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February 6, 2021 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Chandan Tiwari Makes A Positive Lifestyle Shift!

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns and as you age those twists and turns keep getting narrower. But as long as you are determined to pull through, nothing can stop you. And sometimes all you need is a helping hand. The story of our player Chandan Tiwari is one such example.

Life Before GOQii

Now 28 years of age, Chandan Tiwari used to be quite active in sports during his youth. He represented his school and college in cricket. He was lean, fit and weighed 74kg. However, once he began working in 2016, his life got caught up in the twists and turns of a working individual and he found himself working for 14-15 hours a day backed by lack of sleep, unhealthy eating habits and lack of physical activity. In 3 years, he gained 22kg and also suffered bouts of depression with his confidence being at an all time low. He says he is not sure whether depression led to all the unhealthy eating and weight gain or was it the other way round. He faced frequent health issues like cold and fever, stomach issues and skin allergy. He was diagnosed with fatty liver too during one of the medical tests conducted in 2018.

Enter GOQii

Chandan was introduced to GOQii by his brother who is also an active user and had undergone a transformation due to lifestyle changes introduced by the coach. He joined GOQii in August 2019 and his life took another turn – this time for the better.

The first thing his GOQii Coach did was explain the importance of a slow and consistent approach to fat loss rather than changing his lifestyle completely. So he started slowly. The changes introduced by his coach included:

No outside food on weekdays
Lemon water early in the morning on an empty stomach’
ACV before lunch
30 min of walking everyday
Reduce consumption of sweets

Later, his GOQii Coach also introduced habits such as:

Focusing on eating and chewing food slowly as he was used to finishing his meals quickly
Eating fruits and raw vegetables
Less oil in cooking and more boiled food
Start with a run for 1 or 2 km and then slowly increase it to 5 km

Chandan Tiwari Takes The Positive Turn!

In 2 months flat, Chandan was able to lose 10kg. This motivated him to be more dedicated. He says it was initially difficult to abstain from his normal eating habits as all the sweet cravings were hard to control but he pulled through. He proudly says he has not touched sweets in the last 5 months.

The other changes he experienced include:

2-3 days of run and 3-4 days of bodyweight exercises at home by following YouTube or GOQii Play Coaches. The bodyweight training has helped him achieve lean muscle.
He participated in a 10k run last year and now wants to do a 21 km marathon.
His sleep has improved as he avoids late night TV or his phone. Goes to bed at 11PM as compared to 2-3AM before.
Has incorporated meditation and breathing exercises to his routine which keep him calm although work pressure has not reduced, he is able to manage his work and prioritize fitness.

Thanks to all these changes, he now weighs 74.5kg. His fatty liver condition is completely cured. His thyroid is under control although he is still on medication. Right now, he feels more positive, confident and energetic even after 11 hours of work. Apart from interacting with his coach on a regular basis, he has been regularly buying products from the GOQii Health Store.

In his words, he was almost obsessed with his transformation and wanted to get back in shape at any cost. He said, “It’s not just the physical transformation but my mental transformation which I am happy about. I now feel totally in control of myself and stronger to handle everything.” His family is overwhelmed with his transformation and wish to thank GOQii for their support and help.

Do you want to make a positive shift too? Well, download the GOQii app and subscribe now! To read more inspiring stories, check out Healthy Reads.

#BeTheForce

January 9, 2021 By GOQii 1 Comment

Always Look At The Big Picture – Mukul Bhartiya User Journey

We often treat health as a one off objective but what happens once we achieve our goal? Do we fall back to our previous habits? While keeping health goals, it is important to always look at the big picture. While losing weight is a good target, being healthy should always be a lifelong goal! This is something our player Mukul Bhartiya understood during his journey with GOQii. Let’s look at his journey in his own words.

