Archives for February 2020

February 22, 2020 By GOQii 1 Comment

The Secret To Good Health Which Helped Vijay Prabudevan Make a Positive Change

Working towards good health is never a one-off affair. It’s an ongoing journey. As the saying goes, “Being healthy isn’t a race, it’s a marathon” and quite rightly so. In a world where we get everything quickly at the click of a button, we expect the same while recovering our health as well but that is never the case. The key is consistency and patience – qualities that our player Vijay Prabudevan uncovered for himself.

Before joining GOQii

Vijay Prabudevan, a 48 year old working professional from Bangalore, joined GOQii in 2015. Before that, his food habits and lifestyle choices had remained more or less the same – which included veg food, unabated consumption of oily food, frequently eating out and surrendering himself to the joy of eating.

His activity levels were quite low with inconsistent minimal walking. His sleep routine was marred by television and his mobile phone. This hampered his sleep time and quality. Stress levels were high and all of this took a toll on his health. He was diagnosed with high cholesterol. This was the moment he knew he had to change.

Getting Introduced to a Lifestyle Change

During his fight against his rising cholesterol levels, Vijay’s boss, who is an active user, recommended GOQii. His boss and a few of his friends were exploring different wearable in the market and had found GOQii to be the best. Although not convinced at first, Vijay Prabudevan was curious about the personalized coaching featured. He initially doubted the effectiveness of this model as he wondered how a coach, who hasn’t even seen him, will be able to help him with his health issues. His qualms about credibility were quelled once he came on board.

Beginning The Journey Towards Good Health

The first year with GOQii was tough for Vijay Prabudevan. There was no change in his cholesterol levels which only seemed to frustrate him. Change was difficult especially when it came to his meal patterns and their timings. He blames himself for this lapse as he was still not completely convinced with the concept and wasn’t consistent with his habits. He was trying to do too many things at the same time which ended in failure. In 2016, his coach guided him on the importance of introducing one habit at a time. His coach told him that it is an ongoing process and sustainable results will come slowly and steadily.

Making a Positive Shift

He began streamlining his meal plate. For instance, he reduced the amount of rice and substituted that quantity with salads. His plate now has 30% proteins, 30% fiber and 40% carbs. He also began adding fruits and nuts, which were non-existent in his diet before.

As of now, his breakfast is heavy, followed by a moderate lunch and a light dinner which used to be the opposite before. To keep his body active, he either incorporates 1 hour of walking, jogging or visits the gym 4 days a week. He has regularized his sleep timing as well. He ensures that he sleeps by 10 pm and wakes up at 6 am.

He has planned his work calls in a way that he winds up all his work before 10 pm. He has also begun Pranayama and meditation as recommended by his coach to work on his stress levels.

Vijay Prabudevan Makes The Shift!

His cholesterol level which was at 400 mg/dL in 2015 before joining GOQii has now reduced to 200 mg/dL has been stable for the past 2 years. He is completely off medication. His weight has reduced from 84kg in 2016 to 73kg in 2020. His energy levels have tremendously improved. Thanks to this, he can work tirelessly and is more energetic than before.

Before, the word marathon or run used to scare him. Now, he has successfully completed around 6-7 5k runs in the last 2 years and aims to complete a 10k run before the end of this year.

He regularly uses GOQii to log his data and has explored the GOQii Health Store as well as purchased products during flash sales. He also enjoys reading the blogs within the app.

He says that one should believe in the GOQii ecosystem, follow the habits set by the GOQii Coach and be patient enough to see results. He firmly believes that if he can achieve his health goals, then anyone can. He had joined GOQii in 2015 and since then has renewed his subscription every year. Now he says that it is going to be a lifelong association.

Vijay Prabudevan is elated that he made the right choice with GOQii. What’s stopping you from making the shift?

Download the app now and #LevelUp your lifestyle!

#BeTheForce

February 13, 2020 By Soni Thakur 2 Comments

Beetroot, Will You Be My Valentine?

They say love comes in all shapes and sizes and isn’t necessarily limited to your life partner. But just like with humans, you need to love things which are good for you. You could love exercising, eating a certain kind of healthy meal or even fruit. For me, love came in the form of beetroot and for good reason as well.

Health Benefits of Beetroots

Beetroots are known for their nutritional content consisting of Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Fiber, Manganese, Vitamin A and C – all the essentials that your body needs.
Being rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, beetroots help in weight loss and fight inflammation.
It has been found that nitrates present in a beetroot convert into nitric oxide, which in turn dilates blood vessels, hence lowering blood pressure.
Beetroots aren’t boring! They can be consumed in a variety of ways by making it into juices, soups, salads, pickle, and smoothies.
Prevents Heart diseases.
Beetroots are the topmost choice for people with Diabetes as phytochemicals present in them are associated with regulating effects on glucose and insulin.
Boosts Energy levels.
When juiced, it is an all-natural detox drink.

