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Rahul Pandit Gets Off Medication & Gets Healthier With GOQii

Rahul Pandit

Being healthy involves a lot of factors other than just exercise. You need to watch what you eat, get quality sleep and manage stress effectively as well. These pillars are essential towards leading a healthy life. Our Player Rahul Pandit learned this when he joined GOQii. 

Life Before GOQii 

Rahul Pandit is a 30 year old working professional. While he had the necessary knowledge on exercise and how to keep his body in shape, he didn’t have the right knowledge on maintaining a healthy diet which led to issues such as weight gain. 

Weighing around 80kg, he was exercising regularly but at the same time, he suffered from hyperacidity. Every time he felt uncomfortable with acidity, he visited a doctor and was given medicines for reducing acidity but this fix was only temporary. He says that, “No doctor tells you how to take care of yourself. My eating habits were also wrong. I used to eat at odd hours and have long gaps between meals. I used to eat lots of junk food!”  

Making a Positive Lifestyle Change With The Right Guidance

After watching a GOQii advertisement featuring our brand ambassador Akshay Kumar, Rahul Pandit was inspired to rectify his health. He bought a GOQii tracker with a 3 months personal coaching subscription which changed his life. 

After interacting with his GOQii Coach, he realized what his routine lacked. His coach began introducing new habits to his list which included: 

  • Consuming lukewarm water with Saunf and Ajwain Seeds
  • Eating at regular intervals while keeping an eye on portion size
  • Breakfast was compulsory 
  • Fixing meal timings
  • Eating evening snacks 
  • Eating an early dinner 

These small habit changes did wonders for Rahul. He says that, “These habit additions and getting over old habits have been good for me”. 

With regards to fitness, he had to cut down on fat – so his meals were low on calories, low on carbs and protein was just as much as his body required. Earlier, he wasn’t aware of how much protein he should consume but got some clarity after speaking to his GOQii Coach. 

As of now, Rahul Pandit is free of hyperacidity. He manages his stress well and his body is more toned, minus the fat layers on his stomach area. After almost 2 years, he is off medication and is getting healthier day by day. 

What Does His GOQii Coach Have To Say? 

Rahul Pandit has been with us for almost 2 years. When he joined GOQii, he wanted to be fit and healthy but was dealing with hyperacidity. Thanks to his focus, dedication and being true to himself, he has come a long way. 

He now has no acidity, is off medication and is focusing on getting healthier. Certain habits which we worked on together and got results included: 

  • For acidity, Ajwain and Saunf water helped 
  • Replaced refined flours to whole grains
  • Acidity was being triggered by junk food and regular bakery products. So, Instead of having biscuits in the evening, he was now having fruits, sprouts or coconut water
  • Did Sugar Detox for a week
  • He also suffered from disturbed sleep. To improve sleep quality, we introduced the 4-6-8 pattern of breathing which helped. Also, no Gadgets close to bedtime
  • Different type of workouts were also introduced gradually to help him build endurance and stamina

The best thing about him is that he believes in a holistic, 360 degree approach to health and lifestyle. Shortcuts are not for him! Few months back he went to Leh Ladakh, where he did very difficult treks back to back for 3-4 days, covering 15-20 kms daily in that kind of altitude. This speaks volumes about his health, dedication and approach to lifestyle! 

Does this story inspire you? Do you face similar issues? Get the right advice, guidance and motivation from a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr 

To see how others have benefitted from using GOQii, read more user stories on Healthy Reads. 

#BeTheForce

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Reimagining Corporate Wellness after COVID-19

corporate wellnessThe impact of COVID-19 and the measures taken by organizations to contain it were unprecedented. Work from home, following guidelines, and a hybrid working model were few of the changes that we saw in our work life. With offices slowly opening up, additional measures need to be taken to ensure that employees are safe and healthy. 

Reimagining Corporate Wellness 

Here are some measures corporations can take to ensure that their employees are happy and healthy! 

