Archives for December 2017

December 17, 2017 By Parwage Alam 9 Comments

Myths and Health Benefits of Meditation

Stress can be dangerous. Here is a link to a blog on Stress

http://goqii.com/blog/avoid-stress-lead-a-healthy-and-happy-life/

In this blog, I am going to talk about meditation and its health benefits in detail. Most foreigners are it the Americans or the Europeans aren’t raised to sit and say “Om.” But, today whether it is outside of India or within our country at every nook and corner you can find a yoga and meditation centre. Meditation has gained millions of converts, helping them ease chronic pain, anxiety, stress, improve heart health, boost mood and immunity, and resolve a lot of medical issues even pregnancy problems.

According to doctors, any condition that’s caused or worsened by stress can be alleviated through meditation. Peace is something we all seek for or let’s say satisfaction is something we all long for. Satisfaction could be different for different people. For some satisfaction could mean happiness, for some it could be an achievement. The influence of external factors in our life largely decides our state of mind to be happy, sad or angry.

We often seek for happiness or peace in the outside world. People have their own ways of finding peace or relaxing their mind. Most common practice is going out of town or getting away from our usual routine. It’s very necessary to find peace within us as not everyone can afford to go out of station often. So here is what we can do and also save some money in the process to reach our goal of happiness and peace- MEDITATE.

Meditation you can transform the mind. Meditation doesn’t mean that you have to sit in a particular posture and focus on any single point on the wall or certain point. The definition of meditation is different for different people. If you ask me, meditation is the art of focusing our attention (100%) in one area. We all believe that our mind gets maximum rest while sleeping; however, the fact is that our mind gets to rest and relief while meditating.

Doctors who recommend meditation say that the relaxation response [from meditation] helps decrease metabolism, lowers blood pressure and improves heart rate, breathing, and brain waves. Tension and tightness seep from muscles as the body receives a quiet message to relax.

Articles in medical journals on Meditation indicate there is scientific evidence that shows how meditation works. In people who are meditating, brain scans called MRI have shown an increase in activity in areas that control metabolism and heart rate. Other studies on Buddhist monks have shown that meditation produces long-lasting changes in the brain activity in areas involved in attention, working memory, learning, and conscious perception.

There are some dangerous myths about meditation like:

1. Meditation is a religion: Meditation is not related to any religion. However, meditation brings all religion together.

2. Just relaxation: Meditation is not about just relaxation like sitting on your sofa or lying on your resting chair, meditation helps to produce specific chemical changes in the brain. For example, Transcendental meditation is known to cause the brain to release a soothing hormone known as prolactin.

3. Sit in the lotus posture to meditate: There is a myth that meditating you should always sit in a lotus posture. However, while meditating it is more important to be comfortable and steady. You can sit cross-legged, on a chair, in a sofa – it is fine, but it is mandatory that you have to maintain the same position till you finish meditating.

4. Meditation is for old people: Most of the people believe that meditation is only for people who have reached a certain age or for old people. That is so untrue. Meditation is universal and anyone can do it. It adds value to lives of people of all age groups. A study in the American Journal of Hypertension showed that teenagers who meditated for 15 minutes twice a day for four months were able to lower their blood pressure a few points.10 minutes of meditation in the morning clean your mind, it gives zeal and enthusiasm.

5. Meditation is like hypnotizing yourself: Most of the people believe that Meditation is hypnotising you. But, that’s again false. In hypnotism no one is aware what he or she is going through, however, in meditation, you are always aware of each and every moment.

If you are feeling tense, tired, depressed or anxious or stressed, the one simple word I can suggest or recommend is ‘Meditation’. Five to 10 minutes of meditation will help you relax and get over your stress and restore your calm and inner peace.

Anyone can start meditating with a small practice. It’s really very simple and does not require you to visit therapists or a practitioner of meditation. It also does not require any equipment. You can practice meditation whenever and wherever you are – in office, home, on the bus or train, or waiting at the doctor’s clinic or even in the middle of a difficult business meeting.

Meditation works as a medicine of mind and body and produces a deep state of relaxation. During meditation, we centralize our attention and get rid of the unwanted stress-causing thoughts. This process results in enhanced physical and emotional well-being.

Some great Benefits of Meditation:

Psychological Benefits: Reduces stress and anxiety, increases creativity and intelligence. Reduces depression, increases learning ability, reasoning and memory power, reduces irritability and moodiness, Feelings of vitality and rejuvenation, increase emotional control, self-esteem, alertness, Improves relationships and also concentration

Physiological Benefits: May help lower blood pressure, Prevents or relives any pain, boosts immune system- with meditation higher levels of antibodies are produced against the flu virus, according to the study in Psychosomatic Medicine, lowers blood cholesterol levels, improves airflow through the respiratory system, especially in those with asthma, Youngers your biological age.

