Priyanka Mangla, Author at GOQii

November 22, 2022 By Priyanka Mangla 3 Comments

8 Diet and Lifestyle Tips For The Winter Season

By now, we are all experiencing the cool winter breeze. While the weather is quite pleasant, it also causes several issues like dry and itchy skin, cold and cough, etc. To help you stay healthy during this season, we’ve got some effective diet and lifestyle tips that will keep these issues at bay.

Diet & Lifestyle Tips for a Healthier You

Healthy Diet: Sir Robert McCarrison, one of the best known nutritionists says, “The right kind of food is the most important single factor in the promotion of health; and the wrong kind of food is the most important single factor in the promotion of disease.” There is an elaborate healing mechanism within the body, but it can perform its function only if it is abundantly supplied with all the essential nutritional factors. There are certain dishes which are winter specific in our country. We all relish them and besides being delicious, they serve a special purpose to keep us warm. Let’s start with our favorite, Gajar ka halwa which we all love. It is winter specific because we get the best seasonal carrots during this time. Next comes sarson ka saag. The saag is not just a flavoursome package but also a whole bunch of nutrition. Then we have gond ka ladoo (made from gum resin). This contains nuts and seeds too. It will keep you super warm. We have our own snack this time with nuts and jaggery chikki. A chikki a day is sure to keep the winter chills away! While we enjoy these, let’s not forget portion size.
Regular exercise: will keep you warm with a good circulation of blood. During winter, due to contraction of muscles to preserve energy, which is a natural phenomenon, many elderly folks suffer from joint pains and stiffness. To avoid that, it is best to continue doing light exercises. One can start off with a brisk walk for 15-20 minutes. People with a heart ailment or high blood pressure should avoid going out very early in the morning because of low oxygen levels.
Water: We tend to forget drinking water in winters as we don’t feel thirsty. But you know, water is the carrier of nutrients in our body and helps in detoxification. So make sure you load up on at least 2-3liters of water a day.
Hygiene: Next comes the hygiene! Regular bathing is essential to keep the skin healthy and nourished. Wash your hands after coming back from somewhere, before cooking or eating food.
Skin: Most of us suffer from dry, cracked skin during winter and we get tired applying lotions and oils throughout the day. I have a very useful tip for you to avoid this. Apply coconut oil or any other moisturizer immediately after bathing as during this time your skin is moist enough to absorb the oil and you will feel the softness throughout the day. You can also try these simple winter skincare tips: https://goqii.com/blog/8-simple-and-effective-winter-skincare-tips/
Sleep: Good, restful, quality sleep helps in boosting our immunity by repairing the wear and tear of the body and mind. For an adult, 6-9 hours of sleep is required and for the aged ones, 5-7 hours.
Vitamin D: Vitamin D deficiency is on a rise in Indians despite the fact that we are blessed with the sunshine throughout the year. People prefer to stay indoors. Vitamin D not only keeps the bones healthy but also regulates our mood. You would have heard about Seasonal Affective Disorder, more prevalent in the western countries as they are devoid of sunlight. So, what are you waiting for? Go and get some sunshine!
Clothing: Wear warm, woollen clothing to protect yourself from the cold.

And that’s it! These lifestyle tips are simple to follow and will keep you warm during this cold season. We hope this article helps you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! For more winter tips, check out Healthy Reads or speak to an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

November 14, 2022 By Priyanka Mangla 2 Comments

The Early Signs & Symptoms of Diabetes

Diabetes has become one of the most common lifestyle disorders affecting both, urban and rural areas alike. You can attribute this to overeating, obesity, stressful, busy and sedentary lifestyles which lead to the early symptoms of diabetes. This also includes lack of proper nutrition which leads to disturbed glucose metabolism. Heredity is also a major factor in the development of the disease. It is usually misunderstood that eating only refined sugar in excess will lead to diabetes but that’s not the case. Excess intake of proteins and fats also leads to development of diabetes because ultimately they are also metabolized and converted to glucose.

Diabetes is characterized by the elevated levels of glucose in the blood and urine. It is of 2 types:

Type 1: is present since birth due to complete absence of insulin
Type 2: Develops later in life due to the deficiency of insulin

There are other variants too like gestational diabetes which occur during pregnancy. Read more about it here: https://goqii.com/blog/what-gestational-diabetes-can-do-to-you-your-unborn-child/

Since untreated or uncontrolled diabetes gradually starts affecting the functioning of major organs of the body, like the heart, kidneys, brain, nervous system, eyes, etc. it is important to diagnose and manage diabetes as early as possible.

