Archives for May 2019

May 25, 2019 By GOQii 1 Comment

“My Second Innings to Life” – Sunita Sinha

When driving towards professional success, our health often takes the backseat. Long work hours, never-ending meetings and tight deadlines take precedence over being active, drinking sufficient water and eating the right food. As junk food wrappers and boxes pile up on our desks and body aches and pains creep in, we notice only when it is too late.

It is important to know that when you are ready to turn your life around and determined to follow through, it is never too late! You can always change, you can always work towards good health and explore the benefits of an active lifestyle. Our GOQii Player Sunita Sinha learned this fact first hand!

In Her Own Words, Sunita Sinha Tells Us About Her Journey:

“I am a disruptive educator with a specialisation in Robotics & Language. Chocolate cravings and binge eating weren’t alien to me. Corporate meetings meant eating out frequently, coupled with long working hours. The mental overload, stress and lack of physical exercise resulted in various health issues.

I would often gasp for air after climbing only 2 floors! To add to it, at the age of 40+, I have already had 6 surgeries, hypertension (have been to the ICCU), high thyroid levels, and a spinal injury to name a few. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

My GOQii journey began a little more than 6 months ago. I was given a GOQii as a gift. The initial hesitation, resistance and apprehensions coloured my perspective and purpose. A hectic work schedule and professional demands tempted me to not wear the tracker. I knew that I would be a complete failure when it came to implementing any of the habits suggested by my coach. I had given up before I even began.

Then, something magical happened. Something pushed me from within. I decided to take baby steps. While the initial goal of 7000 steps seemed like a fantasy, I started with 600-1000 steps. I became more conscious of my diet and water intake by adding cucumber or carrot to my meals. My erratic sleep hours were clocked as well.

Like a school child, I waited earnestly for the app to display the unlocking of all habits. After two weeks, it happened! It became a catalyst. For the first time, I felt a sense of immense peace and satisfaction which no professional laurels could ever give!

I learned to invest in myself. GOQii made me realize the value of self-care and self-worth. Fitness was no longer restricted to gyms as it was easily accessible through GOQii Play within the GOQii App. With GOQii Play, I could attend fantastic workout sessions at my convenience within the comfort of my home. The range of sessions gave me the luxury of choice to go with what I was physically compatible with.

Gradually, I overcame my mental reservations and noticed an increase in my flexibility. I would keep aside a bottle and drink 2l of water meticulously. To combat hunger pangs, I indulged in carrot sticks, small quantities of salads, peanuts and dry fruits. Though my tiffin bag became bigger in size with different boxes, they were filled with healthy assortments. I followed a practical diet and gradually learned to eat in portions.

My step count increased slowly, blood pressure became controlled and my thyroid levels were stable. I can now walk 6km in 45 minutes without any shortness of breath. I do short bouts of runs as surgical reservations don’t permit me to do more. Though weight loss was not my target, I have lost more than 7kg. To the delight of my sons, I can now join them on treks and adventure sports.

My personality has undergone a makeover and self-confidence has increased qualitatively. I can now work for longer hours and still feel energized. Mental exhaustion has reduced to almost zero. Through all of this, my amazing GOQii Coach has been a strong motivator. Her guidance has been impeccable.

Fitness has become my lifestyle. It is a part of my regular routine now and is as common as domestic chores. Thanks to the GOQii App and its wearable tech, my life and my personality have both transformed drastically! Overall, it has been a completely satisfying experience. This journey made me realize a simple truth that one must master the mind before one can master the body!”

What did Sunita Sinha’s GOQii Coach Have to Say?

Sunita Sinha entered GOQii with a goal to get fit, fight hyperthyroidism and few medical issues. Despite her profession as well as home duties keeping her busy, she always updated her meals and activities. I would help her analyse them, guide her on a daily basis on how to maintain balance in her meals, irrespective of whether it was eating socially or at home.

She took all the analysis seriously and started implementing them in her as well as her family meals. It resulted in her shedding some weight/fat from her body. The improvement is clearly seen in her health, fitness and energy levels and her body is toned as well. To Sunita Sinha, I’d like to say that your best version is yet to come!

Keep going and #BeTheForce

May 18, 2019 By GOQii 1 Comment

Sapan Gupta: Running For Good Health!

Have you been passionate about something but as you turned older, your busy life overshadowed your passions? Most of us can relate to this, especially when it comes to running or some form of sport. While being really energetic and active at a young age, one often falls prey to a sedentary lifestyle. Such was the case with Sapan Gupta as well.

Life Before GOQii

Sapan Gupta, a 37-year-old working professional is a Deputy Manager with an Online Software Development Company. Since school days, he had always been passionate about running but as he grew older, he stopped. He also suffered from frequent bouts of cold, cough and sneezing. In 2016, he began jogging but jogged for 2km max.

