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November 29, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Your Guide to GOQii Trail Challenge 2019

If you joined us for GOQii Trail Challenge 2018, you know what lies ahead of you and if this is your first time, you’re about to step into the heart of nature – a journey filled with challenges, beautiful vistas and an experience you will never forget.

The 50km trail might seem daunting but if your body and mind can endure it, there’s nothing more satisfying in the world than the feeling of crossing the finish line. In this article, we’re going to suggest the best practices which will help you complete the trail like a champ!

Let’s begin!

GOQii Trail Challenge Gear List & Dos and Don’ts

We’ve made a list of essentials you will need to carry along with you on the trail:

Daypack (30L) and a small daypack of about 10-15L which you will use during the challenge.
Max pair of 2 clothes and a light jacket as it will be chilly in the morning and at night.
Sleeping bag or a light cotton bedsheet or a shawl. Avoid carrying anything too heavy.
2L hydra pouch or a 2x1L water bottle. Don’t forget some chocolate, energy bars or nuts you can munch on while walking. Carry Electoral or ORS mixed with your bottle of water.
Personal medication you might need or take regularly.
Carry a ziplock bag for your wallet and phone.
Floaters, extra socks, torchlight with extra batteries
Hat/Cap, sunglasses, sunscreen and insect repellent.
Avoid carrying any electronic gadgets like iPods or iPads. You can use your smart phone as a camera.

What to Keep in Mind While Walking

Walk straight. Avoid sitting and climbing down slopes and you’ll experience more pain further down the road.
When tired, don’t sit down on the trail. This will tighten your muscles and make it more difficult to walk. If you must sit, don’t do it immediately. Standing and resting is better!
When you halt for a break, take small sips of water as opposed to large gulps.
If you feel uneasy, inform your teammates before things go out of hand.
Don’t walk on the trail with earphones listening to music, it could be hazardous.
Avoid littering and talking too loudly. Respect nature and the surrounding environment.

Follow these few basics and you’re all good to go! In fact, to make it even easier for you, we’ve prepared a hack list that consists of a few golden rules, walking strategy, what to eat, injury prevention and so on. Check the list here: http://www.goqii.com/gtc/hacklist. You can also watch this video tutorial for any help you might need to tape your foot the right way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU29tXBMAZs

Now that you’ve got all the details you need, we’ll see you at the trail venue on the 6th of December! Here’s wishing all the participants the very best. Let’s make #LifeWorthWalking

#BeTheForce

November 23, 2019 By GOQii 1 Comment

How Mr. Nageswaran Won Rs. 5 Lakh in the India Health Quiz

In a world plagued by fake health news and articles spread via the internet, the India Health Quiz launched by GOQii sought to educate the masses with the correct information in a quiz format which tested their knowledge. The idea was to bust myths and fake health news by getting the correct information from experts via GOQii Play and use that knowledge to play the quiz. Players could accumulate points and exchange them for prizes such as GOQii Trackers, Bags, Cell phones and a grand prize of Rs. 5 lakh which was bagged by Mr. Nageswaran!

With so much of competition, difficult questions and obstacles, how did Mr. Nageswaran manage to claim the grand prize? Let’s find out!

What Motivated Mr. Nageswaran?

Being a GOQii Player for about 3 years, Mr. Nageswaran has been quite active on the GOQii App. When the India Health Quiz was announced, he got curious! He knew he wanted to participate. Furthermore, he wanted to increase his awareness about various things related to fitness and nutrition. This was the right platform for him to do that!

Vying For 1st Place!

If you’re wondering, “Did he have a strategy?” He didn’t plan anything. He just went out and played the quizzes with the aim of getting as many correct answers as possible in a collective effort with his wife. His initial thought was that he just wanted to play and see how far he can reach.

As the days progressed, he used to go back to previous quizzes and sharpen his knowledge. He found that some of the past questions had some relevance to the current ones. Towards the end, he knew almost all the answers without even looking at the options.

One of the boons he had by his side was that he never ran out of keys. How? Mr. Nageswaran is a regular at the GOQii Health Store. He says that most of his groceries come from the GOQii Health Store. In fact, he purchased some product or the other every day. This helped him accumulate keys and use them to participate in the IHQ.

