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Archives for April 2016

April 30, 2016 By Parwage Alam 1 Comment

Educating players to read Nutritional Labels

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How many of us really read nutrition labels when we buy a food product?

Today, the market is full of fancy branded food products with fancier food labels that are very confusing and tricky to understand. To add to that, our busy schedule seldom allows us enough time to read, ponder and interpret the labels and figure what it means and how to use the products.

But, as people are getting more health conscious they have started checking out nutrition labels. Having said that, the food companies are no less and have gotten smarter than the consumers and have started choosing different ways to entice the consumers in to buying products by making them believe that they are choosing healthy food. But, in reality, the consumers are just buying the same unhealthy food with fancy and attractive packaging.

Let me give you an example to explain the above better- It’s no secret that Bollywood and Cricket is a religion in this country. These stars are worshipped like god. Probably one of the reasons why companies bring on board film stars and sports stars to endorse brands.

Stars endorse anything from perishable products like food and beverages to non-perishable items such as hair oils, cars and mobiles. The advantage of getting a film star or a sporting star on board is that they will prompt the consumers to buy the product. Anything recommended by our favorite star whether or not it’s required or beneficial to you, a consumer will buy the product only because it has been endorsed by the Star.

Take for instance beverages. Most of the Bollywood and Sports stars endorse them. The product is largely seeing sales thanks to these stars fan following.

Consumers here seldom have the habit of reading labels on food products whether be it for its expiry date or to understand its nutritious value. Therefore, the understanding of whether an aerated beverage is good for health or no is out of question.

In reality, if one checks the label on the bottle, a half- litre aerated beverage bottle contains approximately 64gms of Sugar, which does no good for one’s health. Some adverse effects of Sugar include the rise in triglycerides, reduction in HDL (good cholesterol), suppressing your immune system, causing hyperactivity, anxiety, inability to concentrate and crankiness, especially in children.

Given the above example, you would realize how important it is for us to read the nutrition label on each product. As per my knowledge and the studies undertaken by me, here are a few tips I can safely recommend for packaged food and beverages.

Understanding food labels can help you make wise choices―if you know what to look for. Here’s a rundown of the most important elements. 

# Do not get fooled by fancy packaging. Always check the facts on the Nutrition label and ingredient list

# Always check the first ingredient in the greatest amount (by weight) in a food product. So if the first ingredient is SUGAR, you can easily conclude if the product is good or bad for you.

# Always avoid products that contain artificial flavors, partially hydrogenated oil, Trans Fat, Salts, High Fructose Corn Syrup.

# Try to choose food with the less Ingredient list because long ingredient list may hide things that your body doesn’t need. In general, foods with shorter lists tend to be closer to nature (more wholesome with more natural ingredients).

# In grain products try to get the product which has at least 2 grams of fiber per serving. Beware of “whole grain imposters”. Choose whole grains and fewer refined grains.

While the above might come across as being very restrictive ideally, it is not so. You do not have to give up on the food you like; all you need to do is make the right choices. Today, there are a number of options available in the market. Therefore, you need to take care and read the nutrition label carefully and select the right option, which is good for your health.

April 28, 2016 By Anusha Subramanian 1 Comment

‘GOQii has been a great enabler for me to get back to an active lifestyle and I am enjoying this positive change”

Oxfam trail Walk

Ashwani Sood and his Oxfam trail Walk experience captured beautifully

He is lively and young at 55 and can put any youngster half his age to shame with his enthusiasm and zeal for life. From being an inactive person to a completely super active in one year is worthy. Despite being a member of the senior management he finds time on a daily basis to do his workout no matter where he is. He is a great advocate of Active Sunday and does not miss it irrespective of which city he is in. If he is in Delhi he attends the active Sunday’s in Delhi. 

Let’s hear Ashwani Sood’s story in his own words.

I work with a French multinational Pharma Giant Sanofi. I am on the board of management of Sanofi India and part of the senior management team. Until one year ago my life was that of a boring corporate professional without any physical activity whatsoever. I would come back from work and feel exhausted so much so that it left me no energy to do anything. So I would just lie around on the couch and watch TV.

Prior to that life wasn’t any good either. For 15 years I was based in Gujarat and 400 people were working under me and we used to have these annual health check-ups. I was declared overweight and I was asked to reduce 5-6 kg. I tried but nothing worked.

