Archives for April 2016

April 15, 2016 By Divita Bhatt Leave a Comment

Meal Preparation Strategies

Whether working or a full time homemaker, deciding on a cooking menu every day for all times of the day is always a task. It’s a bigger task when you are very conscious about the nutrients and a balanced diet. Some simple edits to your routine will surely make it much simpler and fun.

Plan your weekly menu: Whether you plan or do not plan invariably items in our menus are repeated every week. But, if we do plan properly with respect to all the meals for the day, a proper distribution of nutrients throughout the day is possible. Like high energy and protein items can be added in breakfast to kick start the day, light salads and some basic carbs in lunch to keep you going in office without making you feel drowsy, and at the end of the day keeping the dinner such that you digest it without much physical activities.

Prepare in advance: As per plan, prepare for the next meal as well as next day meals. For instance if you need to soak beans/pulses etc. soak it overnight. Also cut/peel some vegetables and keep them ready in advance as per plan.

Shop & Store: As you plan your meals, you will need certain items to be bought from the shop and some would be readily available in stock in your kitchen. Perishable items like dairy, poultry, fruits and fresh veggies needs to be shopped and stocked as per your plan at regular intervals. Non perishables can be stocked for monthly requirements based on your consumption.

Plan of Action: Now as you have outlined what to do and how to do, you need to document it to keep everything in line. Yes, a weekly menu plan on a piece of paper will bring in the clarity for next week. This will make sure you don’t repeat items very often and plan beforehand for the next day and especially for step 2 and 3 above.

Also you can spare Sunday for preparation of dry snacks, chutney, dips etc. to be used in next week.

April 14, 2016 By Anusha Subramanian Leave a Comment

“I have been able to improve my half marathon timing by improving my overall fitness”

Last year Thane Half Marathon clocked a timing of 2:43:45

For individuals working in corporate, the story is pretty much the same and the reasons for a sedentary lifestyle is also no different. Aasish Kumar’s story hence was no different. On and off he would try his hand at a physical activity like playing a sport, go for a jog but it was not consistent and there was no discipline maintained. But, one fine day he realized let’s try and make a change. Since that day and today, life has a come a full circle for Aasish. He has lost about 9 kgs from 83+kgs to about 75Kgs in just about 6 months and is much fitter and agile. Aasish’s story in his own words….

I work for a corporate and my job is a desk job. It does not require me to move too much. In other words, it’s predominantly sedentary work as far as my job is concerned. Given that work was stationary, my lifestyle was also inactive with no physical activity whatsoever. I tried playing a sport, go for a jog sometimes, and went to a gym but only for few days. Secondly, my food habits were also erratic. I never monitored or bothered much about what I ate. I was not consistent and disciplined in anything I was doing. And all of this was eventually affecting my health. I was aware of my problem but, did not know where to start and how to rectify the problem.

Sometime last year during the first half of the year, I attended a conference organized by my organization. At the conference, as a part of promoting healthy lifestyle we all were given a GOQii band. I did not use the band for quite some time. Then one day, I decided to pick the box and read about GOQii and its offerings. I decided to give it a try. I registered on the app and I got Amee Chandarana as my coach.

I started with setting 2-3 health goals to achieve. One of the most important health goals was to reduce my weight but the same time I wanted to do it in a healthy way. I wanted to improve my eating habits and get more disciplined. I was looking for professional guidance with respect to how to integrate various aspects of lifestyle i.e. food, water, exercise, various forms of physical activity that you can take on and start off gradually your path to health and fitness.

Starting month was difficult for me to suddenly make changes to my lifestyle and adjust to all the exercising etc. But, once I got used to it, I got hooked on to GOQii. I got into a rhythm of using the device and the coach. I wanted to ensure that I stick to my plans and bring about a positive change in me that will in return make a real difference to my lifestyle. Today, I have a regular workout regime wherein I train in the gym with my personal trainer with one day of rest. I supplement the gym training with the information that I get from my GOQii coach.

GOQii has helped me both on the app front as well as on the coaching front. On the app front, I am able to track my fitness, food, water, sleep progress on a daily basis. This is helping me to self-regulate myself and have a disciplined life. I started my coaching some 3 weeks after I started using the app.

With regard to coaching 2-3 things come to my mind. Firstly, there is someone who is keeping a track of what you are doing and equally interested in what you want to achieve as an individual with respect to lifestyle.

Secondly, you are getting important tips from your coach on how you can change your diet by reducing sugar, increasing the water intake, a mix of food that you can have and lastly, your coach also motivates you to clock your 10,000 steps daily. After being able to clock 10,000 steps easily on a daily basis you are motivated to go to the next level. For instance, I started with 10,000 steps initially today, I am easily able to clock 12,000 to 15,000 steps daily.

