Neha Sharma, Author at GOQii

September 22, 2021 By Neha Sharma Leave a Comment

Can You Die From Pneumonia? 6 Serious Complications You Should Know

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs which can be caused by bacteria, fungi or a virus. It can range from mild to life threatening – when you require medical intervention at the earliest. When the air sac of one or both lungs are filled with some fluid or pus, it leads to inflammation which causes chest pain while breathing, cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills and difficulty in breathing. Newborns upto 2 years of age and older people above 65 yrs of age are more prone to pneumonia as their immunity is not strong enough to fight the infection.

Types Of Pneumonia

There are four types of Pneumonia.

CAP (Community Acquired Pneumonia): It is a type of pneumonia that occurs outside the hospital or other healthcare facilities and is caused by bacteria, bacteria like organisms, fungi or a virus like COVID-19 as well.
HAP (Hospital Acquired Pneumonia): This type of pneumonia occurs during a hospital stay and can be serious as the person is already sick.
Health Care Acquired Pneumonia: This type of acquired pneumonia occurs when patients stay for a long term in hospitals or go to outpatient clinics for dialysis or chemotherapy.
Aspiration Pneumonia: This type of pneumonia occurs when you inhale food, liquid, saliva or vomit in your lungs and that causes an infection and it also occurs when there’s a brain injury.

What Are The Complications That Occur?

Even with treatment, some people with Pneumonia, who have other health ailments, suffer complications. Here are some of them:

Bacteremia: When infection is caused by bacteria, it travels down to the bloodstream and can lead to septic shock that lowers the blood pressure and the heart cannot pump blood into the organs and organs may stop working altogether. So, if you are having symptoms like fever with chills, low blood pressure, stomach upset, fast breathing with a fast heart rate, you need to consult a doctor immediately.
Lung Abscesses: Sometimes, due to pneumonia, pus pockets are formed in the lungs and give rise to fever, fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite and coughing. This basically happens when a person is having bacteremia, gum disease, weakened immune system and regular intake of alcohol.
Pleural Effusions, Empyema and Pleurisy: There are two types of layers surrounding your lungs called pleura. One from the outer side and one lines the part of your chest where the lungs sit. They help the lungs to move smoothly when one breathes. Sometimes, pain occurs while breathing and this is because the pleura swells and sometimes a fluid forms in between the layers and that is known as PLEURA EFFUSION. And if the fluid gets infected it leads to EMPYEMA.
Respiratory Failure: With pneumonia, your lungs get infected and they will not be able to transfer oxygen to organs and won’t be able to get rid of carbon dioxide from the body which leads to this condition. Symptoms are fast breathing, irregular heart rate, anxiety, fatigue, losing consciousness or bluish tint on your skin, fingertips or nails.
Kidney Failure: It’s not a common complication of pneumonia but when you are having bacteremia or septic shock, your heart may not be able to pump enough blood to your kidneys and they might stop functioning. Chances of kidney failure are high if pneumonia is coupled with other metabolic disorders.
Heart Failure: Chances of heart diseases are higher if you have pneumonia as the heart may not be able to pump enough blood and oxygen as the heart itself doesn’t have enough supply.

All the complications of pneumonia are not to be taken casually. If you experience any of the above symptoms or complications, seek medical help immediately. You can also track symptoms such as low blood oxygen, low blood pressure, increased heart rate and high body temperature with the GOQii Smart Vital. Tracking these symptoms early can help you avoid any unnecessary complications and get medical assistance on time. You can get it here: store.goqii.com/smartvital

We hope this article helps you. For more on Pneumonia and other medical conditions, check out Healthy Reads or ask your GOQii Coach directly by subscribing for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

September 6, 2021 By Neha Sharma 2 Comments

Easy and Effective Tabata Routine For Beginners

When it comes to getting active and losing weight, people generally get confused about where to start. So, let’s look at this effective Tabata routine which is simple and easy. TABATA (also called Tabata protocol) is a type of HIIT (high intensity interval training). It originated when a Japanese Scientist Dr. Izumi Tabata and his team from The National Institute of Fitness and Sports at Kagoshima, Japan were working on the fact that shorter high intensity workouts followed by a shorter period of rest can impact the body better rather than longer periods of continuous workout.