Women can also benefit from meditation. Quoting a study from an article in WebMD, the article says that PMS symptoms subsided by 58% when women meditated. certain other issues such as anxiety, depression, and fatigue can also be reduced by a regular meditation program.

December 16, 2017 By Shimpli Patil Leave a Comment

The Brain-boosting foods

We are very well aware that what we eat affects our body. Not-so-surprisingly, it also affects our mood, the brain functioning, our memory, and even our ability to think, handle stress or simple daily tasks.

Maintaining weight and staying fit shouldn’t be the only goal, but we also need to make sure we eat the right foods so that our body functions at its best and our organs stay healthy too. I would now like to throw some light on the high-powered organic engine of our body- The Brain!

Our brain regulates innumerable complex functions in our body and is constantly working even when we sleep! It stores an incredible amount of information in the form of images, texts and concepts.

We need to ensure that we constantly supply the fuel that our brain needs for its round the clock functioning. The best fuel for our brain is- Glucose, which is obtained from the carbohydrate-rich foods that we consume- Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc.

Apart from this main driving fuel, our brain also requires certain specific nutrients just like our heart, lungs or muscles do, to run efficiently.

Nutrients like Vitamin E, iron, folate, essential fatty acids (EPA and DHA), vitamin C, B12, zinc, etc. play a vital role in our cognitive functioning.

Let’s have a look at the foods are particularly important to keep our grey matter happy-

1) Nuts-

Nuts, especially walnuts and almonds, are extremely good for the brain and nervous system. They are packed with omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, vitamin B6, and vitamin E. Our brain is made up of 60% fat and low levels of good fats in food and body can contribute to depression, Alzheimer’s, and dementia. Vitamin E has been shown to prevent dementia by protecting the brain from free radicals.

2) Fatty Fish-

The active form of omega-3 fats, i.e. EPA and DHA, occur naturally in fatty fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, etc. Make sure you do not fry these fish as Omega 3 gets destroyed at high temperatures. Steaming or grilling is the best method to cook fish.

DHA is an essential during pre and postnatal brain development. In infants, DHA is needed for the growth of brain cells and other brain structures. It has not only shown to improve memory but also prevents the age-related memory loss. Greater incorporation of DHA into cell membranes prevents the brain, especially the neurons from oxidative stress.

3) Dark Green Leafy Vegetables-

Vegetables like collard greens, spinach, broccoli are good sources of B complex vitamins, beta-carotene, iron, folic acid, fibre, etc. These nutrients protect against free radicals and excavate the heavy metals that can damage the brain.

Folic acid is linked to lowering the levels of homocysteine ( a non-protein amino acid) in the blood, which otherwise may trigger the death of nerve cells in the brain.

4) Avocados-

This creamy treat is a rich source of MUFA, omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. It also comes with many antioxidants of its own, including vitamin E and Vitamin C, which protects the body and the brain from free radical damage.

5) Sunflower and Pumpkin seeds

They are packed with Vitamin E and contain a rich mix of protein, omega fatty acids, and B complex vitamins. These seeds also contain tryptophan, which the brain converts into serotonin to boost mood and combat depression.

We can sprinkle them on top of our salad or consume directly as a snack… well, I would say, a Brain-boosting Snack!

6) Berries:

These are antioxidant powerhouse which protects the brain from oxidative damage due to the free radicals which can prevent premature ageing, Alzheimer’s and dementia. The flavonoids in the berries also improve the nervous impulse transmission, improve memory, learning, and all cognitive functions.

7) Dark Chocolate:

Here’s a good news for the chocolate lovers! The flavonols in chocolate improve blood vessel functioning, which in turn ensures smooth flow of blood to the brain thereby improving our cognitive functions and memory. Chocolate also stabilizes our mood and eases our pain (goes without saying). Hey, but not to forget, moderation is the key! 2 pieces of 70-80% dark chocolate are more than enough to keep our mood and the brain cells happy.

It’s a list of simple foods that are easily available and we do consume these on and off. We can now pay a special attention to them and consume them more often to keep our Brain super-healthy!