2014, I got posted to Mumbai. Here I was staying in a gated community and the environment was conducive for me to work out. The environment was a booster in the sense that I would see so many people exercising and going for runs or walks and that interested me in working out or exercising. It came as a big game changer in my life.

Just as I was getting used to the idea of getting fit and changing my lifestyle for the better, GOQii band came as a boon. We were given the band in office and asked to try it out and give feedback. What started with trying out the fitness band, has today become a part of me. GOQii has changed my lifestyle for the better. I came on board GOQii in March 2015. My health goal was to get a disciplined routine in my life and reduce weight and also I would like to run a marathon. Clearly, I was confident of achieving the first goal to begin with.

My coach NahidKhilji, gave me my first challenge which was to start with clocking 8000 to 10000 steps daily. Initially, it was a tough task. But, soon I was able to achieve this goal. I had stopped taking the elevator to the office and also started taking small walks. I would try and see to it that I complete the required amount of steps daily. This eventually led to increasing my activities. I started swimming regularly, playing badminton. From being sluggish, I was back to being active.  “If there is a will there is a way.’  I had only one motive when I started on GOQii to clock 10,000 steps.

I used to also get constant reminders for ‘Active Sundays’ but I never went for it. Then one day I decided to go and since that day, there is no turning back. I try and attend every Active Sunday when I am in town and if I am in Delhi I go for Active Sunday’s even there.

Just as I started doing all of these, my coach then threw another googly at me and told me why not do the 100KM trail walk challenge and I was all game for it. I wasn’t sure I would be able to do it but, my coach was confident and that gave me confidence in myself. I went for a practice session in Mumbai. It was a 25 Km walk to Haji Ali. We started the walk at 10.30 pm and I was among the first few to complete the walk.  It was an amazing experience. The walk was brilliant I could easily manage it and above all having been in Mumbai I had never experienced the city in thick of the night and believe me it was beautiful and an eye opener.

This boosted my confidence and thereafter I went for all Oxfam Practice sessions.  I participated in Oxfam Trailwalker- Team GOQii Yankee. We completed the 100 Kms within 48 hours. It was challenging but mentally we were all strong to be able to push ourselves, motivate each other and go forward. The trail walker I realized it was a ‘game of mind over body’. After Oxfam, I upped my target to 12000 steps daily.

GOQii has been a great enabler for me to get back to an active lifestyle and I am enjoying this positive change.  I have lost 3 kgs and I am drinking 2 liters of water daily. My wife has also been very supportive in helping me follow my diet plan. In fact, I have learned a lot in terms of diet. What to eat, when to eat etc. I have, in fact, removed all items that had sugar in them.

My biggest achievement apart from my goals has been that I have also been able to inspire a lot of my colleagues. Many of them have now become part of GOQii family.

And last but not the least I would like to say the karma points is another big motivator. The whole aspect of Karma brings unique positivity to help the society.

I have so far donated about 11000 points to about 9 causes, walked 4.5 million steps and 2800 plus KMs.

What does Coach Nahid Khilji have to say about Ashwani Sood

Ashwani is one the most amazing persons I’ve come across. He started with a sedentary lifestyle and today, I am proud to say he is more active than even few of our health coaches. It’s purely his enthusiasm, dedication, and discipline towards fitness that has got him to the spot that he is in currently. I remember from 5-7k steps to 10K steps its 12k steps in a day currently! Now most of his Sundays are spent in super active Sundays. They say age is not a barrier; he has proved it and is much agiler than people half his age. And, trust me when I say this, he doesn’t say no for any kind of challenges. Right from going off sweet for a month, to just have fruits a day to the interval training and super awesome step count. I feel so proud today to be his coach. I have faith too.

‘Want to get featured here? Click Here to tell us your story.’

April 26, 2016 By Anusha Subramanian 1 Comment

“Whatever I choose to do, I do it to get out of my comfort zone”

Harpreet

She is extremely hard working and does not give up easily. She does not like doing anything out of the ordinary. She loves to get out of her comfort zone and challenge herself. She started trying herself at outdoor activities such as trekking just three years ago. Today, she is lighter and fit with loads of stamina and very comfortable in the outdoors. Now she is getting ready for her next big challenge- trekking to Everest Base Camp. Let’s hear Harpreet Gondal’s story in her own words.

