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4 Effective Ways To Track Your Fitness Progress To Meet Your Goals

Track your progressYour workout goals may vary greatly – from reducing a certain amount of weight and gaining muscles, to getting a toned body, a flat stomach and/or a lot more. Here’s where measuring your progress comes in handy. If you track your fitness progress over a course of time, you can take note of significant data that you can act upon and decide the next steps towards attaining your goal. If you’re unsure or don’t know how to track your fitness progress, we’ve got you covered!

4 Ways To Track Your Fitness Progress

Tracking is really important, not only for your progress, but to keep you motivated as well. It helps you stay focused and decide the next steps of your fitness journey. Here are 4 effective ways in which you can track your fitness progress:

1. Body Composition

Body Composition measurement determines your overall body fat percentage. A healthy body composition is one that includes a lower percentage of body fat and a higher percentage of fat-free mass which includes muscles, bones and organs. Body composition can provide you with a clear idea about how much lean muscle and fat you have.

This test can be used to check whether you are gaining muscles and/or losing fat. This test can be an eye opening experience because it reveals the ratio of fat to lean muscle tissue, the percentage of fat in the body, the metabolic rate (BMR) and BMI.  It can easily be done at gyms, health clinics and so on, at a nominal price.

How much Fat is OK?

           Women                     Men
Essential Fat             10-12%                     2-4%
Athletes             14-20%                     6-13%
Fitness             21-24%                     14-17%
Acceptable              25-31%                      18-25%

2. Girth Measurement

This is a wonderful way to track fat loss! Reduction in body fat is usually represented by the inches you have lost. It is one of the easiest and home-based methods to assess your progress. You can use a standardized flexible, flat measuring tape to measure different parts of the body, including your chest (across your nipple line), neck, abdomen (at your belly button), hips (measure the widest part of your buttocks with your feet together) and your calves (widest/largest part), among others.

As per ICMR, Abdominal obesity (AO) was defined as a waist circumference (WC) ≥ 90 cm for men and ≥ 80 cm for women. Isolated generalized obesity (IGO) was defined as a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 with a waist circumference of < 90 cm in men and < 80 cm in women.

3. Body Mass Index (BMI)

BMI is a person’s weight in kilograms (kg) divided by his or her height in meters squared. On a BMI calculator, the number you get may fall into one of these four ranges: obese, overweight, normal weight or underweight. However, this number does not consider your muscle mass vs fat mass, which means muscular individuals, can end up with a higher BMI that may place them in the obese category. So, you should use BMI just as a beginning point.

As per WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO):

Nutritional Status

BMI
18.5 Underweight
18.5–24.9 Normal weight
25.0–29.9 Pre-obesity
30.0–34.9 Obesity class I
35.0–39.9 Obesity class II
Above 40 Obesity class III

And 4th is My Favorite…

4. Selfie Zone

A full body Mirror selfie is a perfect way to measure/compare your progress from a specific time period. Nothing can be better than a visual explanation. One gets to know his/her own progress by comparing the two selfies of BEFORE and AFTER.

Reasons to Track Your Fitness Progress

  1. It allows for modifications and indicates when and where you need to make changes
  2. It lets you manage your workout regimen and time more effectively
  3. Helps to drive direction and focus to your workout program
  4. Makes it easier to attain your goal
  5. It’s quite easy to go overboard when eating your meals. But, if you have clarity about your fitness progress, it will help you decide on the right portion size
  6. Tracking your progress with regard to your workouts acts as a strong motivator that keeps reminding you of the fitness goals you wish to achieve

We hope this article helps you! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! For more on health and fitness, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to live classes on GOQii PRO, where our experts will guide you on the correct form and posture in real time while making sure that you are well motivated! You can book a class now from the GOQii App.

To get workouts and tips directly from your GOQii Coach, sign up for Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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5 Reasons Why You Need To Focus On Nutrition Over Calorie Counting

Nutrition over calorie counting

It’s funny how in an attempt to lose or gain weight, we begin counting every minute calorie intake, diligently doing the math, when we hated the subject in school. But the math isn’t too complicated, right? To lose weight, you go into a deficit where calories out > calories in, and the exact opposite if you want to bulk up. 