December 14, 2017 By GOQii Editor Leave a Comment

“All it takes is to make small changes to achieve a healthy lifestyle”

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He was a late riser as he slept very late at night. However, he tried to remain active through the day, little did he know all that he was doing was wrong. He consumed little water, ate a lot three times a day. He weighed between 74-79 KG over 8 years and his waist was 36 inches. He had nothing to feel proud of his existence. He tried multiple options of getting fit and losing weight the right way but nothing worked. And, then a miracle happened 6 months ago which helped him move, eat right and sleep well and today he is 12 kgs less, runs marathons and feels completely happy and content with himself. Let’s here Vishal Choudhary’s story of transformation in his own words

I started my journey with GOQii in the month of June. At first, I was reluctant to buy the same as I was not sure if this will help me in any way. My life prior to GOQii was haywire with wrong sleep and eating habits. I would sleep late and wake up late and hence eat breakfast at 10 am followed by a heavy lunch and heavy dinner late at night. I would wait till I got hungry and then eat like there was no tomorrow. My water consumption was low at just 1 litre per day. I was 10 KG overweight at 78 kgs and was like that for 8 years or more. My waist size was 36. I use to feel happy wearing a 32 size (Lycra Jeans) thinking that my waist is still 32. I stopped wearing my favourite round neck t-shirt only because either it was loose on the shoulder or tight on the stomach.

I wanted to change myself and get healthy and fit but, did not know how to go about it. I tried multiple things like going to a gym, engaging in some kind of activity but nothing seemed to work for me. I remember my wife Deepika and me would sit together and prepare a plan for myself on what to eat and what not to, what activity should

I do and what not but, somehow, somewhere something was missing. I feel that somewhere something was missing. I would keep changing my routine and try all sorts of things. If one plan did not work I would shift to another.

For sure I knew I was not a lazy person but, I was doing something wrong which is why I was the way I was. Despite, indulging in activities my weight was the same. I did not understand what was going wrong and I had nobody to guide me on my health and fitness.

I got to know of GOQii from my colleague who was wearing one. He told me about the personal coach feature along with the band that tracks your activity and sleep. The feature of coach attracted me to GOQii and I decided to give it a shot. I selected Dimple as my coach and started using the device.

I use to get regular updates from the coach on what to eat and what not to. I also liked GOQii’s app features and how the coach can discuss with you on chat through your regular updates on the app.

After using the GOQii features sincerely for 2 months I personally started feeling the changes within me. Though there was not much difference in the weight but because of eating right and regular exercise, I started feeling better and energetic than before. I even convinced few of my friends to buy GOQii and get on the platform and we started having competitions among ourselves on step counts and what we are eating and what we are not.

After 4 months on GOQii, I enrolled myself for my first short run of 5 km and am I glad to say that there has been no looking back since that first run. I think this has been possible only because of the right guidance from my coach. The moment I realized there is someone to watch over you and guide you, I knew I wanted to be on GOQii platform. Personal coaching is one of the best things about GOQii. Before, I started chatting with my coach Dimple, I thought my food intake and whatever activity I was indulging in is good enough to maintain a healthy lifestyle but, after having a discussion with her I realized how small things matter a lot to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

In term of activity, she set up a goal to achieve 10K steps count every day. Best thing I liked about my coach is that she did not ask me to take up anything new. After knowing my interest in Tennis she asked me to pursue the same. Along with activity, she helped me understand the benefit of water and food intake.

Some of the things that I learnt from my coach

* Importance of snacks before activity

* Importance of having food within half an hour of completing the activity.

* Importance of water intake, Food intake and timing of the same

* Importance of running

* Importance of salad

After going through my daily routine Dimple made few changes in my meal pattern. We sat together and prepared a meal chart. I started following Dimple’s advice sincerely and slowly and steadily introduced changes in my daily routine. After few months even though there was not much difference in the weight, I somehow felt good from within. Above all, my coach kept me motivated through this period of my healthy transformation.

Today, I feel great about myself. I am 12 kgs lighter now. Now the number of selfies has increased from none to too many. Compliments are pouring in. I have motivated 10-12 of my friends to take the healthy path and they are also now a member of GOQii.

We are a group of friends and we try to have a healthy competition among ourselves. Some of my colleagues wanted a lifestyle change and I suggested GOQii to them and without explaining anything they blindly became the member of GOQii by saying I have seen changes in you and that is more than enough for me. Feels great, I remember seeing one of my colleague participating in the marathon and I thought to myself if he can do it why can’t I?

I ran my first 5k marathon 4 months after joining GOQii and slowly shifted to running 10km. It’s been more than a year with GOQii and as of today, I have run more than 12 marathons (two 5km and ten 10KM) with the best time of 1hr3min.

Last two marathon I ran non-stop. Done couple of 50km cycling and recently completed 100KM cyclathon and completed the same in 6 hr 55min. Also, because of the fitness and stamina, I was able to win both Singles and Doubles in Tennis tournament organized by the academy where I was practising. Recently I have been introduced to badminton and gradually doing great in that as well.

