Parwage Alam, Author at GOQii

A state level Athletic and Pole Vault champion, Parwange Alam encourages and motivates people to be healthy. While pursuing his graduation at the Punjabi University of Patiala, he also doubled up as a coach training students in running. His mission is to help people improve their lifestyle and lead them towards a healthier future with his acquired knowledge in fitness and experience. Apart from a sporting career he is also an artist and likes to express his feelings through painting. Parwage believes that every individual has a sportsman spirit within them and if coached well it can unveil that sportsman in the individual.

February 25, 2024 By Parwage Alam 9 Comments

Avoid Stress: Lead a healthy and happy life!

Do you forever feel your shoulders are burdened with too many responsibilities? Do you feel endless demands towing at you from all directions? Do you feel your life is spinning out of control? It’s easy to feel stressed. But, regardless of your circumstances, only you can bring about a balance from within you and not form your surroundings?

Given the fast-paced lifestyle that all of us lead, we get hassled and irritated by the most inconsequential incidents that automatically lead the stress levels to go up. Come to think of it, there is no dearth for reasons for our stress levels to go up. But, does anyone really know how harmful stress is to our health?

Before understanding how harmful it is let’s first understand what is stress?

Stress is a normal part of life. It’s related to many events that happen to you and around you — and many things that you do yourself — put stress on your body. You can experience stress from your environment, your body, and your thoughts. It is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses.

The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert and overwhelmed. And, stress becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between challenges. As a result, the person becomes overworked and stress-related tension builds.

High levels of stress can cause biological imbalances in our body. Cortisol Hormone is the hormone that puts the body under stress. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands when an individual is under stress and affects one’s health in a negative manner. The most crucial effect is of one’s immune system and weight.

Stress also leads to excessive mood swings which can be categorized as Worry, Tension, Tiredness, Fright, Happiness, Depression, Anxiety and Anger all of which takes a toll on one’s health.

When stress overpowers, the body is flooded with chemicals that prepare to “fight or flight.” The Stress responses could be lifesaving at the time of emergency situation where our body needs to act quickly; it wears your body down when constantly activated by the stress of everyday life. Relaxation or meditation puts a break on this heightened state of readiness and brings your body and mind back into a calmer state.

Stress management can be a powerful tool for wellness and healthy living. Here are a few tips to de-stress yourself

1. Meditation

2. Deep Breathing

3. Be Alert

4. Relaxation

5. Laugh Out Loud

6. Listening to soft music

7. Strolling in the park

8. Chasing your hobbies

Apart from above options, try keeping a diary over a few weeks and list the time, places, and people that aggravate your stress levels. Once you are aware of your typical or regular stressors, you can always work on avoiding those.

Follow these options and life will automatically turn beautiful!

September 1, 2023 By Parwage Alam 3 Comments

Time Management Can Change Your Life

Time is a precious commodity. We all chase it but never have enough, given our busy schedules. Ever stopped to ask yourself why you keep running out of time? Ever wondered if you’re working in a systematic manner?

My father always said that there are two kinds of people:

Those who work hard
Those who work smart

Those who work hard, do their work without giving it a thought and work monotonously. The smart workers are those who do their work in a systematic and planned manner, adhere to time management and also enjoy what they are doing.

What Constitutes Time Management?

Time management is the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity.

To be successful is to manage your time well. It helps utilize the available time in an optimum manner to achieve one’s personal and professional goals. Without time management, you will not steer your life and you’ll eventually end up doing exactly what other people want you to do. Time management helps you take control of your life in the right manner. You decide what you want to do and where you want to go. Practicing time management has lots of benefits. Once you get a hang of it, you can work more, learn faster and play more.

How Does It Affect Your Health?

Today, work pressure has everyone stressed to the bone. More than often, people stay awake till morning trying to complete their work. During the day, they are seated with eyes glued to a machine. All these negatively impact the body and the mind. No physical activity means lack of movement in your joints, muscles and hence, one is prone to joint pains and other lifestyle diseases.

If you practice time management, you can complete your work and still have time to take care of your health. Believe me, you will start feeling positive. This in turn will help you be more stress-free. For most adults, sleep is the main factor that is compromised due to busy schedules. For students and professionals, moving about without sleep is a regular affair under the garb of wanting to achieve their targets. They may complete all their tasks, but do not realize that their mental and physical health is getting affected. Proper time management may prevent this.

