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Your Guide to GOQii Trail Challenge 2019

GOQii Trail Challenge

If you joined us for GOQii Trail Challenge 2018, you know what lies ahead of you and if this is your first time, you’re about to step into the heart of nature – a journey filled with challenges, beautiful vistas and an experience you will never forget.

The 50km trail might seem daunting but if your body and mind can endure it, there’s nothing more satisfying in the world than the feeling of crossing the finish line. In this article, we’re going to suggest the best practices which will help you complete the trail like a champ!

Let’s begin!

GOQii Trail Challenge Gear List & Dos and Don’ts

We’ve made a list of essentials you will need to carry along with you on the trail:

  • Daypack (30L) and a small daypack of about 10-15L which you will use during the challenge.
  • Max pair of 2 clothes and a light jacket as it will be chilly in the morning and at night.
  • Sleeping bag or a light cotton bedsheet or a shawl. Avoid carrying anything too heavy. 
  • 2L hydra pouch or a 2x1L water bottle. Don’t forget some chocolate, energy bars or nuts you can munch on while walking. Carry Electoral or ORS mixed with your bottle of water.
  • Personal medication you might need or take regularly.
  • Carry a ziplock bag for your wallet and phone.
  • Floaters, extra socks, torchlight with extra batteries
  • Hat/Cap, sunglasses, sunscreen and insect repellent.
  • Avoid carrying any electronic gadgets like iPods or iPads. You can use your smart phone as a camera.

What to Keep in Mind While Walking

  • Walk straight. Avoid sitting and climbing down slopes and you’ll experience more pain further down the road.
  • When tired, don’t sit down on the trail. This will tighten your muscles and make it more difficult to walk. If you must sit, don’t do it immediately. Standing and resting is better!
  • When you halt for a break, take small sips of water as opposed to large gulps.
  • If you feel uneasy, inform your teammates before things go out of hand.
  • Don’t walk on the trail with earphones listening to music, it could be hazardous.
  • Avoid littering and talking too loudly. Respect nature and the surrounding environment.

GTC 2019Follow these few basics and you’re all good to go! In fact, to make it even easier for you, we’ve prepared a hack list that consists of a few golden rules, walking strategy, what to eat, injury prevention and so on. Check the list here: http://www.goqii.com/gtc/hacklist. You can also watch this video tutorial for any help you might need to tape your foot the right way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU29tXBMAZs

Now that you’ve got all the details you need, we’ll see you at the trail venue on the 6th of December! Here’s wishing all the participants the very best. Let’s make #LifeWorthWalking

#BeTheForce

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How to Heal a Leaky Gut

heal a leaky gut

In the previous article, we addressed the symptoms and causes of a Leaky Gut. If you have been experiencing any of the symptoms, here’s what you can do to heal your gut!

Ways to Heal a Leaky Gut

One of the best ways to heal a Leaky Gut is to consume a healthy, well-balanced diet with optimum nutrition. The process includes:

  • Remove: Excluding the toxic and inflammatory foods as it causes the gut to become leaky and adding good and healthy nutrients that will result in healing the gut. Remove products which affect the environment of the gut negatively.
  • Replace: For appropriate digestion and absorption, including important healthy nutrients for proper break-down and absorption of the nutrients i.e. digestive enzymes, HCL (Hydrochloric Acid) and bile acids.
  • Reinoculate: It is quite difficult to restore the important bacteria to improve the good gut bacteria.
  • Repair: It is important to provide essential nutrients for the gut to be restored. To revive the lining of the gut wall it is important to consume L-Glutamine supplement.

Necessary Dietary Modifications

Listed below are a few ways in which you can heal a leaky gut, improve gut health as well as good gut bacteria.

  • Reduce the Intake of Refined Carbohydrates: Harmful Bacteria grow more when there is an excess intake of sugar and can harm the gut barrier function. Avoid unhealthy, processed, junk and fried foods.
  • Include Probiotic Supplements: This helps improve the beneficial gut bacteria. Probiotics include curd, buttermilk, and probiotic supplements.
  • Eat Fermented Foods: Fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi, saukerkraut, kefir and kombucha, help improve gut bacteria.
  • Include Plenty of High Fiber Foods: This includes fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole-grains that feed the beneficial bacteria.
  • Reduce the intake of alcohol and Quit Smoking
  • Avoid or reduce stress

Common Questions Asked

How long does it take to heal a Leaky Gut?
To get an idea about this question, we need to go down to the cellular level. 300 square meters is the surface area of the gut. The enterocytes are the lining cells of the gut that keep reviving/restoring in a gut which is normal and healthy.  A new lining of the gut is seen every two to three weeks. For those individuals who do not have any medical disease or conditions, studies prove that that gut-healing might take around 2-12 weeks (higher range may-be for those who have other medical conditions).

