GOQii | GOQii

February 17, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

A Step Towards a Healthier Future

A Step Towards a Healthier Future
How many times have you woken up to the sound of your alarm only to push it on snooze and go back to sleep? How many times has your day been a blur of monotonous routine backed by the lack of energy and motivation to do anything? Have you been juggling meals between Swiggy and Zomato instead of a nutritious home-cooked meal? Has your desk job tied you down to your chair in more ways than one while stress, head-aches and other pains take refuge in your body? Have you ever wished for a change?

Change is coming, but before that, let’s go over some stats. If you think you’re the only one suffering from body-aches, lifestyle diseases or a complete lack of energy, our recent IndiaFit Report says otherwise. Apart from over 57 per cent of the population across key cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai being overweight, there has also been a steep rise in lifestyle diseases. Diabetes has increased to 5.1% in 2018 from 3.6% in 2017, Cholesterol has increased to 12.1% in 2018 from 5.2% in 2017 and High Blood Pressure has increased to 9.4% in 2018 from 4.9% in 2017. This spike in numbers can only be attributed to one thing – a lack of physical activity.

With technology simplifying so many things for us, the need to physically move has deteriorated along with our health. In a study published by Stanford in 2017, Indians were found to be among the world’s laziest citizens, clocking in an average of 4,297 steps a day and ranking 39 among the 46 countries that were surveyed. Though the number has improved to 6783 as per our latest IndiaFit report, it is hardly any reason to celebrate.

Given the grave circumstances we’re facing, our only option is to get active and we must get active now! In an attempt to curb lifestyle diseases, GOQii will be initiating a movement to make India an active and healthy nation by using one of the oldest and greatest forms of physical activity－walking! If you’re unsure about how walking can help, let us tell you that it is known to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, boost immunity, aid weight loss, reduce stress and depression while significantly increasing overall productivity among a myriad of other health benefits.

The GOQii India Steps Challenge in partnership with Network 18 will begin on the 22nd of February and is open to any Indian resident who has installed the GOQii app. This unique initiative aims at making walking a rewarding experience. All you need to do is clock 6000 steps a day for 100 days on your GOQii tracker or in-built phone sensor to collect points and claim rewards. Overall, we are issuing 40,000+ prizes worth INR 5 Cr. with one grand winner taking home 5 lakhs in cash. Other prizes include backpacks, GOQii trackers, exercise gear and mobile phones.

While these rewards are a tempting offer to begin walking, remember that the real wealth is good health! So download the app, charge your trackers and lace up your walking shoes! It’s time to make India the healthiest country in the world!

Watch this space for more details on the GOQii India Steps Challenge and lets #BeTheForce for a healthier tomorrow!

February 16, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

From Scalp Issues to No Issue – Incredible Change with GOQii

From Scalp Issues to No Issue - Incredible Change with GOQii Since GOQii’s inception, our core motive has always been to help people help themselves. With a majority of healthcare services focusing on sickcare instead of getting you healthy, GOQii chose to be different. GOQii chose to be an enabler.

We understand how frustrating it must be for someone with a health issue to keep looking for a solution in traditional healthcare and not find it. Like most people out there, Manisanthosh Bondugula suffered from a condition that Allopathy could not solve. After a lot of searching, Manisanthosh found GOQii.

For well over 3 years, Manisanthosh Bondugula, a 26 year old, working professional from Hyderabad, suffered from a condition known as Scalp Psoriasis – which is a skin disorder that makes raised, reddish and often single or several scaly patches that affect the entire scalp. When Allopathy couldn’t help, Mani began reading books for a solution and one of the books he read was ‘The Great Indian Diet’ by Luke Coutinho and Shilpa Shetty. Impressed and intrigued by the content, he reached out to GOQii’s Master Coach Luke Coutinho, who then introduced him to GOQii and Mani’s life began changing for the better.

In 2017, Mani became a GOQii Player. After much conversation, Mani’s coach diagnosed that his scalp psoriasis was caused by multiple issues which involved stress and sleep. His coach explained why he had these issues and how he can overcome them. The long-term goals assigned to him were to Manage Stress and Good Gut Health to Manage Psoriasis.

Mani’s coach asked him to consume chamomile tea to improve his sleep and asked him to add nuts and salads to his diet. He was asked to consume veg proteins for breakfast and dinner to improve his stamina. He was to avoid tamarind, curd, fish and non-veg entirely. To compensate, he began eating a lot of veggies and fruits. Additionally, his coach also advised him to participate in activities that gave him pleasure.

