GOQii Editor, Author at GOQii

March 17, 2016 By GOQii Editor 1 Comment

“I needed to be health conscious and not be on the sidelines of life”

He works in the marketing department of a News Media organization and claims he has had a near sedentary lifestyle with spurts of fitness on and off. He weighed 88 kgs and was on the verge of being classified as overweight and also bordering on being diabetic. That’s when he realized he needed to be health conscious and not be on the sidelines of life….Here is Natarajan Viswanathan’s story in his own words.

I never had a fitness regime in my life. I would once in a while feel that I think I need to lose weight and I would spring into action following an exercise regime. I would remain focused, taking my resolution to lose weight seriously but soon lose interest and again go back to being laid back. I took up a gym membership for 3 years but barely hit the gym religiously, hardly making any difference to my weight or the fitness factor. Friends and family made fun of me for not being able to hold on to any fitness regime.

In December 2014, I went for a full body check-up. All the tests were normal but, I was told by the doctor that I was bordering on diabetes. I have a family history of diabetes. What the doctor said then scared me and that is when I got serious about reducing my weight and getting fit.

One evening we had a college reunion and there I got introduced to GOQii by a friend of mine. He explained how it works and what it can do for me. This discussion got me interested. But, he did have a word of caution when he said that just wearing it will not reduce your weight but one needs to make efforts to get active and reduce weight. Things just don’t happen.

Before:

Pre-Diabetic:

Doctor advised reducing weight.
Had lost 14 kgs weight earlier but now weight had plateaued with no loss despite efforts.
Wants to walk 6 km per day

My journey with GOQii started in April 2015 and got Komilla Pareekh as my coach. They say that every journey needs motivation and direction. The band provided the much-needed motivation and the coach gave me the right direction. Many a time you want to do it but you either do not know how to go about it or you are plain lazy. I chose Komilla as my coach because she is a nutritionist and for my journey to a fitter life, I knew I should eat well and right.

When I got on to GOQii my health goal was to become fitter and reduce my weight. I wanted to fit into a pair of jeans I had got out of for a long long time.

I worked towards it along with my coach and am I glad to say that I have achieved my health goals. I have reduced considerably from 88 kgs I am down to 74 kgs.

My pre-diabetic condition is under control and I run 10 km now four days a week and my bigger goal is to run the Marathon in 2017.

After:

Improved nutrition by focusing on high fibre, high protein and small frequent meals.
Introduced millets in the diet. Cut down fruits at night, added a salad to meals.
Worked on knees and back exercises.
Morning walks After Surpassed 6km goal. Starting jogging now. Weight loss and inch loss.

The good news is that I got into the pair of jeans that I wanted to get into for a long time.

Personally, how do I feel now? I feel fantastic. I have become more presentable. I never had confidence or communication issues but, I will not deny that now after having made these changes to life, my first impression in business meetings is good.

All these changes in me have also been noticed by my near and dear ones. I have been a great influencer to people around me and also got 4 others to register on GOQii. I will certainly continue with GOQii and be motivated to be healthy and active.Another super initiative is the Karma point initiative. You can earn points and donate them to a cause you believe in. It gets you connected to your social quotient. So I have donated 4000 points to the education cause and for the Chennai floods. Great initiative. Keep it going.

What does Coach Komilla have to say about Natarajan?

When Natarajan joined GOQii, he had plateaued on his weight, despite having lost 14 kgs in past due to his will and determination. Being a borderline diabetic, he was advised by his doctor to lose a couple of more kgs to avoid medication. Also, he was nurturing a dream of walking 6 km in a single stance and to participate in a Marathon. The journey was not easy, but surelya challenging one full of hurdles- knee pain, back pain, time constraint, sweet craving, Mumbai rains …..but, he never lost the focus. Today, he runs not walks 10 km in a single stance and has lost weight and inches to settle on his healthy weight. The biggest strength of our relationshipand working was mutual trust and belief. Natarajan truthfully discussed all the challenges faced by him in working towards our goals and kept firm belief in his coach. That is the secret of our success!

March 17, 2016 By GOQii Editor Leave a Comment

“I have worked really hard with my coach to achieve my health goals and in the process learnt a lot”

He is based in Cochin and has been active at a very minimal level. Activity was restricted to doing just some warm up exercises. Until one day he realized he needs to get more active and regular with his physical exercises. Being active on a regular basis was the only way he could reduce his belly fat and overall weight. Here is Vipin Thrissur’s story in his own words …

I work in a broking firm and my job involves lots of travel. Due to this constant travelling, I could never focus on having a daily routine. I was under the impression that routines never work if you are going to be on the move constantly.