In another study by Harvard published in the Medical Journal Nature, states that those who are keen on healing their gut majorly have an underlying cause as an issue will take a longer time to heal by making it more complex and slow i.e. like a journey.

In-case whenever you decide to change your time in terms of diet and lifestyle, that restores the gut functioning, skin gets clearer, energy increases, bloating reduces, loss of weight, betterment in the conditions like eczema, asthma, allergies, migraine, depression, eagerness/anxiety, auto-immune disease and much more. This again varies depending on several factors/causes.

How do I know my Gut is repaired?
There are a few signs which indicate that the gut is fully repaired. Firstly, you’d want to check whether your gut has healed completely or not. This can be analysed via the symptoms that you experience. Below are a few points which should help you analyse:

  • Digestive Issues, food sensitivity vanish/fade away along with skin issues
  • Auto-immunity lab markers improve, returning to optimal self (quality of life improves)
  • Your energy and stamina return
  • Improved mood
  • You came back to proper weight.

You can also check it through a spectrum, with one side being no inflammation & healthy balanced gut with no symptoms and other end being leaky gut with several symptoms.

Even if the gut is repaired, it could have its draw-backs where you need to work to get back to normal health. Be calm and firm on following your gut-healthy protocol. It will not only help you get your health back on track but it will improve your quality of life as well!

We hope this article helps you make the necessary changes and heal. For more session on Gut Health, tune in to GOQii Play. Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

#BeTheForce 

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How Mr. Nageswaran Won Rs. 5 Lakh in the India Health Quiz

Mr. Nageswaran

In a world plagued by fake health news and articles spread via the internet, the India Health Quiz launched by GOQii sought to educate the masses with the correct information in a quiz format which tested their knowledge. The idea was to bust myths and fake health news by getting the correct information from experts via GOQii Play and use that knowledge to play the quiz. Players could accumulate points and exchange them for prizes such as GOQii Trackers, Bags, Cell phones and a grand prize of Rs. 5 lakh which was bagged by Mr. Nageswaran!

With so much of competition, difficult questions and obstacles, how did Mr. Nageswaran manage to claim the grand prize? Let’s find out!

What Motivated Mr. Nageswaran?

Being a GOQii Player for about 3 years, Mr. Nageswaran has been quite active on the GOQii App. When the India Health Quiz was announced, he got curious! He knew he wanted to participate. Furthermore, he wanted to increase his awareness about various things related to fitness and nutrition. This was the right platform for him to do that!

Vying For 1st Place!

If you’re wondering, “Did he have a strategy?” He didn’t plan anything. He just went out and played the quizzes with the aim of getting as many correct answers as possible in a collective effort with his wife. His initial thought was that he just wanted to play and see how far he can reach.

As the days progressed, he used to go back to previous quizzes and sharpen his knowledge. He found that some of the past questions had some relevance to the current ones. Towards the end, he knew almost all the answers without even looking at the options.

One of the boons he had by his side was that he never ran out of keys. How? Mr. Nageswaran is a regular at the GOQii Health Store. He says that most of his groceries come from the GOQii Health Store. In fact, he purchased some product or the other every day. This helped him accumulate keys and use them to participate in the IHQ.

As for lives, he had only managed to invite 50 friends. He had retained this number till the last 10 days of IHQ. Towards the end, he referred more people and got his count up to 90. As a matter of fact, he did not need too many lives at later stages as he knew the answers to most questions. He was left with as many as 2000 lives!

 Overcoming Obstacles and Glitches

At the start of IHQ, Mr. Nageswaran face a few technical glitches which reduced as the quiz progressed. He particularly points out that the technical team were always eager to help him with any issue he faced. Despite having faced glitches, he is of the opinion that an online quiz of such magnitude is bound to have glitches. Apart from this, he feels the questions were quite simple except a few technical ones which were very hard to figure out.

His Thoughts on the India Health Quiz

Mr. Nageswaran says it was a commendable effort on the part of GOQii to think of a unique and interesting way to impart knowledge to its users. He feels some of the concepts about health and nutrition might have gotten etched in the minds of users who played these quizzes regularly. For instance, he would have never known the food sources of various vitamins and minerals if it weren’t for the quiz.

