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Archives for January 2020

January 25, 2020 By GOQii Leave a Comment

GOQii Trail Challenge Heroes: Pooja Behuria Achieves the Impossible

Pooja Behuria

Fitness is not a race and it is true that you can’t get active overnight. It is a gradual process which takes time – something which today’s erratic work hours and busy schedules don’t offer. Pooja Behuria learned about this when she decided to take the GOQii Trail Challenge in 2019. But, that wasn’t the only thing she learned. She also realized that GOQii was more than just a company or a group of individuals trying to get fit… GOQii is a family! 

Before the GOQii Trail Challenge

Like most people, the concept of fitness and a healthy lifestyle were alien to the 23-year-old Pooja Behuria from Mumbai. The banes of erratic work hours coupled with living alone in the city compelled her to live a sedentary lifestyle. But all that was about to change!  

She learned about GOQii and the Trail Challenge through Genesis-BCW, an agency associated with GOQii since the past 4 months. Since then, she has been watching LIVE videos on GOQii Play.

Pooja Behuria had never been on a trek before. When the registrations for GTC began, she thought that it seemed like an adventure – considering the terrain for the trail. What drove her to register was that she saw it as a challenge as none of her friends or colleagues believed that she would be able to complete it. In fact, they were certain she wouldn’t even reach halfway. She decided to prove them wrong!

Training and Preparation

As she had never attended an endurance trail such as GTC, she browsed through the website to gain more insight into what to expect and how to prepare herself. However, due to time constraints and partly due to her own laziness, she did not begin her preparations until 20 days before the event.

If she was going to do the trail, she had to prepare! With new motivation, she made some changes in her eating habits and began doing a little bit of exercise to prepare her body. She began including more proteins, complex carbs and most importantly, drinking more water on a daily basis which she wasn’t doing until now. Pooja began drinking coconut water and eating seeds and nuts between meals instead of junk food.

On the first day when she decided to go for a walk, she covered 20km and ended up feeling sore and tired. She couldn’t move her legs for 2 days. She then realized it was a mistake and decided to gradually increase the level to get her body conditioned. She began taking short walks and using the stairs while going to the office and back home as stair climbing is good for building endurance. She still felt she wasn’t prepared enough.

Walking the Trail and Persisting

Pooja Behuria partnered with one of her office colleagues Jisha, when she began walking on the 7th morning. She and her partner were all geared and excited when the trail was flagged off at 5:30 in the morning. They managed to reach the 1st checkpoint in just 1.5 hrs. Both seemed to think it was no big deal and they should be able to complete it easily within 9-10 hrs.

As they left the 1st checkpoint, her partner started feeling unwell. Jisha had developed a fever but still persisted and continued. By the time they reached the 3rd Checkpoint, Jisha was shivering and on the verge of passing out. Before the 3rd checkpoint, she had fallen in water which only aggravated her condition. Jisha thought it was best to give up. From there on, Pooja was by herself.

But it is the GOQii Trail Challenge and we are all a family. No one is ever alone on the trail. Another participant, Girish Narang who had been walking solo became her partner for the rest of her journey. Pooja says that if it wasn’t for her new partner, she wouldn’t have completed the trail. Girish Narang kept pushing her and motivating her to continue. She was already halfway through and giving up wouldn’t make sense – is what he kept telling her.

After every decline down a mountain, when she said she couldn’t go any further, her partner motivated her to take another step. The last 10km were the hardest where every step seemed strenuous. Her legs were giving up and the pain was unbearable. All she wanted to do was sit and not move.

After 16 long hours, when she finally saw the finish line, she was filled with mixed emotions – exhilaration, shock, awe, relief and complete joy all rolled into one! She couldn’t believe her eyes! That unexplainable feeling of achieving something she thought wasn’t possible for someone like her was unparalleled.

Now, when she looks back she’s still surprised that she didn’t give up. It has filled her with a sense of pride and confidence. The trail does change you in one of the most beautiful ways. She now believes that it is all a mind game. If you persist, you can achieve the impossible. 

She says there were participants who were twice her age and yet completed the trail in half the time she did. This hasn’t demotivated her but has only inspired her to prepare thoroughly and participate in GTC 2020. She says that though she didn’t know anybody at the trail, each and every participant she met along the way encouraged and motivated her to move ahead. It was like one big family, joining hands and motivating each other to complete the trail!

Want to know what the trail looked like? Watch the GOQii Trail Challenge 2019 Movie.

Want to share your experience at the trail. Write to us! 

We look forward to seeing you for the next GOQii Trail Challenge!