You name it and I had all the issues. I did warm up exercises but never had an exercise regime. The only thing I did in the name of the exercise was to climb stairs instead of taking the elevator. I also did not have enough water through the day, there was a lack of sleep leave alone having quality sleep and last I did not have proper nutrition.

Before:

Being a South Indian, his Rice intake was more
He also had a lot of red meat
Less activity only stair climbing to compensate

One day as I was browsing the net for a fitness tracker and reading about fitness and nutrition, pop came a message about GOQii. I got intrigued and started reading about GOQii and tried to learn as much about it through the net. Then I contacted GOQii and got to know more. I was fairly convinced and decided to try it out. It was in Oct 2014 that I got on to GOQii platform and I am glad that I am still continuing with GOQii and my coach Sneha.

My health goal when I got on to the platform was fat and weight reduction. It’s been one and half years with GOQii and I must say I am thoroughly enjoying my journey with GOQii. In so many months as I have worked hard along with my coach to achieve my health goals I have also learnt a lot about nutrition, exercising, why sleep is important and what is quality sleep etc. One always took all these things for granted.

Have I achieved my health goals? Oh yes, I have.

After :

Reduced rice intake slowly but steadily
Now red meat is replaced with chicken & fish
Started the 7 min workout along with Stair climbing
Tummy has reduced and has been getting compliments from his newly wedded wife

From being a person with very minimal activity and more excuses now I do at least 8000 steps a day. My exercise routine is still not up to the mark but, I am working on it.

My water intake has improved. I drink 2 liters of water daily without fail. My nutrition has also improved drastically. My fast food intake has stopped and I have also stopped aerated drinks. Thanks to the constant motivation push from my coach I have been able to bring about all these changes. My belly fat has also reduced considerably but it keeps fluctuating because I am not able to exercise regularly. But we are working towards overcoming this. The other positives are also that I am into meditation and that is considerably helping in relieving stress.

Overall I am positive about GOQii and my coach experience. The best part is that I am also being able to do some good in the society. I have been a blood donor and every three months I regularly donate blood but now I am also able to donate my Karma points. So far I have donated 3000 points to various causes.

What does coach Sneha Chikhale have to say about Vipin?

It’s been more than a year now, Vipin is a part of GOQii family. His goal was nothing but to lose few kilos and stay healthy. He was not someone who had a past history of health issues but, has always pursued a goal of staying fit and shed few kilos. Our journey started on a regular note and it became interesting as we proceeded further.

As he hailed from the southern region of India, cutting down on rice was a big challenge for him, being absolute rice eater to now moderate rice eater is one of the healthy lifestyle change we made in this ongoing journey which has also helped him lose fat. The inclusion of mid meals has also made an impact on his overall eating patterns.

There was a time, when he has lost a band and till the time he did not get a new one, we continued our coaching for a certain period without the band because he was totally motivated. Losing the band had not deterred him from losing his motivation.

The best aspects about Vipin is that he has been a very active GOQii player, who maintains a regular connect with me on the app. This kind of connection between the coach and the player is very important for achieving the health goals. We are currently working with his sleep and stress patterns. I am sure, that like the other goals, he will be achieving these as well!

March 16, 2016 By GOQii Editor Leave a Comment

“It is not about losing weight but, it is the way you look at things and how you manage it”

Every player of GOQii is a new story with a new experience. Today we bring you the story of a not so fit housewife and entrepreneur to a fit housewife and entrepreneur now. She credits GOQii Coach for bringing about the positive lifestyle change in her and getting her on a health trail. Here is Ruchi Sandhu’s story in her own words.

I have never been a fitness freak and I was on the heavier side. I was conscious about my weight gain and had gained weight over a long period of time. I was neither paying any attention towards my weight gain nor was I trying to reduce it. I also did not bring about any change in my diet. To sum it up I was just not paying too much attention to my health and overall well-being.

Then, during my regular check with my doctor, she suggested I do an Insulin test. In that test, it was revealed that I was Insulin resistant and, therefore, my sugar levels were down. I was on medication to control my insulin levels but the doctor suggested that only medication is not going to improve the situation. I was asked to get active and also bring about changes in my diet. These were the only ways to bring down the insulin levels to the required levels I was told.

Before:

Insulin resistant
Weight Gain-79 kgs
Has a personal trainer – Though no control on her diet
On a crash diet – Eating less
Skip dinner – Munch on unhealthy snacks

Soon after the doctor’s advice, I joined the gym and then my husband’s friend suggested that he has got a GOQii band and that I must try it too. I said ok and got the GOQii band and got associated with my personal coach Disti Shah.

