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Level Up Your 2020 With GOQii!

Level Up 2020

The year has come to an end and around this time, we all begin formulating resolutions for the coming year. While most of us haven’t stuck to our resolutions or surprisingly achieved them, we need to understand that being healthy and active is an ongoing process. It never ends and the only thing to do is Level Up!

What happens once you achieve a health goal? Do you stop? Do you go back to being unhealthy? What happens if you don’t achieve your health goals? Do you give up? The answer is no! You move forward. You rise up to the challenge. You learn all there is to know to push ahead and #BeTheForce. That’s what we mean when we say Level Up.

So how do you Level Up? How do you take things up a notch? Let us help!

How You Can Level Up Your 2020

Below are a few things that GOQii helps you with so you can better equip yourself with the right guidance, right knowledge and the right products – all available within the GOQii App.

  1. GOQii Play: Tired of routine? Have doubts about nutrition? Want to try yoga and meditation? We’ve got all of these covered and much more on GOQii Play. You have access to tons of information from experts in their respective fields. Be it sexual wellness, mental health or medicine, we bring you the latest topics, exciting workouts, healthy recipes among others, all of which will help you better equip yourself to take it to the next level in 2020!
  2. Health Store: Want a trusted source for nutraceuticals? Want to eat healthy snacks? Do you need clothing for your gym? The GOQii Health Store has everything you need to get you started on the right path to good health. The brands and their products are curated by a team of experts to bring you nothing but the best. Let shopping healthy be one of your resolutions this year.
  3. Active Sunday: If motivation doesn’t find you, you need to go out there and find it yourself! Nothing works as better motivation than a group of like-minded individuals who meet up every Sunday for an hour and exercise. GOQii Active Sundays happen every week and are a great way to kickstart your week on a healthy note. Currently, we have around 50 GOQii Champions who conduct Active Sundays across different locations in India and at the pace at which we’re going, this number is likely to increase in the coming year. Want to be a part of this? Click here to register: https://goo.gl/KN82CU
  4. Challenges: In 2019, we initiated 3 challenges that were massive and had a huge impact on healthcare in India. Through the India Steps Challenge, we were able to increase the national step count to an average of 9391. The India Health Quiz helped users increase their knowledge about all things healthy and bust common health myths which were floating around the internet. The GOQii Trail Challenge this year saw an amazing turnout, inspiring stories which included a 60 year old participant completing the trail with a broken arm as well as a blind and sighted duo who completed the 50km arduous trail in 16 hours. In 2020, we’re going to issue more challenges and more opportunities for all of us to shine!

In one app, you have all the tools you need to make 2020 as healthy as possible but don’t forget one of the key ingredients which is YOU! It is your willpower, determination and motivation which will make all the difference. 2020 is about you and what you do to Level Up your lifestyle and make a difference.

So walk more, eat healthy, sleep right and have more fun! The world is your playground. Here’s to a healthy and happy New Year!

#BeTheForce 

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“If I Can Do It, So Can You!” – Namrata Shukla User Journey!

Namrata Shukla

If anyone out here has struggled with excess weight, then being teased about it must have been an everyday occurrence. While most people consider it harmless to pass remarks, it can be really harmful to the mental wellbeing of the person these taunts are directed at. It can completely shatter their confidence and self-esteem. Our GOQii Player Namrata Shukla experienced the same when she was growing up.

Life before GOQii

Based out of Noida, Uttar Pradesh, Namrata Shukla is 33 and works as a project manager with Orange Business Services. As a child, she was overweight, mainly because it ran in her family and it was also due to poor eating habits. Due to her experience as a child, her confidence and self-esteem were low!

She had been trying to lose weight for what seemed like forever. She used to go for walks but struggled with consistency. Her sweet tooth also seemed impossible to control. Her water intake was low, she used to skip meals or eat very late whenever she was tied up with work. All this added to a list of problems and she couldn’t find a way to solve them.

Enter GOQii

Namrata Shukla was unable to find motivation or inspiration to climb up the ladder of good health no matter where she looked. Eventually, it was her cousin, who was also a GOQii Player and benefited greatly from it, introduced her to our ecosystem.

On her cousin’s advice, she joined GOQii on September 2017 and since then, there has been no looking back! Her GOQii Coach asked her to start with 20 minute walks for 6 days a week. She was also asked to increase her water intake to 2l and cut down on sugar. Instead of sugar in her tea, she switched to jaggery.

The following month, she started with Tabata workouts on alternate days of the week and alternate days of walking. She began eating one fruit a day and included salads – something she used to hate earlier but has to include at least a few days a week.

One of the very important habits that she changed was the time she took to complete her meals. Earlier, she would gulp her food down and finish it within 5 minutes. Now, she chews her food well and takes at least 10-15mins to finish her meals. She avoids skipping meals and is as consistent as possible with meal timings.

