About Mohammed Tufail Qureshi

Certified professional fitness trainer, Mohammed Tufail Qureshi has worked with reputed gyms in the city. As a freelance personal trainer Tufail guides people in right exercise, nutrition and proper rest and recovery methods necessary to stay fit. A commerce graduate from Mumbai University he chose to work with GOQii as it’s a new concept and it intends to change the world by simply helping people change certain habits. The idea of developing good habits and motivating individuals to lead a healthy lifestyle is something which he says is very different from what he has been doing all this while as a personal trainer. Tufail is a regular weight trainer himself and works out six days a week. He strongly believes that an individual is not fit until he has developed the 5 basic components of fitness namely cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility and ideal body composition.

February 11, 2018 By Mohammed Tufail Qureshi Leave a Comment

Hidden dangers of sugary drinks

Sugar… as sweet as this word sounds one needs that much more careful. Behind all that shine there is a deep dark secret.

Sugar is an empty calorie. Empty calories are foods that provide high amounts of energy with very little or zero nutritional value. Sugar that does not get broken down by the body will be converted to fat. Sugar makes you very hungry and gives rise to what is known as ‘hunger craving’. In this case, you may not be physically hungry, but your body demands more food or more sugar to bring your blood sugar levels back into balance.

Sodium benzoate, which is derived from benzoic acid, has been used for years by the carbonated drinks industry to prevent moulds from developing in soft drinks. The ingredient has been a subject of concern for cancer because when mixed with Vitamin C, it turns into a carcinogenic substance called benzene. An international news report once said that the Cola drinks lead to the formation of stones in the kidney which can gradually damage the kidneys. The acid and radical mineral imbalances in dark-coloured sodas affect the kidneys. The phosphoric acid in the drinks’ absorbs calcium from bones and is eliminated through the passage of urine. This slowly forms stones in the kidney.

The phosphorus acid content takes away calcium from the bones thus leading to bone loss. Well, this is not enough!! There is more to learn about SUGAR.

It makes your body acidic which is a house for the pathogens to breed in.

Phosphoric acid present in drinks damages the enamel of the tooth and drains calcium from bones.

It has aspartate, an artificial sweetener which makes us feel hungry and craves for food, which leads to weight gain.

It gives empty calories and no nutrients.

Contains lead acetate damages kidney and nerves.

Soft drinks contain sugar which means less oxygen to your cells.

Increases risks of heart diseases

Risk of diabetes as it can cause insulin resistance.

Sugary drinks do not make you feel full and are strongly linked to weight gain. Large amounts of sugar are turned into fat in the liver. Sugar also increases belly fat as it contains no essential nutrients… Sugary drinks are highly addictive because of its delicious yet devilish taste.

It leads to high risk of cancer, damage dental health and increased risk of gout.

The next time you take a can in your hand to consume it, try and think what its taste and bubbles can do to your body.

December 29, 2017 By Mohammed Tufail Qureshi Leave a Comment

Get children active and keep them healthy

Being physically fit has many benefits. This is not true of adults alone but also true for children. I remember as a child I would love to play in the outdoors. Every day my friends and I would spend at least an hour playing all kinds of games from football to cricket to various other physically taxing games. But, today its sad that we hardly see kids playing in the outdoors.

Children of today’s generation are born with technology gadgets around them and by the time they are 5-6 years of age they are so hooked to these gadgets such as Ipads or laptop or mobile phone etc. Most are gaming addicts and are interested in indoor and cyber games than playing in the outdoors.

But, sitting at home in front of the computer or playing on the Ipad is not good for children. These have a bad effect on the child’s physical strength, growth and fitness. Children should play in the outdoors and exert themselves in physical activities for at least an hour (60 minutes) daily. This is the minimum that a parent should see to it that the child follows. And, you’ll soon discover all the easy and enjoyable ways to help your child meet this regime. Encourage your child to participate in activities that are age-appropriate, enjoyable and offer variety! ‘

Three types of physical activities are very important that every child must follow

1. Aerobic Activity
Aerobic activity should make up for most of your child’s 60 or more minutes of physical activity each day. This can include either moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, or vigorous-intensity activity, such as running. Be sure to include vigorous-intensity aerobic activity at least 3 days per week.

2. Muscle Strengthening
Include muscle strengthening activities, such as gymnastics or push-ups, at least 3 days a week as part of your child’s 60 or more minutes.

3. Bone Strengthening
Bone-strengthening activities include jumping rope or running, at least 3 days a week as part of your child’s 60 or more minutes activities in the outdoors.