Benefits of Time Management

Increase in Productivity: Practicing time management can increase your productivity by helping you finish your work in the shortest possible time.
Chances of Moving up the Ladder: In corporate sectors, the better you perform, the higher your chances of growth are. By managing your time, you could end up becoming a star performer in your organization
Reduced Stress: If you manage your time well, you do not have to panic or push yourself to finish your work. You will get your work done at the said time, thus relieving you of stress and unnecessary work pressure.
Higher Income: It is a well-known fact that in today’s world, time reciprocates money. Managing your time helps you accommodate more time to take up new assignments, opening up many more doors of opportunities.
Boost in Self-Confidence: If you are completing your work within a given time frame and delivering quality as well, it will certainly boost your self-confidence and be fruitful for your career advancements.
Stronger Family Bonds: Time management will help you spend quality time with your family and friends, which seems next to impossible these days. Time management helps you maintain a fine balance between your professional and personal life. Your family bonding will be much better.
Better for Health: For better health, you need at least 7 to 8 hours of sound sleep. If you spend the whole night finishing your pending tasks, then you are certainly evoking great health hazards. There are many health related irregularities which are caused by lack of sleep.

All of the above explanations prove that the benefits of managing your time are irrefutable. Life is all about accomplishments and enjoyments. Efficient time management is the only instrument which helps you find both. You can’t allow yourself to sink under the files of pending tasks and persistently overlook your family responsibilities or personal necessities. Adopt a proficient time management technique to lead a balanced and prosperous life.

Have you been unable to manage your time or excel in managing it? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

For more articles like this, check out Healthy Reads. If you want to set a schedule to help you manage your time and health better, speak to an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

August 14, 2023 By Parwage Alam 14 Comments

How to Turn Household Chores Into a Workout

Taking care of the house is a never-ending job! I still remember my mother being so caught up with household chores that she never got the time to workout. One day when I got home after working out, I saw my mother doing the regular housework and an idea struck me! What if we can turn daily household chores into a workout routine?

Benefits of Turning Household Chores Into a Workout

Most people struggle with the fact that due to the lack of time, they skip working out. If you turn household chores into a workout routine, you’re killing two birds with one stone. You find your chores as well as get a good, light workout.

Like any other physical activity, housework can tone muscles if done correctly and in the right posture. It’s already proved that short bouts of relatively mild exercise can help improve your fitness levels, especially for those who do little or no physical activity or are just getting started. To top it off, this can help you break the monotony of routine and add a little bit of fun to completing chores.

Here’s How You Get Started

Lunges (Vacuum Cleaning): While using the vacuum cleaner, you can walk in a lunges posture. Remember to keep your knees directly above your ankles, your back straight and your abs engaged. You will know this is working by feeling the pressure in your thighs and glutes. Lunges are a good exercise for strengthening, sculpting and building several muscles/muscle groups, including the quadriceps (or thighs), the gluteus maximus (or buttocks) and the hamstrings as well.
Squats: Pick up items on the floor or tables by squatting. Keep your back straight, squat deeply by bending your knees. Hold for 15 seconds before rising up again. A Squat is an exercise that primarily trains the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks. It also works the quadriceps (vastus lateral, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius and rectus femoris), hamstrings, and strengthens the bones, ligaments as well as the insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body
Make Sweeping Movements: Instead of cleaning haphazardly when scrubbing glass doors or cleaning windows, make long, sweeping movements. For instance, when you are cleaning the doors or windows, take long swipes from top to bottom, squatting (not bending) to reach the lower spots. This will give you a fantastic shoulder workout and engage your entire lower body. If you want you can also hold a small bucket of water in your other hand to increase the strength of your arms.
Sweeping: While sweeping, tuck your stomach and oblique muscles in, keep your back straight and bring the bristles of the broom as far as possible and pull in.
Dance on the Beat: Turn on the music system while doing household chores and dance to the music the way you want. Try to use some fast music so you’ll be encouraged to pick up your speed and break a sweat. If you’re wondering how dancing helps your health, click here.
Step it up: Use a stepladder, stairs or step stool when you need to reach high areas. Try to repeat the same steps 8-10 times. Trust me, this is a really great exercise for your hamstrings, provided you keep your back straight. You can simulate your own step aerobics session this way!
Loading the Washing machine: When you are loading or unloading your washing machine, just twist and move more. This movement will help to strengthen your core.
Sculpt and Fold: Lifting laundry can be the toughest part of your routine. Tone your arms by holding them raised at 90° angle as you carry the laundry basket. Use the squats and lunges posture with your legs as your fold.
Take a Swing. Instead of cleaning your rugs, carpets, sheet using a vacuum cleaner, take them outside, hang them up, pick up your broom and show your muscular talent! Swing away to beat out the dust and dirt. Performing this activity will help you involve more muscles than vacuuming alone and help you get some fresh air as well.
Always Prefer Stairs: Instead of making one trip up and down, try to convert it into multiple trips with the clean or dirty clothes. Remember, we have a target to do more work as a workout, not less work with the help of machines!