While we’re doing all this math, reading up articles on the internet, browsing through YouTube channels and relying on self-taught nutritionists and dietitians, are we really asking the right questions? Are we using food to only fill in whatever we can in our given calorie budgets? Are we using food to provide the right nutrition to our body? Are we even choosing the right foods while we’re at it?

Why You Shouldn’t Rely On Calorie Counting 

While counting calories to lose/gain weight might be the most popular and followed method, overdoing it may not be the correct one. It’s quite dangerous as it can lead to many nutritional deficiencies. 500 calories could look like 2 big slices of pizza or a plate with rice/roti, a bowl of vegetables or pulses with curd and salad. The goal can be attained with both, but are we making the right choice that’ll help us stay healthier in the long run? So, rather than counting calories, it would make more sense to look at the nutrients on your meal plate.

Why You Need To Choose Nutrition Over Calorie Counting  

Let’s look at a few reasons why the focus should be on nutrition over calorie counting

  1. Food Quality Matters: Calories do not look into the quality of food you are eating. A low-calorie food with well-balanced macro and micronutrients is considered healthier than a high calorie, nutritionally poor food. For instance, an apple may have the same calories as a cookie, but we know which one is healthier.
  2. Nutrient Dense Foods: When you follow calorie counting, one tends to avoid the natural calorie dense foods like nuts, seeds, ghee, oils, and avocados, etc. which are very healthy and important for good metabolism and maintaining healthy weight.
  3. Thermic Effect of Food: The number of calories used to digest our food is different for various food groups, so this can alter the effects of calorie counting to some extent. Food items made of processed and refined products are digested faster and are likely to spike up our sugar levels, than those made of natural and unrefined forms, which will take up more energy to break down and get digested and keep the sugar levels stabilized.
  4. Bioavailable Calories: Recent studies have indicated that many foods have less bioavailable calories than originally thought of. For instance, almonds, peanuts and pistachios all seem to be less completely digested, providing fewer calories, almost 20% less than what is mentioned on the label. This may be true for other foods with tough cell walls. So, calorie counting may not actually be accurate here.
  5. Effect of Food on our Satiety: Different foods have a different effect on our satiety levels, some give us a feeling of fullness for longer than others. So all foods are measured on a scale called the satiety index, which is basically the measure of the ability of the foods to reduce hunger, increase feeling of fullness and reduce calorie intake for the next few hours. Eating foods with a low satiety index will make you hungry faster than foods with a high satiety index. 500 calories from an ice cream/doughnut will make you hungry sooner than 500 calories from sprouts/beans and vegetable salad.

So, the bottom line is to make smart choices with your food and focus more on the nutritional aspect rather than calorie counting. Once you pick nutrition over calorie counting, you will notice more satiety, improved energy levels, reduced inflammation, you’ll be able to maintain healthy weight and witness an overall improvement in your health! 

We hope this article helps you make healthier choices. For more on nutrition, check out Healthy Reads. If you want to know more about what kind of food you should incorporate, based on your weight loss or weight gain goals, speak to an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! 

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Healthy Eating: Vegetable Quinoa Pulao

vegetable quinoa pulao

Quinoa is a gluten-free superfood that has been gaining a lot of popularity in the past few years, and it is actually pronounced as Kveen Vaa. Quinoa, though popular as a grain, is actually a seed. It has a nutty flavour and lacks the sweetness & stickiness of rice. It is easier to cook than rice and you will love the taste. Although it is not as economical as rice, it is definitely worth a try! So let’s learn how to prepare super healthy and simple Vegetable Quinoa Pulao!