The coaching does not end with just this, you also get tips on various forms of exercises, yoga, food, etc. It’s a holistic approach with respect to all aspects of lifestyle. It focuses a lot on your health goals and how to achieve this is in a said period of time that you have set for yourself. Thanks to the coaching I have been able to shed about 9 kgs in the last 6 months. I was at 83+ kgs when I came on board the GOQii platform and now my weight is around 75 kgs. My target is to reach 70kgs and I am moving towards this target.

People around me have also seen the change in me. They find me energetic and positive now and are surprised with my change. They are surprised about the disciplined lifestyle that I follow. The time I got the GOQii band, a lot of my colleagues also got but nobody was using it the way I am and now they are surprised at the outcome.

The best part of the GOQii training is that I have been able to run half marathons without putting in any extra efforts to train. I have been able to do it with my regular workout regime. My overall fitness has improved drastically and that has helped me improve my half marathon time. I have cut down my time by half hour. I finished the half marathon in February in 2:12:50 seconds. That according to me is a super cool improvement.

This year's Thane Half Marathon improved timing of 2:12:50

This year Aasish completes half Marathon with an improved timing of 2:12:50

What does Coach Amee Chandrana have to say about

The journey from the start has been remarkable. With small healthy changes like improving water intake to eating in intervals have been finely adapted by Aasish. He is very enthusiastic and determined towards his goals. We also together worked towards running the half-marathon and he successfully completed in 2:12:50 as against his last year’s timing of 2:43:45. The next 10 km run for a cause he targeted to finish in1:10 but nailed it in 1:4 without any injuries. Overall, Aasish makes sure he follows the healthy routine to keep him fit and going.

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April 13, 2016 By Anusha Subramanian Leave a Comment

Set small goals that are easy to achieve

Relaxing with Meditation: Hemanth in a reflective mode

At 22 years old he led the most sedentary lifestyle. While sitting down all day may seem harmless, but, he was not surprised that it was having a negative impact on his health. Being aware of the problem and not knowing how to go about rectifying the problem… is the story of most people’s lives. However, Hemanth Kumar did not lose heart and found a way out to get motivated and get on his path to fitness. His story in his own words.

I am a mechanical engineer and I have been working in shifts. Shift work means sleep and food patterns are erratic. Further due to lack of any form of exercise or physical activity, I would always feel lethargic. So much so that I would not be interested in doing anything. As for my daily diet, I would have 3 heavy meals namely breakfast, lunch and dinner.

It was no surprise for me that sitting behind a desk, commuting or relaxing on the couch for too many hours a day can be harmful to my health, but what I was not aware of was the extent of havoc it is causing my body. I realized it while I was reading an article on health.

After I finished reading it I was scared for myself as I was young and could not take it lightly. I had to do something to change my lifestyle before my condition got worse. I also read that most health professionals recommend walking 10,000 steps a day (approximately 5 miles = 8 Km). It is the ideal goal to set for improving health and reducing the health risks caused by inactivity.

This statement got me thinking and I started researching on various sites like Amazon and the likes looking for a fitness tracker. I was wanting a health gadget that could get me on track. Something that could track my fitness and other aspects. And, I came across GOQii. I read several reviews and content on GOQii. I was convinced with what I read. The best part was that it came with expert advice from a coach. I was relieved that there will be somebody to monitor my progress. So I was not going to be alone on my path to a healthy lifestyle.

GOQii is also about getting people to change their lifestyles without doing anything drastic. Changes are brought about purely through new healthy habit formation and letting go of your old unhealthy habits. I bought my GOQii band on December 25^th and Dr. Afsha Shaikh is my coach.

I discussed my lifestyle with my coach and we zeroed in on my health goal. My first health goal was to get into a regular exercise regime, daily target to clock 13k steps and an increase my intake of protein which I lacked.

My coach got me into regular exercising. She also altered my diet. Instead of having three heavy meals a day. I started having small and frequent meals. I have also started including fruits in my diet which were missing earlier. Many of what my coach added to my diet were something I was aware of but never got around to having them. My water intake was also poor prior to GOQii and now I drink 2.5 litres of water daily without fail.

I have learnt a lot by being on the GOQii platform. While researching on health and fitness I remember reading “traditional thought suggests that having a healthy diet and getting aerobic exercise will offset the effects of time spent being sedentary. Even if you exercise for 30 minutes a day, you may not be able to counteract the effects brought on by the lack of activity throughout the rest of your day. Rather, the solution seems to be less sitting and more moving overall”.

That is exactly what my coach got me to do. She got me to start moving. My coach helped me set small goals and also guided me on how to achieve it. Today, I feel good about myself and more energetic. I am also fitter than before.

What does Coach Dr. Afsha Shaikh have to say about player Hemanth Kumar?