Currently, Mani is regular with meditation and walks 5km every day. When he finds the time, he performs yoga as well. He drinks 1 glass of lemon/honey water to detox his system and boost metabolism. He drinks milk with a pinch of turmeric before he sleeps to boost his immunity and healing. Initially he consumed Quinoa but replaced it with Millets as suggested by his coach. He also adds salads and sprouts to his meals.

After 2-3 months, Mani began noticing changes. His sleep improved and he lost 4-5kg. As of 2019, his Scalp Psoriasis has been cured by 90%. He is closely working with his coach to resolve the rest of it. Since 2017, Mani has had 4 GOQii coaches and has had a good experience with all of them.

With all that he has learned, Mani can now manage his lifestyle on his own. He told us, “For over 3 years no Allopathy doctor could help me. They kept telling me that the issue cannot be solved but when I got GOQii, it felt as though someone gave me a helping hand and pulled me out. It changed everything and it is awesome!”

Since being a part of our ever-growing family, Mani has recommended GOQii to 20 of his friends and acquaintances. He has subscribed to GOQii Play and follows dance workouts, yoga and breathing exercises. He had also attended the first GOQii Active Sunday in Hyderabad.

In closing, Mani had to say, “GOQii is an enabler. It doesn’t provide you with half knowledge. There’s only so much you can learn from a book and a book can’t tell you everything. Having a coach by your side does wonders as you can interact and get precise solutions for your problems, what you should and should not do and even your diet.”

We hope Mani completely recovers from his issue and is able to lead a happy and healthier lifestyle!

February 14, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

5 Healthy Valentine’s Day Gifting Ideas

gift with red satin ribbon on wooden table. for celebrity concept.

It’s Valentine’s Day and if you still haven’t found the perfect gift for your better half, we suggest opting for these 5 healthy little treats so you and your loved one can spend your life on the right side of forever! After all, the best gift you can give the one you love is good health.

1. Herbal Teas
If a picture is worth a thousand words then the aromatic blend of flavorful, healthy herbal tea is worth a million! There’s no better way to express the unique love the two of you share than presenting them with an unique blend of tea. Talk about exquisite and classy! Because the world is vast with millions of choices, it is important to pick the right one. Our suggestion – pick the Jasmine Pearls by Tea Culture of the World. Nothing spices up romance like a freshly brewed cup of tea!

2. Natural Honey
Our money is on the honey for your honey! Celebrate your unadulterated love with some natural goodness. If you’re wondering why honey is on this list, then there are a million reasons. To begin with, sugar is addictive and it does terrible things to your body. If you must go for a sweetener, then why not opt for something that is much sweeter and healthier? The natural and gourmet spice honey infusion by Honey Twigs can do wonders for you and your loved one. It is easy to carry anywhere, delicious, natural and most important of all – healthy!

3. Muesli
We can all agree that love isn’t a single emotion, it is a mix of all things good just like Muesli! Doing something as surprising as bringing the love of your life some breakfast in bed can go a long way in ensuring a long, loving and healthy relationship. Want a healthy Muesli option? Go for the Yogabar Muesli+. They are as delicious as a great Valentine’s Day gift can get.

4. Personal Care Products
Love is a serious business. The best way to show your commitment is by pampering your loved one with a gift that brings out her radiance, much like the inner beauty that you fell for. To show her that your love is pure, choose a natural, zero-chemical product. We suggest the 100% nature derived, plant-based products by Arata – Zero Chemicals.

5. Healthy Chocolates
By now, we all know that the universal food for love is chocolate! There is absolutely no better way to say ‘I love you’ than presenting your loved one with a box of delicious chocolates! To keep things healthy, we suggest you go for chocolates by Fanette Chocolate that are diet friendly, gluten-free, protein rich and are loaded with essential vitamins and antioxidants – lip smacking and heart stopping goodness!

As a sweet gesture for you lovebirds, all the products that we’ve suggested will be available for a discounted price on the GOQii Health Store using your GOQii Cash.

#BeTheForce for love and good health!

Got any more healthy gifting ideas? Share them with us in the comments below.

February 9, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

4 Healthy Pizza Recipes!

4 Healthy Pizza Recipes Today is Pizza Day! While indulging in this forbidden treat can be a sin for those who are on their way to being healthy and fit, there are some who just can’t resist. If Pizza Day is your excuse to cheat on your diet, why not make it healthy by treating your body and your soul to these 4 Healthy Pizza Recipes?

