Archives for January 2022

January 12, 2022 By Mohammed Tufail Qureshi 1 Comment

Manage Stress By Managing Your Cortisol Levels!

How often do we hear people say, “I am so stressed”? Given the current pandemic scenario, the lockdown and the threat of new variants, we’re sure you might have heard a lot of people say this. While the stress is reasonable, do you know what causes it? Is it the pressure of working from home thwarting your work-life balance, is it the news or could it be the excessive release of stress hormones? If you weren’t aware, just as there are hormones that make you feel good, there’s a stress hormone called Cortisol but it’s not all bad.

The cortisol stress hormone management system is released by the adrenal cortex glands in order to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and the immune system. While it does regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and the immune system, if it is released at a wrong time, it can be harmful. What triggers the rise of this crucial hormone is mental and physical stress, insulin spikes, too many stimulants, overindulgence of processed food and toxicity build up.

Sources Of Chronic Stress Include:

Lack of sleep and insomnia
Negative thoughts and emotions
Sugar cravings and low serotonin levels
Caffeine and stimulant abuse (more than 2 coffees per day)
Acidity and Toxicity
Lethargy and lack of energy

Burning stubborn belly fat has to be one of the most popular stresses that people have and most have a problem dealing with this issue. What we fail to identify is that losing body fat, especially on the lower abdomen, is a hormonal issue.

It’s NOT overeating!

It’s NOT sugar or carbohydrates!

It’s NOT lack of exercise!

The one culprit that can quash your fat burning efforts and leave you with stubborn belly fat is your cortisol and adrenaline hormones. Stress leads to adrenals burning out, and excess cortisol and adrenalin lead to a number of health problems. If prolonged, it can lead to:

Excess abdomen fat
A serious drop in testosterone, and rise in estrogen
Hypertension and anxiety
Bone, mineral and muscle loss (cortisol is a catabolic hormone and is often elevated)
High blood sugar and insulin resistance

How Can You Bring Cortisol Levels Under Control?

Given how high stress levels have been lately due to the pandemic, it is important to manage stress by managing spiking cortisol levels. Dealing with Cortisol can be tricky. If dealt with proper techniques and supplements, one can get the Cortisol levels under control. Here are a few tips to help you out:

Reduce physical and mental stress by becoming more calm and relaxed. Meditation and pranayama are your allies.
Exclude sugar and processed foods from your regular diet and replace them with whole organic foods that will help improve digestion and in turn, reward you with a healthier GUT!
Lower toxicity and acidity which adds stress to the body internally by making the simple shifts in the food choices, thoughts and emotions.
To take control of Cortisol levels, one needs to learn how to unwind and relax every single day for at least 20 – 30 minutes and learn to take deep breaths and clear the mind. You can also indulge in a hobby you like!
Meditation and yoga are some excellent ways to relax and bring down cortisol levels effectively.
Exercise is a true savior and has been shown to reduce cortisol effectively. But a word of caution – don’t overdo it and do it correctly or else it could have the opposite effect.
Cortisol is at its lowest during sleep. So, make sure you get adequate and good quality sleep. This Sleep Series could help you understand your sleep better.

Additionally, it’s best to steer clear of news and social media updates that stress you out. You can check it once a day to just get an update but there’s no point in indulging in every news article that comes your way, especially if it paints a grim picture. So zone out, take care of your health, keep calm and be stress-free!

We hope this article helps you during these precarious times. For more on stress management, check out Healthy Reads. To learn how to manage stress effectively, ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Stay home, keep calm and #BeTheForce!

January 9, 2022 By Urvi Gohil 6 Comments

Healthy Eating: Masala Egg Sandwich

If you woke up this morning thinking about eating eggs, then you’ve come to the right place. Like with all my other recipes, I’m going to be putting a twist on traditional eggs by making a full meal out of them using veggies and healthy carbs. While sandwiches are considered to be a “shortcut breakfast”, this Masala Egg Sandwich is best eaten as a meal!