Hemanth Kumar had a long term goal to lose fat, extra inches, and weight. We had set some small term goals to increase fiber intake and I must say he was one of my dedicated players who has been following his goals seriously. Also, he has been very good with maintaining his step count which has reflects his enthusiasm in doing some good physical activity. On the days he could not complete his step count, he would make up for the loss over the weekend. Initially, we had decided on exercising in the morning then when he got on the night shift he could not do morning exercises and therefore, we decided we would do exercises as and when possible. This decision suited him appropriately and he became more regular with his exercise.

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April 12, 2016 By Anusha Subramanian Leave a Comment

“100 KM trail walk was a personality altering, life changing experience for me”

Vandana with her team after the successful completion of her 2nd 100 Km trail walk in Nov 2015.

Nobody better than her can prove that small steps can have a big impact. From being a bookworm all her life to walking 100 km for charity was the biggest high in her life. And since then it has been long before she has been walking her way to health and fitness. As of now Vandana Trivedi has completed two trail walks, has a regular fitness regime, treks regularly and also is going for a seven-day climbing course to the Himalayas. While someone who is as active as Vandana would seem a perfect match for a GOQii device, she didn’t start wearing one until a year ago. Vandana’s story in her own words.

I metamorphosed just a couple of years ago from being extremely inactive to becoming active. I was introduced to GOQii by my friend Harpreet and I did my first 100 Km trail walk when she suggested we walk one for charity. Initially, GOQii for me was my gateway to this 100 Km charity walk in December 2014. To my utter amazement, I successfully completed the 100 Km. I just loved it—the atmosphere, people cheering for you, and crossing the finish line felt so great. I was so sore after that I could barely walk the next day, but I loved the way I felt.

That was the start of me believing that I can do much more than just gym training. The success of the 100 KM led to a clear shift in my overall confidence and I felt nothing was impossible. GOQii has brought about a major transformation in me, from the perspective of being fit and healthy.

Prior to GOQii, I was happily inactive. As a child, I would never like to step out of my home. Given a choice between playing a game in the outdoor and reading a book. I would choose the latter without a second thought. I would dread the PT (Physical Training) period in school for the simple reason that they would make you run and do exercises.

But then, all this changed for me for the better. 100 KM trail walk was a personality altering, life changing experience for me, and has been a means to prove to myself that someone who had nothing to do with fitness /physical activity as a child can end up being called an Ultra Marathoner if you want it badly enough.

During my first 100 Km trail walk, I saw immense value in one- to-one coaching. I also had this huge issue of acidity. While I was aware of my problem, for some reason the issue was not getting solved. My GOQii coach then recommended that I have plain lime juice 3 times a day. Lime is also acidic and when that gets into the body it becomes alkaline. That was a good advice I got from my coach and it has helped me immensely. I have gotten over my acidity problem. Now when I go for meetings I order a plain lime juice. I also got help in improving my nutrition and sleep.

Ever since I came on the GOQii platform, I have become a great advocate of GOQii. I lead a sales team in an asset management company. Rather than taking clients on foreign junkets as client engagement, I decided to follow the health route and gifted everyone a GOQii band. We engage with our clients through active Sundays. We do small things to keep them active and the feedback I have got from my clients is that it has made a significant difference to their lives. In fact 11 of them even participated in the 100 km trail walk in 2015. For me, this is like a payback to good health. My ambition is to get more people on GOQii platform.

Personally, I have become so active that today I climb 10 floors daily and three days a week I have a personal trainer with whom I work out. Two Saturdays a month I go trekking as I am part of a trekking group.

Without having something to work towards, you can’t plan or dream of what you’re going to accomplish. As my activities slowly and steadily increased I realized I wanted to aim for something big. I wanted to push myself further. So why not test my mettle with a climbing course in the Himalayas. I have signed up for a seven-day climbing course in Himachal and currently, I have been training for it. I will be leaving for my course soon. But, I would say, the goal doesn’t have to be huge, it can be to walk 10 km a week, start small but, stay focused.

What does Coach TejalGupte have to say about Vandana Trivedi?

Vandana has been my player since May 2015. She has always been a self-motivated and determined person. When she joined GOQii, I could see her as a person who knew the importance of workouts and balanced diet for good health and was leading a quite healthy lifestyle to achieve this. She has always been an adventurous person who loves trekking. According to her trekking is her motivation to stay fit and be regular with workouts. Her only major concern when she joined GOQii was stress and long term acidity. And hence, we started working on these goals immediately. Meditative yoga and deep breathing were incorporated to the routine to help knock off the stress and small frequents meal along with lemon water post lunch and dinner was basically targeted to help curb the acidity. She was very open to adding healthy changes in her existing routine and adapted to them very well. Along with this, we also focused on daily workouts, for which I also threw a couple of workout challenges to her. Then November 2015 she did her 2^nd 100 KM trail walk and successfully completed the walk in 39 hours.

You can read more about Vandana’s experience of her First 100 Km Trail Walk here

http://goqii.com/blog/5-lessons-learnt-from-100-km-trail-walk/