Stepping it Up With GOQii

In Jan 2018, Sapan Gupta was introduced to GOQii via his Axis Bank Account. Since then, he hasn’t looked back. After joining GOQii, with help from his coach, he began training for marathons. His health goals were to stay fit and reduce belly fat.

Since Sapan always ate home cooked meals and ate out only once a fortnight, there weren’t many changes made to his diet. His GOQii Coach introduced him to healthy proteins and mindful eating. His intake is more balanced and nutritious now.

Now, instead of 2km, he runs for 5km easily, everyday and sometimes even without a water break. He tries to walk for 20 minutes even when he is at work. On the weekends, he plays badminton and cricket. Sometimes, he even cycles.

As of now, Sapan Gupta has lost 4-5kg and his stamina has tremendously improved as well! His issues of cold, cough and sneezing has reduced significantly as his immunity has increased. He has successfully completed 3 half marathons and over 52 10k runs in the past 1.5 years. He is currently preparing for a full marathon in August.

Last year, he participated in the GOQii Trail Challenge and completed it within 12 hours! He says that it was one of the most enriching experiences he has been through and looks forward to participating for the next one! He also said it was well-organized.

GOQii Active Sunday Champion

One day, Sapan received a notification for a GOQii Active Sunday session. As it was close to his house, he decided to check it out. When fellow Champion Subhash Achanta asked him to lead a session as he was unavailable, Sapan took it up without hesitation. Soon, he enrolled as a Champion and from then on he has been regularly heading the sessions in Hyderabad.

Sapan has been very active on the GOQii App. He orders products from the GOQii Health Store frequently during flash sales. As per his experience, the products he purchases are of good quality. He even participated in the India Steps Challenged and won the GOQii Vital. He says GOQii should organize more such events!

Though his family members think he is overdoing it, he feels there is still so much more to achieve!

Here’s what Sapan Gupta’s GOQii Coach Had to Say

“Sapan entered GOQii with a goal to lose weight and he worked hard to achieve it. He is very interactive, keeps me posted with his food logs and all the data he can. He is focused and has an idea of what he wants. We started with simple changes like replacing unhealthy snacks with healthy options and eating small and frequent meals.

He has great insights towards working out, which is his strength. Even on a vacation, he used do well with his physical activity. One word to describe Sapan is ‘Energetic’. With his involvement, I was motivated to guide him to achieve his health goals.”

Keep going, Sapan and #BeTheForce!

May 17, 2019 By Dr. Viral Thakkar 1 Comment

Hypertension: Know it to Avoid it

Keshav, 38 years, is a party person. Weekdays, he works 12 hours a day, and weekends, are for partying only. He has been partying a lot recently, enjoying his financial success. However, a couple of days back, he was diagnosed with hypertension (BP 170/100mm of Hg).

Keshav is tensed and scared. For now, his doctor suggested lifestyle modifications. Since he wants to take up the responsibility for his health, he came across GOQii VITAL (tracks BP & Heart Rate among other features). He also downloaded the GOQii App, went through the website and read up on hypertension/blood pressure.

Blood pressure is the force exerted by the blood against the walls of the blood vessels. The pressure depends on the work being done by the heart and the resistance of the blood vessels. The normal blood pressure is 120(systolic)/ 80(diastolic) mm of mercury (mmHg), but hypertension is higher than 140/90 mmHg. As reading keeps on fluctuating, one must take minimum 3 readings at least 2 hours apart to label chronic hypertension.

Primary Hypertension could be due to plasma volume and activity of the hormones that regulate blood volume and pressure or environmental factors
Secondary hypertension has specific causes and is a complication of another problem which could result from diabetes, overactive thyroid gland, Cushing syndrome, which can be caused by corticosteroid drugs, hyperparathyroidism, which affects calcium and phosphorous levels, pregnancy, sleep apnea, Obesity, CKD or kidney disease or pheochromocytoma, a rare cancer of the adrenal gland.

The Following Could Lead to Hypertension:

Stress
Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and high cholesterol levels
Alcohol and tobacco use is the cause of many health problems, not just hypertension
Hypertension is more common in people aged over 60 years even though many young people also have this disease
Being overweight or obese is a key risk factor
Men are prone to hypertension at a younger age and it is higher in older women. This might be due to men holding on to emotions and women tackling their stress better
Physical Inactivity is the key to be unhealthy! Move it, please! Manage your health with exercise!
If you take salt-rich diet associated with processed and fatty foods, low potassium in the diet, you are at risk
A family history of high blood pressure and poorly managed stress can also contribute. But you can create your own destiny! Manage your diet, exercise and tackle your stress!

If you are in any of the above categories, I will be worried!