The structure of programme is like:

Workout hard for 20 seconds
Rest for 10 seconds
Complete 8 rounds

A combination of any exercise can be used in Tabata. Tabata targets a wider range of muscles and helps in burning fat during and after the workouts.

Three major health benefits of this Effective Tabata routine are:

Helps in burning more fat in a shorter period of time
Helps in increasing endurance
As it is high intensity training, it needs to be focused & attentive, thus, increases efficiency.

Before You Begin, Keep in Mind:

A beginner has to first check his/her flexibility, efficiency and endurance before picking up the sets of exercises
Make sure to complete a dynamic warm up before you begin this easy and effective Tabata routine.
You can choose a group of 3-4 exercises for a week and then add some other exercises one by one depending upon your stamina.
Don’t do exercises in a hurry. Rather do it in proper posture and manner.
Always keep a stopwatch with you.

Exercise To Include In Your Tabata Routine

There are basic 10 exercises which you can include in your Tabata protocol when you are planning to start. These are:

Burpees: Toughest among all exercises and increases endurance, strength & power. It is most effective but for a beginner can be placed at last.
Lunges: Can be included in beginners protocol & difficulty level can be increased once you are comfortable in traditional lunges.
Jump Rope: It is an effective and portable form of exercise and can be included in the beginners list.
Squat Jack: It combines two bodyweight exercises which are squats and jumping jacks. Can be safely included in the list.
Tabata Sprints: It starts with 20 seconds of sprints followed by 10 seconds of walking, jogging or rest.
Push Ups: One of the most simple and familiar exercises which can be included in the list.
Super man: This will strengthen the back and core muscles and can be included in the list.
Plank jack: These are simple. The difficulty level can be increased at one’s comfort ability.
Mountain Climbers: Very effective for legs and most suitable for beginners.
Windshield Wipers: Easy to do and can be included in the list and variations can be done later.

From the above list, you can choose any 4-5 exercises and start practising according to the Tabata protocol and always start with high energy and not in a hurry.

For more effective workouts and to learn more about fitness, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to live classes on GOQii PRO, where our experts will guide and motivate you in real time. Book a class now from the GOQii App.

To get workouts and tips directly from your GOQii Coach, sign up for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

July 17, 2021 By Neha Sharma Leave a Comment

Healthy Recipes For Kids: Healthy Twist on Snacks & Sweets

As mentioned in the previous article of Healthy Recipes For Kids, We spoke about the aspects of healthy eating for children not being different from adults. We need the right nutrients in the right quantities. Here, we’ve got some healthy recipes for a snack and a sweet that we’re sure your child will enjoy.

Healthy Recipes For Kids

1. Healthy Mathari

What you will need:

Wheat flour – 200 gm
Roasted Gram flour – 50 gm
Amaranth seed flour – 50 gm
Semolina – 20 gm
Desi ghee – 4 tbsp
Salt – a per taste
Dry fenugreek leaves – ½ tsp
Asafetida (Hing) – 1/4th tsp
Roasted Muskmelon seeds powder – 2 tsp
Roasted Sunflower seeds powder – 2 tsp
Carom seeds – 1 tsp

Method of preparation:

Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl and add hot melted ghee. Gently mix all the ingredients until ghee spreads all over the flour.
Knead the dough with lukewarm milk to provide a soft texture
Keep it aside for half an hour.
Roll out a big chapati and cut desired shapes with a cookie cutter as it appeals to kids.
These Mathari or salted cookies can be baked or fried on a low flame.
These serve as a good snack at the evening hours with milk, juices or smoothies.

2. Jaggery Protein Chikki/Laddoo

What you will need:

Almonds – 50 gm
Walnuts – 50 gm
Sunflower seeds – 20 gm
Pumpkin seeds – 20 gm
Muskmelon seeds – 20 gm
Fox nuts – 50 gm
Rolled oats – 30 gm
Dates – 6-7 in number
Jaggery – 200 gm
White pepper powder – ½ tsp
Poppy seeds – 30 gm

Method of preparation

Roast all the ingredients separately without jaggery, dates & pepper powder
Make a coarse powder by adding dates
Melt jaggery on low flame. Once melted, start adding the white pepper powder
Mix all ingredients gently
Ladoos can be rolled from this mixture on slight cooling or chikki can be made by spreading the mixture on greased plate.
These high protein chikkis or ladoos can be combined with breakfast or the evening snack

Benefits of These Recipes

These matharis are rich in protein and contain seeds. Seeds are a compact source of many nutrients and generally kids don’t want to eat these seeds, so this is an easier way to get your kids to eat them.
Jaggery laddoo or chikki is a power pack compact source of many nutrients, rich in protein, iron and white pepper powder is very good for the eyes.
These snacks are much much better than the usual chips, mixtures and other unhealthy snacks.

