CHARMI GOGRI, Author at GOQii

November 7, 2017 By CHARMI GOGRI Leave a Comment

Stop feeding your emotions!!

Gone are those days when our ancestors considered food as a basic source for well being. They used to EAT to LIVE, but things have changed thereafter and now it’s LIVE to EAT. Eating is more than something we do to nourish our bodies with vital nutrients. We don’t always eat simply to satisfy hunger. We now turn to food for comfort, stress relief, or as a reward. It’s like an activity we do out of habit, like nail biting, hair twirling, or finger tapping. Recent trends show that we habitually turn to food in response to certain emotions. Like for instance some have the habit of gorging on chocolates when they are sad or depressed. Whether you feel angry, sad, bored, or even excited—food can act as a buffer against these emotions.

Emotional eaters know that it’s easier to stuff down our feelings with each bite rather than spilling the emotions and create nuisance. Unfortunately, emotional eating doesn’t fix emotional problems. It usually makes you feel worse. Afterwards, not only does the original emotional issue remain, but you also feel guilty for having overeaten. Compounding the problem, you stop learning healthier ways to deal with your emotions, you have a hard time controlling your weight, and you feel increasingly powerless over both food and your feelings.

So coming to the point, where do you start if you want to stop eating emotionally?

But, before that ever wondered why we turn to food when emotionally distressed? Here is a short explanation to make you more aware. When we eat food, chemicals are released from the food in the body. These chemicals have a strong impact on our emotional health, since food and mood are intricately connected. We feel sadder when we’re hungry due to lack of neurochemicals in the brain. To elaborate, through eating we experience changes in serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine levels in our brain – all of which control our moods. Sugar, for example, causes serotonin in the brain which makes us feel more balanced and equitable. Anti-depressants uses this same chemical mechanism to improve moods. So coming back to point, How and what do we do to deal with this?

The first step is awareness, recognizing what triggers you to eat emotionally—and WHY?

As I mentioned earlier, People eat for many different reasons. What situations, places, or feelings make you reach for the comfort of food? Each time you reach for foods (or even feel a craving come on), ask yourself, “Am I really hungry or am I just responding to something else that is happening?” If hunger isn’t the reason, it’s not always easy to pinpoint the reason why you feel like eating. By tracking your food (and related notes) more regularly, you could notice trends, like a tendency to overeat on Mondays, for example, and then pinpoint your true feelings from there. Ask yourself what it is about Mondays that leads to overeating (Stress from getting the kids to school? Anger over going to a job you hate? or holiday deprived ?) Notice if you tend to munch in the evenings. Is it out of boredom, loneliness, anger, sadness, anxiety or an unhappy relationship? Once you identify your emotional eating triggers, the next step is identifying healthier ways to feed your feelings.

It’s not enough to understand the cycle of emotional eating or even to understand your triggers, we need to proceed to step 2 which explains you to feed your feelings better. In order to stop emotional eating, you have to find other ways to fulfill yourself emotionally. You need alternatives to food that you can turn to for emotional fulfillment.

Some alternatives you can test out are: Call someone who always makes you feel better, play with your pets or kids, or look at a favorite photo or cherished memento whenever you feel low, depressed or lonely. If you’re anxious, expend your nervous energy by dancing to your favorite song, squeezing a stress ball, or taking a brisk walk in fresh air. If you’re exhausted, treat yourself with a hot cup of tea, take a bath, go to a spa or massage, light some scented candles, wrap yourself in a warm blanket or take a break and enjoy the weekend getaway. If boredom kills you, read a good book, watch a comedy show, explore the outdoors, or turn to an activity you enjoy (woodworking, playing the guitar, shooting hoops, scrapbooking, etc)

Last step to deal emotional eating requires long term modification i.e. healthy lifestyle habits. When you’re physically strong, relaxed, and well rested, you’re better able to handle the stone and lime that life inevitably throws in your path. But, when you’re already exhausted and overwhelmed, any little hiccup has the potential to send you off the rails and straight towards the kitchen>> refrigerator>>food. Exercise, sleep, and other healthy lifestyle habits will help you get through difficult times without emotional eating. Make daily exercise a priority.

