GOQii

Blog

  • HOME
  • HEALTHY LIVING
  • FITNESS
  • HEALTHY RECIPES
  • USER STORIES
  • KARMA
  • BUY GOQii

Archives for November 2021

November 30, 2021 By Saba Mirza Leave a Comment

Effective Home Remedies For Sinus Congestion

sinus congestion If you’ve suffered from sinus congestion at any point in your life, you’re well aware of how painful an experience it can be. Let’s deep dive into what it exactly is as well as learn some home remedies for sinus congestion.

What is Sinus Congestion?

Sinus congestion is a condition in which the cavities around your nasal passage get inflamed and congested. Symptoms appear in the form of a stuffy nose, pain around the nose, cheeks, jaw or forehead. One may even experience swollen or watery eyes and a sore throat.There’s a surge in sinus congestion cases during winters primarily due to the dry, cold weather accompanied by an increase in pollutants and allergens in the environment. If there are no obstructive pathologies for the sinus blockage like polyps or deviated nasal septum, then a few home remedies for sinus congestion can help us soothe the inflamed nasal passage and reduce the intensity of the symptoms.

Effective Home Remedies You Should Try

1. Maintain Humidity: Dryness in cold weather is amplified when you are using a room heater. Dry air makes the mucus thick. This clogs sinus cavities and causes pain and pressure on the surrounding tissues. Using a humidifier while running a room heater and keeping yourself hydrated can help in reducing the viscosity of the mucus, making it easy to drain it out and open the cavities up.

2. Drink Warm Fluids: Warming your body with hot soups, curries and teas is an ancient measure, followed traditionally and ritually for ages! This is found to be quite effective in alleviating the symptoms of sinus congestion. Here are a few simple remedies which can be easily prepared at home:

  • Ginger-Turmeric Tea: Boil one-quarter teaspoon of dry ginger and turmeric in one cup of water and have that tea by adding lemon and pepper. It is very effective in soothing the sore respiratory mucosa and boosting immunity levels.
  • Immunity Booster: Take 2 black peppers, 2 cloves, 2 cardamoms, a small piece of cinnamon, small piece of ginger, Tulsi leaves, 2 garlic cloves and ½ teaspoon of ajwain. Boil it till the water becomes half in quantity, strain it and then have it hot with honey (preferably organic). Have this immunity booster drink two to three times a day. It will help you fight off various bacterial and viral infections.
  • Whole Leaves Green Tea: Being rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, green tea is found to be one of the most effective immunity booster and detox drink!

3. Warm Compresses: Apply warm compresses by covering your face with a clean, warm and wet cloth which will moisten the nasal passages, thin out the mucus plug and help in easing its drain, thus opening the cavities up!

4. Steam Inhalation: Steam inhalation is found to be quite effective in moistening the air passages and reducing the congestion by loosening the mucus. Use a bowl of hot water, add a few drops of an essential oil like menthol, eucalyptus or lemon juice and cover yourself with a thick towel to trap the steam inside!

5. Nasal Irrigation: Nasal irrigation simply means flushing out the nasal pathway with a saline solution. It helps remove allergens, irritants and excess mucus! You can use a nasal irrigation system like a Neti Pot, squeeze bottle or bulb syringes filled with saline solution, which you can get at a medical store. You can also make a saline solution at home by mixing 3 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Use sea salt or pickling salt and not iodized salt or table salt which is added with additives. Store it in airtight container!

  • How to Do Saline Irrigation: Put the above mixture into a clean Neti Pot or bulb syringe and stand near a sink. Place the spout in the top nostril and pour or gently spray a liberal amount of solution into one nostril, while tilting the head at 45 degrees, so that it flows through the nasal cavity and out of the other nostril! Blow your nose to get rid of any remaining water. Repeat the process on the other nostril.

6. Eliminate the Causative Factors: Factors which can aggravate the symptoms are allergens like smoke, dust particles, perfumes, hair spray, cleaning products and anything which releases fumes! Try to keep the air around you clean from all these irritants!

While these home remedies for sinus congestion are effective, they only tackle the symptoms. If the issue persists, you should consult your doctor. For more home remedies, you can check out the Healthy Reads section in the app or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr 

#BeTheForce 

November 28, 2021 By Urvi Gohil 1 Comment

Healthy Eating: Vegetable Bajra Uttapam

vegetable bajra uttapam

Uttapam is quite a popular dish! How about we add a twist of health and nutrition to it with Bajra? That’s right! Today let’s prepare Vegetable Bajra Uttapam. Bajra, as you know, is rich in fiber, it is gluten-free and helps one manage blood sugar, lose weight and it also reduces cholesterol levels.