#BeTheForce 

January 23, 2020 By Neha Goyal 1 Comment

Tasty and Nutritious Recipes Using Moringa Leaves Powder

recipes using moringa powderMoringa has pretty much become a household name by now. Commonly known as Drumstick, this south Indian staple has made its way to the Top 20 Superfoods today. It has been praised widely for its health benefits. A fun fact about it is that almost all parts of the tree are used in different dishes or as a part of different herbal medicines but its leaves are the richest in nutrients. In western countries, dried leaves are sold as a supplement in powder or capsule form.

I was aware of the incredible benefits of this tree but a few days back, a headline on the last page of a newspaper grabbed my attention. It said that some self-help groups from South India made few food products using Moringa leaves. When these were fed to malnourished children, their nutritional status improved a lot in just three months. So I decided to give it a try.

Taste Test

Generally, I love using fresh leafy green vegetables but as Moringa wasn’t available in my locality, I had to buy a pack of Organic Moringa leaves powder from the GOQii Health Store. I have eaten drumsticks in many vegetables & curries but I’ve never used or eaten its leaves – hence, I had no idea about its taste. When I opened the pack and tasted a pinch of that powder, I didn’t like it. I honestly didn’t. It tasted like henna or Mehndi powder. I realized that it is easy to eat it as it is. So, I started thinking of different ways to use it without compromising on taste.

Recipes Using Moringa Powder

The good part about these recipes using Moringa leaves powder is that I ensured it didn’t affect the taste much while enjoying all the goodness it had to offer.

1. Green Smoothie

What you will need:

  • Banana – 1 medium
  • Apple – ½ medium
  • Kiwi – 1
  • Almonds – 7-8 (soaked overnight and peeled)
  • Oats powder – 1 tbsp
  • Flaxseed powder – 1 tsp
  • Chia seeds – 2 tsp (soaked)
  • Spinach leaves – handful
  • Organic Moringa leaves powder – 2 tsp
  • Coconut/Plain water – 1 glass

How to prepare: Add all the ingredients except ½ glass coconut/plain water in a blender and blend till you get a smooth mixture. Pour in the rest of the coconut water and pulse again for a while. Your super healthy and filling green smoothie is ready.

2. Cheesy Moringa Uttapam

What you will need for batter:

  • Semolina (Sooji) – ½ cup
  • Oats powder – ¼ cup
  • Rice flour – ¼ cup
  • Curd – ½ cup
  • Salt to taste
  • Lemon juice – ½ tbsp.
  • Organic Moringa leaves powder – 2 tsp
  • Coconut crush – 1 tbsp

For topping:

  • Onion, Tomato and Capsicum – 2 tbsp each finely chopped
  • Green chilly – 1 chopped
  • Green coriander – 2 tbsp chopped
  • Grated cheese – 1 tbsp
  • Oil – 1 tsp for shallow frying

How to Prepare:

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the batter in a big mixing bowl and add water gradually while stirring to make a dosa batter of desired consistency. Keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.
  2. Heat a nonstick pan and pour the Uttapam batter over it.
  3. Immediately sprinkle a few drops of oil on the sides and add the chopped vegetables. Let it cook from one side.
  4. You can cover the pan so the vegetables steam properly. Once done, turn it over and cook for another 2 minutes.
  5. Flip it again and sprinkle cheese over the veggie side and cover it.
  6. Turn the flame off after a minute and let the cheese melt with the help of the steam inside.
  7. Your Uttapam is ready! Enjoy it with green, coconut or tomato chutney.

3. Moringa Multigrain Masala Paratha

What you will need:

  • Bajra flour – ½ cup
  • Maize (Makka) flour – ½ cup
  • Moringa Leaves powder – 1 tbsp
  • Potato – 1 big boiled and grated
  • Salt to taste
  • Chaat masala – ½ tsp
  • Red chilly powder – ¼ tsp
  • Coriander – 2 tbsp fresh and chopped
  • Ajwain powder – ¼ tsp
  • Hing powder – 1 pinch
  • Ghee – 1 tsp

How to prepare:

  1. Combine all the ingredients except ghee in a big mixing bowl & make a soft dough using warm water.
  2. Keep this dough aside for 15-20 minutes to rest.  After 15-20 minutes, heat a tawa on medium flame.
  3. Divide the dough in 4-5 equal portions and roll each one. Place one round ball of dough onto a flat surface and start patting it into a flat round shape using your hands.
  4. Use a rolling pin to gently flatten the paratha. If the paratha keeps breaking while flattening, you can also place the dough between two plastic sheets or parchment paper and flatten it out using a rolling pin.
  5. Place the paratha on the hot tawa. When the paratha is slightly cooked, flip it over to cook the other side. You will see small brown spots starting to appear.
  6. Put ghee on both sides. Turn the flame to low and cook till it turns to a light brown shade.
  7. Shallow fry the paratha till it is completely cooked and your Moringa multigrain masala paratha is ready!