It all started with me wanting to go to Hemkund Sahib- a holy place for the Sikhs which is at a fairly high altitude in Uttarakhand, so I started trekking in the Sahayadris and working out regularly to be able to make the holy trip. I started training with a personal trainer from January 2013.Unfortunately, the Uttarakhand landslide led me to cancel my plans and then came Oxfam Trailwalker in the picture. So, I focused my energy to prepare for the 100km trail walk with a bunch of girlfriends. We started trekking once every month and proudly called our group the “Trekkerinas”.

Ever since I started working out there has been no looking back. GOQii has helped me to further strengthen my resolve to exercise every day. Having successfully completed the trail walk only led me to believe that I could do more. Thereafter, I did two 10km runs and finally the 21km in January 2014. I got encouraged to do more and that’s when a bunch of us GOQii players decided to go do the Markha Valley Trek in Ladakh. It was our first time to Ladakh and high altitude trekking.

Though I completed the trek, I would not term it to be a success for me. But, it did teach me a lot about myself and my body. This is where my coach and the GOQii team (Anusha and KK) were very helpful. Just watching and listening to people like them made me believe that I should keep training and keep trying. This motivation and the sheer will to keep going and not let being a mom, wife, being overweight etc pull you down was all thanks to GOQii.

When I got on to GOQii sometime around early 2014, my health goal was to become fitter to be able to do all the adventure activities that I strived for. That’s been my sole goal. Of course, I want to shed the extra kilos but, being mentally and physically stronger has always been a bigger goal for me. I also wanted to make a permanent lifestyle change, I have oscillated enough with yo-yo diets and wanted to get over that phase. GOQii has helped me make a lifestyle change and now I feel far more comfortable with my body, my self-image, more peaceful and happy with the way I lead my life.

With GOQii, I have realized that you shouldn’t wait to shed that weight and then attempt the adventures you always wanted to do, there is no right time, just go ahead and start doing why you want, you will learn in the process but, of course, one must focus on training to their best capacity and capability.

GOQii has made me conscious about the correct food habits to adopt not just for myself but for my children as well. I am more aware and conscious of my physical well-being and I absolutely love the control I have on myself now.

As for EBC, I would say whatever I choose to do, I do it to get out of my comfort zone. I have been looking forward to this challenging trek. Going to the mountains for me is a ‘Soul Spa’.

What does Coach Hardika Vira have to say about Harpreet Gondal

Harpreet is extremely sincere and dedicated. Knows what she wants and tries her best to achieve it.We were working on her inch loss and she desired to become fitter and lighter so that she could trek easily. She has been truly dedicated to workouts from the start. Currently, she is working more on her endurance and strengthening exercises, – there’s a good combination of workouts to be done for a longer duration, low intense to improve stamina and endurance and strengthening exercises to help improve lower, upper body and core strength which is very important when you trek. But, not to forget about the rest period that is required for complete recovery of muscles.Nutrition wise – We ensured healthy balanced meals throughout the day. Concentrated on good pre and post workout meals.

‘Want to get featured here? Click Here to tell us your story.’

April 25, 2016 By Megha Mahajan 1 Comment

10 dietary changes that can help control diabetes

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Diabetes! Yes,the one word that makes your mind wander in so many directions. You find yourself asking questions like: Will this last for ever? Will I ever get better? How can I overcome this? Well, these are smart questions that anyone should ask. And, yes. You can and will get better. You just make a few tweaks in your lifestyle and you should be just fine. Some of the symptoms and pointers of diabetes ware pointed out below:-

While it may seem like an insurmountable hurdle. A wall that cannot be breached, there are thousands of diabetics with good testimonies. Aged people who have lived with diabetes so much so that they sometimes forget that they have diabetes. How can this be your testimony? Well, the pointers below show some of the things you can do to kickstart your own journey to overcome diabetes.

Yes! These tips will get your campaign against Diabets underway and you will begin to see a big difference in no time at all. Of course it’s not going to be easy to let go of all your favorite meals. But, no one is saying you have to get rid of them all at once. You’ve just got to be smart about it.

Do not make diabetes “complex.”  Make eating “complex” to keep diabetes “simple.” Just as in everything else, a lot of effort has to go into your overall lifestyle if you are to conquer diabetes. Just be conscious and you’ll make headway. To eliminate diabetes, take a step towards improving your eating habits and you’ll feel a lot better generally.

SOME DIETARY  CHANGES  YOU NEED TO MAKE

1.Eat Complex To Live Simple: Eating complex doesn’t  mean you have to stop eating everything. It simply means make your carbs complex over simple ones, as these are the best type of carbohydrates for diabetics. Complex carbohydrates digest slowly in the body and maintain steady glucose levels in the body.

