About Gitanjali Bahl

Dr. Gitanjali Bahl (physiotherapist) has a clinical experience of six years. She is also certified in sports and fitness nutrition. Dr Gitanjali believes that a good choice of exercise, healthy food and minor changes in lifestyle can help you have a healthy body. All that is required is strong will power and good motivation to be able to do so. Her own fitness mantra is ‘Eat Healthy, Stay Active, Stay Fit’

August 11, 2025 By Gitanjali Bahl 2 Comments

Prevent Workplace Injuries: Simple Tips to Stay Pain-Free at Work

Spending long hours at your desk? You’re not alone. Many office workers experience neck, back, and wrist pain due to poor posture and an improper workstation setup. The good news? With a few simple ergonomic adjustments and regular movement breaks, you can prevent discomfort and stay injury-free at work. From adjusting your chair height to taking short movement breaks, small changes can make a huge difference to your physical well-being. Let’s explore some easy ways to protect yourself from workplace injuries.

How to Avoid Injuries at Work

Adjust Your Workstation for Better Posture
- Screen Position: Your laptop or desktop screen should be at eye level to prevent slouching. If needed, use a stand or place your laptop on a stack of books.
- Chair Support: Your seat should provide proper neck and back support, aligning with the natural curve of your spine. If your chair lacks support, consider adding a lumbar cushion.
- Arm & Shoulder Alignment: Arms should be fully supported and parallel to the desk. If your elbows sit higher or lower than your desk, it puts strain on your shoulders and wrists.
- Foot Positioning: Keep your feet flat on the floor or on a footrest to maintain good posture and reduce pressure on your lower back.
Take Regular Movement Breaks
- Set a Reminder: Every 30-45 minutes, stand up, stretch, or take a short walk.
- Move Around: Walk to get water, use the printer, or take a quick lap around the office.
- Stretch Your Muscles: Simple neck, wrist, and back stretches help release tension and improve circulation.
Reduce Strain on Your Neck & Wrists
- Use a Hands-Free Device: If you take a lot of calls, a Bluetooth headset or speakerphone will stop you from cradling your phone between your neck and shoulder.
- Keyboard & Mouse Placement: Your keyboard and mouse should be within easy reach to avoid excessive stretching or wrist bending.
- Hand & Wrist Exercises: Roll your wrists 10 times in each direction and stretch your fingers every few hours.
Manage Workplace Fatigue
- Stay Hydrated: Dehydrated muscles and joints are more prone to injury. Keep a water bottle at your desk and sip regularly.
- Improve Air & Lighting: Ensure your workspace has good ventilation and natural light to reduce fatigue and eye strain.
- Stress Management: Poor posture often worsens under stress. Take deep breaths, do a quick desk meditation, or listen to calming music to stay relaxed.

Home Treatment for Work-Related Pain & Injuries

If you start feeling aches and pains, here’s what you can do to relieve discomfort:

Apply Ice Packs to reduce inflammation.
Use Proper Supports like lumbar cushions or wrist rests.
Rest & Recover – Allow muscles to heal by taking a break from repetitive movements.
Seek Medical Advice if pain persists or worsens.
Strengthen & Stretch – Regular flexibility and strength exercises will help prevent further injuries.

Your workstation setup and daily habits play a huge role in preventing injuries. By making small adjustments and taking regular movement breaks, you can protect yourself from discomfort and keep your mind and body feeling great throughout the workday. 💡 Try implementing these simple changes and see the difference in how you feel! 💬 Have you experienced any workplace injuries? What helped you recover? Share your thoughts in the comments! #BeTheForce Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health. Images shown are for representation purposes only and may not depict the exact recommendations or outcomes.

September 18, 2024 By Gitanjali Bahl 2 Comments

Healthy Habits to Reduce Stress

Ever felt like you don’t have the time to eat, exercise, or interact with friends and family? Have deadlines and responsibilities chained you down in more ways than one? Do you spend most of your time at work with little activity? Are all these situations creating a stressful environment and draining your energy and mental health?