Surprising Uses of Moringa Leaves Powder

This article was all about how you can eat Moringa leaves powder but you’ll be surprised to know that there are some other uses like making scrubs and face packs as well, so your skin can get a healthy dose of nutrition!

  • Mix 1tsp Moringa leaves powder with 2 tbsp thick curd and 2 tbsp oats powder. This makes a wonderful body scrub for sensitive skin.
  • Mix 1 tsp Moringa powder with 1 tbsp Multani mitti. Add 1 tsp of honey and rose water each for a face pack that can give you glowing skin.
  • Mix 2 tsp Moringa powder, 1 tsp curd and 1 tbsp tomato juice for a tan removal face pack.

These were just my experiments to get the benefits of Moringa leaves in powder form. Try them and let me know if they work for you. Is there a way you use Moringa? Share them with us in the comments below.

For more awesome facts on food and nutrition, check out other articles on Healthy Reads or tune in to experts on GOQii Play!

#LevelUp and #BeTheForce   

January 22, 2020 By Anusha Subramanian Leave a Comment

India’s Ikigai: Centennials know the secret sauce to Longevity

It is not just about staying physically healthy-it is also about mental, emotional and social health

Mishrilal Jain, 92 years lives in Bareli in a Madhya Pradesh and still sits in their family cloth store. He totally defies age by being active, healthy and social. Every day, he makes it a point to chat with his friends. He walks on his own with a stick and has no medical conditions or lifestyle diseases. A freedom fighter who has even been to jail in 1947, Jain has a very positive outlook towards life. His granddaughter reiterates his secret to longevity is that fact he has been active throughout his life, eats only homecooked food and is happy and content.

Dr Narsingh Gulvady, 90, lives in Navi Mumbai and is a retired MBBS doctor. He says, “do not do anything to live long. I did nothing”. Born in 1929, in then Madras, Dr Gulvady is active and spends a lot of time with his books apart from enjoying his beloved wife’s company who is also 86 years of age. Dr Gulvady attributes his longevity also to people’s love all along that has kept him happy and healthy. He also does not forget to credit his gene pool for longevity. Both he and his wife have led a very active and simple life. He maintains a diary on a daily basis and does not have any medical issues.  

The above stories are just two of the examples of the many 90 plus people GOQii interviewed for their longevity study. Aging is a natural process and it is inevitable It is precisely the impermanence of life that renders it so precious. But, how about aging gracefully and disease-free? Is this even possible? Are some of the questions we asked and the answers we found were positive. Yes, it is very possible according to the latest India fit Report 2020 titled –– India’s Ikigai: The Old Know Better but the Young Don’t Care’.

As per the report, the above examples highlighted, the 90 plus years and above people attribute their longevity to simple living, being active, eating home-cooked nutritious food and to being socially active with friends and family. For many their years of living have been happy and content.

The India Fit report 2020 is in its 6th edition and it is a result of a year-long study of 5 million GOQii users. The report presents a holistic overview on the health and lifestyle of Indians across different parameters such as steps taken, lifestyle diseases (Diabetes, Cardiac and Hypertension), BMI (Body Mass Index), nutrition, water, stress, sleep, gut health and immunity, allergies, smoking and alcohol consumption; all of which are classified according to gender and key cities. This year India Fit report went a step further and decoded the secret to ‘India’s Ikigai-longevity of life’ from 90 years old and above across the country

Most of the centennials also lead a disease-free life while the younger age groups demonstrated a higher risk profile for lifestyle diseases, the study indicates. As per the health risk assessment (HRA) (framework of the study, 62% of people are either high risk or borderline on the Health-Risk Assessment spectrum. Only 38% of people are healthy. Young adults in the 19-30 age group have the unhealthiest habits and demonstrate a high propensity to be afflicted by lifestyle diseases.

The study indicates that people who report being happy and satisfied with their lives are more likely to enjoy a longer life span with good health and fewer long-term limiting health concerns. Bonding with family and friends appears to enhance health, and even increase longevity. At GOQii, our endeavour is to create awareness about preventive health while providing people with a platform to improve their health and fitness and move a step ahead to increase India’s average lifespan to 80 years and above.