  1. Access to On and Off-site Fitness: After spending over a year working from home, everyone needs to move! The couch potato lifestyle doesn’t cut it. Having an effective program or access to activities that incentivise movement in the form of walking, yoga and exercise can greatly benefit the health of everyone in the organization. 
  2. Challenges: There’s no better way to improve team spirit and camaraderie than issuing challenges that help employees bond after spending months working in isolation. 
  3. Promoting Healthy Eating: Proper nutrition plays a big role in building immunity. Good health begins from the gut. Knowing what to eat, the timing, portion sizes, healthy snacking options, etc. can go a long way in improving health and avoiding unwanted sickness. 
  4. Focus On Mental Health: Introducing meditation techniques can help employees beat stress, anxiety and help them clear their heads and focus better on their assigned tasks. Given the stress of work and the looming pandemic, mindfulness practices like deep breathing can help a person relax and be more present. 

How Can The GOQii Corporate Challenge Help? 

The GOQii Corporate Challenge, a 60 day inter-corporate challenge, where corporations can get their employees to participate on an individual, team and corporate level, can significantly improve employee health, engagement, team spirit and performance at work! 

The challenge consists of a 30 day steps challenge, daily social media spot challenges and also includes daily fitness sessions starting with yoga, health talks and workout sessions that can help improve the overall health of an individual.

What’s In It For A Corporation? 

  • Remote Fitness: As places are still not completely open, it can be difficult to take your employees off-site for team building activities. More so, the cost to the company reduces as you might have to hire external trainers, book a venue, et al. GOQii has the tech and resources to take this entire module from on-site to online where your employees can train with certified experts, take guidance for nutrition, sleep, stress management and more in real time. 
  • Incentivizing Participation: By participating in the GOQii Corporate Challenge, 1 in 4 players stands a chance to win exciting prizes such as hotel stays, luxury watches, smart phones, gadgets and exclusive merchandise that can incentivize employee engagement. 
  • Healthy Employees: With various activities that promote healthy habits, you can be sure that your employees will be healthier. It increases individual accountability which in turn reflects on their work and productivity.  

You can register your corporation and get on board starting 13th December. Let’s improve and reimagine corporate wellness together! For more information and to sign up, check: https://gcc.goqii.com/ 

#BeTheForce 

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Increase Productivity At Work & Improve Health With This New Challenge

GOQii Corporate Challenge

How was your experience working from home? While it did seem like a good break, the unexpected shift of remote working presented some issues that were difficult to deal with. Along with maiming profits, delayed appraisals, curbed salaries, increase in time spent doing work and disrupting respective corporate cultures, COVID-19 also impacted employees in ways they didn’t bargain for. 

Problems Faced While Working From Home 

  1. Detachment & Isolation: Whichever industry you work in, a workplace gives you a sense of shared purpose and connection. With lesser opportunities of bonding and interaction while working from home, team members began to feel more isolated and disengaged from their workplace. No amount of video conferences can fix this feeling of detachment and isolation. 
  2. Loss of Focus: While some enjoyed an isolated space where they could concentrate on their work, most didn’t have a remote space they could comfortably work from. Distraction by family members, pets and other factors caused more stress and lack of focus. 
  3. Mental Health Issues: Given the state of affairs during the early onset of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, it was easy to get stressed about the future. Feelings of fear, anxiety, sadness and frustration were common across all age groups. Working from home made it difficult to reach out to colleagues and friends for support. In a study we conducted, we found that around 43% Indians were plagued with depression. A number that only saw an upward trend. “Anxiety is one of the symptoms of depression. Most people are anxious on various counts. For some it is about not having a regular routine as they did in normal times,” says Divya Thampi, an Emotional Wellness Coach on GOQii Play. To read more about the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, read the report here. 
  4. Overwhelmed With New Tech: We already use a significant amount of apps and softwares daily. In the business landscape, everything is driven by data and tech. Adaptability aside, the sudden onset of the pandemic and the subsequent remote working scene forced us to work with new tools for scheduling, conferencing, managing, etc. faster than before. 
  5. Feedback, Recognition & Guidance: During pre-lockdown times, it was easy for a manager to step up to your desk to share positive feedback or guide you. In a remote working environment, this form of interaction has suffered greatly. Lack of feedback, recognition and guidance can make one feel further isolated, doubt their skills or lose confidence in their work. 
  6. Health & Wellbeing: Disruption of routine also meant that people were tied down to their couches, beds or desks at home with little movement. Those walks after lunch, chasing trains and any little movement we had while we worked from the office were tossed out the window. Eating habits also suffered and with work hours extending for some, sleep suffered greatly – only adding to stress. 