Physical activity does wonders for your mood and your energy levels, and it’s also a powerful stress reducer. Give yourself permission to take at least 30 minutes every day to relax, decompress, and unwind. This is your time to take a break from your responsibilities and recharge your batteries for the next day. Connect with others. Don’t underestimate the importance of close relationships and social activities. Spending time with positive people who enhance your life will help protect you from the negative effects of stress.

With an arsenal of activities you can do besides eating, trekking, journaling and distracting yourself in a positive way, you’ll overcome your emotional eating problems once and for all. You might not be successful every time, but if you accept your mistakes and move forward, continuing to work on your issues consider you’re on the right path to stop the emotional eating cycle.

March 21, 2016 By CHARMI GOGRI 2 Comments

“If you want to exercise you can whenever and wherever. There should be no excuses”

I have accomplished it

He is young at the age of 52 and a busy top executive of a Mumbai-based Infrastructure company. But, the amazing thing about him is that he still finds time every day out of his busy schedule to go for a run and keeps himself fit wherever he is…you want to know how? Sudhir Hoshing tells us how he manages to be fit?

Fitness was never a part of my wife and my life. But, it’s in 2010 that we started taking fitness more seriously. The reason being that we realized we had put on a lot of weight. In 2009, I was weighing 92 kgs and I wanted to reduce my weight and get fit. In 2010 itself I ran my first Standard Chartered marathon. That’s how my regular fitness regime started. It’s always good when your life partner is also your partner in fitness training in the gym.

Over a period of 2 years, I also reduced my weight to 67 kgs. Then again I had put on some weight. Today, after 5 years I run 8-10 marathons a year. My day usually begins at 4.30 am and I go running for an hour and a half or if not running then I hit the gym. I am back by 7 am and by 8.30 am I leave for work. For me, fitness is one of the main aspects of life. A fit person can bring a lot of positive vibes at work too.

I was looking for something that counts steps and calories and I found GOQii by luck. I got in touch with GOQii and over interactions I found out more about GOQii and I was convinced to go for it. I initially thought that it was just a band that would give me my steps and calorie counts. Then I found that it’s more than just counting steps and calories. It also provides for a personal coach who is in regular interaction with you about your diet and other tips on exercises and lifestyle changes etc.

In 2014, I got the band and a personal coach in and I also opted for a personal trainer from GOQii who can come home for strength training and other exercises. Initially, I did not understand much how all this worked. I thought I knew everything because since 2010 I was seriously into fitness, going to the gym and for runs etc but. I was wrong. I did not know many things and it’s through my coach that I realized so many things on diet and nutrition, sleep, water etc.

I did not have a specific goal when I came on board GOQii platform. I only wanted to reduce my weight. What is my routine currently? Well, I run 10 km on alternate days on weekdays and on weekends I run 20 km.

Currently, I am working along with my coach on Mindful Eating. Until I came on board GOQii I did not know something like Mindful Eating existed. I eat very fast. Within 2 minutes I am done with my meals. And, this my coach told me was wrong and that I am supposed to eat slowly, chew and relish the food When my coach explained to me about how I should be eating I realized my mistake.

Despite the hectic schedule that I have and that fact that I am constantly travelling I manage to run and also do my exercises. If you want to exercise you can exercise whenever and wherever. There should be no excuses.

I love the concept of GOQii. It has helped me a lot and in turn, I have inspired a whole lot of people around me. My colleagues look up to me for my fitness and now want to follow me. My son and my nephews are inspired by me and my wife has also started running marathons since last year. She did her first Thane marathon this year.

Running Together-Sudhir and his wife.

What does Coach Charmi Gogri have to say about Sudhir Hoshing?

