GOQii

Blog

Search Results for: fitness

By 5 Comments

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

#BeTheForce 

By 3 Comments

Health, Fitness and Nutrition For Senior Citizens

senior citizensDoes old age mark the end of physical fitness? If you retire from work, with reduced responsibilities, does it mean you can retire from exercise as well? At any given age, physical fitness and exercise play a crucial role in leading a healthy lifestyle, especially for senior citizens. Whether you’re young or old, working out and keeping yourself active shouldn’t stop as exercise is important even when you’re a senior citizen.

Here are a few benefits of working out for Senior Citizens

  • Prevents Diseases & Chronic Conditions: Being regular with any kind of physical activity helps keep away diseases like diabetes, heart ailments and cancer.
  • Reduced Risk of Fall: With old age, the risk of falling increases, which can have a disastrous effect on being independent. Exercise improves the strength and flexibility of the body and as a result, it improves balance and coordination.
  • Improved Mental Health: Exercise induces endorphins – the happy hormone, which helps to feel good and keeps stress away .Exercise has a direct impact on sleep. Insomnia and disrupted sleep patterns which are common aspects with senior citizens is taken care of with regular exercise.
  • Social Engagement: Responsibilities reduce with age and so does the social life. Being regular with any kind of activity, be it yoga or a laughter club, helps to interact with people of the same age with similar problems. Now, they have their own tribe and this brings in confidence as it deals with depression and loneliness.
  • Better Cognitive Function: Fine-tuned motor skills improve cognitive functions which lower the risk of deteriorating memory, thinking, behavior and the ability to perform daily activities.
  • Keeps Weight in Check: Metabolism slows down in old age and as a result, losing weight becomes a challenge. Regular exercise helps in increasing metabolism and losing weight.

Get Started With an Activity

  • Walking: Be it brisk walking or a stroll in the park, walking improves stamina and makes you feel good!
  • Yoga: It helps in improving flexibility and mental health.
  • Workout at Fitness Studios: Use body weight to keep fit and meet like-minded people!
  • Swimming: Ideal for those having aching joints as it is not weight bearing. Swimming will help you tone your body and improve stamina.
  • Cycling: Low impact sport which is good for the cardiovascular system.
  • Resistance Bands: Improves muscle strength, balance, coordination and range of motion.
  • Laughter Clubs: Laughter is the best medicine. Visiting laughter clubs will help you stay positive and stress-free.

Points to be Kept in Mind:

  • Get a clearance from your Doctor about your fitness regime
  • Start with warm ups and end with cool down to prevent injuries
  • Always start slow and gradually increase the intensity
  • At any point if discomfort or pain is felt, stop immediately and consult your Doctor

Nutrition for Senior Citizens

Eating the right food in old age is very important as weak bones, lower immunity, poor digestion are all a part of the routine. Hence, eating healthy is very important.

Tips for Healthy Eating:

  • Have five to six small meals during the day to help in better digestion and absorption
  • Since appetite reduces with age, care should be taken to include sufficient proteins like whole grains, eggs, milk products, chicken, fish, etc.
  • Eat a good amount of fruits as they are rich in antioxidants
  • Including salads helps to keep constipation at bay due to their fiber content
  • Stay hydrated with sufficient amount of water.
  • Avoid processed food

Eating right and exercising can help you stay youthful and active even in old age! We hope this article helps. Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

For more on healthy living, check out Healthy Reads. To get the right tips and guidance from an expert, subscribe for GOQii’s personalised health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Wish you all a Happy and Healthy Senior Citizens Day!

#BeTheForce

By Leave a Comment

Making Fitness & Health His Grammar For Life – Kamal Nath Thakur’s Health Story

Kamal Nath Thakur

Engaging in physical activity is good. Sports do help us maintain our fitness but that’s not all when it comes to living a healthy, holistic lifestyle. You have to watch what you eat, your sleep timings and manage your stress well, to name a few. Our Player Kamal Nath Thakur was of the opinion that he was healthy until he met his GOQii Coach. Here’s how his Health Story unfolded! 

Joining GOQii & Not Opting For Coaching 

Kamal Nath Thakur is a 52 year old working professional from Ghaziabad. He is a badminton player and considers himself to be a fitness freak. He was introduced to GOQii in 2019 by his 14 year old daughter Kavya, who saw an advertisement in the newspaper. 

Initially when he enrolled, he was of the impression that he knew all about health and fitness, hence, he opted out of personal health coaching and decided he did not need a coach. His decision was also influenced by the fact that he felt it was very difficult for him to follow the habits suggested by a GOQii Coach. 

While he opted out of coaching, he participated in various challenges issued in the GOQii App such as the steps challenge, health quiz and even browsed through Healthy Reads. 

The Health Story Begins For Kamal Nath Thakur 

In April 2021, Kamal Nath Thakur had contracted COVID and was hospitalized for almost a week. He had lost 10kg and began experiencing regular pain in his right leg. During this time, he was contacted by a GOQii Coach for personalized health coaching. Considering his condition, he opted for the service and says that it was one of the best decisions he ever made! 

Initially, he was coached by GOQii Coach Prachi, who guided him regarding his food habits in terms of the timing of his meals, food content and mix and the benefits he would derive from it. He says, “I started feeling a change in my body. It was visible”. 

Since then, he has been extremely particular about his food intake, nutritional value and how and when he should eat, which foods to avoid and so on. Kamal Nath Thakur says, “She was wonderful in explaining everything in detail”. 

After a while, he was assigned Coach Pradnya. He discussed his persistent right leg pain with her. Coach Pradnya suggested some leg stretching and leg strengthening exercises he should follow. Kamal Nath Thakur found these exercises to be extremely helpful. He says, “It was a boon for me in the hour of need. With her guidance in almost all fronts, like healthy food habits, regular suggestive exercises, relating to healthy reads, I had become a completely fit man with working knowledge of how to keep myself healthy”.  

He says that his habits changed tremendously after joining GOQii. Where he would usually complete a target of 3,000-4,000 steps, he now clocks in 15,000 steps daily. Before, he wasn’t particular about his food habits but now he focuses on the time and composition of his meals. He also follows and attends classes on GOQii Play. 

Coach Pradnya has been in touch with him daily and guides him via chat or call. She advises him as per his requirement. He says that it has been a fun change for him. He is a health champion in his organization and has even recommended GOQii to two of his colleagues who are now using the wearable and the app. 

Our Founder & CEO Vishal Gondal recently spoke to Kamal Nath Thakur about his experience with GOQii on the latest episode of GOQii Health Stories where we feature players who have benefitted from personalized health coaching. You can view the whole conversation below:

What Does GOQii Coach Pradnya Have To Say About His Change? 

“Kamal was following a healthy lifestyle including healthy, timely meals and daily walking. He was having pain in his right thigh after recovering from COVID. Though it was unusual, we decided to try leg stretching first. I also suggested ginger detox water to reduce the pain naturally. Ginger being anti-inflammatory has pain reducing effects. He felt a lot of relief. 

As he spends a lot of time sitting in the office and the car while traveling, it might have led to stiff muscles. After a few days, we started leg strengthening exercises to strengthen his leg muscles. It helped him cure almost all the leg pain. Now, he is confidently working to improve his immunity further, doing full body exercises and eating healthy meals.’‘

Kamal Nath Thakur and his family are truly a GOQii Family with his wife Sangita, daughter Kavya and son Ketan – all being GOQii Players. From merely being fit to being in the Elite category within a year’s time shows his discipline, consistency and dedication to being fit and healthy! 

Do you relate with this story? Do you want to make a lifestyle change like the way Kamal Nath Thakur did? Then join GOQii’s personalized health coaching and begin writing your Healthy Story today! You can subscribe here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

For more inspiring Health Stories, check out Healthy Reads. 

#BeTheForce 

By 7 Comments

Nalin Talwar Goes From Couch Potato To Fitness Freak!

Nalin TalwarCan you make a positive lifestyle change in just 3 months? Is it even possible? After completing 3 months with GOQii, our player, Nalin Talwar decided that it’s a good time to share his experience. He did face some unfavourable experience with the hardware but for most of it, his overall experience has been good. Let’s read his experience, in his own words.

Introducing Nalin Talwar

I am 56 years old, but after three months with GOQii, I feel like I’m 6 again. That’s the transformation my GOQii Coach and fellow Players have brought in me – bringing out the child in me who is always ready to compete without fear or peer pressure.

I served the Indian Air Force for 23 years and took retirement in 2008. Post retirement, I worked with many organisations in the private sector, but what I gained working in these private organisations was a monotonous and sedentary lifestyle. The same routine of getting up early, running for the metro, reaching office by 9 am, working till 6 (officially) and returning back home for 6 days a week while on Sunday, I was only completing my backlog of lost sleep. Imagine being glued to the desktop and only your fingers getting a workout – that was me!

Being a soldier myself, I joined hands with associations working for the betterment of retired Jawans and here as well, I was caught in the same web, lying on the bed making posts, videos, passing on latest information on government orders on pensions, etc. I had literally become a couch potato – my day began and ended on the bed with my laptop on 24×7 and whenever I was awake, I was online. It began showing on my body as my waist was 43 inches and my weight might have been 90kg or more but I always thought it was just 70kg.

Towards the end of August, after 40 days of joining GOQii and following the intense exercise regime and diet control on intake (no dieting), when for the first time I stood on a weighing machine (due to pandemic I could not find a weighing machine with doctors as well so I had to buy one), it was 79kg. My blood sugar levels in fasting and PP have always been in normal limits. Then I got to know of the HBA1C test, which records the quarterly levels, and mine was 6.5 in July 2020. When I checked my previous reports, I found I was diabetic since 2016 when it was 7.2 and in 2018 it was 6.3. I am a patient of Primary Hypertension since 1996 and on medication, cholesterol levels have been high ever since, I am diagnosed with less than 3 Vit D3 in 2016 and while I take Calcium and Vit D3, my levels have been better but much below the normal limits. My Vit B12 levels are below the minimum levels required. This sedentary lifestyle had brought in many more complications in my life, not limited to weight gain or blood sugar but lethargy, unwillingness to step out, etc. My life was my laptop, mobile and other equipment.

I was on a look out for a smart tracker, not for any fitness routine but as I am very interested in Info Tech Gizmo’s, I had heard a lot about it and wanted to have one for me to test and find out how accurate it is.  I had decided to go for another tracker but settled for the GOQii Vital 3.

How Difficult Was It To Talk To My Coach?

Once I purchased the band and registered with GOQii, I started getting messages and calls from my coach or a better name now, Guru Deepali Sharma. I did not pickup incoming calls from GOQii for 2 or 3 days, but calls from the coach did not stop and at the end I had to pick up. It was the first call and a lot of cobwebs in my brain were cleared and today I can proudly say she is my GURU who has turned my train to tracks.

Who Else Motivated Me On GOQii Arena? 

My GOQii Sister, Jhumi Bhattacharjee, said, “Have you seen Anil Kapoor? At the age of 60, he’s doing weights and so is Amitabh Bachchan. No age is a restricted age to start a workout”.

Coach Sunita Sharma, when I said its better for me to watch her strenuous exercises than do it along with her, her response was, “Ha ha ha 56 is not old, you can do it!”

Ruta Pandya said, “Yaha Coach bahut achhe hain, aapko jo online Coach kahe waisa karo, benefit hoga.”

There is a long list of friends who motivated me through these three months with GOQii. Having said a lot about myself and my coach and those who motivated me, now is the time to count my blessings which I received in these three months. You will be amazed, you may say I am lying because one of them is a chamatkar and I am also confused.