We hope you enjoy these Healthy Recipes For Kids. Do try them out, upload your pics on social media or the GOQii Arena and tag us! For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to cooking sessions on GOQii Play.

To get more advice on recipes, nutrition and diet tips for kids, subscribe to GOQii and ask your GOQii Coach: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Eat Healthy, Stay Home, Stay Safe and #BeTheForce

July 3, 2021 By Neha Sharma Leave a Comment

Healthy Recipes For Kids: Healthy Twist On Pizza & Rolls

There is a saying that “In all this world, there is nothing so beautiful as a happy child,” by L. Frank Baum. We can define happiness in many terms but for a child, a healthy child is the happiest one. Healthy eating is very important for the overall growth and development of a child. Albeit, it is not a one off process, it has to develop from early childhood. It protects children from many chronic diseases, builds immunity and keeps them happy and healthy in the long run. Aspects of healthy eating for children are not different from adults. Both need the right nutrients in the right quantities. Keeping that in mind, here are some healthy recipes for kids with a twist!

Healthy Recipes For Kids

1. Healthy Pizza

What You Will Need For Dough:

Wheat flour – 150 gm
Boiled & mashed Spinach – 50 gm
Boiled & mashed beetroot – 50 gm
Oil – 2 tsp
Salt – ½ tsp

For dressing:

Hung curd – 50 gm
Tomato sauce – 50 gm
Mixed herbs – 1 tsp
Grated carrot – 50 gm
Chopped capsicum – 50 gm
Boiled chopped corns – 50 gm
Finely chopped pieces of Cottage cheese – 100 gm

Method of Preparation

Prepare two dough, one of spinach & other of beetroot by rolling out slightly two big & thick chapattis. These chapatis can be baked or can be cooked like normal one but partially.
Spread one layer of fresh hung curd and one layer of tomato sauce over it.
Spread all the veggies one by one in an interesting manner that appeals to kids.
Sprinkle mixed herbs, salt and some cheese on top of it.
Now this chapati pizza can be cooked/baked in a kadai or an oven for 4-5 min.
Enjoy hot with hung curd sauce or tomato sauce.

2. Tangy Protein Rolls

What You Will Need:

Overnight soaked moong dal – 100 gm
Rice Flour – 2 tsp
Boiled potato – 2 in no.
Boiled & mashed peas – 50 gm
Cottage cheese – 100 gm
Grated carrot – 100 gm
Finely chopped capsicum (all colors) – 100 gm
Finely chopped onion – 50 gm
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 6-7 in no.
Sesame seeds – 1 tsp
Dry mango powder – ½ tsp
Grated fresh coconut – 1-2 tsp
Chopped Cashew and raisins – 1 tsp
Tomato sauce – 2-3 tsp
Salt – ½ tsp
Oil – 2-3 tsp

Method of preparation:

Grind soaked moong daal to a coarse paste and add rice flour and after mixing well, keep it aside for 5-10 min.
In a pan add oil, cumin & mustard seeds, curry leaves and chopped onion. Sauté for a while till it becomes slightly pink in color.
Add all the veggies one by one, dry mango powder, salt, grated coconut, sesame seeds, chopped nuts and properly mix all the ingredients for 2-3 mins.
Roll out the veggie mixture in the form of hotdogs.
Make chilla out of moong dal mixture and put one veggie hot dog in between, apply some tomato sauce and roll out the chilla and it’s ready to curb evening hunger pangs!

Health Benefits Of These Recipes

These are homemade and are absolutely safe for kids.
Pizza is junk and consists of blank calories but this one is super healthy as it consists of many colorful veggies, provides vitamins & minerals and wheat flour chapati with spinach & beetroot is always a healthy option!
In spite of many sauces, if hung curd and tomato sauce is used, it is absolutely good for health.
Moong dal cheela & sesame seeds are rich in protein. Sesame seeds support bone health and when stuffed with healthy filling, there is nothing more perfect than this.
These recipes satisfy the kids’ emotional part as they are colorful and look exactly what they want from the outside.