Sudhir has always been very particular about his fitness and nutrition. One thing that was missing from his workouts was some relaxation, peace and meditation. He was always engaged with running or weight training. We set an initial goal to include some Yoga Asanas in the weekly routine, eventually, it became part of routine too. Thanks to his sincerity and obedient attitude. While I would say his meals were great (well balanced and spaced), I found a little lag in his water intake. So that became part of initial goal too.

After reviewing his progress for a while, we moved to the next step and focused on getting better sleep. Once that got sorted, we are currently working on mindful eating as he has the habit of eating very fast. So far he has been doing well with this one. Still yet to master the skill.

March 24, 2015 By CHARMI GOGRI 8 Comments

Know the science behind acidic and alkaline foods

pH balance in the body is extremely important in fact it is a matter of life and death if its imbalanced. The only people who don’t consider this alkaline/acidity balance as vital for better health are ignorant and pop in a pharmaceutical pill for every illness and bug in the body.

pH stands for power of hydrogen, which is a measurement of the hydrogen ion concentration in the body. The total pH scale ranges from 1 to 14, with 7 considered to be neutral. A pH less than 7 is said to be acidic and a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline. Human blood pH should be slightly alkaline ( 7.35 – 7.45 ).

An acidic pH in the body can occur from, an acid forming diet, emotional stress, toxic overload or any process that deprives the cells of oxygen and other nutrients. The body will try to compensate for acidic pH by using alkaline minerals. If the diet does not contain enough minerals to compensate, a buildup of acids in the cells will occur. This when combined with an arena of other challenging environmental factors (such as lack of rest, psychological stress, and pharmaceutical drugs) will lead to chronic, degenerative illnesses or otherwise deadly conditions sooner or later for which modern medicine can’t claim 100% cure.

Acidic environment will decrease body’s ability to repair damaged cells, decrease its ability to detoxify heavy metals, make tumor cells thrive, and make it more susceptible to fatigue and illness. The reason acidosis is more common in today’s society is due to the drastic changes in the eating patterns as compared to our ancestors. Our food today is far too high in acid producing animal products like meat, eggs and dairy, and far too low in alkaline producing foods like fresh vegetables. Additionally, we eat acid producing processed foods like white flour and sugar and drink acid producing beverages like coffee and soft drinks.

We use too many drugs (for quick fixes), which are acid forming too. Chemical or artificial sweetners are extremely acid forming. On the other hand eating too many alkalizing foods can lead to its own fair share of complications over time, but the risk of this is seemingly less likely considering the current sorry state of today’s highly addictive people’s faulty diet as well as lifestyle.

One of the best things we can do to correct an acidic body is to clean up the diet and lifestyle. In order to maintain optimal health, the diet should consist of 60% alkaline forming foods and 40% acid forming foods. To restore health and reverse the damage caused by acidic body, the diet should consist of 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acid forming foods.

A small explanation to make you understand things better, when a person ingests food to fuel the body, the digestive and metabolic process of the body breaks food into a kind of ash which is either acidic or alkaline. The laws of modern biochemistry further explains that it is not the organic matter (such as Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fat) of foods (whether the food itself is acidic or alkaline), but their inorganic matter (such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, sulfur, phosphorous; that is, how they break down in our bodies), that determines either the acidity or alkalinity of this ashy residue.

All foods in nature contain both acid and alkaline-forming elements, pH balance is either achieved or thwarted as a direct result of the foods we choose to eat. Broadly speaking alkaline foods includes most fruits, green vegetables, peas, beans, lentils, spices, herbs and seasonings as well as seeds and nuts. And, acid forming foods includes meat, fish, poultry, eggs, grains, and legumes along with all the processed commercial refined foods off course!

Here is the quick list of foods based on their alkalinity and acidity, Have a look at them and follow the tips attached beneath that to make your diets more alkaline.

Source: energiserforlife.com

Tips :

Cut out sugar completely. Avoid processed sugars as well – no corn syrup, no agave, no maltose, no aspartame (Check Food labels carefully)

Having fresh vegetable juices in the morning will oxidise the nutrients present in the veggies.