He feels what started as a casual thing, later on became an addiction. He and his wife used to even participate in the quiz while working and trying their best not to miss any quiz. He feels it was definitely a success story for GOQii and a great learning experience for him.

All we can say now is Congratulations to Mr. Nageswaran and a big thank you to everyone who participated! Keep your eyes peeled for the next challenge!

#BeTheForce 

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Nutrition Tips For Traveling Athletes

Nutrition Tips For Traveling Athletes

Traveling is enthralling for anyone who loves indulging in new experiences, different cuisines and sightseeing. But when you’re an athlete, traveling can be quite challenging because you need to follow a specific eating pattern and routine to meet the nutrient needs for training and competition. This involves carbs in ample quantities, proteins in moderation, fat in low quantities and adequate hydration – all of which can go haywire in a new place!

Some Challenges that Athletes Face Include:

  • Availability of healthy food options
  • Unknown food options available
  • Contaminated food and water
  • Unfavourable weather conditions
  • Jet lag

Ways to Overcome Challenges While Travelling

1. On Road Travel

  • The meals should be pre-purchased and carried for the team from reliable restaurants or stores. Foods include packaged meals, energy bars, fruits, roasted grams or peanuts, nuts, sandwiches, etc. to avoid eating food from roadside stalls.
  • Carry sufficient water to avoid dehydration and to avoid having water from outside which may be contaminated.
  • Look out for restaurants or food outlets which provide healthy food options.
  • Always practice Portion Control while on the move to avoid accumulation of excess calories in the body.

 2. Inflight Meal Planning

  • Avoid eating flight food as its high on fats and sugars leading to intake of unwanted excess calories. Rather eat healthy food which you can carry with you.
  • Hydrate yourself well by drinking adequate water and unsweetened fruit juices as jet lag can cause digestion issues.
  • Make sure to replenish stocked water once it’s over.

 3. On Arriving at the Destination

  • Get to know the place well and the food options available there. In case some foods are unknown, get to know about them in terms of the nutritional values and ingredients to make sure the food is appropriate enough to be eaten.
  • Upon reaching the destination, the coach or the team manager should do a detailed research for suitable restaurants and grocery stores.
  • Athletes should include healthy foods such as whole grains, pulses, vegetables, fruits and lean meat for optimum nutrition.
  • Ask how many times you might be eating out during the stay.
  • Eat only when hungry and stop when full. In other words practise mindful eating.
  • Check for availability of sports supplementing foods in the stores around.
  • Try and have only bottled water to avoid water borne diseases like typhoid or diarrhoea and use the same for drinking and washing fruits or vegetables before consumption and if possible, even for brushing teeth. Also try and avoid ice cubes.
  • Always consume whole fruits and vegetables that can be peeled. Avoid consuming fruit juices as contaminated water and ice cubes may be used.

 4. Before the Competition Begins

  • Make sure to have a good pre-workout snack 30 minutes before the competition starts. Include carbohydrates, proteins and low fats.
  • Try and have a good post workout meal within 30 minutes of the competition like whey protein.
  • Space your meals accordingly and appropriately before the competition starts. Don’t stuff your stomach before the competition starts.
  • Consume branded bottled water before the competition.

Athletes may stay in a normal hotel or even fully equipped suites. They may face challenges as optimum nutrition supports their performance. Hence, pre-planning or an intelligent strategy to overcome the above mentioned challenges may prevent hindrances faced by an athlete and help them perform at their best!

For more tips, you can check out fitness and nutrition classes by experts for athletes on GOQii Play!

#BeTheForce

How Digvijay Singh Reversed Chronic BP Issues & Lost Weight With GOQii

Do you feel that no matter what you do, you’re unable to lose weight? You go for walks, meditate and even eat right but that scale doesn’t budge while lifestyle diseases plague you. Our Player Digvijay Singh was stuck in a similar predicament.  Life Before GOQii  Digvijay Singh, a 63 year old retired public sector […]

The Right Guidance With Gradual Change – Rishikesh Ayre User Journey

Do you want to make a positive lifestyle change but don’t know how? Does it take every ounce of motivation for you to move? Do you need a nudge in the right direction? These are all valid questions and you’re not alone. Sometimes, we want to begin something new but don’t know where to start. […]