Archives for August 2016

August 22, 2016 By Trishala Chopra 1 Comment

Raksha Bandhan Challenge to GOQii Players

This festive season- Health is my Priority!

India could not have got a better gift on ‘Raksha Bandhan’- (a festival to celebrate sisters and protect them) with PV Sindhu and Sakshi Mallik bagging medals at the Rio Olympics and not to mention Dipa Karmarkar who put Indian Gymnastics on the world map.

At GOQii as we celebrate women power and congratulate PV Sindhu, Sakshi Mallik and Dipa Karmarkar for making India proud, in the same breath, I would also like to applaud my players who have taken their health seriously and are following every bit of advice given to them. They took up the challenge to make this festive season healthy for themselves and their family.

Managing health of their players during festive season is a big task for coaches! I therefore threw a challenge to my players on ‘Raksha Bandhan’. I asked them what they plan to gift their siblings apart from a box of sweets. My players came up with wonderful ideas and also me with their changed outlook towards health.

Here is how they did it…….

Krishna Dalal: – her idea came as a surprise package. She made everything at home with complete control on what type of ingredients she used and why? She not only sent me the pictures but, gave a complete explanation about why she chose this ?

Recipe-1 –Gol Papdi

This is Gol Papdi which is made of wheat flour, jiggery, dry fruits and ghee. This is completely healthy and hygienic. Made out of organic jiggery and no added preservatives or colours or flavours, these sweets are low in calories and high in energy.

Recipe 2:-

This is coconut dark chocolate balls. These are made of honey milk and grated coconut with garnished dark chocolate and little ghee. The sweet does not contain sugar and is healthier.

2) Dinesh Mestry: – He always gifted his sisters a box of celebrations but, this challenge made him do something out of the box! This is what he gave his sisters which came as a complete surprise to them as well!

3) Shailesh: – Well, after winning the healthy eating challenge on 17^thof august, he decided to make her sister also follow the path of healthy eating! This Rakhi, he decided to give his sister an air fryer so that she can make her favourite dishes without compromising on health. Isn’t this simply amazing?

The bond between this brother and sister is quite healthy!

(4) Bindu: – A pack full of healthy dry fruits is what she has selected for her brother! Invisible good fats were what she wanted for her brother.

(5) Prash: – He gave a fruit basket to his siblings with a packet of dates. This is the first time that he has given something like this to his sisters because he has joined GOQii and is on his path towards healthy diet and wants the same for his near and dear ones!

6) Tejas Master: – He is a complete fitness freak. He wanted something similar for his sister as well so he went and got her granular bars and some dry fruits this Raksha Bandhan as against the tradition box of chocolates.

(7) Shailesh Shinde: – He decided to give his sister a plant. He believes that plants can protect us from global warming too. According to him, women can take care of our environment like she takes care of everybody.

I think this was a very thoughtful gift for a sister from her brother.

(8) Neharika sahani: – She gave her brother an all new GOQii version 2. She has already taken a step towards her health, now it’s her brother’s turn.

(10) Priya Gokul: – She made a jaggery and moong dal payassam for her siblings. This is such a nutrient rich food!

This Rakhsa Bandhan has been a big learning for me. My players came up such interesting gifting concepts that was very healthy. I am proud of my players.

August 19, 2016 By Neha Kapoor 1 Comment

Guide to pick healthy dishes from different cuisines

Eating out is a fashion or trend?

Today, most of us enjoy eating out and going to the restaurant is very common trend.

If you are a regular restaurant visitor you need to discipline yourself as it takes toll on your weight and impacts your health.

The biggest problems we faced while eating out are increased fascination towards outside food and eating in large portions. You can make the outing healthier by selecting the right food for yourself from different cuisines. It will help you in making eating out a joyful experience. This joyful journey starts with our very own “GPRS tool’ which resolves and simplifies all your food related queries.

G-Grilled, P- Poached, R-Roasted, S- Steamed

Select healthier meals from

(I) North Indian Food

We all love to try different cuisines among which North Indian foods is quite famous.

When we you go out choose low fat gravies and food without the cheese. Prefer more starters which have been roasted or grilled chose tandoori food.

1- Avoid curries which contains the highest amounts of fat. If you need to opt for it take out the pieces from it and have it ignoring the gravy. Food like (Lentils made in Butter) dal makhnai and other preparation with cream are rich in fat. Whenever you tend to eat it avoid top portion and take from the bottom as fat floats on the top and can impact our weight leading to various diseases. Eat in moderation.

2- Avoid friend breads (parathas ,puris). And Pulao. Opt for chapatti and steamed rice or tandori roti which is preferable to bread made of refined flour.

3- Have more baked products.

(II) South Indian meals

1- Go for big Idlis or large plain dosa. If possible go for lentil (dal) based filling avoid potato based fillings as they are contain fat layer.

2- Lentil based puffs (Dal Vada) well squeezed and drained on tissue also makes a good choice. Complement it with good veggies and green salad.