1. Healthy Whole Wheat Pizza Base
(Recipe by Azra Faisan)

You can’t possibly go wrong when your foundation is this strong! Try this Healthy Whole Wheat Pizza Base for starters:

Ingredients:
– 2 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour
– 1 Cup of All-Purpose Flour
– 1 Cup of Grounded Oats
– 1 tbsp Yeast
– 1 tsp Salt
– 1 Cup of Lukewarm Water
– 1/2 a Cup of Milk
– 2 tbsp Sugar
– 3 tbsp Olive Oil
– 1/2 tsp Pepper Powder
– 1 tsp Oregano (optional)
– 1 tsp Dried Basil (optional)

Recipe:

Dissolve the sugar in lukewarm water
Mix the yeast and keep it for 15 – 20 minutes in a warm place
Mix all the dry ingredients (grounded oats, pepper powder, etc.)
Add the wet ingredients, including the yeast mixture
Mix them with a spoon and bring them together with your hands (You may have to wet your hands a bit).
Keep them in a dry place for 2 hours for proving. By this time, the dough will have expanded to twice it’s volume or more
Punch it down and carefully shape it into balls
Roll each ball and flatten them to make a thin pizza base
In a pre-heated oven, pre-bake the base at 200°C for 8 minutes (only if you want a pre-baked base)
If you want to skip pre-baking the base, then add your choice of ingredients (choose a few veggies and add only a little cheese to make it even more healthy!)
Bake at 200°C for 10-15 minutes

2. Roti Pizza
(Recipe by Urvi Gohil)

The easiest recipe ever made!

Prepare a Wheat Roti
Apply pasta sauce or you can even mix ketchup with chilli sauce
Add chopped onions, tomatoes, olives, lettuce, or any veggies you have at hand
Top it off with cheese, paneer and condiments such as oregano, mixed herbs or chilli flakes
Bake them in the oven or you can pan fry it for a healthy and delicious treat!

3. Cauliflower Pizza
(Recipe by Shraddha Shetty)
This might seem like a bad idea until you taste it! A must try for anyone who loves their veggies!

Ingredients:
– 2 Cups of Riced Cauliflower Florets
– 1 Cup of Parmesan or Mozzarella Cheese
– 1 Egg
– Salt to Taste
– Mixed Herbs

For Topings:
– Tomato Sauce (Tomato puree, fresh garlic, mixed herbs, black pepper powder, salt)
– Your Choice of Vegetables
– A Little Cheese

Recipe:

Clean the Cauliflower Florets by washing and drying them well
Pulse the florets in a food processor or grate them into rice-like granular consistency
Take the riced cauliflower and transfer it to a non-stick pan. Keep stirring on low flame till most of the moisture is gone (ensure that it does not turn brown) and let it cool
Beat 1 egg in a bowl, add cheese and mix them well
Add the riced cauliflower and mix well with salt and herbs
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and transfer this mixture onto it to make a pizza base
Gently pat the mixture to make a base of your desired shape with a thickness of a quarter inch. Ensure that you keep the edges slightly thick to avoid burning
Place it in a pre-heated oven at 200°C for 20 mins
Remove and let it cool
Once cooled, spread the tomato sauce, add any topping of your choice with a little cheese and bake it again at 200°C for 10 minutes
Serve hot!

4. Buckwheat Flour Bread Pizza
(Recipe by Shilpi Agarwal)

Ingredients:
– 4 Slices of Whole Wheat Bread
– 100 gm Buckwheat Flour
– 1 Chopped Onion
– 1 Chopped Tomato
– Grated Carrot
– Finely Chopped Green Chillies
– Salt to Taste
– 4 tsp Oil

Recipe:

Mix the Buckwheat Flour and chopped vegetables
Adding salt and water, make a batter of thick consistency
Pour 2 tbsp of this batter on one slice of bread and spread well to cover the whole surface of the bread
Heat a non-stick pan and grease it with oil
When the pan is heated, put the bread coated with batter in the pan upside down
Add ½ tsp oil and let it cook for a minute
Turn it, add ½ tsp oil again and let the other side get cooked
Take the bread slice off the pan when both sides turn golden brown
Serve hot with tomato ketchup or tamarind chutney or a little bit of cheese

If you are traveling, you can try to make your pizza as healthy as possible. Opt for a thin crust wheat base and make it wholesome by adding healthy toppings such as sun dried tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, grilled chicken or seafood. Avoid bacon, pepperoni, sausages or any toppings such as these to avoid excess saturation of calories. Ask the chef to add minimal cheese on your pizza.

There you go! Live long and eat healthy!

Do you have your own special way of making a pizza healthy? Share your awesome recipes with us in the comments below!

#BeTheForce