If your answer to the above was a yes, it is time you addressed these issues. Coping with expectations at work and at home can be taxing. While these are important, remember that nothing is worth sacrificing your health.

The simplest way to reduce stress is to keep your mind at ease and your body healthy with simple lifestyle changes and time management. Letting go of bad habits and introducing a few healthy tweaks can help you rekindle your relationship with your mind and body!

Here are a few changes you can make to reduce stress:

Start Your Day with Breathing Exercises or Meditation: Practicing different forms of Pranayama or basic stretches can reduce stress and keep you energized throughout the day.
Plan Your Tasks: Spend some time planning your day to stay organized and avoid last-minute rushes that could lead to stress.
Limit Gadget Use: Use gadgets only for work or as and when necessary. Overindulgence in gadgets can lead to depression and cut you off from the real world. Set specific times for usage and avoid them at least an hour or two before sleep.
Set Alarms for Water Intake: Dehydration can affect cortisol levels, a stress hormone that impacts both mind and body. Staying hydrated can help reduce stress.
Walk Whenever Possible: If your workplace is within walking distance, opt to walk or cycle instead of driving. Walking releases endorphins, elevates your mood, and improves heart rate. Choose stairs over escalators or elevators as it is the best and easiest form of exercise!
Take Breaks: Spend time with family, friends and loved ones. A healthy social life fosters deeper connections and make life more meaningful.
Plan a Trip or Vacation: Whether with others or solo, a change in environment can boost creativity, positivity, and help you exchange new thoughts and ideas.
Eat Fruits Daily: Different fruits provide various nutrients that help reduce stress. For example, Bananas have Tryptophan, Avocados have Vitamin B, Sweet Potatoes have Potassium and Magnesium, all of which help lower stress levels.
Indulge in Hobbies: No matter how busy you are, hobbies help you relax. Whether it’s a sport, music, traveling, or painting, setting time aside for your passions will enrich your life.

Remember the old saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”? It’s true! Take time for yourself. If you’re only working and not playing, are you really living? Your work targets can be achieved, and your relationships with friends and family can be sustained—but only if you prioritize your health. Make your physical and mental well-being a priority!

Want to learn more about managing stress? Check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health.

September 14, 2023 By Gitanjali Bahl 5 Comments

Choose the right activity to stay fit

Who does not like to look good and fit? Everyone does. Off late you are also finding many who are conscious about wanting to be active. Many are obsessed with losing weight. All are aware that these changes will not occur overnight and hence exercising is very important.

Exercising regularly is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself. It lowers your risk of serious health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke and high blood pressure. It can also tone your figure and improve your sleep. Not only is exercise good for your body, it’s also good for your mind, mood and memory. Walking, doing household chores, climbing the stairs, playing a sport or dancing the night away are all good examples of being active.

Being physically active has other advantages such as easing depression, relieving stress and anxiety, enhancing one’s self esteem and improving one’s overall outlook towards life. You don’t have to spend long, boring hours in a gym to reap these benefits. Whatever your age, health limitations or fitness levels, you can develop an exercise program that’s fun and rewarding and fits well within your life parameters.

If you’re not ready to commit to a structured exercise program, think about physical activity as a lifestyle choice rather than a single task to check off your to-do list. Look at your daily routine and consider ways to sneak in an activity here and there. Even very small activities can add up over the course of a day.

Having said the above, making the right choice of exercise goes a long way in helping one be fit. Making some random choice of exercises can prove to become a deterrent towards you getting fit.

Let me sight few instances of wrong choice of exercises-

1) A person who is on the extreme heavy side (Overweight) should ideally not opt for running as an exercise as it requires to expend more energy and also running will put undue pressure on the joints which will lead to joint damage and injuries.

2) An osteoporotic man who is over 50 years old going to gym to lift weights. Though it is commendable that he is trying to stay active at his age but, lifting heavy weights despite osteoporosis is just straining the joints further.

Another important aspect to take care is never overdo it.