Despite all these awesome benefits, there are many people who do not like the beetroot because of its bitter and earthy taste. I used to be one of them. I didn’t like the taste and completely avoided it in school. Later, when I graduated as a Nutritionist, I came across the super healthy beetroot again. Now, if as a nutritionist who knows its health benefits, I had my qualms about consuming beetroots, imagine others. How can one incorporate it in their daily diet? This made me come up with some awesome recipes which can make consuming a beetroot far more interesting.

Healthy Recipes With a Beetroot

The most common way to have them is raw by sprinkling pink Himalayan salt and a dash of lemon but there are other ways as well.

1. The Beetroot Pickle

What you will need:

Beetroot – 1kg
Coriander Seeds – 2 tbsp
Kalonji – ½ tbsp
Amchoor Powder – 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds – 1
Olive Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard Oil – 100 ml
Salt to taste

How to Prepare:

Peel beetroots, wash and cut them into small pieces of about 2 inches.
Take a pan, put 1tbsp olive oil in it along with cut pieces of beetroot and roast them till they are tender.
In another pan, roast all the other ingredients till you get that awesome aroma. Keep aside and let it cool down.
Grind all the roasted ingredients but do not turn them into fine powder.
Take a bowl, put beetroots and grinded spices all together and mix well. Store it in a glass jar by adding mustard oil and keep it in sunlight for the next 2-4 days. Your pickle is ready.

2. Beetroot Kebabs

What You Will Need:

Beetroot – ½
Oats Powder – 1 cup
Red Chilly Powder – 1 cup
Coriander Powder – ½ tbsp
Black Pepper Powder – ½ tbsp
Garam Masala – ½ tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
Onion – 1 chopped into small pieces.
Green chillies (optional)
Coriander leaves

How to Prepare:

Peel and grate the beetroot and squeeze the water out from it.
Take a bowl, put oats powder, beetroot, and all other ingredients mentioned above and mash them well.
Take a frying pan and fill half the pan with oil
Make tikkis of the batter and shallow fry them on a low to medium flame.
Serve them hot with paratha/ roti.

3. Beetroot Veggie Uttapam

What you will need:

Beetroot – 1 small
Fine Semolina – 1 cup
Onion – 1 small finely chopped
Tomato – 1 small finely chopped
Capsicum – 1 small finely chopped (yellow and green)
Curd – 1 cup
Green chillies (optional)
Salt to taste

How to Prepare:

Peel the beetroot and grind it into a thin paste.
In a bowl, mix the semolina, curd, salt, chillies and beetroot paste.
Let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
Take a non-stick pan, put a few drops of oil and gently spread the batter with a help of a katori or round spoon.
Sprinkle the chopped onion, tomato, capsicum and green chilies.
Cover it with a lid and let it cook on low flame for about 1 minute.
Flip it to the other side and cook well.
Serve hot with green chutney.

As a proposal to good health, we request you to level up your kitchen by adding beetroots to it for Valentine’s Day. Hope you enjoyed reading the article. Share the love in the comments below! For more healthy recipes and nutrition facts, check out Healthy Reads or GOQii Play, both within the GOQii App.

#BeTheForce .

February 8, 2020 By GOQii Leave a Comment

How Akhil Minocha Made a Positive U-Turn!

We have always advocated that inculcating small healthy habits into your lifestyle can yield big results! There are so many stories of individuals who were fit during their childhood but as soon as they hit adulthood, their health and fitness took a turn for the worse. While most people continue living with illnesses and refuse to make changes, Akhil Minocha stepped up and turned his life around for the best!

Before Joining GOQii

Akhil Minocha, now 47, works for a corporate based out of Gurugram which requires frequent traveling. As a child, he was always lean. As he is from a Defence background, he was well involved in all kinds of sports and physical activities including horse riding. Even during his MBA days, he managed to stay lean and fit.

Akhil’s struggle with weight began right after he got married in 2001. By the time he moved to Gurugram in 2005, he was fairly obese. His entire focus during this time was work and being a complete foodie. He indulged in all sorts of unhealthy food. Frequent travels for work added to his appetite, driving him further into an unhealthy lifestyle.

Joining GOQii and Making the Change

As he had interacted with our founder and CEO Vishal Gondal during his IndiaGames days and was actively in touch with him via social media, he had joined GOQii in 2015 and had a coach assigned to him. However, due to his work and his own personal lack of interest, he did not take it seriously.

Around July 2019, everything changed for him. He was diagnosed as a pre-diabetic. Akhil Minocha was clear from the start that he did not want to start with allopathy. Instead, he opted for Ayurveda which wasn’t helping him at all. His family suggested that he switch to Allopathy before it gets worse.

All of this coincided with a change of his GOQii Coach. His new GOQii Coach was a blessing in disguise for him. She gave him an expert’s perspective on various ideas related to diet, fitness and lifestyle. He had done some studies on diet and she validated whether it was worth incorporating or not. For instance, he had started with the keto diet which clearly did not benefit him but made things worse as his LDL shot up due to increase in fat intake. His GOQii Coach discouraged him against going for such diets and rather focus on a balanced diet.

