Soni Thakur, Author at GOQii

February 10, 2023 By Soni Thakur 10 Comments

7 Reasons Why Pulses Are Good For You!

Pulses have always been an important part of the Indian diet, preferred for their nutritional content of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. There are hundreds of variety of pulses grown, some of the popular ones are – Lentils, Dry Beans, Cowpeas, Chickpea, Tur Dal, Black beans, kidney beans, etc. Moreover, they are very economical and easily available throughout the world.

If Pulse was an abbreviation, it would surely mean:

P – Protein Rich

U – Universally Distributed

L – Low Cost

S – Source of dietary fiber

E – Easily Available

They are often considered to be a poor man’s food because of their low cost and availability and are often neglected for more expensive alternates. While there is nothing wrong with exploring options, why should one ignore such a versatile and rich source of plant protein?

Reasons to Include Pulses in Your Diet

Pulses are good for all age groups irrespective of whether it is fed to babies, a preschooler, an adolescent, an adult or the elderly! Pulses are good for everyone. In adolescents, it helps promote growth and development. In the elderly, it helps in maintaining and replacing the wear and tear of tissues.
They are widely distributed, affordable and reachable for all income groups. Plus, they are heart healthy and a good source of vegetarian protein.
They are low in saturated and trans fat, in essence, they help in lowering blood cholesterol, reduce blood pressure and maintain a healthy weight.
Pulses have shown potential in helping to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses such as Diabetes, Cancer and Heart diseases.
They are dried seeds that can be easily stored for a long time with proper care. Hence, reducing food wastage and loss.
Red kidney beans are high in antioxidants and fight inflammation and boost metabolism.
When Cereals are taken with Pulses, it improves the protein quality due to mutual supplementation. Cereals are high in Cysteine and methionine and pulses are high in lysine.

These reasons are good enough for you to rush to your grocer and pack your kitchen with a variety of pulses!

We hope this article helps you! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on nutrition, explore Healthy Reads or speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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February 2, 2023 By Soni Thakur 2 Comments

Reasons Why You Are Not Losing Weight!

Has your scale been stuck at the same number? And no matter how hard you try, it does not move an inch? During a time like this, it gets difficult to stay motivated to get rid of the weight we’ve been trying to lose, despite working out and eating healthy. There could be certain other factors at work here which are preventing you from losing weight. Let’s understand them!

Factors That Prevent You From Losing Weight

You Are Not Eating Enough: Our body requires fuel in order to keep working. It’s like a car – you can’t run it without enough fuel. The same goes for our body. You can’t expect your body to function efficiently or lose weight while you’re starving. Eat within a calorie budget as eating less or eating more can both be the reason why you aren’t losing weight.
Compromised Gut Health: Eating food is only half the story of good nutrition. How that food is absorbed and digested is the other half. If your gut is not healed and healthy, then it can be one of the strongest reasons for you not being able to lose weight.
Less Supply Of Fat To The Body: Fats are important for the absorption of certain vitamins and also for optimal functioning of our brain, heart and body cells. Choose plant based fats like walnuts, almonds, olives, avocados, flaxseeds, etc. as they contain the healthiest types of fatty acids.
You Are Stressed: Chronic stress releases cortisol, which in turn raises blood sugar levels and this again triggers the pancreas to release more insulin and more insulin means more sugar to the cells which gets stored as fat.
You Aren’t Sleeping Enough: When you sleep, your body is in the recovery stage with the help of certain hormones. If you are not sleeping enough, then your body’s first priority is to fight inflammation instead of helping you lose weight.
You Are Overtraining: Indulging yourself in rigorous workouts for more than an hour every day without rest creates inflammation in the body and the body goes into stress mode – which is again not in the favour of weight loss. Aim for only 45-60 minutes exercise for 6 days a week followed by 1 day for rest and recovery.
Your Vitamin D3 and B12 May Be Low: Studies have shown that deficiency of any of the vitamins can cause weight gain too. In fact, several studies investigating the effects of vitamin D on weight loss suggested that it could suppress the storage of fat cells and effectively reduce the fat accumulation in the body. So, make sure to keep your vitamin D3 at an adequate level. Vitamin B12 is often associated with weight loss because of its ability to boost metabolism and provide lasting energy.
Your Thyroid May Be Underactive: When a person’s thyroid is underactive, metabolism goes down very slow due to certain changes in the body. So losing weight will be slower as compared to a healthy individual.
You May Have Food Sensitivity: In several studies, it has been found that nearly 70% of people are dairy intolerant and 30% have gluten sensitivity. If a person with any of these consumes dairy and gluten-rich foods, it leads to inflammation and the body heals that first. This hinders weight loss.
Your Meals Are Not Balanced: Losing weight is all about eating a well-balanced diet by including complex carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats, and fibres in order to nourish your body with all the essential nutrients. You may lose a good amount of weight by going low or high on one or the other food groups but that happens for just for a short duration of time and is going to hamper your metabolism in the long run.
Expecting Too Much or Being Unrealistic: Setting an unrealistic goal and bounding your body within a time frame will increase your stress levels. Set a goal which is not only for losing weight and going back into your desired shape, but is also a holistic approach which should have a time period which is more realistic and not a quick magical expectation. If you have not gained this weight in a month or two, how can you expect to lose it in such a short period of time?