3- Non -Veg chicken, fish, prawns along with measured portion of grains/cereals is a good choice.

4- Keep yourself away from deserts as they are rich in sugar.

Today’s trendy and kids favorite Chinese food.

1- Start meals always with large helping soups without thickening sweet corn, noodles etc.

2- Go easy on fluid appetizer.

3- Order steamed rice instead of fried rice.

4- Always follow half plate rule. Fill mostly half the plate with green veggies and salad.

5- Light stir fried vegetables, tofu, chicken, fish, are good choices and very must satisfactory.

6- Reduce high salt food as it contains too much of sodium.

(III) Italian Cuisine

Skip bread and breadsticks. Ask for olives or a salad. Choose grilled sea food, lean meats, and breasts of chicken with extra vegetables added to it.
Chose a thin crust Pizza over the regular one. Two slices are good to eat.
Opt for tomato gravy as white gravies are rich in fat and serves extra calories.
Add a dash of parmesan cheese or olives to add taste and make you feel satiated.

Greek and Lebanese

1- Go for chicken kebabs/fish with salad. Resist pitas and wraps as they have high carbs.

2- Avoid heavy deserts.

Mexican food

1- Order sour cream and guacamole on the side and top it with low fat salad.

2- Order soft food rather than crispy as the food is fried for the crispness.

3- Go easy on Nachos and cheese. Order low fat soups.

4- Good choices include rice and beans and tamales, tostadas and stuffed with vegetables and shrimp or chicken.

I assure you this blog is going to help everyone reading it to make the right and healthy choices while they are out in restaurants. Keep enjoying life but, not at the cost of your health.

August 16, 2016 By Anusha Subramanian Leave a Comment

Independence Day in a nutritious way!

A challenge to players to come up with tri-colour nutritious dishes

Lifestyle and fitness coaches at GOQii, are not mere coaches, they are friends to their players. Over time they build a bond with their players so much so that the players are not scared to take up challenges thrown at them. Be it a day’s water fasting, no sugar challenge etc.

Trishala Chopra is one enthusiastic coach who never keeps still. She is always up to coming up with newer things for her players to keep them encouraged and motivated at achieving their health and lifestyle goals.

The last time, she threw a challenge to players on the International Yoga day and her players accepted that challenge that sent her pictures of them performing Yoga at home. After a successful celebration of the virtual yoga day, on India’s 70^th Independence Day, Trishala wanted to do something different. So on the morning of 15^th August, she decided to throw a challenge to her players. And the challenge was to prepare and eat a healthy tricolour dish! She sent a message to all her players regarding the same.

Trishala has shared her experience with all of us through this blog. Since it was a long weekend and all would be enjoying their holidays, I was not sure if any of them would accept my challenge. But, to my surprise, I received so many positive responses to my challenge. Most of them had agreed to make a healthy dish.

Today, in the morning when I opened my dashboard again, I was celebrating a nutritious Independence Day. Most of my players had a healthy and nutritious tricolour dishes. But, few sent me pictures and I found that they had not only prepared the dishes but, had presented it beautifully as well.

Here is a look at my 3 players who took up the challenge and sent me pictures of their dishes are as follows

(i) Swapna Ravi- he had prepared an open sandwich with carrots, radish, and capsicum on a slice of brown bread and she did not miss our Asoka chakra as well! She kept a piece of dried fig to make it our complete flag! Hats off to the imagination! Well done!

(ii) Vatsal Khimasiya- I had asked them to prepare any one dish but, Vatsal prepared 2 dishes! While everyone was busy using vegetables, he did not upset fruits! He used both of them making a completely new dish!

(iii) Pradeep Dias-He had prepared a very healthy tri colour salad using carrots, French beans, and veggies tossed with white sauce! Well done Pradeep!

The creativity of human mind is amazing and when it starts ticking there is no stopping and big things can be achieved. It’s not about being impeccably good at what you’re doing but, it’s about attempting to come up with interesting things that you might have never done before. This is what I realised with my three players and really proud of them to have taken this challenge so positively. Despite, the long weekend, they still took time out to try something out of the box and send it to me. Well, done Swapna, Vatsal and Pradeep.

I would like to conclude by saying that my players keep me motivated and push me to think differently. I am ever grateful to them and it’s because of them that I feel confident and blessed as a coach.

August 16, 2016 By Anusha Subramanian 2 Comments

Having achieved my goals, I can now proudly declare that my lifestyle has become active

He had a hectic work life that left him with little or no time for exercise or any form of fitness regime. It was all work and no play for him. His sedentary lifestyle got the better of him. As a result his eating habits were erratic with no control on what was being eaten. The net result of all this was he had gained weight apart from being unhealthy. The best part was that this 31 year old young man was aware of his issues and was keen on rectifying the situation. And, adapt a healthy lifestyle for a better future. However, he knew he had to make an effort to achieve his goals. Abhinav Sharma’s story in his own words on how he achieved his active lifestyle and health back.