The regular practice of Yoga cleanses the acids from the joints and organs

Avoid toxic fats like trans fats. Less known fact about coconut oil is it’s not acidic like all other oils when used for frying. Using coconut oil for cooking is the best recommendation.

Stop using deodorants and creams. They have massive chemical load that makes body acidic, also they often suppress the body’s natural functions like sweating, which actually helps to eliminate acid, and pushes the acid back into the lymph nodes.

Stop drinking fluoridated tap water. Tap water is bad, don’t even use it for cooking. Use water from water filter for drinking and cooking purpose.

Highly alkalising foods- you can complement your meals with Wheat Grass, Lemon Grass, Apple cider Vinegar, Alfalfa Grass, Kamut Grass, Oat Grass, Broccoli, Kelp, Cayenne, Cucumber (best taken in the morning or lunch, not at night)

Cut right down on meat. Meat is very acidic. Especially red meat.

Above all, the ultimate goal is balance. What you eat and drink will impact our body’s pH. So eat wisely.

November 4, 2014 By CHARMI GOGRI 4 Comments

CAN FOODs HELP PREVENT PREMATURE GREYING OF HAIR??

“Grey hair” – I am sure is one of the most distressing night mares for all of us!

Greying of the hair is an ultimate and irreversible reality of life and is often associated with growing old. Black turns into white when our hair lacks the pigment called “melanin”. Melanin is produced by pigment cells of hair follicles which surrounds the root of each hair strand. With the increasing age of the person, there is gradual reduction in melanin pigment of the hairs and this is what causes greying of hair.

A number of medical conditions as well as lifestyle choices have been related to premature greying of hair. Some of them include Thyroid, Vitamin B12 deficiency, Vitiligo, Smoking, Stress, Faulty diet, Excessive use of electric dryers and hair irons. Of all the factors responsible, lack of proper diet and genetic factors are the major contributors.

Diet plays a very important role and if a person’s diet is faulty then he is likely to face premature greying of hair. Though one cannot prevent the natural cycle of whitening of hair, but one can always prevent their hair from premature greying by choosing right kind of foods.

Few hair-friendly foods which help delay whitening of hair include:

Curry leaves: Curry leaves are beneficial in not only preventing premature greying of hair but also in providing strength to hair roots. Apart from adding curry leaves to the diet, these leaves can also be boiled in coconut oil. This is a popular home remedy, an excellent hair tonic to stimulate hair growth and increase hair pigmentation.

Amla: Also known as Gooseberries, they are the best remedy for premature greying. Gooseberries are known to be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of grey hair. This is a valuable hair tonic for enriching hair growth and hair pigmentation.

Fresh Veggies: Simply incorporate green vegetables into your diet for two or three of your daily meals. They are naturally rich in Vitamins B6 and B12, which keep hair healthy.

Chocolate: Chocolate is naturally rich in copper, a nutrient which is vital for melanin production. Choose dark chocolate, which contains fewer calories than milk chocolate, and enjoy it in moderation.

Berries: Berries like strawberries, raspberries and cranberries have abundant amount of Vitamin C. They promote healthy hair as well as prevent premature greying.

Salmon: Salmon is a great food for fighting grey hair. Salmon is a natural source of selenium, which regulates hormone production that keeps your hair colourful.

Almonds: Get rid of grey hair and have a healthy flowing hair with almonds
Almonds are rich in both Vitamin E and copper. Try incorporating almonds into your meals and start loading up on hair-healthy nutrients.

Sunflower seeds: Sunflower seeds have high amount of mineral content which helps in producing and retaining the melanin content thus playing an important role in maintaining healthy hair.

Lastly, when you’re eating hair-friendly foods, ensure water intake is optimal because nutrients need water to flow through your body. Thus, If you’re not well-hydrated, you won’t get the maximum benefits from all those special, grey hair colour-fighting foods!

So all these foods and information will help you prevent grey hair and will make you look much younger even when you grow old..