We hope this article helps you understand why you are not losing weight. You can additionally consult with a GOQii Coach or a GOQii Doctor by opting for a personalized health coaching subscription or sign up for GOQii Transform – a personalized weight management program. You can read more about it here: https://store.goqii.com/transform-weight-program

To read more articles on weight loss, click here.

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January 9, 2023 By Soni Thakur 5 Comments

Top 10 Foods Which Will Help You Gain Muscles Naturally

If you are looking to build muscles, overtraining is not the way to go! Instead, try foods which will help you gain muscles naturally as well as help you shed excess fat. In order to maximize your results from a workout, you must focus on your diet as both nutrition and physical activities are critical if you want to gain muscles.

Why Do You Need Muscles?

Muscles are not only important for being in shape but it has other functions and benefits too. For instance:

Muscles increase metabolic rate
They make everyday chores easier
Muscles reduce the risk of many chronic diseases
Muscle gain builds and strengthens your bones and tendons, which can help prevent broken bones, tendon sprain and tears

Top 10 Foods Which Will Help You Gain Muscles Naturally

These foods will make your fitness journey more adaptable and diverse in terms of choices:

Eggs: High Protein foods are very important for gaining muscles and eggs are grade one quality protein with essential vitamins.
Chicken Breast: The lean protein in chicken is an excellent source of amino acids. Each 3-ounce (85 gram) contains about 26 grams of high quality protein. They are also packed with B Vitamins, which may be particularly important, if you are active.
Salmon and Tuna: are great choices for muscle building and overall health. They provide large amounts of Omega- 3 fatty acids, which support muscle gain.
Soyabean: Numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of Soyabean for promoting fat loss while preserving muscle mass and supporting body mass gain. It is a complete source of protein for vegetarians and a particularly good source of Vitamin K, Iron and Phosphorus. Make sure you buy non-GMO Soyabeans as they are dense in nutrients, have not encountered pesticides and do not contain antibiotics.
Lentils and Beans: are the secret weapons you need when you want to gain muscles naturally. They are rich in protein and low in fat. They are affordable, widely available and are loaded with Fiber, Vitamin B, Magnesium and Iron – all of which are perfect for muscle gain. Black Lentils, Green Lentils, Split Peas, Navy Beans, Chickpeas, Black Beans, Kidney Beans are some high protein varieties of lentils and beans. You can try soaking and sprouting your lentils and beans as it neutralizes phytic acid and facilitates the bioavailability of nutrients like B Vitamins, Vitamin C and the Fiber along with enhancing it’s flavour.
Sattu: is the flour of roasted Bengal gram dal. It is very rich in protein, dietary fiber and minerals like Calcium, Iron and Manganese. It can be an excellent replacement for market protein powders to fulfil the requirement of protein after an intense workout session. You can mix it in a glass of water, buttermilk, milk and can even blend it with your smoothies.
Nuts: are high in protein and essential fats. They make the perfect snack option for muscle gain. Try a fistful mix trail of Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews, Pistachios and Peanuts for building and maintaining muscles.
Quinoa: Not only is it rich in Protein and Fiber, it is also high in Magnesium and Iron – which helps promote protein synthesis. It contains all nine amino acids essential for building muscle and it is gluten-free as well. It’s the perfect food to rely on during your muscle building program.
Healthy Fats: In general, fats make up 20-35% of our total calories for overall health and muscle gain. We need to focus on healthy sources of fats, including Canola oil, Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive oil, Cold Pressed Coconut Oil, Avocados, Groundnut oil and oil from nuts and seeds. We know that the very thought of consuming fat makes some of you shudder, but good fats are essential for muscle growth.
A2 Milk and Milk Products: A2 Milk may be a smart choice for those who want to build muscle mass. It contains high quality and easily absorbable Protein, Carbohydrates and Micronutrients (Calcium, Phosphorus and B Vitamins) which are crucial for gaining muscles. You can include products made of A2 milk like Paneer/Curd/Ghee/Butter, but remember that moderation is the key, so don’t over do it.