2. Make fiber important part of your diet: Fiber refers to plant-based food that slows down the breaking of carbohydrates and keeps you feeling full for longer periods of time. Yes, fiber can go a long way in improving your situation.And it all gets better. You don’t have to go over and under in search of fiber rich foods. You can get your fiber fix by following these simple tips:

  • Do not sieve the flour
  • Eat whole fruits over a glass of juice
  • Choose whole grains and whole pulses
  • Eat more vegetables
  • Do not peel the edible portion of the fruit for example -apple,guava,pear ,peaches
  • Make soups and salads your best friends

3. Choose healthier versions of your favorite food

Instead of these Choose these
White bread Brown bread
Normal roti Bran roti/multigrain roti
Meat Fish
Normal rice/parboiled rice Brown rice
Sugary or flavored cornflakes Plain cornflakes/oats
Sugar Jaggery/honey
Mayonnaise veg sandwich Hungcurd vegetable sandwich
Normal chocolate Dark chocolate
Creamy cheesy dip Salsa dip
Whole milk Skimmed milk
Salted nuts Unsalted nuts
Soda Salted fresh lime
Potato sticks Raw veggie sticks
Fried chicken Grilled chicken
White pasta Whole wheat pasta
Fruit juices Whole fruits

It surely can be very difficult to do away with all your favorite meals. Instead of doing away totally, you can instead opt for close alternatives as shown above. Choose the healthier version of your favorite meals and you’ll thank yourself for it.

4. Say “NEVER AGAIN” to Trans-fat: Trans-fat is basically obtained chemically by the hydrogenation of oils. It will make your condition worse!

To avoid trans-fats, avoid these; Chips, Cookies, Pasteries, Margarine.

Incorporate healthy fats by following these simple methods

  • Introduce olive oil,rice bran over butter or ghee

  • Chicken lovers dont forget to remove the skin of it

  • Prefer healthy ways of cooking such as grilling,baking and roasting over fried

  • Enhance flavour of food by using more of herbs and spices instead of oil,that will not only give you good taste but also prevent you from consuming extra oil as well as provide you benefits of antioxidants

  • Prefer fish over red meat as it is full of good fat

  • Serve fish 2 or 3 times week instead of red meat.

  • Use hung curd as dressing over mayonnaise

  • Prefer baked chips over fried

5. Choose Low-glycemic index foods

Glycemic Index – Glycemic index refers to the rate at which a particular food raises our blood glucose levels. Foods with high GI spike our blood glucose level and vice-a-versa. Again, fiber is your hero! Fiber rich foods have lower glycemic index – another reason why you should take them.

Low GI Sources-  Whole nuts , whole cereals, cherries, oatmeal, apple,vermicelli,whole dals,prunes, yoghurt plain, soymilk,whole milk,peaches,channa dal,peanuts.

6. Eat small but frequently – The logic here is, heavy meals spike our glucose levels. So small frequent meals will keep our metabolism high, while maintaining glucose levels.

7.Walk and Exercise are your best friends

Exercise is important as it helps to maintain IBW which is very important for diabetics. Exercising helps your weight loss efforts, and is especially important in maintaining IBW.

8.Limit only high caloric fruits

Except for some fruits like mango,banana,chikoo; one can eat any fruit but  in prescribed amounts only.

9. Use functional foods in the diet– These foods provide “extra benefits” to your diet. Apart from nutrition, it provides you a number of benefits. Functional foods are full of antioxidants, unsaturated fatty acids and are also rich in fiber. So do not forget to include them in your diet. Foods like mustard seeds, flax seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, cinamion,cloves, chia seeds.

10. Before sleeping ask yourself the following questions:

Am I taking too much of alcohol? If the answer is no, then you are okay.
Am I taking medication properly? If yes, give yourself a pat on the back
My feet are clean? No? Then rush to the bathroom!
Am I feeling stressed? If your answer is yes? Chill with music and take deep breaths. Remember nothing comes at the cost of your health and ensure you feel some relief.
Have I checked my weight?
Did I walk for 45 minutestoday? If yes, you’ve done well. Feel good about it because you are on track to eliminate your diabetes
Now,time for sleep… Proper timing is essential. Get good sleep.

You can gain control over diabetes by living healthy. Eating in moderation and eating healthy can go a long way in really giving you good results.

 

 

 

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  • FITNESS
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