Your Daily Routine Should Be:

When you open your eyes in the morning, be happy, grateful and chill!
Say no to junk, and yes to raw veggies and fruits. Have a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner. Your small snacks should consist of fruits, healthy snacks. Say no to junk!
Avoid extra salts – The WHO recommends reducing intake to under 5g a day to help decrease the risk of hypertension and related health problems.
Exercise regularly. At least 45 minutes every day. Dinner should be 4 hours prior to your sleep
STOP alcohol and smoking
Manage your body weight
Pranayama is the key to manage stress. Yoga is amazing! Try it!
For the ones who love numbers and track progress, you can manage your health and activity through GOQii Vital or the GOQii RunGPS (both readily available at a discount from the GOQii Health Store within the GOQii App)

Even if you are fit, please keep in mind that if undetected, it can cause damage to other organs as well. Hence, have your blood pressure checkup regularly. Long-term hypertension can cause atherosclerosis. This formation of plaque results in the narrowing of blood vessels making it hard for the heart to pump blood!

Hypertension-Related Atherosclerosis Can Lead To:

Heart failure/Heart attacks
An aneurysm or an abnormal bulge in the wall of an artery that can burst, causing severe bleeding and in some cases, death
Kidney failure or Stroke
Hypertensive Retinopathies in the eye, which can lead to blindness

The best way to deal with hypertension is to be mentally and physically healthy. Be stress free, happy and take care of your physical body. This will help your overall fitness and not just hypertension.

Please ensure that the medication is taken as per the advice of your doctor and remember that lifestyle modification is the key!

May 14, 2019 By Ravishankar Balasubramanian 3 Comments

How to Create a Better and Healthy India

A girl who appeared to be on the heavier side had approached me in the walking track at the Coimbatore-Race Course. She asked me for tips on health management, weight reduction and requested me to create a group for the same. This got me thinking and I decided to pour my thoughts in this blog.

Creating awareness among women about keeping themselves physically fit is the first step towards making India healthy. According to me, healthy women are the cornerstone of healthy societies. In real terms, health and fitness are two sides of the same coin. Both are necessary to live a healthy and happy life.

There are some things that women are better at than men. But, taking care of their health is not one of them. The fact is that women are more likely than men to put off preventive care of their health. My conversations with women tell me that women rank fitness as one of their top wellness challenges. Ever wondered why?

Following are the commonly cited reasons by women as barriers to exercise:

Women are too busy taking care of others to take care of themselves. Their dedication to family presents substantial time and logistical barriers to being physically active. Several women juggle between home responsibilities and their jobs and hence seldom find time for their health or themselves.
They may not have access to resources such as parks and gyms, and more often than not lack motivation and confidence.
Reasons for weight gain may be attributed to the inheritance of genetic predisposition or caesarean sections undergone by them.
Lack of energy is yet another factor as fatigue is a by-product of a tiring lifestyle and women are often tired.
Women with low incomes are less likely to exercise regularly. They do not realize that not all exercises require expensive clothes or a gym membership. One of the most beneficial forms of exercise is free – brisk walking!
Mindset is yet another factor, as women feel that going outside for a walk or to hit the gym is not necessary for them.
Breaking the laziness barrier is the main hurdle for most people irrespective of gender.
Women feel that they are constantly being looked at by others when walking in public. They are reluctant and shy to wear jogging suits and walk with their cellulite jiggling appearance, as they feel that they will be laughed at. This is true especially among South Indian women as cultural factors play a major role in this part of India. The fear of judgement is greater than the women’s self-confidence.
Women who believe that child-rearing and domestic chores are ‘women’s work’ are less likely to take time to exercise – perhaps they feel guilty taking time out for themselves. Sexism proves to be one of the barriers.
Some others think that to be useful, exercise must be painful, sweaty and gruelling, which of course is not true.

How Can Women Improve Their Health?

Women’s roles within families have positioned them to become health managers or promoters of overall family health. It is time women wake up and adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Lose weight if you are overweight – just start with 15 minutes of walking a day.
Eat a balanced diet. Cook healthy meals for yourself and your family instead of eating out or eating prepared foods.
Eat the right food in correct proportions at the right time as women have the habit of delaying their meal timings owing to the pressure of work.
Create time for walking as walking is considered the king of exercises. It contributes several benefits to the human body without risking injury or stressing it.
Regular Brisk Walking can help you maintain a healthy weight. It prevents and/or manages various medical conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
Find a walking partner if you are not motivated to walk alone. For instance, your husband, parents, friends, relatives or your children. You can even join a local walking group.

Trying to postpone this wonderful aerobic exercise eventually leads to obesity and several other health issues. Without proper awareness and guidance, women find themselves totally lost when it comes to exercise. Download the GOQii app and subscribe to their service. By their coaching methodology, GOQii Coaches will guide, support and make lasting improvements to your health and well-being.

Once women get past their initial reluctance, they will tend to have a balanced approach to fitness. Women’s traditional roles within families have positioned them to directly impact the overall health and well-being of their families. Women are the backbone of India. The health and well-being of mothers is crucial to the health of their children and families and by extension, the health of a nation.