At GOQii, we believe that a healthy employee is a happy employee and a happy employee is a productive employee. Sadly, that was not the case during the lockdown. In view of these issues which are quite persistent even now, what can corporations do to motivate their employees, build team spirit, foster bonding, improve health and increase productivity?

GOQii Corporate Challenge

What if we told you that there was a fun way to build team spirit, improve health and performance at work? The GOQii Corporate Challenge – an inter-corporate health challenge, can be the solution you’ve been looking for. 

It’s a 60 day engagement program, starting from 13th December to 10th February, where corporates can get their employees to participate on an individual, team and corporate level. The challenges will consist of a 30 day steps challenge and daily social media spot challenges (where you can win daily prizes) – all tracked by a live leaderboard. 

The program also consists of daily fitness sessions i.e. 150+ sessions in 60 days starting with Yoga, Mind and Body sessions at 7 AM, Health Talks at 3 PM and High Intensity Workout sessions at 7 PM. 

What’s more, at the end of the GOQii Corporate Challenge, 1 in every 4 players stands a chance to win exciting prizes such as hotel stays, luxury watches, smartphones, gadgets and exclusive merchandise. 

A little bit of healthy competition like this, can definitely ease the strain left by COVID-19 and build team spirit while most of us return to the office! 

If you’re keen on participating, sign up your corporation for the GOQii Corporate Challenge to take advantage of exciting rewards – the best one being good health! 

Sign up here: https://gcc.goqii.com/ 

#BeTheForce 

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Diet & Exercise: How Timanna Gudi Battled Diabetes

Timanna GudiAccess to medication is easy! We live in a day and age where even a sneeze can be seen as a good enough reason to swallow a pill. The number of those pills only increase with time as health deteriorates. The more pills you swallow, the more you realize that they aren’t working. Without intervention, without data or without trying, you never realize that a pill is not the answer, it is your lifestyle! In the face of adversity, change is imperative. Here’s how 49 yr old Timanna Gudi made a positive U-turn!

Hailing from Hubli, Karnataka, this mechanical engineer by qualification worked with an MNC as a managing director. His job responsibilities and efforts placed immense stress on his wellbeing. Realizing this, he knew he had to quit. He did so 5 years back and started his own business. However, this did not change anything and his health problems continued.

Battling Diabetes

In 2008, Timanna Gudi was diagnosed with Diabetes. This was just one part of his struggle. Along with diabetes, he had to face hypertension and high cholesterol as well! He was immediately put on medication and with every visit to the doctor, his dosage only seemed to increase. He would have to get tests and visit the doctor every 3 months while his doctor only increased the number of medicines. With no concrete solution in sight, Timanna was only confused.

Making Lifestyle Modifications to Fight Diabetes

He happened to come across a talk by B M Hedge, Dean of Manipal Medical College and a renowned doctor. He said that people shouldn’t be visiting doctors for lifestyle diseases like diabetes and cholesterol. The medicines they need are available in their kitchens. Of course, medical assistance is required in case of an emergency but it must be supplemented by a healthy lifestyle. This got Timanna thinking…

He had lost his Dad and his elder sister to diabetes in spite of them being on heavy medications like him. He told himself that if his condition is a disorder, there should be a way to bring it in order! This very thought became the turning point which would pivot his life to balance and wellbeing.