What You Will Need

Boiled eggs – 2 whole
Wheat bread/ multigrain bread – 4 slices
Onion – 1 big finely chopped
Tomato – 1 big finely chopped
Coriander finely chopped – ¼ cup
Garlic ginger paste – 1 tbsp
Cheese – 1 cube
Few onion slices
Few capsicum slices
Green chutney – 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Garam masala – ½ tsp
Jeera powder – ½ tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp

How To Prepare

Heat a pan, add oil and allow the ginger garlic paste to saute.
Once done, add in the onion and cook for a while until translucent.
Throw in the tomatoes, coriander and cook for 5 more minutes.
Add the spices, chilli powder, turmeric, salt and garam masala. Give it a quick mix.
Mix some water and allow this to cook for a few minutes.
Chop the boiled eggs into small pieces and add them to the pan. Allow it to cook for 3-5 minutes.
Turn the flame off and your egg masala is ready!
Take 2 bread slices, layer both with green chutney. Add the egg masala, top it up with sliced onions, capsicum and shredded cheese (1/2 cube). Sprinkle some chat masala and cover with another slice of bread. Repeat the process to make another sandwich.
Heat a flat pan, brush some oil and place the sandwich on it for a grill. After it is golden brown on one side, flip it over and cook the other side.
Cut the sandwich into 4 pieces and serve hot with chutney or ketchup.

Note: you can use chopped paneer or tofu cubes instead of eggs.

Highlights of the Masala Egg Sandwich:

A great balanced meal, easy to make and a twist to a regular meal.
Gives you satiety and a punch of vitamins.
It has a good amount of proteins as well!

We hope you enjoyed this Masala Egg Sandwich recipe. Is there something different you do while cooking eggs? Let us know in the comments below!

For more awesome recipes, check out Healthy Reads or ask your GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Stay home, stay safe, eat healthy and #BeTheForce

January 8, 2022 By GOQii 1 Comment

Sandeep Gupta Beats Acidity & Gets Healthier With GOQii

Sandeep Gupta is 55 years old and is a businessman who renders services to the Ministry of Defense. He was overweight at 86kg and suffered a lot from gastric and chest pain. This continued for 5 years and he was on medication as well. However, in the past 6 months, some positive changes have helped him lose 9kg and take control of his life and health. So what happened in the last months?

Before Joining GOQii

Before he came onboard GOQii, Sandeep Gupta used a smart watch which he says didn’t help much. There was no guidance and he would exercise a little. Since his work involved travel, he had no control of his diet, he used to eat out most of the time and that caused persistent acidity issues. He had to take an antacid daily.

To add to this, he also suffered from allergy issues for which he had to take anti-allergy medication. He says he was at least 9-10kg overweight.

Around May 2021, he came across GOQii on the internet and bought a tracker with a 3 month personal health coaching subscription. He got a coach to guide him on a daily basis. He says, “It was pleasant to have a coach guide me on my diet and exercise”.

Making Lifestyle Changes With GOQii

He had his first intro call with his GOQii Coach and explained his issues to her. He says, “My GOQii Coach understood my issues and slowly started making changes. First was to improve water intake from 1L to 2-2.5L. This was to better digestion, prevent toxin build up and stomach inflammation. Then the coach slowly brought about dietary changes.”

Salads and fruits became a part of his regular diet and he started eating at proper intervals. These habits helped him a lot and he did not experience acidity issues anymore. His energy levels also improved.

His antacid medication was reduced to once a week. Gradually, more healthy habits such as beginning the day with a fruit, lemon water post meals and Surya Namaskars were introduced. His acidity issues improved to 80%. For further improvement and to support fat loss, regular tea was replaced with ginger tea.

He was also introduced to strengthening exercises along with daily walks and cycling on alternate days. 30 minutes of exercise either in the morning or evening became mandatory. Thanks to these changes, in the last 6 months he lost 9kg and his current weight stands at 77kg.

He says that, “My GOQii Coach’s guidance has come as a boon to me. My wife was worried prior to me joining GOQii, as she was concerned about how I am going to deal and get over my gastric and acidity issues. But now, she finds that I am more relaxed and doing much better. My family has also started benefiting and they are taking health seriously as well. It’s a ripple positive effect that has trickled down to the family. As a head of the family I feel proud that I am able to set an example for my family to lead a healthy lifestyle. Simply eating right and exercising daily can make so much of a difference to one’s life. It’s just amazing!”

What Does His GOQii Coach Have To Say About His Transformation?

Sandeep Gupta joined GOQii in May 2021. Since his work involved lots of travelling, it led to eating the wrong foods at the wrong time, which caused persistent acidity issues for which he had to take antacid medication.

