reduce:These help to cut down on the amount of waste we throw away. They conserve natural resources, landfill space and energy.
Go Solar: Increasing demand for electric power has resulted in many businesses resorting to alternative sources of energy. Solar energy is a sustainable choice and one that can be used in various applications.
Carpooling: Carpoolingreduces air pollution and traffic congestion, something that benefits all of us! It saves money and reduces congestion on our roads and highways. For short distances use a bi-cycle to travel its pollution free and healthy.
Plant tress: The simple act of planting a tree benefits the environment in many ways-from filtering air to reducing soil erosion, creating shade and helping recycle water.
Conserve water: Water conservation is the most effective and environmentally sound method to fight global warming and help in reducing scarcity of water.

If we all do our part we can help reverse the effects of global warming. We owe it to ourselves and each other to help make a difference.

January 27, 2016 By Parwage Alam Leave a Comment

6 Ways to achieve your New Year’s Goals

New Year 2016

We are in the last week of the first month of 2016 and I am sure many of us out there would have made some New Year resolutions. The common resolutions made are – “Lose Weight and Get Fit”, “Quit Smoking”, “Learn Something New”, “Eat Healthier and Diet”, “Get out of Debt and Save Money”, “Spend More Time with Family”, “Travel to New Places”, “Be Less Stressed”, “Volunteer”, “Drink Less. The question is are we still at it?

The above desires to want to change something about yourself happens year after year. People’s intentions are good but seldom do they end up fulfilling the resolution that they take up. A recent article by Forbes magazine said that only 8% of the people actually achieve their New Year’s goals.

Why is it so hard to keep your New Year’s goals? Why do so many people fail at goal setting? And what is it about those few who manage to get it right and achieve their goals?

There are many answers to the why’s and how’s. New Year goal setting is just seen as an opportunity to dish out our large bucket lists of all that we wanted to achieve through the year and could not. It’s an attempt to tell yourself that this year will be definitely better than the last.

This enthusiasm continues in the first week of the New Year. Then gradually asdays pass, months cross and finally quarter of the year end, the interest in goals set weans away. Human Mind always finds excuses to not keep up to the goals set or lose interest mid-way or blame others for not being able to achieve something. Looking inward at one’s own short coming seldom happens.

Here are 6 ways to stay on track with your goals once the New Year “feeling” starts fading off.

Create a Q&A: If you have decided to resolve a habit prepare some questions that you can ask yourself at timely intervals this really helps you to boost your enthusiasm and keep a check on your progress. Analyze your life. Is there anything you would change or improve? All answers start with questions, so be ready to create your list. Ask who, what and how: Who do I want to become? What can I improve? How can I change? Give yourself plenty of time — anywhere from a few hours to several days.

Devil’s in the Details: Now as you have your list ready, it’s time to check and analyze your report so that you stick to your routine and check the progress. This will help you to carry out your resolution by the end of Year. For Example: “if you resolve to lose 10 KG by the end of this month, always keep a record and check at the end of every month how much you have achieved, this detailed data will help you to reach your goal. This works as your Roadmap”.

Gaze into the Future: Now you have your New Year’s roadmap in hand, it’s time to create some emotional attachment with your goals. This really makes your journey enjoyable because it links you to your imagination (Mind Game). You have to visualize that how you are feeling after achieving your goals. For Example: If a girl’s goal is to lose 10 KG she should start visualizing herself in one size smaller this in turn will motivate her to achieve her goal. The more senses you engage, the better. This is your future self — get excited!

Eating Elephants: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. We always have to break our goals into small proportion to achieve, this really helps us to accomplish our Targets on time. For Example: if you have to run 10 Km – your mind start thinking it’s a huge distance, which you have to cover and you lose your motivation. But if you break this into milestone that you have to complete 1 KM 10 times – it will become very easy to achieve your TARGET.

Rewards: Human Nature always needs bribes or rewards. So it’s the best way to give yourself a reward after achieving milestones of your ‘Main GOAL’. This further motivates you to achieve your goal. For example: If you are planning to run 10 KM and you have already broken your target 1 KM in 10 times, start rewarding yourself after every 1 KM –by walking 100 meters this will give you some rest and your body will be energized to run another 1 KM.