To reach your goal of gaining muscles, focus on the right sets of exercise and eat more protein-packed foods as listed above. However, it is also important to consume Carbohydrates (Complex) and Fats (Healthy Fats) to provide fuel for exercise and physical activity.

We hope this articles helps you gain muscles naturally with nutrition! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more on fitness and muscle building, check out Healthy Reads or workout with our experts through a live, interactive session on GOQii Pro within the GOQii App. Book a class now!

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November 7, 2022 By Soni Thakur 3 Comments

Do Your Muscles Turn Into Fat When You Stop Weight Training?

Being indoors for this long has given people a lot of time to do some research. If you have been researching fitness, weight training and muscles, I’m sure the thought of – “will my muscles turn into fat if I stop weight training” has crossed your mind. While you might watch your fitness levels, maintain a healthy weight and improve strength, etc, it is equally important to understand what happens once you stop weight training in order to preserve muscle mass.

What Do Muscles Mean?

Muscle is a tissue in animal bodies. Their main purpose is to help us move our body parts. When a muscle is activated via exercise, it contracts, making itself shorter and thicker i.e. it grows in size.

When you exercise, your body does not create new muscles. Instead, your existing muscles grow larger and stronger.
With regular exercise, muscles also develop more mitochondria (this is where biochemical processes of respiration and energy production occur in the cell). The result is larger and more muscle mass.
When you stop weight training/adopt a sedentary lifestyle, then the increased blood flow previously needed to fuel your cells during exercise is no longer required, so your body begins to contract and reduce the size of your capillaries. As a consequence, muscles shrink and decrease in mass.

Points To Consider

Muscle cells and fat cells are different structures and are not interchangeable at all. They will become smaller and weaker if you stop weight training because they lose muscle mass. Although, it will not happen in a short period of time as the process of losing muscle mass is slow and gradual which may take 4-6 weeks. Fat may be produced if your diet provides your body with more calories than required based on the activity levels you maintain.

You can preserve and maintain your muscle mass by keeping yourself active. By active I do not mean hitting the gym everyday but by just walking in between breaks, using the staircase instead of the lift, stretching your body every 2 hours, walking while being on a call instead of just sitting at one place, walking after every meal whether it’s your main meal or just snacks in between and obviously by eating a well- balanced healthy diet.

Keep an eye on your protein intake because the protein requirement of your body is directly associated with building and losing muscle mass as well. Don’t overtrain as this can also lead to decreased muscle. Leaving weight training alone should not be blamed for decreased muscle mass. 40-45 minutes of exercise 5-6 days a week is recommended and 1 day should be dedicated for rest and recovery.

We hope this article helps you. For more useful information on muscles, strength training, etc. check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE, interactive workout classes by experts on GOQii PRO within the GOQii App.

To get these tips directly from your GOQii Coach, subscribe for Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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