Let’s get started!

What You Will Need

  • Whole Bajra – ¼ cup (soaked for 8 hours and drained)
  • Bajra Flour – 1 cup
  • Rice Flour – ¼ cup
  • Carrot – ½ cup (grated)
  • Onion – ½ cup (finely chopped)
  • Tomato – ½ cup (finely chopped)
  • Coriander – ½ cup (finely chopped)
  • Salt to taste
  • Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp
  • Chilli powder – 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
  • Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp
  • Oil 

How to Prepare

  1. Combine whole Bajra with ½ cup of water and some salt. Put it in a pressure cooker and cook for 5 whistles. It will take time to cook, so be patient.
  2. Once done, drain the excess water and keep the cooked Bajra aside.
  3. Combine Bajra flour, rice flour, whole cooked Bajra, all vegetables, ginger garlic paste, lemon juice & spices along with 1-1.5 cup of water in a mixing bowl, mix them well.
  4. Heat a nonstick griddle and grease it lightly with oil.
  5. Using a spatula pour the batter on the tawa and spread it lightly to make a medium thick circle. Allow it to cook on medium flame.
  6. Once golden brown, flip it over and allow it to cook on the other side.
  7. Serve it hot with freshly made green chutney.

Highlights of the Vegetable Bajra Uttapam

  • Vegetable Bajra Uttapam is rich in fiber and iron, giving you satiety with just 1-2 Uttapam.
  • Best for any meal of the day, and very colorful with all the veggies.
  • Will give you a change from the regular Uttapam and is super healthy! 

We hope you enjoy this delicious and nutritious Vegetable Bajra Uttapam recipe! Do share your thoughts with us in the comments below. For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

November 27, 2021 By Anusha Subramanian 1 Comment

How Kaushik Dey Went From Simply Working Out To Living A Healthy Lifestyle

Kaushik DeyBeing healthy encompasses many factors. While it involves working out, it isn’t just about working out or being active. You have to also look at other parameters such as nutrition, sleep, managing stress, et al. In fact, even introducing new habits and tweaking existing ones can do wonders for your health. All of this might seem difficult to manage by yourself, but when you get the right guidance from a certified expert, it can really change your life – as experienced first hand by our Player, Kaushik Dey. 

Lifestyle Before Joining GOQii 

Kaushik Dey is a 40 year old engineer who works for a Public Sector Unit based in Delhi. Since 2011, he has been involved with the Yog Organization and practices Yoga on a daily basis. 

“Being active was part of my life, prior to GOQii. But, what GOQii did was help me prioritize my activities and diet practices,” says Kaushik Dey. 

In 2017, he was given a basic GOQii Tracker as a gift with which he also got a free 3 month coaching subscription. While going through the instruction manual, he got to know about the GOQii Ecosystem and personal coaching. 

Making Small Changes and Introducing New Habits 

Currently, his coach is Dr. Naina Sudarshan. She regularly takes updates and shares articles and exercises, guides him with his exercise routine and helps him if there are any issues.

“Personal coaching helped me understand what I was not doing right. It helped me understand diet and exercise the right way. Personal coaching has been the game changer for me,” says Kaushik Dey. 

He also says that interacting with his GOQii Coach on a daily basis has taught him how to manage his health the right way by adding new habits at regular intervals. Apart from Personal Coaching that helps Kaushik keep a watch on his diet, exercise, stress levels and sleep, he says that he has also benefited a great deal from GOQii Play – the interactive video coaching feature within the GOQii App and by gathering a lot of information from GOQii Blogs. 

“I used to run regularly and then I developed Plantar fasciitis. Coach Sheetal Tiwari guided me to improve my health through Yoga classes on GOQii Play. Coach specifically mentioned some exercises that helped me a lot, otherwise I was seeking medical help such as pain injections”.