What You Will Need:

  • Quinoa (wash and soak for 30 min) – 1 cup
  • Onion (chopped) – ¼ cup
  • Cauliflower (chopped) – ¼ cup
  • French Beans (chopped) – ¼ cup
  • Carrots (chopped) – ¼ cup
  • Corn Kernels – ¼ cup
  • Green Peas – ¼ cup
  • Spinach – 2 tbsp
  • Coriander – 2 tbsp
  • Ginger Garlic Paste – 2 tbsp
  • Bay Leaf – 1
  • Cinnamon Stick – ½
  • Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
  • Turmeric, red chili powder, coriander seeds powder, garam masala as per taste
  • Salt as per taste
  • Oil – 1 tbsp

How to Prepare:

  1. In a pan, heat oil and fry the bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Then, allow the cumin seeds to sizzle.
  2. Add the chopped onion along with ginger garlic paste and roast it well until slightly brown.
  3. Now, add all the other vegetables along with turmeric, red chili powder, coriander seeds powder, garam masala and salt. Sauté them well for 4-5 min.
  4. It is time to add the soaked quinoa (discard the water), give it a quick stir and cook it for 2-3 minutes. Now add 1.5 to 2 cups of water.
  5. After a boil, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5-10 min until done. Mix the contents using a fork and not spatula to give it a Pulao consistency.
  6. Serve it hot with curd or raita.

Highlights of the Vegetable Quinoa Pulao

  • This absolutely easy recipe gives you everything required for a balanced meal.
  • It is high in protein and contains sufficient amount of all essential amino acids.
  • 100% satiety with the fiber content it has in limited portion size.
  • Fun Fact: A cup of Quinoa will provide twice the protein and about 5gm more fiber than the same amount of white rice.

Hope you try this awesome Vegetable Quinoa Pulao recipe and share your experience in the comments below! Click here for more healthy recipes, or get them directly from a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr 

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Egg – An Antidote For The Immune System

egg

If you’ve been looking to up your protein intake and boost your immunity then look no further than the egg! It’s a staple for most of us at home and makes for the perfect breakfast meal but there is so much more to the versatile egg than just that! 

Health Benefits of An Egg 

    1. Proteins: Eggs are a complete source of protein as they have all the 9 essential amino acids which our body cannot produce on its own but has to obtain from a diet. Proteins are the building blocks of our body and a single egg provides 7g of it.
    2. Superfood: These easy to cook eggs are loaded with selenium, iron, zinc, phosphorus and vitamins like B 12, D and E and K. Thus, making them the powerhouse of nutrition. Zinc and selenium helps fight infection and improve immunity.
    3. Healthy Heart: While consuming an egg, eat the whole egg that is the white part and the yolk too. Egg yolks have been in controversy for a long time. But contrary to the popular belief, the egg yolk can be consumed daily. It is rich in nutrients and cholesterol and this cholesterol has less effect on blood cholesterol. It is the junk food or the saturated fats which raises blood cholesterol. Although, consult your doctor or nutritionist before consuming eggs especially if you’re suffering from high cholesterol.
    4. Energy Booster: Riboflavin, a Vitamin found in eggs, helps the body convert the food we eat into energy. Include this in your daily diet and say goodbye to lethargy. This inexpensive food, found all around the year, can be the constant source of energy.
    5. Sharper Brains: Eggs are rightly called the brain food because of the essential nutrient choline. Choline is said to keep neurological disorders away. Pregnant women are advised to have eggs to prevent any neural tube defects. Omega 3  fatty acids present in eggs protect against Alzheimer and improve cognitive function.
    6. Stronger Bones: One of the natural sources of Vitamin D is egg. Vitamin D ensures strong bones and teeth. It prevents osteoporosis and rickets. Vitamin D helps in absorption of Vitamin C which promotes a healthy heart and a healthy gut. Vitamin D plays a vital role in cell formation, immune system and reducing inflammation.
    7. Boon for Weight Watchers: The high protein content of the egg helps the body stay full for a longer period of time. It provides satiety and prevents binge eating.

With the myriad of benefits offered by the humble egg, we should try including it in our daily diet. It never gets boring because you can boil it, poach it, fry it, scramble it or eat it as a sandwich or any other accompaniment you like. How do you like eating your eggs? Let us know in the comments below! 

For more informative topics, check out Healthy Reads or speak to an expert by subscribing for personalised health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr 

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