Finding GOQii

I started my journey with GOQii around two and half years back and my purchase decision was a result of meeting Vishal Gondal in 2012 at IIT, Mumbai where he was one of the speakers. I was looking for a fitness band and while researching, I came across GOQii. I immediately jumped in without having a clear idea of what I will do with it. Unfortunately, after just a month or so of purchase, I became very busy with work, having very little time to spend on my health. There was a disconnect with the coach and the 3rd coach assigned to me was a tough task master with his own ideas of fitness and health. So I decided to quit the journey.

I am a Black Belt in Shito Ryu Karate Do, but left practicing it around five years back due to personal issues. I kept myself active for a couple of years but after that, I became lazy, spending lots of time on social media, following twitter trends, validating my view point through anonymous writer’s rants. This time, around four months back when I looked at one of my pictures, it gave me a clear idea that I needed immediate help. I was weighing 84kg. Around 10 years back when I signed up for a weight loss program, though I lost 11kg, it was at the cost of my health. This time I needed certified people guiding me, so I went for GOQii!

Mukul Bhartiya Begins His Journey Again

My coach Ms. Falguni Bhojak is a patient and understanding coach and mentor. She asked me about my routine and my health objectives. She encouraged me to speak more about my health objectives, challenges and limitations and it resulted in a personalized health template for me. I years back. I wanted to lose weight fast, but she drilled down a few things in my mind, like “not everyday will be the same, I need to focus on the bigger picture and not allow failures to bother me”. We set a target of 1.5-2kg weight loss per month and made it a one year project. She also said that though weight loss is my immediate target, good health should be my lifelong target.

Ms. Bhojak’s first and foremost interest was to pull me out of laziness and make me active. She told me, “Mukul, can you start with half an hour of low intensity activity?” and guided me with the same. Now, what was “half an hour activity” around three and half months back, is “more than three hours activity” ranging from moderate to high intensity. In three and half months, I have lost 12.5kg. I am walking around 14-15km per day, spending around 30 minutes on martial arts, 20 minutes on yoga and eating healthy. Even on a bad day, I walk more than ten kilometers.

What Were Some Key Learnings?

Start always matters, even if it is small: I started with around 15 minutes of lazy activity and now I keep thinking how can I incorporate exercise in every activity.
There should be a bigger picture than the big picture: My coach’s question made me think what will I do after losing 20 kg? I have created a bigger picture for that and it has made my big picture look like a journey than just an end result.
Break the big picture into smaller pixels: Big picture may look daunting and many people back away, so break it down into smaller targets. Achievement of targets work as a reward mechanism for efforts we are putting in.
Stay consistent: Not everyday will be your best day. If you have a bad day, work hard the next day and make it better than your best day.
Everything needs time: You can’t make things happen by the snap of your fingers. Every result is the outcome of many actions you take on a daily basis to make it good.
Have someone who can critically analyze your actions but will be considerate and a helping mentor. Ms. Bhojak encourages me to ask questions, list out my challenges, immediately points out my deviations and keeps exercise routines which interest me.

There are options in the GOQii Arena where players can share their achievements, their story and their now-then photos and people share their achievements daily. Then there are “active month” challenges where participants can see their points, badges and ranks. There are some feature stories of achievers as well. There are many like me who either learnt or re-learnt something during their journey with GOQii. If everyone shares their stories, their journey, challenges, pain, achievements and guides each other from their experiences, moderated by experts, it can create a Facebook of “Health and Healthy Community”.

What Does Coach Falguni Have To Say About Mukul Bhartiya?

Mukul joined with a goal of losing 20kg of weight. He was doing meditation but workout or physical activity was missing due to the lockdown. We started with 30 minutes of workout. Moving ahead, as he was a trained Martial arts karate player and enjoyed doing it, we started with Martial arts as his exercise along with 20k steps.

He was following healthy eating and early dinner, but portion control was needed. So, we started working on it. He was quite determined and with his consistent efforts and hard work, we were able to see a loss of around 14.7kgs in 4 months.

The best quality of Mukul is that he is a very active GOQii Player who keeps updating his routine on the app and also discusses his challenges and progress with me on a regular basis – which is very essential in achieving any goal.

Does the journey of Mukul Bhartiya inspire you to begin yours? Head over to the GOQii App or our website to begin your journey today! For more inspiring stories, check out Healthy Reads.