Last but, not the least I am also doing well for the society as I keep myself healthy. I donate my karma points earned to a good cause that is registered on the GOQii app. The concept of earning Karma points is a win-win for both the user as well as the charity. The more steps you do to keep yourself healthy, the more points you earn.

Coach Dimple’s Comments

When I had my first interaction with Vishal Choudhary. He mentioned he was looking for a weight loss journey as he was 10kgs overweight. He had tried everything but was finding it difficult to reduce. He had some really good health goals in mind to achieve but no right direction and he just needed that right push to achieve them. We decided to take small baby steps first to get to achieve his health goals. I explained to him why it was important to achieve those health goals and how we could work together towards achieving these…!

I initially set small goals for him such as increasing the fibre intake in the form of salads and fruits which help us to decrease the body fat combined with small walks. He took some time to regularize his daily routine but, yes he did it really well and his interests started showing up in the different form of exercises like long hours of walk, going for cycling and finally he started participating in short runs. This was one of the best things that had happened to him. Every run gives him different energy and makes him ready for the next challenge. I clearly remember his first run was a 5km one and slowly he has graduated to 10 km and participates in every single run that happens near the vicinity of his residence. The best thing about Vishal is, he never says ‘NO’ to ‘ANYTHING’ even when I decided to add an extra modification to his routine in terms of food or targets. He took up the challenge and decided not to put a full stop and keep at it.

I brought about dietary changes wherein I introduced him to the concept of pre and post workout meals, some healthy mid meals evening snack choices, different seeds benefits, apple cider vinegar, good protein and he has learned to keep the dinner meal light. Sometimes he does have a cheat meal day. With these wondrous dietary changes along with regular workout routine, there was no doubt that he could not reach his goals. Although his weight reduction took a while slowly and steadily that improved as well in a couple of months’ time. When that started happening automatically there was belly fat loss and finally, he lost all those extra fats from his body and he’s still motivated and working on his goals in a perfect way…!. He kept feeling better each day.

I only told him, “Do not wait until you’ve reached your goal to be proud of yourself. Be proud of every step you take toward reaching that goal.” Vishal proved this with his hard work

December 13, 2017 By Rajnish Kansal Leave a Comment

“There is lot of positivity among us and that is being witnessed by people all around us”

Rajnish Kansal and Reena Kansal, both in their mid-forties is a happy couple with two happy kids. They are a fit family that firmly believes in healthy eating and being active daily to be able to lead a great life. And all this change happened within a year of following the GOQii Lifestyle.

Let’s hear Rajnish and his family’s story in their own words.

Just to give you’ll a background, I am 47 years of age and work for a food company that manufactures and sells processed food products. I was always an active person for many years at a stretch until one day I took up this vice called ‘smoking’. For 19 long years, I was a heavy smoker. In 2006 one fine day I decided I have had enough and wanted to quit smoking – and in a spur of the moment, I just quit.

Once I had quit smoking I wanted to get back to rebuilding the damage to my body. However, I didn’t know where to start from. I started following many things together without any tangible visible results. Then one of my ex-bosses motivated me towards the path of health and about 6 years ago I started my journey with first eating right. I started the process with whatever little knowledge I had and could glean from whatever sources and got into an active lifestyle. But, there was no proper regime and no discipline attached to it. It was just all over the place.

It was in end-December 2014 that I got to know of GOQii and the coach service that it provides. I decided to give it a shot, and my journey with GOQii started exactly a year ago on 2^nd of January 2015, today, I can confidently say that it has been one of the best decisions of my life.

Through constant guidance from my coach and internal motivation from within the GOQii ecosystem, I have physically become stronger with an increase in my muscle mass so much so that I “dared” to participate in the 100 km Trailwalk along with my wife in November 2015 – together both of us completed it in approx. 38.5 hours! This year I am hoping that my son will also join us. I also run the half marathons regularly.

I do indulge myself in cheat eating. But, it is guilt-free eating and only once in a while. I am not counting calories but I am conscious guilt-free eating and how much? Working for a processed food company… GOQii is a redemption for me!

Within a month’s time of me getting my GOQii band, my wife started noticing the positive changes in me and got interested. And, I gifted her a GOQii band last year on the Valentine’s Day.

Reena Kansal says: “It is one of the best gifts that I have ever got in all these years.” My food habits had already gone through a change after Rajnish got the band. So even without a band, I was following everything that Rajnish was being guided on. Post getting my own band, GOQii has brought in a lot of positives to me.