Research has shown that mild to moderate activity is enough to change your life for the better. You don’t have to sweat buckets or run a single step. Moderate activity means:

That you breathe a little heavier than normal, but are not out of breath. For example, you should be able to chat with your walking partner, but not easily sing a song.
That your body feels warmer as you move, but not overheated or very sweaty.

Therefore, making the right choice of exercise is a must.

The factors that are essential for choosing exercises:

-Purpose of exercise

-Age to perform exercises

-Weight

-Interest to exercise

-Medical condition if any

-Daily Routine to be able to spare time for exercise

-Daily Nutritional intake

Always, remember gym is not the only option for one to exercise and stay active. There are exercises that can be done at home, office or a park in the outdoors depending on your interest and purpose.

You can stay Active

-By going for a simple walk

-Brisk walking

-Yoga

-Simple strength and Stretch exercises like push-ups, planks, abdomen exercises that can be done at home

-Aerobics

-Cycling and Hiking

-Play a sport such as Badminton, Tennis, or any other sport

-Play with your kids

-Dancing

-Martial Arts

-and Running

Once you know the purpose to stay active you can automatically choose the right exercise for yourself. Consider all the factors and accordingly make a choice. Preferably if you can get a professional advice before starting on any exercise regime or speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

June 28, 2019 By Gitanjali Bahl Leave a Comment

5 Common Mistakes Women Make

We have always heard that women are more prone to most diseases but have you ever wondered why? Before we discuss the common mistakes that women make, take a look at this scenario…

Let’s go over the case of an average 32 year old female who has two kids, one being 5 and the other 1.5 years in age. She starts her day at 6 AM and begins preparing meals for the family. She gets her oldest child ready for school, does other chores and by the time she is free, it is 11 AM and she eats her first meal. Till her oldest child arrives back from school and till she finishes her remaining chores, she has delayed her meals, hasn’t gotten adequate rest and is fatigued.

This results in increased weight, pain in muscles, poor mental health and lack of interest in any task. This busy routine is what plagues most women in India today. It is even tougher for working women as the burden of managing work and household chores can place tremendous stress on them.

In some cases, poor health arises out of genetic composition but not always. It is also because of stress and negligence towards health.

Here Are Some of the Most Common Mistakes Women Make

1. Missing Meals, Especially Breakfast

It doesn’t matter if you’re a homemaker or an office goer, you need adequate nutrition. Most of us skip breakfast which is considered to be the most important meal of the day. Either that, or we eat late which is equally harmful. Starving the body may lead to overeating and can cause a number of problems.

2. Inadequate Nutrition

If the quantity of the meal is less, most women starve themselves and offer the meal to others or opt for the most convenient option available, despite the fact that it has no nutritional value. Both of these lead to deficiency. This is also a reason for low haemoglobin, calcium, Vitamin D and Vitamin B levels in women nowadays. Ensure that you have at least two servings of fruits and green vegetables a day.

3. Budget Management

Sometimes due to financial constraints or just to prove that they are good finance managers at home, some women deprive themselves of good and quality food, which is again wrong. Managing budget is good but depriving yourself of essential nutrients isn’t. Plan in a way that you can accommodate everything. For instance, make sprouts, paneer, curd at home which will be healthy and economical too!

4. Being Over-Organized

Some women are so busy with their schedule and are so organised, they want to finish their work first and focus on themselves later. As a result, by the end of the day, they are so exhausted that they get no time for themselves. Working is good but not at the cost of your meals and/or exercise. Fix a time for your exercise and meals and stick to it!

5. Sleep Deprivation

Due to family responsibilities, women tend to compromise sleep. Whenever there are guests over or there’s additional work, women take on the responsibility and lose out on much-needed rest. Avoid doing so at all cost! Compensate the next day. Remember that even a machine needs a break or else its efficiency gets affected.

Remember that health is wealth. To take care of the household, you first need to be healthy and fit yourself. Learn from these common mistakes women make and take a positive u-turn towards a healthier lifestyle!