How Can You Diagnose It?

It is diagnosed by a blood test, in which the blood glucose in the fasting state (normal values range between 80-120 mg/100 ml of blood) and 2 hours after having the meal (normal values, 140 mg/100 ml of blood) are measured. Now, even before getting your blood glucose tested, there are certain signs and symptoms which our body shows which indicate the development of diabetes.

Early Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes

3P’s: Polyphagia (increased hunger), polydipsia (increased thirst), polyuria (increased urination). Remember these 3 P’s and look out if you are experiencing these.
Loss of weight: In spite of increased hunger, there will be a very sharp loss of weight, which again is a warning symptom. This is happening because the glucose is getting lost in the urine, also due to insufficient insulin, the available glucose is not getting utilized to provide energy and to function, the body has started utilizing the glucose which is stored in the muscles and organs.
Getting tired: Loss of weight due to this condition leads to early tiredness. The person gets tired easily both mentally and physically.
Dry mouth: Despite drinking more water, there will be dryness in the mouth.
Paleness: appears because of anemia.
Frequent infections and delayed healing of wounds: happens due to excess of glucose in the blood.
Loss of libido.

In its early stages, we can easily prevent it from progressing further to a full blown Diabetes Mellitus with:

Regular exercise: for a minimum of 30 minutes to maintain optimum weight. Engage yourself in light games.
Proper diet: Which includes salads with meals (this slows down digestion and prevents an immediate spike in blood sugar levels) and excluding refined sugar, alcohol, smoking and high fat foods.
Yoga & meditation: take care of the stress levels and curb the disease from getting any worse. Pranayama and certain yoga asanas like bhujangasana, sarvangasana and various others help in stimulating the pancreas to produce insulin .

There are certain home remedies which can be used as a supportive measure. I want to discuss here the two most important ones.

Bitter gourd (Karela): is highly beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. It contains an insulin-like principle, known as plant-insulin which has been found effective in lowering the blood and urine sugar levels.
Jambul fruit (Jamun): The seeds contain a glycoside ‘jamboline’ which has the power to check the pathological conversion of starch into sugar in cases of increased production of glucose. In the Homoeopathic system of medicine, we have a very effective medicine prepared from this fruit to treat diabetes.

We hope this article helps you manage Diabetes and helps you spot the early signs and symptoms. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on managing Diabetes, check out Healthy Reads.

For further guidance and motivation by certified experts, join the GOQii Diabetes Care program. It’s India’s only diabetes program that is driven by Smart Science and Personal Coaching to improve Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), Postprandial Blood Sugar (PP), and reduce HbA1c levels. You can subscribe here: https://store.goqii.com/diabetescare.

#BeTheForce Against Diabetes!

March 28, 2022 By Priyanka Mangla 7 Comments

6 Tricks To Help You Make Exercise A Habit

More often than not, when you’ve begun a new exercise routine to get in shape, your intentions don’t often match your actions. You begin to realize there’s a big gap between having an intention of achieving something and actually doing the work to fulfil that intention. There’s no need to beat yourself about it. There’s always a way to bridge that gap. Let’s look at a few tricks that can help you make exercise a habit!

How to Make Exercise a Habit

Set a Goal and Send a Reminder to Yourself: I wanted to exercise because I always wanted to stay fit like a soldier – this was my goal. I set a reminder on my phone for 5 AM as “Stay fit like a soldier “. This served as my morning alarm as well. Setting a goal where you remind yourself everyday will never let you sleep without ensuring that you exercised that day.
Challenge a Friend: The day you plan to start exercising, challenge your friend. I texted my friend, “hey, in the next 30 days, I am going to increase my stamina from 6/10 to 10/10 “. Believe me, your friend will never let you forget that you need to exercise daily.
Use the 21/90 Rule: This rule says that It takes 21 days to create a habit. It takes 90 days to create a lifestyle. You just don’t skip a day for 21 straight days. In these 3 weeks, exercise will become your habit. And once you are able to do it, you will continue doing it for another 90 days.
Reward Yourself With 1 Rest Day: Keep 1 day as your ”rest day “. This is important for your muscle recovery too.
Make It Pleasurable: During the lockdown, some music of your choice will do the magic. You will love your exercise without getting bored. This is actually something I do and enjoy a lot. When the circumstances will become favorable to go out, enjoy the beauty of nature, fresh morning air, the beautiful sky as the sun shines and the chirping of birds.
Take Baby Steps: Last but the most useful trick! When I started exercising, I had full “josh”, I forgot to count the sets and reps and just exercised with lots of energy. I had in mind, the more I will do, the sooner I will get the results. But the reverse happened. I had no energy for Day 2. So, this served as a lesson – doing too much, in the beginning, leads to burnout; which may lead to quitting the habit. So, the key is, start with light intensity exercises for 15-30 minutes in the beginning. Our only aim is to be regular. “One workout at a time. One day at a time. One meal at a time“ – Chalene Johnson.