He began exercising regularly and now works out 6 times a week on an average even on his travelling days. As for his diet, he almost stopped the consumption of rice and wheat and substituted them with alternative grains such as Amaranth, Ragi, Bajra, Quinoa and sometimes a mix of any 2 of these. Recently, he modified his diet further by including greens.

He has also started including different varieties of millets. He basically changed the way his meal plate looked like – increasing the amount of salads and vegetables, increasing protein and reducing carbs. He also began eating a fruit every day along with a light dinner. Short walks after meals have become his favorite activity.

Akhil Minocha’s GOQii Coach also introduced him to intermittent fasting and asked him to follow the guidelines set by Master Coach Luke Coutinho for maximum benefit. By following this, he has cleared a lot of his misconceptions.

As of now, his vitals are in the normal range especially his HBA1C which has dropped to 5.6. Also, his postprandial blood sugar stands at 130mg/dL. He has reduced his weight from 87kg to 77kg in a period of 5 months which is remarkable. Since then, he has participated in a few marathons and has completed a 10k run.

How Akhil Minocha uses GOQii

He regularly messages his coach though he does miss updating logs. He also watches GOQii Play videos of Heena, Dr. Paramjeet and couple of other coaches as and when he finds the time. He actively buys products from the GOQii Health Store and recently ordered some supplements for himself and family which he claims to be very useful.

He firmly believes that you can make a difference if you take care of your diet and have a supportive coach to handhold you through the journey. He says you can benefit immensely from this platform if you are focused on your end goal. Akhil Minocha says GOQii is the most cost effective platform delivering value for money through its various features & services.

We hope Akhil continues on this journey to good health as you know, a healthy lifestyle is not a race, it is a marathon! Even you can make a positive U-turn in your life and change things for the better. For more inspiring stories, visit the Healthy Reads section within the GOQii App!

#LevelUp and #BeTheForce

February 4, 2020 By Anusha Subramanian 2 Comments

‘I Am And I Will’: World Cancer Day

‘Cancer’ is considered a stigma word. One forgets that Cancer is not contagious however, the human mindset for eons has believed that cancer spreads and hence, one with cancer is looked at differently or is ostracized. Believe me, Cancer is not the end of the road. There is hope for people with cancer, provided both, the patient as well as the people around the patient are willing to help each other.

This is precisely what the World Cancer Day theme ‘I Am And I Will’ addresses. The campaign which began in 2019 is an empowering call-to-action that urges personal commitment and represents the power of individual action taken now to impact the future. The campaign is built to resonate, inspire change and mobilize action long after the day has passed.

There are various ways to reduce the risk of cancer. Those with cancer need not worry as there is always hope at the end of the tunnel. Experts say that one of the best ways to reduce the risk of Cancer is by adopting a healthy lifestyle. It is said that you can reduce the risk of many common cancers such as bowel, breast, uterine, ovarian, esophagus, kidney and liver by maintaining healthy weight, eating right and making physical activity a part of your daily routine.

‘I Am And I Will’ theme indicates that as an individual or as an organization, get involved in any way you can. Because together, we can create change. What you can do is:

Get Personal: Create your own custom social media post with your own personal message of the commitment and share it with the world.
Light up the World: As an organisation or even at an Individual level, you can make a statement by lighting up a significant landmark, monument or building to be illuminated on World Cancer Day in the colours of orange and blue in your city.
Spread the word: By writing a blog or an article in a newspaper or a video message.
Join the action: Join by showing up at an event near you and volunteer.
Create your own Event: Inspire others by hosting your own World Cancer Day event. From flash mobs, free screenings, record breaking attempts, conferences, fundraisers to fun runs.
One and all can get Involved: Whoever you are- a cancer survivor, co-worker, a carer, a friend, a leader, a health worker, a teacher or a student- you have the power to take action for a cancer free world.

(Source: www.worldcancerday.org)

We all can do our bit. I remember there is an organization in Mumbai called Ugam, a voluntary support group formed by Childhood Cancer survivors. UGAM means “To Rise” underscoring their determination to rise above all obstacles in life & be VICTORS. UGAM, based in Mumbai is the youngest unit of the oldest & most prominent NGO, The Indian Cancer Society (ICS) under its survivorship programme.

Ugam’s vision is to ensure that every childhood cancer survivor finds his/ her way to celebrate life after winning the battle with cancer. Ugam helps in self-empowerment of the survivors. It helps in fulfilling their dreams that were put on hold while they were battling this tormenting disease and the hardships of the treatment. Helping in overcoming social fears and hindrances, overcoming their physical and mental disabilities and moving ahead despite them, as well as providing educational and career related assistance and guidance.

Ugam provides a platform for them to talk about their experience and problems and help in building their confidence and self-esteem. Ugam tries and gives them a reason to lead a social and personal life in the future.
We at GOQii are advocates of healthy lifestyle and doing Karma. So let’s make a beginning!

To know more about cancer, you can tune in to our experts on GOQii Play for topics on nutrition, exercise and any medical information you may need. How do you plan on contributing to fight cancer? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.