To add to it, he also had allergy issues and was on medication for the same. Other medical issues involved low blood pressure and a history of epilepsy, for which he had stopped medication 4-5 years ago. He was also at least 9-10kg overweight.

After completing our Intro call, the first step was to gradually improve his water intake. Next was to replace the intake of packaged/processed food, which are harmful for managing acidity due to their sugar, trans fat and refined carb content. They were replaced with roasted snacks.

To alkalinize the system, also for fat loss, I asked him to add salads to his diet. This intervention led to a 50% decrease in acidity and reduced frequency of antacid to once a week. His energy levels improved after 2-3 weeks. Currently, he has reached his ideal weight and is healthier and happy!

We hope Sandeep Gupta’s journey inspires you to make a lifestyle change. Do you also suffer from acidity issues? Want to get healthier? Sign up for GOQii’s personal health coaching and speak to a certified GOQii Coach now: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

To read more inspiring stories about transformation and forming healthy habits, check out Healthy Reads.

#BeTheForce

January 7, 2022 By Priyanka Mangla 4 Comments

Sprouts As Superfoods During the Pandemic!

During this period of time , when most of us are avoiding crowded markets again and again to purchase fruits and veggies , sprouting of the readily available beans and grains at home has become the best and cheapest way of getting complete nourishment. We have been using sprouts for ages either to recover post illness or to build muscle mass, increase stamina, to combat nutritional deficiencies and so on.

What Can Be Sprouted?

All edible grains, seeds and legumes can be sprouted. These include:

Grains: Wheat, Maize, Ragi , Bajra, and Barley .
Seeds: Alfa-alfa seeds, radish seeds, fenugreek seeds, carrot seeds, coriander seeds, pumpkin seeds, muskmelon seeds, sesame seeds.
Legumes: Mung , Bengal gram, groundnut and peas ( commonly used ) .

Benefits Of Consuming Sprouts

Increase in Nutrition: In the process of sprouting, the vitamins, minerals and proteins increase substantially with the corresponding decrease in the calories and carbohydrate content. There is an infinite increase in vitamin C content.
Good For Pregnant Women: Being high in folate, sprouts are beneficial for pregnant women. Folate is quite essential for fetal development and proper development of brain development of a child.
Ensures Healthy Eyes: As Vitamin A content also gets enhanced by a remarkable percentage, sprouts keep our eyes healthy and protect them from all the Vitamin A deficiency diseases of the eyes such as night blindness. Regular intake even delays the development of cataract due to ageing.
Healthy, Shiny Hair: Being rich in Vitamin C and protein, they ensure strong and healthy hair.
Good Heart Health: Sprouts are high in omega 3 fatty acids which make them heart-friendly.
Easily Digestible: Now the question arises in our minds, the black gram, the mung beans, and some other legumes do produce flatulence… will it be ok for those who suffer from bloating and indigestion to consume these legumes and beans? And the answer is yes! When we are consuming sprouts, they are in pre-digested form – which means they have already been acted upon by enzymes and made easy to digest. In fact, they contain a lot of fiber and water. Hence, they help overcome constipation.

When Can You Eat Them: You may have them as your post-workout meal in the morning, in your evening snacks when you are hungry and while raiding your kitchen for something to munch on.

How To Eat Sprouts: Besides having sprouts alone, you can make it delicious by adding chopped onion, tomatoes, cucumber and squeeze some lemon juice. You may make sprout dosa or pancakes or mixed sprout bhel with puffed rice. You can also try this delicious Sweet Potato Sprouts Tikki and Oats, Sprouts and Vegetable Uttapam. Make sure you are steaming or boiling sprouts in water before eating them. This will not only make them easily absorbable, but will kill any bacterial growth that may have developed during the process of sprouting.

Eating sprouts is the safest and cheapest way to get all the advantages of fruits and vegetables. If you are having them in your breakfast, it’s going to be a perfect power-packed breakfast. No packaged Muesli, instant oats, processed cornflakes, etc. are going to provide this much nutrition.

Please Note: Make sure the dried beans and seeds are of best quality, purchased from a good store where they are kept under good conditions and packaged as “food”. Seeds meant for planting purposes may contain mercury compounds and other toxic chemicals. Avoid purchasing seeds or beans of low quality because these may cause various bacterial infections like salmonella, e-coli infections.

We hope this article helps you! Go on and get your sprouts. Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below! For more on nutrition, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr