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Search Results for: holi

December 26, 2022 By Saba Mirza Leave a Comment

Simple Tips to Keep Your Holidays Healthy and Fun

How To Stay Healthy On A Vacation!The holiday season is upon us! These next few days have celebrations after celebrations and it is also a time when most people choose to get married. With multiple weddings, get-togethers, picnics, outings or even vacations, how does one resist eating and not skip a workout? You don’t essentially need to be a monk. You can still enjoy and keep your holidays healthy! Here are some simple tips to help you keep your holidays healthy as well as have some fun at the same time!

On a Road Trip

  • Pack some homemade stuff to eat on the way. Have sandwiches made with multi-grain breads or whole wheat breads, plain or vegetable idlis, homemade cookies, cupcakes for kids, veg upma, boiled sprouts salad, chickpeas and so on.
  • Take a variety of seasonal or your favorite fruits. Carry nuts as well to curb hunger pangs that usually arise out of boredom.
  • Avoid roadside high-calorie, unhealthy foods! They are unhealthy and sometimes even unhygienic depending on where you eat from. Eating these in moderation also won’t help!
  • Keep yourself well hydrated. Keep drinking plain water. Carry juicy fruits such as watermelon, litchi or even better – coconut water or lemon juice.
  • Avoid aerated, sugary drinks and caffeinated energy drinks as they are high in calories and provide zero nutritional value. They will dehydrate your body making you feel thirstier.

On a Long Vacation Away From Home

Again, with a few careful steps, you will be able to keep your holidays healthy and indulge as much as you want!

  • Moderation is key! While in a new city, you definitely want to try the new and unique delicacies the place has to offer you. Eat them all! Just choose wisely and maintain portion control. You can achieve this by leaving the hotel with a filling and healthy breakfast.
  • Eat fruits and healthy drinks which will keep you full when you travel/explore. Avoid overstuffing yourself.
  • While sightseeing, prefer walking or cycling wherever you can. It is a fun way to burn calories and cover more ground.

 While Attending Parties

  • As a rule of thumb, don’t go too hungry or too full! Too hungry will make you overeat and too full will not allow you to savour the taste of all the delicacies that might be there!
  • Just eat some healthy snacks before leaving. Something like a salad, sandwich or fruit.
  • Don’t eat while meeting and talking to other guests. You will lose track of the food you’re eating. Finish your conversations and then eat carefully and mindfully!
  • Opt for healthier alternatives like green salad over a Russian salad or grilled items over fried items or fruit desserts over rich, creamy desserts.

Remember not to skip exercising. You can do a light workout when you wake up or when you get the time. Keep a resistance band handy as there are many exercises you can perform using one. If you need expert guidance, join our live, interactive sessions on GOQii PRO within the GOQii App. You can even reach out to a GOQii Coach for tips by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Play it safe and play it wisely! If you keep everything in moderation and stick to healthy alternatives and exercise, you can make your holidays healthy and fun!

#BeTheForce

December 25, 2022 By Luke Coutinho 3 Comments

Holiday Health Tip: It’s All In The Chew!

Holiday Health Tip: It's All In The ChewIt’s precisely between this week and January 1st when people tend to put on most of their weight. There are two reasons for this – The crazy festive season filled with weddings and parties and then Christmas, New Year Eve and the fact that people tend to let loose during this time, with the justification that they will start anew with  ‘healthy new year resolutions’ from January onwards.

  • What if I told you that you could enjoy this season and it would not impact your weight?
  • What if I told you that snacking on a cookie or dessert here or there would not impact your weight goals?
  • What if I told you that you could eat rice, roti, bread at lunch and dinner, and it would not impact your weight or health?
  • What if you could enjoy this festive season, have loads of fun, eat your favorite foods and still maintain your health and weight?

The human body is a miracle and we are living examples of this miracle. The way our brain and body functions, blood flow, smell, feelings, emotions, the ability to recover from the deadliest of diseases and the ability of our cells to heal and repair. Every day, trillions of cells in our body work non-stop to fight out germs and bacteria all around us, which if infects us, we could fall very sick and even die. That miracle is called ‘ immunity’.

Our stomach produces sufficient acid to melt down a razor blade. Such is the power of our digestive system. So what’s an ice- cream or a chocolate bar or a cookie going to do when it finds its way into our stomachs? Our body is made to digest the hardest of foods. Red meat is tough to digest but the body will break it down. Vegetarians don’t escape either. Cellulose in vegetables are extremely difficult to break down, but the body breaks it down eventually (this is one reason that vegetarians suffer from more flatulence than non vegetarians).

The body can break down meats and vegetables and desserts as well! The secret lies in the ‘chew’.  The reason food tastes so good is because you’re supposed to enjoy it—slow down and savor it, not just get it to your stomach as quickly as possible.

How Does Chewing Thoroughly Help? 

Chewing your food thoroughly is actually the first step in the complex process of digestion, and if you glaze over it, just chewing the minimum amount of times necessary to get the food down your esophagus, you’re actually compromising this process. And that’s the mistake many people make.

We have teeth not just to smile for a pretty picture but the primary function of teeth is to tear down and break up food into small bits. Saliva mixes with these small bits, further softening them, and guess what?

Let me get down to some basics!

Why Should You Chew Your Food Thoroughly? 

When you chew, more saliva gets produced and your saliva contains enzymes that break down FATS and CARBS. Yes!!! Digestion starts in the MOUTH! By the time your food reaches your stomach, it’s already processed by enzymes and your stomach has no issues in completing the assimilation/digestion process.

  • You feel light
  • You feel full for a longer period of time.
  • You do away with flatulence, gas, indigestion and burping.
  • You learn to savor and enjoy the taste of your food.
  • Your body absorbs all the goodness of your food (vitamins, minerals) better.
  • You eat exactly how much your body needs, to maintain or arrive at a healthy weight

Imagine all the times you gobble down your food. You have undigested chunks sitting in your stomach, giving rise to gas, discomfort and chances are that most of your food gets converted to fat.

Chew your food. Enjoy a dessert but eat it slow, savor it and over time, you will learn not to abuse it. The more you chew your food, the cleaner you keep your intestines, stomach and colon because the body can quickly cleanse itself when digestion happens the right way. Say bye to constipation, fatigue and migraines/headaches.

Try This Exercise Today!

The next meal, eat it really slow. Take a spoon of food, chew it several times, savor the flavor and taste, and then swallow. Put your spoon down. Then take the next.

You will find yourself getting fuller quickly and then, you should stop eating. This way you save on calories you intake and over time, this will become a habit and you will serve yourself less food. Less food equals less calories, better health, longer life and a healthy weight.

Take 1 serving spoon less at every meal, chew and eat your food. You will find that it is enough and all these save spoons of food which add up to a lot of calories saved. You will lose fat and you will feel healthier.

Diseases are caused in most cases by overeating and we always think how much we eat is enough, but it may not be correct if you have been eating your meals fast. Chew your food and you will never have to diet. Your meal time is more important that your work, respect it. That’s your personal time between you and your body, where you feed and nourish it to keep you healthy and strong to do your work and live well.

This is a lifestyle change and if you master it, you can enjoy all the foods you like in moderation.

We hope this article helps you make that lifestyle change. For more tips like this, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

March 17, 2022 By Harpreet Kaur 9 Comments

Hair and Skincare Tips For Holi!

Happy HoliHoli is a festival of fun and mirth with plenty of colors and zeal. The tradition is to wish a Happy Holi by smearing colors at each other. Few decades ago, the colors used in Holi were derived from dry flowers and leaves. Even sandalwood paste, saffron, turmeric, henna and fuller’s earth were used to play Holi.

However, with rapid change in times and instant solutions, came cheaper, easily available industrial colors that replaced the natural ones. These industrial colors contain a variety of harmful compounds like malachite green, auramine, methyl violet, copper sulphate, aluminium bromide, prussian blue and cobalt nitrate. They are often mixed with starch, wheat flour and micadust.

The colors are disastrous for the skin as they increase the chances of allergies and infections. The most commonly affected areas include the face, scalp, forearms, neck and hands. So, how exactly do you avoid being affected by these harmful chemicals? The answer is quite simple!

Pre-Holi Hair and Skincare Tips

  • Use Organic Colors: You can make skin-friendly, natural colors at home. For instance, you can use roasted chic peas powder to make gulal. If you have hypersensitive skin, it is best to avoid chemical colors
  • Oil Your Way to Safety: Apply coconut oil, mustard oil or olive oil on your hair and scalp before playing Holi to prevent the color from blocking the pores
  • Apply Aloe Vera gel and oil on your body to create a layer of protection on the skin. Don’t forget to cover the ear area
  • Blend Castor Oil with Coconut Carrier Oil and apply it half an hour before playing Holi. This will protect your skin from chemicals. It also helps the colors come off easily during bath
  • Use Vaseline on Your Lips to keep them moisturized. You can even apply it on your ears
  • Use Sunscreen on your exposed skin to avoid skin damage. Try keeping yourself as covered as possible
  • Apply Transparent Nail Paint on your nails to prevent the color from getting inside the skin
  • Stay Hydrated all the time by drinking water and juices regularly

Post-Holi Hair and Skincare Tips

  • Clean your skin with baby oil. Do not scrub the skin for at least 48 hours post Holi
  • Use natural ingredients like curd and chic peas flour to exfoliate the skin and cleanse it
  • After bathing, apply moisturizer liberally all over to seal the moisture in
  • Avoid using make up or anything harsh on your skin for a few days. Let your skin breathe and get back its natural moisture
  • Wrap a couple of ice cubes in a thin cotton cloth and use it to soothe your face and neck area. This will help protect your skin from dryness and sunburn
  • Mix 2 tablespoons of Olive oil with 4 tablespoons of honey and a few drops of lemon juice. Apply this nourishing pack to your hair and scalp. Leave it on for 30 minutes and rinse it off with warm water. Use a light herbal shampoo and a good quality conditioner as well

By Adopting these simple measure before and after the festival, you can make it an enjoyable experience! Were these tips helpful? What do you do to protect your hair and skin during Holi? Let us know in the comments below!

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

Wish you all a Happy and Healthy Holi!

#BeTheForce

March 16, 2022 By Arooshi Garg 6 Comments

Celebrate a Skin-Friendly Holi With Natural Colors

Protect your skin on holi

Holi is the festival of colours in India that also marks the arrival of spring – a season of joy and hope. The festival is famous for its colours and how people apply them to each other’s face. I remember one horrendous incident a few years ago that left my face scarred due to an allergic reaction and I was on anti-allergens for over a month. The culprit was a toxic paste colour that my skin came in contact with. I, therefore, thought I should share some good ways to enjoy a safe and non-toxic Holi this year.

In the last couple of years, chemical colours are being used to celebrate Holi as they are cheaper than natural colours. Chemical colours can be very harmful to the health and skin of individuals as well as the environment.

Use of safe, natural and eco-friendly colours, can help to save our environment and conserve our biodiversity. Natural colours are obtained from skin friendly sources such as turmeric, flower extracts, sandalwood powder, mehndi (Henna), etc and are safe to use. 

Here’s How You Can Create Safe, Non-toxic Colours

  1. Brown color: Brown is one color that is never spotted anywhere in the color markets during Holi. So go ahead and surprise your visitors with this different and amazing color! Acacia catechu (Kattha) – which is commonly consumed with betel leaves (pan) gives a brownish color when mixed with water.
    Other methods: Boil tea or coffee leaves in water. Cool it and use it.
  2. Saffron: Soak a few stalks of Saffron in 2 tablespoons of water. Leave for a few hours and grind them to make a fine paste. Dilute that with water as per the desired color strength.
    Other methods: The Flame of the Forest, commonly known as Test, Palash or Dhak, is the source of the wonderful, traditional color for Holi. For fragrant yellowish-orange colored water, the flowers are soaked overnight in water and can also be boiled.
  3. Green: Save a trip to the parlor by using green colored henna powder (Mehendi) this Holi. Either use it separately or mix it with an equal quantity of any suitable flour to get a lovely and natural green shade. Make sure to use pure henna that does not have Amla (Indian Gooseberries) mixed in it, as this would be brown in color.Dry henna will not leave color on your face and can be easily brushed off. When mixed with water, it will leave a slight color, thereby making it a fast color.
    Other methods: Dry and finely powder Gulmohur tree leaves or crush the tender leaves of the Wheat plant to obtain a natural green color for Holi. The color can also be obtained by mixing a fine paste of green leafy vegetables like spinach (Palak), coriander (Dhaniya) or mint (Pudina) in water.
  4. Blue: Dry Jacaranda flowers (Neeli Gulmohar/Jungle Badam) in the shade and grind them to obtain a beautiful blue powder.
    Other methods: The blue Hibiscus, which is found in Kerala, can be dried and powdered just like the red hibiscus, or crush berries of Indigo plant and add water to it as per the desired colour strength.
  5. Yellow: Mix two teaspoons of Turmeric powder with twice the quantity of gram flour (besan). Turmeric and gram flour have magical qualities that are very good for the skin. Ordinary wheat flour (Atta), refined wheat flour (Maida), rice flour, ground nut powder, fuller`s earth (Multani Mitti) and even talcum powder can be used as substitutes for gram flour.Other methods: Flowers like Cassia fistula (Amaltas), Marigold (Gainda), Yellow Chrysanthemums and Black Babul yield different shades of yellow. Dry the petals of these flowers in the shade and crush them to obtain a fine powder. Mix an appropriate quantity of the powder with gram flour or its substitutes and see your festival come alive without any harmful effects of chemically-loaded colors.
  6. Pink: Slice or grate one beetroot and soak it in 1 liter of water for a wonderful magenta. Boil or leave overnight for a deeper shade and dilute it before use.
    Other methods: Boil the peels of 10-15 pink onions in half a liter of water for a pinkish color. Remove the peels before using them to remove any unneeded smell. You can also soak pink Bauhinia variegate (Kachnar) flowers in water overnight or boil them for a bright pink color.
  7. Red: Red Sandal Wood Powder, which has a beautiful red color, is extremely beneficial for the skin and can be used in place of Red Gulal.
    Other methods: Dry red hibiscus flowers in shade, powder and add any flour to increase the bulk. For a bright orange-red, mix a pinch of lime powder with 2 spoons of turmeric powder and a few drops of water. Use the resulting paste only after diluting it with 10 litres of water. Peels of Red Pomegranate boiled in water, juice of tomatoes and carrots diluted with sufficient quantity of water to remove the stickiness also give a natural yet beautiful red color.
  8. Black: Last but not the least, comes black. Often derived from very dangerous sources like used batteries, this color may cause a lot of trouble later. However, for a safe black color, boil dried fruits of Indian Gooseberry (Amla) in an iron vessel and leave it overnight. Dilute with water and use.
    Other methods: Extract juice of black grapes and dilute with sufficient quantity of water to remove stickiness.