Kaushik alone doesn’t derive the benefits of GOQii, but his 10 year old daughter also exercises with him regularly. Kaushik has been a regular on GOQii PRO for the last 6 months and has taken an extended 1 year subscription. He is joined by his daughter for the GOQii Pro classes and he says he exercises with Coach Urvashi and Parwage Alam to name a few. Kaushik proudly says that his daughter is probably the only kid who is a regular on GOQii Pro.Kaushik-2

This April, he and his entire family were affected by COVID-19. While the first 5 days were tough, from the 6th day onwards he started practicing yoga and exercise in quarantine. His GOQii Coach helped him tackle the situation well. Having a healthy lifestyle helped him and his family a lot. Everyone is fit and fine now. Kaushik says that it is due to GOQii that they were able to manage themselves well and fight COVID-19 successfully. It is during this time that he took a couple of doctor consults from the GOQii App.

“GOQii is a part of my life,” says Kaushik. He further adds that GOQii’s personalized coaching helped him manage his exercise routine despite his stressful public sector job. 

Kaushik believes that GOQii is a good platform and has been actively advocating it to his friends, colleagues and society members. “Consistency is key. GOQii has inspired me to be more active and manage my time well. I will continue to be on the GOQii Platform as it is doing noble work. If you are a fitness freak and GOQii is with you, you can make a difference in your fitness routine and see the changes just like I did.” 

What Does Dr. Naina Sudarshan Have To Say About Kaushik Dey? 

Kaushik has been an active GOQii player for more than 3 years now and I have been his coach for about 2.5 years. His goals were to lose weight, reduce fat percentage and cholesterol levels while maintaining his health. 

Though Kaushik is a self-motivated and active person, his diet and shift work were major hurdles for his goals. But I can’t remember a day Kaushik has not updated me about his diet and activities including the days he had to go through COVID-19 this year. His regular updates helped me go into small details in his diet and correct them every day. 

I was also able to follow up with his daily activities like yoga, GOQii PRO classes, tracking his sleep and stress levels. During his time with GOQii, he was able to reduce about 4-5kgs of weight, lower his body fat percentage as well as cholesterol levels. I am sure over these years he has learnt a lot through GOQii on how to maintain his health. 

Currently, he is guiding his family, including his two children, by motivating them to be active. He proves that a balanced diet, mindful eating habits, staying physically active and living a healthy lifestyle is not just limited to an individual with a specific health goal, but it’s equally essential for everyone in the family.

Does Kaushik’s journey inspire you? Want to make a lifestyle change? Subscribe for personalized coaching now and crush your health goals with the help of a GOQii Coach: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

To see how others have benefitted from using GOQii, read more user stories on Healthy Reads. 

#BeTheForce 

November 13, 2021 By GOQii 3 Comments

Diet & Exercise: How Timanna Gudi Battled Diabetes

Timanna GudiAccess to medication is easy! We live in a day and age where even a sneeze can be seen as a good enough reason to swallow a pill. The number of those pills only increase with time as health deteriorates. The more pills you swallow, the more you realize that they aren’t working. Without intervention, without data or without trying, you never realize that a pill is not the answer, it is your lifestyle! In the face of adversity, change is imperative. Here’s how 49 yr old Timanna Gudi made a positive U-turn!

Hailing from Hubli, Karnataka, this mechanical engineer by qualification worked with an MNC as a managing director. His job responsibilities and efforts placed immense stress on his wellbeing. Realizing this, he knew he had to quit. He did so 5 years back and started his own business. However, this did not change anything and his health problems continued.

Battling Diabetes

In 2008, Timanna Gudi was diagnosed with Diabetes. This was just one part of his struggle. Along with diabetes, he had to face hypertension and high cholesterol as well! He was immediately put on medication and with every visit to the doctor, his dosage only seemed to increase. He would have to get tests and visit the doctor every 3 months while his doctor only increased the number of medicines. With no concrete solution in sight, Timanna was only confused.

Making Lifestyle Modifications to Fight Diabetes

He happened to come across a talk by B M Hedge, Dean of Manipal Medical College and a renowned doctor. He said that people shouldn’t be visiting doctors for lifestyle diseases like diabetes and cholesterol. The medicines they need are available in their kitchens. Of course, medical assistance is required in case of an emergency but it must be supplemented by a healthy lifestyle. This got Timanna thinking…

He had lost his Dad and his elder sister to diabetes in spite of them being on heavy medications like him. He told himself that if his condition is a disorder, there should be a way to bring it in order! This very thought became the turning point which would pivot his life to balance and wellbeing.

He came to Pune  in 2011 and joined a therapy called Freedom from Diabetes. He managed to get rid of all his medicines in a matter of 40 days through diet control and some light exercise. From then on, he began advocating his approach to everyone who was affected by the same medical condition as his. He gave them hope that they too could change!