Tips to help kids get active

** Encourage walking to school and getting active as a family

** Get them to cycle or run instead of getting a ride

** Ask them to walk the dog with you

** Have them carry the groceries from the market

** Encourage them to dance to their favourite music

** Replace computer and TV time with something active

** Build active opportunities into daily classroom routines and encourage students to join a school sport team

** Take kids to the playground or to the park to play

** Reduce screen time

This will help them to achieve the physical fitness and stay fit which will help them throughout their life.

September 15, 2017 By Mohammed Tufail Qureshi 4 Comments

How to build muscle with proper diet and exercises?

I was always fascinated by body building. I began weight training at the age of 16 and since then building muscles and weight lifting has become a passion. But, just lifting weights to achieve a fit body was not the solution. I realized that anything to do with fitness requires dedication and hard work, coupled with smart eating and proper rest which ultimate helped me achieve the results that I was seeking.

You must be wondering how I managed to achieve what I was seeking. Well, the idea was germinated in my mind after I happen to watch to watch a movie ‘Pumping Iron’ starring Arnold Schwarzenegger my idol in body building. Arnold is perhaps the greatest bodybuilder of all time. It was his personality and muscles that I admired and got kicked about lifting weights. It’s funny; I am half as tall as him but, yet wanted to have a body like him. I set out on the path of building muscles. And within a short period of time, I learned the techniques and secrets of muscle building.

For many of us, gaining muscle would mean spending countless hours in the gym and we seldom think a good diet is important. Remember our body needs calories and nourishment to feed growing muscle mass and to adjust to varying amounts of activity.

I am going to tell you about building muscles through a three tier process namely proper diet, good exercise and good rest. Each of these tiers is equal and important. Let us take a closer look at each of these processes.

Diet: To build muscles you need a proper diet that consists of micro and macro nutrients. The micro nutrients are the vitamins and minerals and the macro nutrients are a combination of protein, carbs and fat. Eating each of these micro and macro nutrients in the right quantity is important to build proper muscle mass.

Just pumping iron or what we call lifting heavy weights in the gym does not serve the purpose. One needs to create a proper balance between the two.

(1) Protein: One needs to eat sufficient amounts of protein to build good muscle. The rule of the thumb is that an average person needs one gram of protein per kg of his body weight to maintain his muscle mass, skin and hair maintenance. But, an individual who is exercising needs almost 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kg of his body weight to build muscles. For example, if you are 150 lbs(pounds) or 68 kgs, you should eat between 150 and 225 gms of protein each day if you want to consistently gain muscles. Proteins are found in eggs, meat, fish, and cheese, milk and soya beans. Muscles are active tissue, unlike fats. Like every active thing, muscles also need proper maintenance. In order to maintain the muscles the body needs to burn calories and that’s one reason why our basal metabolic rate (BMR) goes up. More, the muscle mass in the body, more the BMR level. Increase in BMR level avoids gaining fats in the body and is very helpful for fat loss as well.

(2) Carbs: including carbohydrates in your diet in the morning and post workout is essential. The primary function of carbs is to provide energy. Carbs intake should be monitored very closely. One gram of carbs gives 4 calories. A number of carbs that get utilised as energy and the extra carbs that are still present gets stored as fat. So in order to avoid carbs getting stored as fat we need to limit the intake of carbohydrates. Carbs can be got from Sugar that provides the energy required for your daily activities. Sugar may be available in three forms, lactose, fructose, and sucrose obtained from milk, table sugar, and fruits respectively. Carbs from Sugar Starch which can be found in rice, beans, peas, and other grains. And lastly, carbs from fibres. Fibrous foods help in quick digestion of food and can found in some green vegetables, whole grains, peas and dry beans, bran, soya beans etc. Fiber is also good to remove waste from your body.

(3) Fats.:- Most people are of the opinion that fat is our enemy although it gives 9 calories per gram. That’s much compared to carbs and proteins and the function of fats is to give energy during an emergency such as when the glucose level of the body dips to a low and there is no source of energy (Adenosine Tri Phosphate) and there is no food available in the body, the body uses the stored fat as the source of energy for that period of time. Fats can be got from Olive, peanuts, sunflower, fish, nuts, flaxseed and pumpkin seeds, soy products such as tofu or soy milk. Fats build healthy cells. Without a healthy cell membrane, the rest of the cell cannot function. Fats help the body use vitamins. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble vitamins, meaning that the fat in foods helps the intestines absorb these vitamins into the body. Therefore the diets should contain carbs, proteins and fats. Vitamins can be got from the inclusion of green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli.

(4) Water is the other important nutrient that is important for our body. One who is exercising should always hydrate himself or herself well. Water provides cushioning and lubrication between joints. Pain problems around joints are a very common problem amongst bodybuilders and strength athletes. Maintaining hydration and joint health is a very important part of your training over the long haul.