Tips For a Skin-Friendly Holi:

  • Cover up: Nothing can beat covering the maximum part of your body with full sleeved clothes and trousers. But the old remedy of using mustard oil, coconut oil, olive oil or vaseline over your entire body on the morning of Holi does wonders in removing the colours easily
  • No warm water: Do not use warm water for bathing/removing colours. This can lead to the fastening of colours. Instead, always opt for cold water to wash the colours off. You should also try to remove the dry colour powder with dry hands rather than using water as it spreads even more after water application.
  • Stay Hydrated: Drink lots and lots of water as skin tends to get dehydrated with the use of chemicals. You can try other refreshing water-based drinks too. For instance, a virgin mint mojito, or fresh lime and buttermilk, to beat the heat out of your body!
  • Hair Care: Before you use a shampoo, rinse your hair with water to allow the additional colours to wash off. It is extremely vital to condition your hair to prevent any hair damage. Make a simple hair pack by soaking a few fenugreek (Methi) seeds in four tablespoons of curd. Apply this pack or egg yolk on your scalp and wash your hair with a good shampoo after 30 minutes. You can also apply a mixture of honey and olive oil for deep conditioning.
  • Face: Do not scrub the colour off with soap. Opt for a mild cleanser and follow it up with lots of moisturizing cream. If you feel any skin irritation during the process of taking off the colours then take 2 tbsps. of calamine powder and mix it with a few drops of honey and rosewater to make a paste. Apply this on your face and once it has dried up, wash it off with water and apply a moisturizer. You can also take off the colour with a mixture of Gram Flour (besan) and milk. If you are unable to do anything else, simply apply a generous amount of Multani-Mitti on the entire face and body to revive your skin.
  • Natural body scrub: You can use a homemade scrub by mixing the following ingredients: 2 tbsp. wheat bran, 1 tbsp. sandalwood powder, 1 tbsp. rice flour, along with some poppy seeds (khus-khus), few drops of honey and a mashed tomato. Scrub your body with this to clear off the colours and to bounce back to your fair and glowing skin.You can also rub a piece of papaya on coloured areas of the face and body to get rid of the colours. There is another good body scrub you can use to wash off colours. Mix curd, gram flour, orange peel powder along with little turmeric, a few drops of lemon and 1 tbsp. of olive oil. This will help clean your skin.  

Post Holi Skincare Regime

For the next two weeks, apply a Multani Mitti face pack every alternate day to ensure that your skin remains soft and supple. Do not go for any skin treatments like waxing, threading, facials, or apply any other external medication on the skin for 2-3 days after Holi. Your skin is very sensitive after Holi. These treatments may cause an adverse reaction.

Safe, Natural Holi

We hope these tips help you. For more, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce 

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