 ALARMING RISE IN LIFESTYLE DISEASES

The report indicates that Diabetes has increased from 7.1% to 12% this year. The incidence of diabetes is highest among older adults at 23.81% and seniors at 36.82%. As per the report, 13.5% of Indians have Cholesterol issues. High Cholesterol can even occur among people who are underweight, or overweight, thin or fat thus regular monitoring is key in keeping cholesterol in check. Currently, 36% of the people who have high cholesterol have heart issues too while 51.7% of the people who have diabetes have abnormal cholesterol too. This past year Thyroid issues have increased from 6.8 to 10.7 %. The report also suggests that 13.4% of the people in India have high blood pressure.

SOME SURPRISES: Healthiest City is Chandigarh and Mumba slips to rank 15 in the list of healthy cities

The survey deep dives into city-wise parameters and has recorded Chandigarh to be the healthiest city in India while Mumbai slips far down in the list of healthiest cities, ranking 15th overall. Kolkata is at the lowest end of the spectrum. 18% of people in Kolkata are diabetic followed by Surat and Bhopal. In terms of allergies, Pune ranks lowest on the allergy index having the least amount of people suffering from allergies. Chennai has the worst BMI rank across all cities, Kolkata has the largest aging population in the country and the highest incidence of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure and thyroid. About 60% of people in Lucknow fall in the unhealthy bracket which is just 2 % below the country’s average. Ahmedabad ranks 10th in the overall ranking, manages stress better than many other cities. Bhopal has overtaken all other major cities, having the highest percentage of people who consume alcohol.

The GOQii India Fit Report has been administered across 16 cities in the country and data has been collected from a cross-section of 5 million GOQii app users. The study evaluates the health of users basis the Health Risk Assessment that take and also the data recorded on a daily basis that is tracked by users on the App. HRA considers factors such as current body statistics, medical parameters, current nutrition, physical activity, stress, sleep, alcohol, smoking, current illness, lifestyle diseases, immunity levels, symptoms or health indicators. The data that is tracked by the users on a daily basis is their steps clocked, food logs, sleep, water intake and their vital parameters. This edition of the report has focused on doing in-depth interviews with India’s oldest citizens. Over 100 respondents across the length and breadth of India, between 90 and 100 plus years of age were an integral part of the study.

Download the full report from www.indiafit.org

For more topics on the health benefits of foods, check out our Healthy Reads section within the GOQii App or simply tune in to GOQii Play for LIVE sessions by experts. 

#LevelUp your winter and #BeTheForce 

January 20, 2020 By Mohammed Tufail Qureshi Leave a Comment

Is Weightlifting For Men Only? Here’s Why We Think Otherwise

weightlifting for womenIf a woman lifts weights, does she bulk up like a man would? Will it change her appearance to a more muscular one like those guys at gyms who rip through every piece of heavy equipment they can get their hands on? Very few women desire that bulky or ripped look but those who don’t, tend to avoid using weights at all.

In truth, weightlifting is for everybody. Let’s look at it from a functional perspective. Women require the same muscles as men to open a door or lift something up from the floor. The muscles that are engaged are the same. It begs one to ask the question:

Should Weightlifting Be For Men Only?

Be it lifting a cylinder at home or a box and placing it on a shelf, carrying shopping bags, moving a chair or sofa, one requires muscles and the strength to carry out these tasks. While most women prefer cardio, they also need to focus on strength training and weightlifting to be able to carry out these tasks just as effectively as men.

Does Weightlifting Really Bulk Women Up?

It’s a myth. There are many reasons why a woman won’t gain the kind of bulk a man would. One of them being the male hormone called testosterone. It is the primary sex hormone in males as well as a muscle-building hormone. Men are genetically designed to have more muscle mass and physical strength than women.

At best, strength training will make a woman gain some lean mass and reduce extra body fat. Many women fear that they will look manly if they train with weights but the truth is that women cannot build muscles like men because they do not have enough of the male hormone Testosterone. The difference of the levels of this hormone is the primary reason why women will not gain heavy musle mass while training with weights. In fact, they will look leaner and toned.  

It stands true for men and women that any amount of muscle gain leads to fat loss and any loss of muscle causes one to gain fat.

How Does Weightlifting Benefit Women?

Apart from the aesthetics, having more strength makes one feel independent and confident. It also provides a lot of other benefits. Weightlifting:

  • Tones the body
  • Reduces extra body fat
  • Improves posture
  • Strengthens bones and joints
  • Improves skin quality
  • Enhances sleep quality
  • Improves strength and endurance
  • Reduces stress
  • Boosts energy levels
  • Improves heart health
  • Fights aging and helps you look younger

Who’d want to forego these awesome benefits! We hope this article eases your doubts and helps you make the decision to try weight training today! For any help you may need to begin your weight training journey, watch workout sessions on GOQii Play. 

It’s time to #LevelUp and #BeTheForce!  

 

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