Here is story in his own words

I work in the travel industry and have a very hectic work life due to which I led a very sedentary life style with no activities of any sort. I realised I was becoming nothing more than a couch potato and wanted to change. I tried to gym but could not sustain it. I then started looking for other solutions. I was looking forward for some options which I could follow and better my lifestyle. During the process of my research I came across GOQii. I got to know its features and one of the main things that attracted me was the unique human touch along with technology.

I came on board GOQii as a beta player two years ago. Personalised coaching attracted me and that was also the motivating factor. I knew that if I had to achieve my goals I would need someone to motivate and push me constantly. As soon as I came on board GOQii, I got Shimpli Patil as my coach. She took me through the GOQii ecosystem and explained the whole process which I found very interesting. Then she educated me about real fitness and how you could achieve an active lifestyle and your health goals by taking small steps initially and then gradually increasing the process. She also told me about water intake and also how in the office and while I am travelling I can keep myself active. And finally, she improved my dietary and nutrition habit. I learnt how a good and balanced diet plays an important part in fitness and overall health.

I did exactly what my coach asked me to. It wasn’t easy at all for me to bring about the changes, follow a routine. I would get tired easily but, I was sure I wasn’t going to give up. Soon, walking for 30 minutes became 45 minutes and then an hour. I then added strength training to my fitness and I gradually started walking the path of a healthy and active lifestyle thereby clocking 10,000 steps daily to the current 12000 steps daily. After a year of being on GOQii, I participated and successfully completed the 100 km Oxfam Trailwalker in November 2015.

Now my daily routine includes regular exercising- basic free hand exercise as suggested by my coach and after that I leave for office around 8:30am and in between office hours I take breaks, go for a walk and use the stairs now instead of taking elevators thereby also increasing my step count.

Along with moving and achieving my daily step count I also overhauled my diet. My diet now includes salads, veggies, lentils and fruits. Now, I know about good and bad foods, which is the right diet for me etc. My water intake increased to 3 litres from a mere one litre earlier.

My initial health goals when I came on board GOQii was two pronged. Firstly, to achieve a healthy lifestyle and secondly control my weight. Due to my hectic and erratic work schedule I gained lots of weigh.

Having achieved my goals, I can now proudly declare that my lifestyle has become active but, I still need to achieve more. My weight is also under control thanks to the changes in my diet. I am glad that I am now a part of the GOQii active family. Going for active Sundays here in Delhi and I have met so many like-minded individuals from GOQii family and it only inspires me further. A big thank you to my coach who has been constant source of motivation at every juncture of my journey be it in good times or when I have been low.

Infact, Shimpli has been my motivator for the participation in the 100 km Oxfam Trailwalker. At first when she told me about it and asked me to participate, I did not believe her. I did not think I could achieve my goal of completing 100 km within 48 hours. My first thought was it is really impossible to do that but, my coach told me that it is possible. I then participated in 2015 after a year f achieving some fitness levels.

Oxfam Trailwalker was an eye opener. I met so many personalities and people both young and old and watching them be so fit and walk so much was inspiring and motivating at the same time. My biggest question to myself was.. if they can do it why can’t I? That environment was conducive for someone like me to share my experience and listen to others too. Overall it was truly an outstanding experience.

What does coach Shimpli Patil have to say about Abhinav Sharma?

When I had my first interaction with Abhinav, he described himself as a ‘Lazy Person’. He had some really good health goals in mind to achieve but lacked motivation and the right push to achieve them. After a quality chat with him, I explained to him why it was important to achieve those health goals and how we could work together towards achieving these.

Abhinav was convinced and decided to go for it. Time was a challenge for him but, he was ready to realign his schedule in a way which could fit an exercise routine in the morning. He took the time to regularize his daily regime but, yes he could pull it off gradually. Jogging, core exercises, body weight exercises. We moved ahead step by step. The best thing about Abhinav was, he never said NO and when I added extra exercises to his routine. He paced up and he decided not to put a full stop and keep at it.

It is not exercises alone that we worked towards, he also brought about dietary changes wherein I introduced him to the concept of pre and post workout meals, some mid meals (to cut the large gaps between meals) and he learned to keep his dinner light yet balanced. With these wondrous dietary changes along with regular workout routine, there was no doubt he could reach his goals. After few months he noticed a drop in his inches (Fat loss), increase in stamina and endurance while he jogged and ran. He kept feeling better each day.

One day, after having shared his progress with me, he asked me now what next? And I immediately said ‘Let’s Walk 100 km within 48 hours’. ‘You are all set’, I said and he was dumbstruck for few seconds. I made him believe that ‘HE COULD DO IT’ and should have confidence in himself. He decided to take up this incredible challenge. And, guess what he completed it gracefully.

“When you have the will, you can achieve anything that you want!” That’s what Abhinav has proved.