As for lives, he had only managed to invite 50 friends. He had retained this number till the last 10 days of IHQ. Towards the end, he referred more people and got his count up to 90. As a matter of fact, he did not need too many lives at later stages as he knew the answers to most questions. He was left with as many as 2000 lives!

Overcoming Obstacles and Glitches

At the start of IHQ, Mr. Nageswaran face a few technical glitches which reduced as the quiz progressed. He particularly points out that the technical team were always eager to help him with any issue he faced. Despite having faced glitches, he is of the opinion that an online quiz of such magnitude is bound to have glitches. Apart from this, he feels the questions were quite simple except a few technical ones which were very hard to figure out.

His Thoughts on the India Health Quiz

Mr. Nageswaran says it was a commendable effort on the part of GOQii to think of a unique and interesting way to impart knowledge to its users. He feels some of the concepts about health and nutrition might have gotten etched in the minds of users who played these quizzes regularly. For instance, he would have never known the food sources of various vitamins and minerals if it weren’t for the quiz.

He feels what started as a casual thing, later on became an addiction. He and his wife used to even participate in the quiz while working and trying their best not to miss any quiz. He feels it was definitely a success story for GOQii and a great learning experience for him.

All we can say now is Congratulations to Mr. Nageswaran and a big thank you to everyone who participated! Keep your eyes peeled for the next challenge!

#BeTheForce

November 16, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Dinesh’s Ultimate Trick to Completing the GOQii Trail Challenge

(L-R) Vishal Gondal, Vandit Panvelkar, Dinesh Thakur after completing the GOQii Trail Challenge

From everything you have heard about the GOQii Trail Challenge, you’re aware that it puts your limits to the test. The endurance event challenges you, shapes you, breaks you and after each step closer to the finish line, it transforms you with an overwhelming sense of joy of having completed the arduous trail! While GTC is not a race, you can’t deny a human’s ambition to fight against all odds, battle time and fatigue and still hold the desire to win. Does completing a 50km trail that snakes through rough terrain within 8 hours seem impossible? Our very own Dinesh Thakur was able to do this after starting 30 minutes late! How did he do it?

Who Is Dinesh Thakur?

Dinesh Thakur has been a part of GOQii since 2014, working in the Logistics Department. He is 31 years of age and lives with his parents in Mumbai. Before the GOQii Trail Challenge, he didn’t have anything specific that he was looking forward to. He just wanted to experience the trail, enjoy nature and get his mind off everything – much like most of us today.

Apart from playing cricket with his colleagues on a daily basis, he wasn’t into any specific activity. He enjoyed it as it helped him alleviate a lot of stress. When the GTC was announced, he decided to walk a total of 7km from his home to the office and back home every day in order to get used to walking. To achieve this, he even locked his bike in the garage, not using it at all.

Unfolding Destiny

During the trail, Dinesh Thakur was not meant to be a participant despite the fact that he trained for it. He was at the venue as a part of the support team. His participation wasn’t planned although he wished to test himself against the trail before him. When the other participants embarked on the trail, he couldn’t just stand there. The will to achieve sparked within him and he incessantly convinced his manager to let him walk too.

Who’d deny a man’s passion? His manager gave him the signal and Dinesh rushed the trail 30 minutes after the other participants. For someone who wanted to reach the finish line first, this was a clear disadvantage. However, it did not deter him and he decided to compensate for his lost time by not taking any breaks throughout the entire trail.

Grit, Guts and Broken Shoes

At this point, Dinesh’s only strategy was to keep walking until he reaches the finish line. He wasn’t geared enough as he didn’t carry a proper pair of shoes as he was only going to volunteer. In fact, he didn’t even carry a bottle of water. He got one at the first checkpoint.

As he reached Checkpoint 3, the sole of his shoes gave way. He had to tie it with a string so that it wouldn’t come apart. Using his wits, he decided to take his shoes off and walk in just socks on flat terrains, saving the shoes for rocky and difficult patches. By the time he reached Checkpoint 4, he was exhausted. He had to request support for an energy bar to fuel him.

With that being his fuel, Dinesh raced on when he came face to face with his competition – another participant who was vying for first place. Dinesh and his competition were neck-to-neck as they inched towards the finish line. His supposed opponent, a little ahead, tried his best to block Dinesh on a narrow path. This continued for quite some time. When they came close to the finish line, Dinesh decided it was all or nothing and gave his opponent a shock by coming from behind, jumping over a bush and landing on the finish line ahead of him. With nothing but grit and guts, Dinesh was the first one to complete the trail in 8hours and 12 minutes.

