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5 Simple Exercises You Can Do At Home

simple exercisesAmid the Coronavirus pandemic, social distancing and self-quarantine are in full swing. With everyone locking themselves up indoors, The activity levels have seen a considerable drop. Social distancing has resulted in a 51% drop in step count in the first 15 days of march 2020 according to a recent real time data study of 5 lakh users using GOQii Trackers. This drop in percentage is only likely to increase in the coming days as the fear of spread of this deadly virus is only increasing by the day. However, don’t let the lockdown make you fall into the recesses of a sedentary lifestyle. Get back up and get active at home with these 5 simple exercises!

Start Your Day Right With These 5 Simple Exercises

1.Push Ups: A great upper body exercise to begin your day. Start with lying down in a prone position, place your arms with your palms facing the floor shoulder width apart. Bend elbows and upper body to do a Push Up. Repeat the push ups for 8-10 reps.

2. Balancing Table Pose: This pose is perfect for improving balance, posture, concentration and memory. Start with a kneel down position, while breathing, lift your left arm and adjacent right leg parallel to the floor and exhale, hold for 30secs. Repeat with the other hand and leg. Do this for 5-7 repetitions on each side.

3. Butt-Kickers: As the name suggests, it is simply kicking your Glute (Butt) muscles. Start by standing with your feet about hip distance apart, bring your right leg behind your buttock contracting the hamstring muscles, and touch your Glutes with your right leg,  repeat the same with your left leg. Continue doing it by alternating the legs. Do it for about a minute and repeat the exercise for 3 sets.

4. Wall Sits:Start with sitting against a wall with your back supported by the wall and your feet about 2 feet apart from the wall. Sit in such a position that thighs are parallel to the ground forming a 90 degree angle. Hold the position for 60secs. Repeat for 3 sets. Great exercise for the core muscles, Glutes. Quadriceps and Hamstrings. It is a fantastic lower body workout.

5. Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation: We all know it, we all have heard about it. It is one of the most impactful and easiest full body stretches to loosen those tight muscles and to energize the body instantly.

Start with a standing position with hands in Namaskar position, bend backwards with hands still in namaskar position, breathing out, bend forward touching the toes, Breathing in, push your right leg back, as far back as possible. Bring the right knee to the floor and look up. Then while breathing take the left leg behind and form a straight line. Gently bring down your knees and let the chest, chin, hands, feet touch the floor with the hips slightly raised, then slide forward and do a Cobra pose, lift your body and bring yourself in an inverted V pose, then  bring the right knee forward in between the two hands, left knee should be on the floor and press the hips down and look up. 

After this pose, get into the standing forward bend position, and then breathing in, roll up the spine. Raise the hands up and bend backward a little bit, pushing the hips slightly outward. And finally end it with the starting position of a standing Namaste. Start off with 5 repetitions of this exercise everyday to yield benefits.

We hope this article on 5 simple exercises helps you stay fit at home. For more home workouts, tune in to fitness experts on GOQii Play. 

#BeTheForce 

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5 Simple and Effective Home Remedies For Common Cold

common cold home remedies

The common cold season is here, where common cold is not that common! Symptoms such as congestion, a runny/stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing, sneezing, body aches, low-grade fever and Malaise (general unwell feeling) run rampant!

The Common Cold is an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) mostly caused by the Rhinovirus. It is very common during this time of the year but can be managed well with these 5 simple home remedies!

1. Ginger Ale 

Simply boil water, switch off the flame, add a crushed(inch sized) piece of Ginger to it, half tsp turmeric powder, a pinch of black pepper, and cover it for 3-5 minutes. Strain and have it with a tsp of raw organic honey. It works very well for clearing congestion, improve runny nose and also to relieve headaches and a sore throat.

2. Chicken/Veg Broth 

Boil chicken or any veggies of your choice with 1 onion, few pods of garlic, 1 inch piece of ginger, salt and black pepper. Once boiled, remove the onions, ginger, garlic, blend them and add them back to the broth. The anti-inflammatory properties in them will help reduce congestion, can open up a blocked nose, will give a soothing effect to the body and help in reducing any aches/pains.

3. Lukewarm Water Gargles 

Gargling with Lukewarm salt water works wonders to clear any throat itching/congestion, as salt has a tendency to absorb the water and along with it the infection causing Microbiota. Best time to do this is early in the morning after waking up.

4. Honey-Pepper Mix 

Mix 1 tsp of raw organic honey with a pinch of black pepper and half tsp fresh ginger juice. It is a good remedy to reduce dry cough. Works very well on an empty stomach.

5. Hot Water Steam 

Boil water in an open vessel, add a tsp of turmeric powder or Eucalyptus oil(1-2 drops) in it. Cover your head with a towel while covering the vessel. Take this hot water steam in the morning and evening for 10-15mins to cure blocked/stuffy nose and/or Chest congestion.

A simple Tulsi leaf decoction works wonders as well in reducing the effects of Common Cold. You can also check out LIVE and archived classes on GOQii Play on combating common cold.

We hope this article was helpful to you! How do you combat common cold? Let us know in the comments below!

#BeTheForce 

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5 Foods You Should Avoid Eating During Monsoons

5 Foods You Shouldn't Eat During Monsoons

There are many foods out there that seem like an ideal fit for monsoons! Samosas, Pakodas, a hot cup of tea or roasted corn on the cob can all seem a little too tempting when it rains. While there are many foods you should eat during the rainy season, there are some you should definitely avoid at all costs.

Here are the top 5 foods you should avoid during the rains

1. Fried Foods

Munching on hot fried foods while binge watching you favorite show to the sound of rain outside might seem like a good idea but is it? Be it Pakodas, Puris, Fryums or Fritters, deep fried foods need to be avoided at all costs in this weather. The reason being that these foods take longer for digestions, to break down and thereby, they make a person extremely sluggish – something you don’t want this season. Try this recipe instead!

2. Green Leafy Vegetables 

If you’re wondering why something considered healthy like green leafy vegetables are on this list, you’re in for a surprise! Although rich in dietary fiber, magnesium, zinc and iron, etc., green leafy vegetables are a breeding ground for bacteria that thrive in humid weather. These bacteria can cause various illnesses and diseases. If you must eat leafy vegetables, cleaning, seeping it in salt water, washing it and cooking it will ensure that it is good for eating.

3. Seafood 

This is more from the ecological perspective than causing illnesses. The rainy season marks the beginning of the breeding season for fishes. Hence, it is better to avoid them during this time of the year to ensure that their population remains stable.

4. Street Food 

Apart from causing discomfort to the stomach on any given day, street food such as the famed pani puri, dahi puri, sev and bhel puri need to be strictly avoided. This is because the water that is used may be contaminated with bacteria/bacterial spores that thrive during this season causing more stomach infections than usual! If you must eat chaat, try this healthy recipe for sev puri!

5. Milk 

Raw/ unpasteurized milk can be a home for E.Coli, a bacterium that causes many food borne illnesses. It is better to have it boiled to prevent any bacterial growth.

To ensure you’re at the best of your health, these were the top 5 foods you should avoid during monsoons! Was this article helpful? Type out your thoughts in the comments below!

#BeTheForce 

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