#BeTheForce

December 5, 2020 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Getting A Push To A Healthier Lifestyle – Rohit Khatri User Journey

The choices we make early in life often determine our current predicaments. Unhealthy choices always lead to unhealthy consequences. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. It is never too late to make a shift to healthier choices. Lifestyle diseases can be reversed and you can live a healthy and fulfilling life. When things seem the bleakest, all you need is a gentle push in the right direction. Don’t believe us? Just ask our player Rohit Khatri!

Finding GOQii To Make A Change

Rohit Khatri is a 32 year old Delhi-based businessman who was introduced to GOQii through the ABBOTT Gutfit program in 2016. His doctor had asked him to register for a 3 month subscription with GOQii to adopt lifestyle modifications to manage his GERD issue as well as his weight, which at that time was 132kg. The doctor said that the only way he could get relief from GERD and other associated issues is when he reduces his weight.

“Most times, you know what the problem is but you can’t seem to do anything about it. You just give up and let life take its course,” says Rohit. He knew his weight had increased incredibly over the years and he just seemed to lack the will to do anything about it. He commends both his coaches, his previous coach, Swati and current coach Sakhi Agarwal, for giving him the confidence and the push to tackle his weight issue.

He points out that untimely eating, overeating and having absolutely no control over his junk habits were the sole cause behind his enormous weight gain.

Inculcating New Healthy Habits

The first and foremost thing that his coach assured him was that he doesn’t have to go through any drastic changes to his routine. She said they will adopt a gradual yet consistent method to losing weight and resolving his gastric issues. He was asked to make the following changes to his routine:

Drink jeera water on an empty stomach in the morning, followed by a fruit
Khichdi or Dalia for breakfast
For lunch, he was asked to eat roti, sabzi or dal-chawal, though the portion size was reduced
Avoid calorie-dense foods
Stay off junk food and sweets
Dinner consisted of more salads followed by home-cooked meals
Brisk walk for 45 mins every day (his duration has increased to 1.5 hours now)
He slowly included jogging, cycling or brisk walking or a combination of all to avoid boredom
During lockdown, he started watching GOQii Play and worked out with whichever coach was online during his exercise time

The Right Efforts Lead To Healthy Rewards

As a result of following his new healthy habits daily, Rohit Khatri witnessed the following changes in his life: “

Completely off GERD medication
Weight has reduced from 132kg to 103kg
He feels more energetic and positive about himself

He says that shopping for clothes earlier used to be a nightmare as he didn’t have many options for his plus size but now he doesn’t have to struggle as much. He is pleased with the compliments he gets from people for his weight loss and that even after 4 years, the weight he lost hasn’t come back. It makes him happy that he achieved his goal.

What Does Rohit Khatri Have To Say About GOQii?

He is grateful to both his coaches and says he owes it all to them. If not for them, he wouldn’t have gotten the push to focus on his health. They made it seem too easy to him, corrected him whenever he went wrong, motivated, and encouraged him at every step.

“Sometimes, all you are waiting for is a push in the right direction and GOQii gave that to me,” says Rohit Khatri. Now the habits have become a part of his life. He says that he can’t imagine a day without his jeera water, fruit and exercise.

What Does Coach Sakhi Agarwal Have To Say About His Progress?

Rohit Khatri was transferred to me on June 5, 2020. He was an Abbott Player and had a history of GERD. At the time, his weight was 120kg in July, his waist was 40 inches and his sleep time was disturbed i.e. 2am to 11am. I suggested 3 habits as per his goals:

Morning detox water to speed his metabolism
Improve sleep timings and change it to 11pm to 6am
Start taking an average of 3k steps a day

Later, I introduced other habits like replacing biscuits with roasted snacks or fruits and eating meals on time.

Now, he has increased his step count to 16-20k a day. He lost 11kg and 5 inches in 5 months. His current weight is 109kg and waist size is 35 inches. He is currently working hard to reduce his weight further and getting healthier. He is happy with his progress and has renewed his subscription for 1 year.