What I Achieved Through GOQii

  1. In October 2020, my HBA1C level has come down to non-diabetic state i.e. 4.7. So I am sugar free now, but I have to continue this exercise and food regime to remain sugar-free.
  2. Had high cholesterol levels and was taking medicine for controlling them, they are now just marginally high and Cardiologist has stopped my medication for cholesterol.
  3. I walk very fast and in the 2 KM walking circuit only few people are there who walk faster than me.
  4. I run 2 KMs at a stretch every alternate day.
  5. I had a very bad sleeping habit and now I am sleeping around 6 hours at a stretch in the night and I rarely sleep during the day. I wake up fresh every day and am ready to hit the circuit immediately.
  6. During the recent Fit India Freedom Run, though I had very severe medical condition, even after several requests from my coach to take bed rest (this was the only time I have disobeyed her orders), on a daily basis, I hit the circuit and completed 30k steps in the month of Sep 2020. I stood first in Noida, 5th in Uttar Pradesh and 134 all over India. I was at No. 3 in Sep and Oct challenge in the GOQii Arena.
  7. Now some details about my physical appearance, my waist was 43” when I joined GOQii and after three months it is now below 36”, my target is 34”. Weight was 90+ and now I am at 70kg and I have achieved my target weight.
  8. The other miracle (Chamatkar) has been that before I joined GOQii, I had 90% grey hair on my head and was bald at the top with a few grey hair on top, but after three months of this fitness regime which also includes diet control, I have new growth of jet black hair all over my head and beard. The bald area is getting covered. It’s a miracle

Now I believe when God wants things to happen and joining GOQii is a blessing from God to me. Coming in contact with my Guru on GOQii is all done by the grace of the almighty.  I don’t think I would have ever met my Guru Deepali Sharma ever if I was not on GOQii. I salute GOQii for becoming the intermediary between me and my Guru.

In Hindi there is a Doha by Kabirdas, which I would surely like to state here and you will come to know what my Coach is for me.

गुरु गोविंद दोऊ खड़े, काके लागू पाय ।

बलिहारी गुरु आपनो, जिन गोविंद दियो बताय ।।

Coach Deepali Sharma, has transformed me from being a couch potato to a person now motivating people around me to wake up and start taking care of their body as this is the only thing which they truly own, rest all their possessions are transferable.

What Does Coach Deepali Sharma Have To Say About Nalin Talwar’s Journey?

‘Where there is a will, there is a way’ holds absolutely true for Nalin Talwar. We connected for an intro call and then our journey started, which is still going on. He came up with the goal to reduce weight and manage diabetes. And as you’ve read above, he achieved his target with flying colours as his weight, diabetes and sugar levels are absolutely in control now.

He used to feel digestive issues, lethargy and increase in heart beat but now he is super active, doing 20k counts on an average and even small runs within normal heart beat range. Digestive issues are no more. His thighs and calf muscles are getting toned up and he can clearly feel the strength in them. Credit goes to his hard work. The best part was that he started getting black hair on head, which was again a happy moment for us.

We started with balancing every meal. We worked on adding healthy snacks, good fibres, protein and reducing carbs. Pre-workout and post workout meal played a very important role in boosting his endurance and stamina. We started from walking and then later on added strength exercises gradually as per his comfortability. His honesty towards healthy habits have made this possible. He did an outstanding job throughout the journey and he knows health is the best investment!

We hope this story motivates you to make a positive lifestyle change! For more inspiring stories, check out Healthy Reads. To be a part of GOQii’s preventive healthcare ecosystem, visit our website now!

#BeTheForce

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

We’ve always advocated that lifestyle diseases can be managed with a balanced, healthy and holistic lifestyle but can they also help you manage a terminal condition? Our Player Ananda Mukherjee, with help from his GOQii Coach, was able to battle such a condition. Here’s how his inspirational Health Story unfolded. Going From Slender To Overweight  […]

The Right Guidance With Gradual Change – Rishikesh Ayre User Journey

Do you want to make a positive lifestyle change but don’t know how? Does it take every ounce of motivation for you to move? Do you need a nudge in the right direction? These are all valid questions and you’re not alone. Sometimes, we want to begin something new but don’t know where to start. […]

Venkatrao Alaparthi Loses 20kg With Guidance From His GOQii Coach

While earning a good livelihood is important, is it taking more life out of living? Long working hours, being seated most of the time with no physical activity and bad eating habits can take a toll on your health over a period of time. If this sounds relatable, you might have a lot in common […]