He came to Pune  in 2011 and joined a therapy called Freedom from Diabetes. He managed to get rid of all his medicines in a matter of 40 days through diet control and some light exercise. From then on, he began advocating his approach to everyone who was affected by the same medical condition as his. He gave them hope that they too could change!

Joining GOQii and Being the Force

In 2018, he bought some equipment to perform exercises at home. He followed YouTube channels and performed his routine accordingly. However, he ended up with a frozen shoulder due to an incorrect position. This kept him from exercising for about 8-9 months.

In March 2019, a friend introduced him to GOQii. He was intrigued with the idea of coaches demonstrating exercises LIVE on the app. The GOQii app solved two of his needs i.e. exercise and nutrition. He was getting expert advice from topics relating to a healthy diet, lifestyle, meditation and so on. He saw GOQii as an opportunity to get back into routine!

He joined during the India Steps Challenge and began competing, clocking in 6000 steps a day. He initially started with basic walking and increased his target to 12,000 steps after he invited a few of his friends. Due to walking too much, he began losing a lot of weight and was underweight by 7kg. He was asked to stop walking and jogging completely. To keep the momentum of his physical activity going, he began strength training in order to build muscle mass.

He is a regular on GOQii Play. He watches Coach Tufail Qureshi, Coach Alistrair Fernandes and Coach Shweta Kariya, following the workout routines demonstrated by them on a daily basis. As his work requires him to travel often, he carries a resistance band in his luggage as suggested by Play Coaches. He feels that a resistance band is a handy equipment that can be used to target any body part!

Being lactose intolerant, he shifted to a vegan diet. This essentially means that he avoids milk, curd and cheese. He avoids processed foods like bread, biscuits, etc. He begins his day with a glass of green smoothie which is a wholesome blend of raw Spinach (Palak) or any other leafy vegetable coupled with Betel leaf, Pudina (Mint), Tulsi (Holy Basil), Curry Leaves, Cinnamon Powder, Black Pepper and one fruit along with soaked nuts and seeds.

He follows this up with 45mins to an hour of exercise. His breakfast is more protein-based which includes a dal-based Cheela or sprouts and salad. In between meals, he grabs a spoonful of any seeds or a cup of green tea. His Lunch includes a Roti, one bowl each of dal, vegetable and raw salad. He also drinks Apple Cider Vinegar, which he believes has helped in keeping his body more alkaline. His family mostly uses cold pressed virgin coconut oil instead of refined oil.

Opting For Natural Methods Instead of Medicines

Timanna Gudi reiterates that commitment is absolutely necessary. There is no way you can cheat or give in to temptations. He strongly believes that Diabetes is a medical condition which should be eradicated from India.

He says, “The medicines never stop and you just keep losing your vital organs to it slowly. However, everybody is different and not all solutions suit everyone. You need to go test and try before settling down with what suits you.”

He in fact, also got rid of his Acute Bronchitis, something which he suffered from since childhood which required him to use inhalers. He did so by practicing Pranayama (You too can reap the benefits of this wonderful practice. Here are 6 Variations of Pranayama and their Benefits)

In the course of his time fighting diabetes, he has also helped his younger brother reduce his sugar levels. He feels it is his duty to share the knowledge he has gained from his experience combating lifestyle disorders.

Timanna feels GOQii is a fantastic platform with lot of resources that can benefit anyone and everyone. He regularly shops on the GOQii Health Store and advocates the fact that you get good options at competitive rates.

We wish Timanna Gudi the best for his journey. If this story inspired you or if you are fighting your own uphill battle against a lifestyle disease, share your thoughts in the comments below! To help you manage diabetes effectively, reach out to our experts by subscribing for GOQii’s Diabetes Care Program here: https://store.goqii.com/diabetescare

#BeTheForce

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

As we observe World Cancer Day under the powerful theme ‘United by Unique’ (2025-2027)**, we are reminded that every individual’s journey with cancer is distinct, yet united by shared resilience, hope, and the collective fight against this disease. This theme places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the […]