Her coach also introduced her to intermittent fasting which helped her reduce her weight tremendously!

Embracing Changes

Her weight used to be 72kg but she succeeded in bringing down her weight to 57kg by the end of 2018. This gave a tremendous boost to her self-esteem since she was able to carry most of the outfits which she couldn’t fit into before. She was greatly appreciated by family members, friends and colleagues who applauded her transformation and helped her feel more positive about herself.

What Does Namrata Shukla Think About Her Transformation and GOQii?

Namrata says it pains her to see her neighbours go for junk food just to save themselves the trouble of cooking a healthy meal, which she feels is not very difficult. She says people don’t want to look in the direction of health and fitness. Though she indulges her sweet tooth every once in a while, she is aware of what constitutes healthy food, healthy eating habits as well as a healthy lifestyle – things she had not given much thought to earlier.

Losing weight has given her a sense of achievement which was missing from her life before. Her message to people who are struggling with weight issues, unable to stick to health goals or commit themselves is, “If I can do it, so can you!”

Her boost in confidence and positivity is something she attributes to GOQii. Now, she is able to feel good when she looks at herself in the mirror. She wanted someone to push her and that’s where GOQii came in.

She says that her GOQii Coach has been proactive and motivated her a lot. Her Coach always brought her back on track when she lost focus, keeping her head in the game. Namrata Shukla is thankful to her Coach for bringing all the positive changes in her!

We know for sure that Namrata Shukla will continue on this path of good health and will Level Up further in the year 2020! Do you plan to do the same? Do you have an inspiring story to share? Send it here!

#BeTheForce

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Fitness For Trekking: Tips To Get You Started!

Get fit for trekking

In my blog titled ‘Trekking is not difficult if you know how to walk’, I talked of how going on a trek is not such an arduous task. I also mentioned a few dos and don’ts that would help first time trekkers. In this blog, we’ll talk about fitness for trekking and how to prepare.

Trekking up a mountain or just hiking across the countryside is a wonderful activity to indulge in. Believe me, it is such a joyous and rewarding experience. However, one must be prepared! Most people heading off on a trek must be at a fitness level wherein they can truly enjoy the trek. Unfortunately, leading a busy life and lacking a specific fitness regime leaves many trekkers less prepared than they should be. Fitness for trekking or training for a trek is no rocket science. Training smart helps and training effectively helps to gain energy which in turn will help you truly enjoy your trek.

Before Everything, Get Yourself Checked

Any adventure sport activity requires stamina and strength. Trekking is like any other athletic sport and before you embark on this path it’s good to get yourself medically checked and consult your doctor. If you let your doctor where you are going for a trek –in India specifically if you are going for the time for a trek to the Himalayas it is good to get a basic medical checkup done. You can also let your doctor know the conditions your trek entails. What altitude would you be scaling, the number of days the trek entails, the distance you would be covering per day, the change in altitude per day and the extremes of temperature that you are likely to encounter.

Once your doctor is aware of what activity you are going to undertake he can advise you accordingly. But, in terms of getting some fitness tips its better you discuss your activity with your personal trainer or somebody who is a pro trekker and well aware of the conditions in the high altitude as they would be better equipped to give you the right guidance.

Fitness For Trekking 

Preparing for a trek is no different from preparing for a long distance run or a long distance trail walking. The only difference being a trek is not a competition and you can walk at your pace and enjoy the serenity around you. For trekking, you need to adapt your body to stress and build on it slowly and steadily to be able to handle more stress in the future. The idea is to toughen your body to withstand extreme conditions of the trek. Walking for 5-6 hours in high altitude or at an altitude of even 3000 feet is taxing if you are not used to it or if you are not fit.

This is not achieved overnight. Your training has to start at least 3-6 months in advance for your body to get attuned to the stress levels that it will go through. If you intend to take trekking or any outdoor activity seriously and plan to go on regular treks, then training on a regular basis would be helpful.

Trekkers need a balanced approach, strengthening the entire body, if you want to be successful and injury free during training and during the trek. It is therefore important to strengthen your weak links as well as the major muscle groups.

When it comes to trekking, having a strong back goes a long way from having strong legs and arms. So along with cardio, coupling strength training will not hurt but only help. Strength training will help build up muscles. The key is to strengthen our stomach muscles as well as the surrounding muscle groups known as the core.

Every trek involves climbing or descending significant elevations. Therefore, you need to prepare your body for climbing, descending, or both. It is important to vary your training to work the muscles and joints used as you climb and descend.

If you have varied terrain near your house where you live that would an ideal training topography. By taking longer walks up and down a hill trail, you simulate the conditions of your trek and work both the muscles needed for downhill as well as uphill. But, not all of us are lucky to have that perfect training setting. Then, the best way to train is to build a few physical activities within your daily routine before you embark on the trek. Start with walking for about 1-2 hours on flat surface for a week and gradually increase it to about 3 hours with walks on inclines for four or five days a week with a backpack with about 4 kg in it.