My food patterns have changed. While I was always a small eater at regular intervals, what I was eating was not always healthy. Now, I eat everything but, I am conscious of eating healthy. So much so that our household cooking has become healthier and kids have also readily accepted that. It’s been a major shift for us towards eating healthy and keeping fit. Earlier I used to go to the gym but not very regularly. Forget counting steps there was no proper regime to do anything. Now I have set a goal for myself to clock at least 13k steps daily.

I work for a fashion apparel company and am always on the move. Prior to GOQii, I did not have any routine but, ever since I have been on GOQii platform there is discipline in life. Now, I am supercharged and raring to go – No more being lethargic and tired. These days when I exercise, I do not give up easily. My energy levels have certainly gone up a lot.

“After my wife, I got my son who is 14 years old introduced to GOQii and subsequently my daughter who is 12 years old. My family has also got moving with me now”.

My kids changed their school last academic year and the kids have felt the positivity having the profound impact in their new environment as well so much so that they are now supercharged and participate in various physical activities like races etc.

Rimuksh Kansal says: I like the GOQii way of life. I used to eat lots of sugar and sweets. Now I can control myself to eat sweets and junk food. It’s been six months since I have eaten chips. Also, I wake up at 6 am on my own. After I am back from school at 3 pm I step out at 6 pm to play. I wanted to do the Trailwalk with my parents but, I could not as I am underage. However, I did go for the 3 practice sessions and completed them as well. This ability in me is something that my coach Neha Morche has brought out. I would say, GOQii has made me a lot more active than I was earlier.

Rijul Kansal is a chirpy and lively child. She is supercharged and she says: I got my band last year and I feel really good about being on GOQii. It has done a lot of good for me. I have changed my eating habits. Earlier I used to eat a lot of junk food but now I do not. I probably have once in a while where there is a picnic or something. However, I am able to control the urge for junk food. I follow everything my coach says. She has thrown a challenge of eating one fruit daily this month which I am trying to keep up. Until last year, I did not go participate much in the weekly GOQII event Active Sunday. But this year I have promised myself I will attend all Active Sundays and be very active. Because of GOQii, I am fit now. Before I had my GOQii band, I used to always fall ill during winters but last year I only fell once and that too because I had a cold drink. I do not get stressed because I am active. So I am able to participate in all school activities. Since I love running, during PT sessions I can easily run two rounds of the ground continuously without stopping.

Unfortunately, both the kids are unable to wear the band during the school hours – their school has a strict “no gadgets” rule – however, what is noteworthy is that they manage to clock their steps over the weekend and above all they understand what mindful eating and being active is and how it’s keeping them healthy.

Taking over from his kids, Rajnish continues, earlier we had a hard time living mindfully, but with GOQii, we are all aware when we are not moving. There are days when I look down to check my steps and if I find that I have not clocked enough steps then I go for long walks with my family – this gives me an opportunity to not only complete my step count target but also to spend quality time with the family.

We are now truly a GOQii family. The GOQii Active Sundays have become an inseparable part of our lives – as a family, we are some of the most active players of GOQii in Delhi – and all four of us are each other’s support system. The kids love it, and Reena and I love the fact that we were giving them tools to stay healthy as they get older. And to top it all, we have an awesome set of friends now, all with a similar motto in life – be physically and mentally healthy!

For us, wellness has now acquired meaning in its entirety – physical and mental, both and for the whole family. We are physically active and mentally we are far calmer now – we have started spending a lot of time with each other and pursuing new stress-busting hobbies like painting, calligraphy etc. And we are very happy, from within. In the last one year, I have realized that our demeanour has become extremely positive that people have started noticing it in all of us.

Thank you, GOQii! We sure appreciate being a part of the Ecosystem that supports us every step of the way in being healthy!

Coach Anushree Ashtekar on Rajnish

“Rajnish is one of the best GOQii players I have worked with. I remember; when he had come on board, we had set his health goals as reducing fat percentage, increasing stamina, bring high uric acid level under control and bringing about work-life balance.

He was an athlete during his college days but, fast-paced work life caught up with him. He had specifically mentioned that he wanted me to be a pushy coach; so, I became one! We brought about a major difference in his daily food intake by improving meal quality and that helped him in fat loss. Simultaneously, we also worked on the exercise part. With time, uric acid level improved and body fat percentage improved too.

Rajnish is a person who believes in not only taking care of his own health but, has strong views on today’s generation getting fitness conscious. His wife, son, and daughter are also GOQii players. This is one power-packed family who is regular at the GOQii Active Sunday sessions!

Rajnish’s love and determination for good health and fitness and his faith in me as his coach have given us awesome results. We are now working on progression in exercise and bringing about work-life balance. Am sure, like our other goals, Rajnish will achieve these too!”