Joining GOQii and Being the Force

In 2018, he bought some equipment to perform exercises at home. He followed YouTube channels and performed his routine accordingly. However, he ended up with a frozen shoulder due to an incorrect position. This kept him from exercising for about 8-9 months.

In March 2019, a friend introduced him to GOQii. He was intrigued with the idea of coaches demonstrating exercises LIVE on the app. The GOQii app solved two of his needs i.e. exercise and nutrition. He was getting expert advice from topics relating to a healthy diet, lifestyle, meditation and so on. He saw GOQii as an opportunity to get back into routine!

He joined during the India Steps Challenge and began competing, clocking in 6000 steps a day. He initially started with basic walking and increased his target to 12,000 steps after he invited a few of his friends. Due to walking too much, he began losing a lot of weight and was underweight by 7kg. He was asked to stop walking and jogging completely. To keep the momentum of his physical activity going, he began strength training in order to build muscle mass.

He is a regular on GOQii Play. He watches Coach Tufail Qureshi, Coach Alistrair Fernandes and Coach Shweta Kariya, following the workout routines demonstrated by them on a daily basis. As his work requires him to travel often, he carries a resistance band in his luggage as suggested by Play Coaches. He feels that a resistance band is a handy equipment that can be used to target any body part!

Being lactose intolerant, he shifted to a vegan diet. This essentially means that he avoids milk, curd and cheese. He avoids processed foods like bread, biscuits, etc. He begins his day with a glass of green smoothie which is a wholesome blend of raw Spinach (Palak) or any other leafy vegetable coupled with Betel leaf, Pudina (Mint), Tulsi (Holy Basil), Curry Leaves, Cinnamon Powder, Black Pepper and one fruit along with soaked nuts and seeds.

He follows this up with 45mins to an hour of exercise. His breakfast is more protein-based which includes a dal-based Cheela or sprouts and salad. In between meals, he grabs a spoonful of any seeds or a cup of green tea. His Lunch includes a Roti, one bowl each of dal, vegetable and raw salad. He also drinks Apple Cider Vinegar, which he believes has helped in keeping his body more alkaline. His family mostly uses cold pressed virgin coconut oil instead of refined oil.

Opting For Natural Methods Instead of Medicines

Timanna Gudi reiterates that commitment is absolutely necessary. There is no way you can cheat or give in to temptations. He strongly believes that Diabetes is a medical condition which should be eradicated from India.

He says, “The medicines never stop and you just keep losing your vital organs to it slowly. However, everybody is different and not all solutions suit everyone. You need to go test and try before settling down with what suits you.”

He in fact, also got rid of his Acute Bronchitis, something which he suffered from since childhood which required him to use inhalers. He did so by practicing Pranayama (You too can reap the benefits of this wonderful practice. Here are 6 Variations of Pranayama and their Benefits)

In the course of his time fighting diabetes, he has also helped his younger brother reduce his sugar levels. He feels it is his duty to share the knowledge he has gained from his experience combating lifestyle disorders.

Timanna feels GOQii is a fantastic platform with lot of resources that can benefit anyone and everyone. He regularly shops on the GOQii Health Store and advocates the fact that you get good options at competitive rates.

We wish Timanna Gudi the best for his journey. If this story inspired you or if you are fighting your own uphill battle against a lifestyle disease, share your thoughts in the comments below! To help you manage diabetes effectively, reach out to our experts by subscribing for GOQii’s Diabetes Care Program here: https://store.goqii.com/diabetescare

#BeTheForce

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Search

Recent Posts

  • Natural Mouth Fresheners
  • Healthy Substitutes for Butter
  • Natural Skincare For Healthy, Glowing Skin!
  • Everything You Need to Know about Alzheimer’s
  • Why is it Difficult to Make a Lifestyle Change?