What are you waiting for! Make your household chores something to look forward to by turning them into a workout. Try this for a week and let us know if you see any changes. Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Find more tips on exercising and workouts here. If you need help with your workouts, learn from the best by signing up for an interactive GOQii PRO class where you’ll be guided in real-time by a certified expert. Book a class now from the GOQii App.

#BeTheForce

June 26, 2023 By Parwage Alam 5 Comments

How You Can Use A Skipping Rope To Get Healthier!

Do you remember skipping during childhood and competing with friends to find out who could skip the fastest? Those memories of my childhood always bring a smile to my face. I used to enjoy skipping a lot! There were several games we used to play with the skipping rope and it was one of the cheapest games that one could purchase. The best part about a skipping rope, even today, is that people of all ages can use it.

Benefits Of Using A Skipping Rope

I did not realize the benefits of using a skipping rope till I became a coach. It is not just used for playing as we did during childhood but it’s a fantastic workout tool. If you don’t find the time to go to a gym or workout, you can try skipping for 15 minutes and that’ll be enough to burn off a decent amount of calories.

Apart from burning calories, it can help you improve your footwork, speed, coordination, stamina, agility and it also strengthens your leg, abdominal, back, chest, arm and shoulder muscles.

How To Jump Rope?

Beginners should jump twice between each rotation of the rope. The basic aim here is to get your abdominal and calf muscles into shape. While skipping, you have to be careful that your arms do not move. You should rotate the rope with the circular movements of your wrists.
You should not jump very high. Jump 1 to 2 inches off the floor, giving rope just enough space to slip under your feet – only the balls of feet should touch the floor.
Keep your elbows close to your sides as you rotate the rope. The movement comes from the wrists and forearms and not the shoulders.
If you tire out before you finish the workout, drop the rope, but keep arms and legs going.
To find a rope that fits, place one foot in the center of the rope and lift the handles – they shouldn’t go past your armpits.

How To Select A Skipping Rope?

Popular ropes include the speed rope, the digital rope and weighted rope. (Whatever you get, make sure the length is correct. The way to measure it is to stand in the middle of the rope, & the handles should come up to your waist, lower ribs – if it reaches your shoulders it’s too long.)

Speed Rope: It is lightweight and great for speed. Mostly used by elite athletes to develop footwork, coordination and conditioning. For example, boxers use a speed rope during their general strength and conditioning workouts.
The digital rope: A digital jump rope will count the number of jumps you have made. It will also keep track of the number of calories you burn during each jump rope training session. Some will also keep track of the length of the workout. For more features, you can check out the GOQii Smart Skip.
Weighted jump rope: It has weighted handles. The idea behind this rope is that the extra weight on the handles provides an extra workout for the upper body like wrist, forearm and triceps strength.
Leather Jump Rope: A good-quality leather jump rope is a great choice for serious workouts. These ropes either have plastic or wooden handles, and a strip of leather for the rope. Compared to the cloth jump rope, a leather jump rope turns much faster, providing a serious cardio workout. Professional boxers have used leather jump ropes for years when training.
Beaded Jump Rope: It consists of plastic beads strung on a thin piece of nylon cord. Like cloth ropes, beaded jump ropes are very economical. These ropes are fun for a while, but are not recommended for intense jump rope exercising.

To know the appropriate rope length as per your height, please check the following chart:

Your Height	Jump Rope Length
Up to 4’6″	6 foot
4’7″ to 5’6″	7 foot
5’6″ to 6’	8 foot
Over 6’	10 foot

Kids Jump Rope: The jump ropes for children need to be shorter than adult ropes. It is the best to start with a beaded rope, because they don’t tangle as easily. Make sure that the rope is not too short, or it will lead to too many errors and the child may get discouraged.

Skipping Routine To Help You Knock Off Belly Fat

Warm up for 5 minutes by skipping at slow to medium speed
Take rest for one minute
Skip for 1 minute as fast as you can
Take rest for 20 seconds
Again skip for one minute as fast as you can
Then again take a rest for 20 seconds, and repeat again for 10 minutes.

Reason behind of this type of skipping is that it enables you to improve your cardiovascular as well as muscular endurance and it will help you to burn more calories.

If you want to track your skipping rope workout, get the GOQii Smart Skip that comes with a high performance intelligent skip counter as well as 3 skipping modes:

Free Mode: Skip freely for normal cardio workouts as per your level
Time Trial Mode: Challenge yourself against the clock by setting a time based skip target.
No. of Skips Mode: Set a minimum number of skips as a target for you to beat.

Apart from this, it can also help you track the calories burned, skipping speed, monitor heart rate, fat burn and more. You can get the GOQii Smart Skip, here.

We hope this article helps you. For more on fitness and workouts, check out Healthy Reads or consult a GOQii Coach by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here.

Get Active and #BeTheForce