Socializing: It’s a human behavior when you commit something in front of someone you always behind to achieve that goals. So it’s better to publish your resolution in social media and tell about it to your friends, also update your result in a timely manner, this will help you to stick with your routine and achieve your goals.

So what do you intend to resolve in 2016? Follow the above methods to achieve your GOALs.

January 22, 2016 By Anusha Subramanian 3 Comments

Why is GOQii the best startup to work at?

Two years ago when I first walked into the 7th-floor office of GOQii to meet Vishal Gondal, the first sight was that of some youngsters playing loud music and doing Zumba. I was told it’s a regular routine at the office. If it’s not Zumba then its Tabata or skipping or indulging in some physical activity while at office. Then I saw some weights, exercise ball, kettle bell lying around. My first thought was it was a small startup, few people so it’s just one way to probably relax at work. But, the best part is this fun atmosphere continues even after 2 years of being in operation and with close to 100 odd employees.

No wonder that it is rated among the top 10 best startups that one should be looking at to work for in 2016 by a leading news website. The website rated it based on the new exciting business in the wearable space that GOQii is operating in. But, GOQii apart from the business that it operates is a cool startup to work at for varied reasons.

GOQii founded by gaming geek Vishal Gondal in 2013 with the basic premise to get people to follow a healthy lifestyle by making small changes in their life. GOQii which operates in the wearable space combines a fitness band with personalized coaching to help people lead a healthy lifestyle. This ideology was not meant only for their ‘Players’(customers) but, also to be practiced within the company. One of the values of the company is ‘Practice what we Preach’.

Being a startup there is pressure to perform and deliver but not at the cost of a bad work life balance. The company provides a work atmosphere that is lively and not monotonous. For all here at GOQii, the two main aspects that have attracted them or have kept them back is because it is a great learning place for one’s career and secondly, you can just be the person you are and do not have to change yourself to prove your abilities. It is one company that does not hire basis your degrees but hires basis your attitude and persona.

Says Gondal, CEO of GOQii “We hire people not for their degrees but for their passion. We want people to be themselves at work and have the same persona as their personal life.”

The coaches who are responsible for motivating and changing people’s lifestyle for the better say that they are motivated within the office and therefore are able to motivate their players. The one thing that strikes a chord with all coaches is the ethical practice followed by the company and that they are not focusing on weight loss but on leading a healthy and holistic lifestyle.

The learning curve at GOQii is fabulous, there are great mentors within the company who are approachable including Vishal who is the CEO. These Mentors may work in a completely different department but, you get unlimited, time with him/her to talk and understand any issue. The work culture is open and there is a lot of freedom for you to work your way while you bear in mind the ethical values of the company.

As one employee from the tech department says: “Two years at GOQii has been enriching for me. I being an IT professional have got an opportunity to learn beyond just technology. I have had the opportunity to work with various departments and in the process learned people management. GOQii has not limited me from doing anything.”

Apart from the work culture and the cool people working for the company, GOQii also takes care of its people. Being in the health industry, the company has been instrumental in getting its employees to lead a healthy lifestyle as well without imposing any rules or regulations on them.

“I had a bad work life balance but, I can vouch and say now that I am a much healthier person now. I eat well and sleep well. I am not stressed at work and I do not wake up thinking ‘Oh shit’ I need to get to work. But more eager to get to work daily,” says one woman employee who works in the HR department.

It’s not only about an open work culture, flexibility or ethical values at work, but also the fun things that happen within office- the regular workout sessions, Zumba session for fitness, work from wherever you want to as no specific desk space is allotted, work sitting on a beanbag or on an exercise ball so long as work is getting done.

I would be doing injustice if I do not talk of the healthy food that is served for lunch. Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays the employees get healthy organic food and Tuesday and Thursday is Vegan organic all free of cost. There are also regular outdoor activities such as runs, walks, hikes or treks conducted across India where players and coaches meet. Last but not the least, the karma culture is a part of GOQii Life where employees along with coaches and players are invited to volunteer with a social organization and do good for the society.