Stay Updated

Archives

  • September 2023 (24)
  • August 2023 (31)
  • July 2023 (31)
  • June 2023 (30)
  • May 2023 (31)
  • April 2023 (30)
  • March 2023 (31)
  • February 2023 (29)
  • January 2023 (31)
  • December 2022 (30)
  • November 2022 (29)
  • October 2022 (31)
  • September 2022 (26)
  • August 2022 (20)
  • July 2022 (23)
  • June 2022 (20)
  • May 2022 (17)
  • April 2022 (16)
  • March 2022 (12)
  • February 2022 (18)
  • January 2022 (18)
  • December 2021 (14)
  • November 2021 (6)
  • October 2021 (10)
  • September 2021 (7)
  • August 2021 (13)
  • July 2021 (13)
  • June 2021 (16)
  • May 2021 (16)
  • April 2021 (14)
  • March 2021 (14)
  • February 2021 (8)
  • January 2021 (7)
  • December 2020 (8)
  • November 2020 (4)
  • October 2020 (12)
  • September 2020 (8)
  • August 2020 (6)
  • July 2020 (2)
  • June 2020 (6)
  • May 2020 (12)
  • April 2020 (13)
  • March 2020 (12)
  • February 2020 (5)
  • January 2020 (5)
  • December 2019 (7)
  • November 2019 (9)
  • October 2019 (8)
  • September 2019 (6)
  • August 2019 (9)
  • July 2019 (10)
  • June 2019 (13)
  • May 2019 (7)
  • April 2019 (11)
  • March 2019 (11)
  • February 2019 (13)
  • January 2019 (16)
  • December 2018 (13)
  • November 2018 (7)
  • October 2018 (10)
  • September 2018 (11)
  • August 2018 (21)
  • July 2018 (13)
  • June 2018 (22)
  • May 2018 (15)
  • April 2018 (22)
  • March 2018 (17)
  • February 2018 (13)
  • January 2018 (18)
  • December 2017 (13)
  • November 2017 (24)
  • October 2017 (21)
  • September 2017 (20)
  • August 2017 (7)
  • July 2017 (11)
  • June 2017 (12)
  • May 2017 (14)
  • April 2017 (9)
  • March 2017 (6)
  • February 2017 (7)
  • January 2017 (11)
  • December 2016 (10)
  • November 2016 (8)
  • October 2016 (9)
  • September 2016 (7)
  • August 2016 (12)
  • July 2016 (10)
  • June 2016 (10)
  • May 2016 (12)
  • April 2016 (17)
  • March 2016 (18)
  • February 2016 (8)
  • January 2016 (6)
  • December 2015 (4)
  • November 2015 (9)
  • October 2015 (8)
  • September 2015 (10)
  • August 2015 (13)
  • July 2015 (10)
  • June 2015 (12)
  • May 2015 (9)
  • April 2015 (13)
  • March 2015 (9)
  • February 2015 (6)
  • January 2015 (12)
  • December 2014 (14)
  • November 2014 (11)
  • October 2014 (6)
  • September 2014 (14)
  • August 2014 (14)
  • July 2014 (7)
  • June 2014 (3)
  • May 2014 (8)
  • April 2014 (5)
Ram Sharma - GOQii Diabetes Care

Reducing HbA1c from 7.2 to 6.1 | Ram Sharma Health Story

There’s nothing sweet about diabetes and we’re all well aware about that. Factors such as a poor diet, obesity, lack of exercise, improper sleeping patterns, stress and advancing age can cause diabetes. While it might seem overwhelming, diabetes is not an … [Read More...]

Bharat Rao

Consistency, Discipline & Dedication – Bharat Rao Shares 3 Secrets For Healthy Living!

Living a healthy life is all about maintaining balance. This includes exercise, nutrition, sleep and maintaining good mental & emotional health as well. If you’ve been hitting the gym or doing your daily walks or even eating the food you are supposed to without achieving results, there might be something that is amiss. That’s where […]

Nitya Kishore Upadhyay

How Nitya Kishore Upadhyay Lost 12kg In 6 Months With GOQii

Are morning walks by themselves a miracle cure for health issues? Can they help manage and lower cholesterol levels or help you lose weight? Managing lifestyle diseases requires a combination of lifestyle changes, and there’s no room for guesswork. This is what our player, Nitya Kishore Upadhyay, figured out when he joined GOQii. Let’s take […]

Ahmad Najib

How Ahmad Najib Controlled His Diabetes & Lost Weight With GOQii

It’s a well-established fact that unhealthy eating, lack of physical activity and an overall unhealthy lifestyle can lead to many health issues. To begin with, it is the biggest cause of being overweight, which comes with other issues such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and even diabetes. While well known, people tend to overlook […]

  • HOME
  • HEALTHY LIVING
  • FITNESS
  • HEALTHY RECIPES
  • USER STORIES
  • KARMA
  • BUY GOQii

Copyright ©2016 GOQii