Exercise: The second tier of building good muscles is through proper exercise: Without exercise it will be impossible to build huge muscles. When we exercise there is a wear and tear process that take place within the body and the immediate reaction of the body is to repair the muscles. The greater and deeper the damage to the muscle, the bigger and stronger the muscle will be repaired. It is therefore important to schedule the exercise program in order to achieve great results. Weight training should be done 3-4 days a week and this should be coupled with cardio exercise on the balance days of the week when you are not weight training. While, with weight training, you will be able to build the muscles and get stronger, with cardio you will be strengthening your lungs and heart and it will help increase your stamina.

Rest and Recovery: This is the last and the final tier of building muscles. This, aspect is the most neglected tier of the three. You train hard in the gym, nourish your body with proper nutrients in the kitchen but, if you do not give enough time for your body to recover through proper rest then the body will not utilize the nutrients in the proper manner to be able to build the muscles. After a hard day’s work when you finally go to sleep, that’s when the damaged and tired muscles get repaired. One needs to sleep for at least 7-8 hours for good results.

Muscle can only get stronger and bigger by stimulating it through hard exercise, helping it to recover with high-performance nutrition and giving it rest.

Disclaimer: Before making sudden changes in your lifestyle, you may want to consult your doctor and trainer

February 7, 2017 By Mohammed Tufail Qureshi 4 Comments

Sleep Your Way to More Muscle

Did you know you can build muscles even while sleeping?

The three aspects of the muscle building pyramid are nutrition, training and rest. Most of us pay close attention to the first two factors but frequently ignore the third and suffer the consequences.

Sleep isn’t a luxury for the human body; it’s a genuine necessity. Extended periods of sleep deprivation can lead to amnesia, delusions and hallucinations. Shorter stretches cause forgetfulness, bad moods and irritability.

If you’re trying to gain strength, sleep becomes even more important because it’s synonymous with recovery. If your body doesn’t get to fully recuperate from a hard workout, there’s no way it will be ready for the next one.

Heavy training destroys tissues. In order for the tissue to be repaired, your body needs the proper nutrients and deep sleep. One of the key events that occur during sleep is that the body releases growth hormone which is critical for repairing the tissues, maintaining tonus in the muscles and keeping the fat in the cells. Since the body releases growth hormone only during deep sleep, the question is how do you get deep sleep?

Getting enough rest is critical to your overall health. Lack of sleep, even for a single night, can have a huge effect on your immune system. Research has shown that there’s a 20-to-30-percent drop in immune system cells that fight cancer and viruses after just one night of sleeplessness. If sleeplessness continues over several days, the percentage of decrease of immune system cells climbs drastically, but the good news is that you can bring the number of cells back to normal with a solid night’s sleep.

So how much sleep is enough? That depends on individual to individual and it depends on a great many variables. Ideally one should aim to get at least 7-8 hours of sound sleep.

Sleep is the most critical variable affecting our workouts. How well we have slept the previous night will determine how good a workout you do the next morning.

Work-related stress is one of the many reasons that most suffer from sleep deprivation. One of the best things you can do is slip in to a nap prior to your workout. You don’t want to drop off into the deeper stages of sleep before training because it will make you groggy. Twenty to 30 minutes is plenty before a workout.

Deep sleep at night is very important and here are some of the things we can do to get sleep fast. Some people read to help them relax. Others take long showers or soak in the tub. Some like to listen to music. Chamomile tea is used by many. A warm turmeric milk will induce melatonin, which is a sleep hormone.

A light snack can be useful in promoting a more relaxed state, but it’s smart to select foods that contain the amino acid tryptophan, which converts to serotonin in the brain, helping you to feel drowsy. Milk, yogurt, cheese, turkey and fish contain tryptophan.

Now here are some things you should not do if you want to have a good night’s sleep. Don’t overindulge in alcohol. The same goes for food. Eating a large meal before bedtime isn’t conducive to going to sleep because the food will trigger various systems, including the heart, to work harder. Also, the digestive tract may become upset and disrupt sleep even more.

Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine. Try not to have coffee, tea and soft drinks. Avoid any form of strenuous exercise or participating in a competitive sport will work against you. Vigorous physical activity stimulates the body, and it takes some time to calm you down.

Don’t take your work to bed. If you make your bedroom an extension of your office, you’re sure to carry business problems with you at night. Your bedroom should be a cool, dark, sleep chamber.

You may have to do some experimenting to find out what works for you. But if you’re having trouble getting a good night’s rest on a regular basis, make some changes in your lifestyle, quickly. The “magical one-third of your life” is a critical variable in your quest to gain strength.