Now that you’re aware of these simple tricks, let’s aim at making exercise a habit! Enjoy your exercise to enjoy the glow of good health. For proper guidance on exercise, form and posture, schedule GOQii Pro classes with experts on the GOQii App.

Stay safe, stay healthy, get active and #BeTheForce!

February 27, 2022 By Priyanka Mangla 1 Comment

Can Yogurt Help You Curb Acid Reflux?

People often complain of symptoms such as chest heaviness, burning in the sternal region (heartburn), frequent burping and sour belching, water brash, feeling as if food is stuck in the throat after swallowing and frequent pain in the throat. All these happen when stomach acid or bile irritates the food pipe lining. When prolonged, these symptoms may progress and lead to other complications.

What Causes Acid Reflux?

Stress, worry, anxiety, tension
Overeating, large meals or long gaps between meals
Obesity
Alcohol and smoking
Certain drugs like aspirin, antibiotics, painkillers, etc.
Bending, lying down or physical exertion soon after eating
After eating certain foods like onion, coffee, tea, tomatoes, citrus fruits, spicy food, chilies, deep fried food and aerated drinks.

I have found many people start taking a PPI (proton pump inhibitors) and keep continuing it for long because they find that as soon as they stop it, the symptoms recur. It’s quite clear that GERD, to some extent, is a lifestyle disorder and if taken care of, we can easily manage it. PPIs/antacids are not at all a solution for it. Moreover, their usage for a long term is going to harm the lining of the stomach, and as a result, the absorptive power of the stomach lessens, resulting in deficiency of vitamins. This paves the way to begin a multivitamin along with an antacid.

Can Simple Lifestyle Measures Help You Curb It?

Now, the question arises, if we can take hold of this by simple lifestyle measures, why not try at least? Simple, yet much beneficial changes you could make include:

Avoiding overeating: eat small meals at short intervals, little food at every 2 hours
Avoid drinking immediately before meals and drink sparingly during meals
Avoid fried food and fats: You can include sesame oil, mustard oil, oily fish, linseed oil, skimmed milk and low fat milk products in your diet in small quantities
Eat fresh fruits and salads and add ash gourd juice.

Can Yogurt Curb Acid Reflux?

Doubts come into our mind when we are advised Yogurt/Curd, which by nature is acidic. In spite of being acidic in nature, yogurt is a low acid-forming food since it doesn’t influence the acid-alkaline equilibrium of the body. You know soured milk is superior to sweet milk as it is in a predigested form and more easily assimilated. Yogurt is prepared by the bacterial fermentation of milk. It has a sour flavor because of the lactic acid produced by the fermentation of lactose found in milk. It is this acidic nature of yogurt which prevents the growth of other unwanted microorganisms in yogurt and improves our gut health. Several studies suggest that weakly acidic yogurt helps in diluting the strong acid present in the stomach, thereby reducing acid reflux episodes.

These days Greek Yogurt (kefir) is in the limelight. This is nothing but a thicker form of our regular yogurt (dahi/curd), with the whey drained out. If you wish to avoid starting a PPI/antacid or stop the already prescribed one, think about making some healthy dietary changes and I’m sure you will be amazed to see the results. Next time you sit for your meals , don’t forget to have a bowl of dahi, either plain or in the form of cucumber raita. You may also enjoy it in the form of lassi/buttermilk with a dash of jeera powder, salt, black pepper and 1-2 mint leaves to feel that soothing effect.

We hope this article helps you curb acid reflux. Is there a specific way you enjoy eating yogurt or curd? Let us know in the comments below! For more on nutrition, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to classes by expert nutritionists on GOQii Play. To get these tips directly from your GOQii Coach, sign up for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Eat Healthy and #BeTheForce