This is because in every trek you go, you will be carrying a small daypack with at least 3-4 kg in it. Doing this on a regular basis will help you get used to it. If you work out in the gym then walking on the treadmill with a backpack at a 2-5% incline will enhance your endurance and also strengthen you.

The other ideal way is to simulate your hill training is by climbing up and down flights of stairs. Repeating the process a number of times helps. Initially start with 20 flights of stairs. Then gradually build up to 100 flights of stairs. This number is highly subjective as flights vary in size and the amount of elevation you may climb in a day varies greatly. However, 100 flights is a reasonable goal that accomplishes a good base to prepare for your trek.

When walking up and down steps, try to vary which leg you lead with as well as whether you take one or two steps in a stride. By varying your step you greater simulate real world conditions. It’s usually not the case that you can walk with a consistent exact stride. Sometimes you have to step over large rocks or reach down to a flat area. The more you simulate the conditions experienced on the trail the better prepared you will be.

Most people don’t realize that walking downhill is actually more destructive to the body. This is due to two reasons: First, there is more force on the body as you go downhill, especially with weight on your back. Second, as you descend, the muscles elongate when stressed caused by walking uphill.

Initially you can start climbing stairs without a pack on your back. As the trek dates near say a month before the trek you can walk with the pack and the weight.

Remember along with all this training, a proper diet and rest should not be forgotten. Finally, trekking should be fun! It should be enjoyed and not thought of as an arduous task. The goal should also never be a race to a destination. The moment you think it’s a race and want to go ahead of everyone, you are putting yourself into trouble and in the process, miss the wonderful sites and experiences along the way.

We hope this article helps you trek and see more! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below!

#BeTheForce 

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From Being Healthy to Being Healthier! Samridhi Kapoor User Journey

Samridhi KapoorHave you always been health conscious? Do you measure each calorie and hit the gym regularly? In spite of your efforts, have you missed out on minute changes in your lifestyle that could have a big impact on your health? While, answers to all the above queries can be found in blogs and books, a personal touch of a coach can go a long way in keeping you on track with your goals.

Samridhi Kapoor, a 37 year old working professional from Gurgaon, has always been health conscious. In fact, conscious eating habits run in her family. Her weight has been more or less constant in the last decade and she even worked out regularly. However, Samridhi had a habit of indulging in unhealthy snacks and aerated drinks and was unable to shirk off that habit. That’s when GOQii helped her shed some old habits, acquire some new ones and get healthier!

Samridhi Kapoor was looking for a fitness tracker to help her track step counts, calories, etc. A colleague from her workplace referred GOQii. While other trackers only tracked steps, calories and distance, GOQii added a more human approach with personalized coaching. She was intrigued by the idea of having a coach who would talk to her everyday and motivate her.

How Did GOQii Help Samridhi Kapoor?

A few years back, she was eating unhealthy due to stressful conditions and was underweight. She gained her weight back around the time GOQii came into her life. Her goal was toning her body and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Her assigned coach started off with minute changes. Samridhi would eat biscuits in the evening which were replaced with healthy snacks. She would enjoy her milk with Bournvita but was advised against it as Bournvita is only sugar and was suggested a healthier alternative.

Samridhi wasn’t too fond of fruits but her coach guided her through the benefits of fruits as they boost immunity and have anti-oxidant properties. She is now regular with fruits. In terms of physical fitness, Samridhi visited the gym regularly. If short on time due to a late shift, she would walk before going to bed. She began practicing yoga as suggested by her coach and found it beneficial. Her coach also shared links to exercises she could try.

In the past 6 months, Samridhi experienced a lot of stress and issues with sleep. Her coach advised meditation which she wasn’t able to continue due to a hectic schedule. For her sleep issues, she was given remedies such as maintaining sleep routine, consuming turmeric milk and chamomile tea. The remedies were useful and she is sleeping better now.

When asked about GOQii, she said:

“The best thing about GOQii is that it has kept pace with the changes that are happening in the market right now. While there are so many other players and brands in the market but GOQii has been able to incorporate so many things that sets it a class apart. The customizations and different types of trackers offered for different type of people for various niche is really good. It has an edge over other players. All the other fitness trackers are the same and have nothing new coming up in terms of features, providing only the basic, standard features. As for GOQii Play, the kind of videos they come up with encompass everything. GOQii has videos for depression, yoga, zumba. It has different types of videos for everything. Whatever you like, you can choose. The customizations that GOQii offers aren’t found in any other device.”

Samridhi has been a GOQii Player for 4 years and is also a GOQii Champion who leads the Active Sunday Sessions in Gurgaon. We look forward to assisting Samridhi in being the force for a healthy and active lifestyle!

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