We’re thrilled to see Rohit Khatri make progress the right way with the right push from our team of experts. Found this story inspiring? Want to make a lifestyle change or know someone who wants to? Ask them to visit our website www.goqii.com or download the GOQii App now: www.goqii.com/app

For more stories to motivate you, check out other transformation stories on Healthy Reads.

#BeTheForce

December 3, 2020 By GOQii 1 Comment

Inclusion of Persons With Disabilities In The Outdoors

Anyone who is an avid trekker, nature enthusiast or just loves sitting by a quiet lake on a bright sunny day cannot bear being away from the rustling of trees, the winds that brush against their skin or the rays of the warm sun embracing their body for too long. More so, they can’t keep away from the freedom and thrill the outdoors offer. The great outdoors are always open to everyone. It is your right to experience what it means to be in the open, irrespective if you cycle, skate, run, climb mountains or play sports. The outdoors are open to everyone, including Persons With Disabilities.

Who Are Persons With Disabilities?

As per the UN, the term persons with disabilities is used to apply to all persons with disabilities, including those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various attitudinal and environmental barriers, hinders their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

But Can PWDs Actually Live On Equal Basis With Others?

Imagine having to deal with an injury that takes a while to heal. You miss out on your morning runs, you’d have to tweak your diet a little, probably give up a trip you were planning because you are unable to move or perform any activity. It is a hindrance. That long awaited weekend ruined by an injury or a temporary disability. Now, imagine living with that injury or disability for life. Imagine not having the chance to see that beautiful sunrise, take a carefree stroll in the park, to cycle, to ride, to run or do something that you would love doing.

No. Persons With Disabilities do not share the same opportunities that able-bodied individuals do but as they say, you can never keep a burning desire down for too long. There are always barriers to the things you want to achieve and you can overcome those barriers. There are always people who will break stereotypes, go against the grain and accomplish something extraordinary.

Paving the Path & Breaking Stereotypes

In 2018, a team of 3 blind climbers and 10 able-bodied individuals from India and Israel took an expedition to Mt Kilimanjaro that stands at about 5,895 meters above sea level. It was India’s first “inclusive climb” to Africa’s tallest peak. The inclusive climb was to question our rigid views about disability and shatter stereotypes that plague Persons With Disabilities.

“The climb was a major challenge but we did it,” said Anusha Subramanian, the expedition leader and who has been working towards building awareness about Inclusion in the outdoors, . “The Kilimanjaro inclusive climb saw participation of visually challenged as well as sighted climbers. This sends out a strong message that all of us are part of the same society. Mountains and the outdoors do not differentiate between anyone, so why is it that we differentiate among people? I have always believed that to change something, you have to be the change yourself. We can, indeed, be inclusive and grow together beautifully.”

In 2019, Anusha Subramanian, along with Sanket Bhirud, who was born blind, took the GOQii Trail Challenge which was a 50km, arduous trail that snaked through Mandangad. It was a challenging trail, not just for Sanket but even the other 120 odd sighted participants. This challenge that Anusha and Sanket undertook was again to build awareness about inclusion of disabled people in the outdoors as well as the lesser privileged.

Sanket Bhirud (L) at GTC 2019 along with Anusha Subramanian (R)

You will see varied activities such as these where PWDs have sought to break stereotypes by participating in marathons, tandem cycling with an able-bodied person or simply doing what they love, all with an aim to make sports and the outdoors more inclusive to everyone despite their disabilities. Whether disabled or not, we believe that every person has a right to enjoy the outdoors and stay active.

Vishaka (L) Tandem Cycling along with Anusha Subramanian at Night Ride Mumbai, Dec 2019

Last, but not the least, always keep in mind that we are all alike in more ways than we are different. PWDs are normal human beings where some just lack the sense of sight, hearing or may not be able to walk but have the same kinds of interests as everyone else. One just needs to take time out to get to know them and then you will understand how cool, fun and alike these guys are. Try it some time!

#BeTheForce