Believe me, when I say this that I have never been happier with myself. My main health goal when I started on GOQii was to reduce my weight and with that, the Insulin levels would also come down. I worked along with my coach towards achieving this goal.

Disti helped me make small changes such as what I eat when I eat, how much I eat etc. She disciplined me in my eating habits. I am very conscious now of what I eat, how much I eat. It has been a wonderful experience for me in the last one year or so ever since I got GOQii as my insulin levels have come down.

I am more disciplined now with regard to eating. I used to have a very sweet tooth and my coach put me on a sugar-free challenge. The first time I failed miserably. But, my coach did not give up. After a few days, she once again out me on a sugar-free challenge. And the second time around I was able to resist myself off sugar. Whenever I get a sweet craving I replace it with dates. I have also controlled my midnight cravings for sweets. .

After:

Eating at regular intervals – Not skipping any meals
Weight reduced to 73 kgs and automatically Insulin levels have come down
Took on the sugar-free week challenge – replaced sweets with dates
Urge of having sweets has reduced
Added pre – workout and post workout meals – thus her energy through the workout is consistent

Off late I have not been able to work out so much as I am on some medication and my gynecologist has asked me to do strenuous workouts. But, my health goal remains the same. I want to lose some more weight. Disti has been largely helping me with my healthy eating habits and has also given me some home workout options. I am trying to do whatever I am able to do.

The one thing I have realized with GOQii is that it is not about losing weight but, it is the way you look at things and how you do it. For me personally, it has been a positive lifestyle change.

I am a kind of person who does not like to take advice from anyone but Disti has been able to break that has changed my perspective and outlook towards life. I am a better off now than I ever was. I thoroughly enjoy the personal attention I get from my coach. The best part of all these changes is that my husband is very happy with me for having taken all the efforts and watching it pay off for me.

Ruchi Singhvi looking her best

What does Coach Disti Shah have to say about Ruchi?

As a coach my dream to get a player who follows your guidance and suggestions. Ruchi is one of those few people who has really taken the GOQii journey seriously and made sure to reach her targets. The dedication and self-determination of Ruchi towards her target, got me also excited to work with her. The two of us never had a coach and player relationship, it was more a friendly chat and discussion that we used to have.

Her health goal was to decrease fat percentage and insulin resistance, which she achieved by sheer dedication towards diet and exercise. This is just a beginning of a long journey and she really defined the journey well by saying: “It’s the journey that matters and not the destination”.

Achievements of Ruchi:

Insulin level dropped from 48 to 21.
Decreased body fat percentage.
Regular exercises.
More focus on fruits and salads.
Increased protein intake, by making sure, each major meal has the protein source.
One week of No Sugar challenge was completed and thus continuing to reduce sugar intake further.
Short and frequent meals.
Updating logs at regular intervals even when traveling abroad.

November 18, 2015 By GOQii Editor Leave a Comment

Fish In Pesto Sauce

FISH IN PESTO SAUCE- RAJ BHALLA

The star of the dish is the Pesto Sauce which made my hardcore Punjabi food loving mom say WOW! So, you can imagine how good it was! This sauce is full of strong flavor of different herbs and nuts, truly amazing and it is sharp.

Cooking time-15 mins

Serves- 2

Recipe ingredients

Fish Fillets, I used Singhara (Cat Fish).
Mixed dried herbs
Salt and Pepper.
1-2 tablespoons oil to pan fry the fillets (olive)
Basil leaves.
Mint Leaves
4-5 Garlic cloves
Walnuts (you may use Cashew nut)
Little Olive oil extra

Recipe preparation

First, we will make the Pesto sauce and It is very simple.
Mix Basil, mint leaves, garlic cloves, little olive oil, walnuts, little salt and pepper in a grinder.
Grind it well but not to a coarse paste. You should grind it only to the level where you can feel the grains of walnut. It should have a nutty bite.
Your Pesto Sauce is ready. Keep it aside.
Now, season the fillets with salt, pepper and Mixed herbs.
Heat oil in the pan. Though make sure oil is not too hot. We will cook it on medium heat else on high heat else fish will burn from outside and won’t cook from inside.
Sear the fillets and cook for 5 -7 minutes from both sides. Do check how well your fish is done. It should be white and fibery from inside once cooked. If it’s pale or off white, its not cooked.
Once done, using a spoon, smear the pesto Sauce on one side while the fish is in the pan. Let it cook for another 2 minutes for the fish to absorb some flavors of the sauce.
Serve hot.

For more recipes please visit www.betterbutter.in