Recounting the Experience

Dinesh praises the location chosen for the trail. He loved the fresh forest path, the water bodies which he encountered and the encouragement he received from the locals. He says it was a memorable experience and him finishing the trail before anyone was just a cherry on the proverbial cake. In his own words he says, “I never realised when I started and when I completed it. All I knew was that I had to keep walking.”

There are so many things one can take away from this story. Whether you’re ready or not, prepared or unprepared, at the end of it, it is your determination which counts and your willpower which pulls you through. That’s the real trick – your own determination and willpower!

We hope you’re excited for GOQii Trail Challenge 2019! We know we are ready to #BeTheForce!

October 31, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

The New Age Health Horror of Diabesity

When someone says “horror”, what do you imagine? Definitely nothing pleasant but something extremely scary, right? Do you picture ghosts and demons? If your perception of horror is limited to only supernatural occurrences, you might want to take a big step back. While supernatural entities are subjective, health issues are very much real and their stats are horrifying to say the least.

Recently, we came across a study titled ‘Finding a Policy Solution to India’s Diabetes Epidemic‘ by Karen Siegel, K. M Venkat Narayan and Sanjay Kinra. The study indicated that ‘In India, 35 million people have diabetes—a number expected to more than double by 2025, disproportionately affecting working-age people’. That means over 70 million people. Isn’t that scary?

Diabesity, which is a combination of Diabetes and Obesity, is even worse! Can you picture it? Obesity is a key risk factor for diabetes. India has the world’s largest number of people with Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) and Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG), which are the precursors for diabetes. Obesity and IGT are mostly found in younger populations.

Major Causes Leading to Diabesity

Globalization: facilitates access to various pre-packaged and processed foods. In fact, there is minimal physical activity as we have one touch access to almost everything! Surely, we are growing economically but at the cost of our health.
Nutrition Transition: There is a major shift observed in the meal patterns of Indians today. People are turning more towards western foods, foods that are pre-packaged, ready to eat foods, high in calories, sugar, aerated drinks, hydrogenated fats over the simple traditional food which are high in vitamins, minerals, fiber and other essential nutrients.
Higher Percentage of Abdominal Fat: Abdominal obesity is the key factor of insulin resistance and development of diabetes.
Malnutrition During Pregnancy: Because of the co-existence of underweight and overweight, children are often born underweight and adapted to a low-nutrition environment. Low-birth weight infants are more susceptible than those of normal birth weight to obesity and diabetes, especially when raised in an Obesogenic environment.
Lifestyle: Most people today lead sedentary lifestyles devoid of much movement. Even at work we’re glued to our desks and laptops. This accounts to minimal physical activity. At the same time, the stress factor is the maximum with respect to targets/goals associated with work, family and social circles.

How To Keep It At Bay

Keeping Diabesity at bay actually involves 3 very simple and basic lifestyle modifications:

Make Healthy Food Choices: Choose whole grains and its products over refined ones. Incorporate more fruits and veggies daily. Opt for products less in sugars, fats and high in fiber. Make a habit of reading nutritional labels before buying a product. Do not forget “MODERATION IS THE KEY”.
Exercise: Make it a point to exercise on a regular basis. Exercising will not only keep you active but also help reduce insulin resistance, improve cardio vascular strength, tone your muscles, and increase Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Exercising releases endorphins which is a feel good hormone that will also help you relieve stress(both physical and mental).
Stress Management: Managing time and stress is essential to stop the release of the stress hormone Cortisol which makes you crave for foods that are high in carbs. All that you eat when stressed is stored in the body as fats, especially in the belly. Meditating regularly before going to bed, deep breathing during stressful moments, indulging in your hobbies, exercising, completing your work on time, etc. will help curb stress levels. It is not a single factor that would work but both.

If you want to learn about effective ways to manage obesity and diabetes, or want effective exercises to combat both, tune into GOQii Play and get live coaching from renowned experts you can even interact with.

We hope this article on Diabesity alarms you enough to make necessary lifestyle modifications before its too late! Stay healthy and #BeTheForce!