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November 22, 2019 By Sunita Arora Leave a Comment

5 Healthy Hot Winter Drinks to Warm You Up!

hot winter drinks

If you’ve begun feeling the slight chills in the morning, you know that winter is coming – intended GoT reference. While an epic fantasy drama can turn the heat up in an instant, your body needs a little more warmth or spice, depending on what your taste is like, to help you push through those cold mornings. In this article, I’m going to share some of my favorite hot winter drinks that I include in my diet on a regular basis.

These drinks have numerous health benefits. They will help you boost your immunity, increase your brainpower and remove toxins from your body – these are still just a few benefits from the reservoir of goodness they can offer!

You can’t deny that winter beckons warm, hot, spicy and often something sweet as well. Now, if you want to make your drink healthy, then you must try one or all of these hot winter drinks!  

1. Hot Ginger Tea

This brew is quite effective during winter. It promotes good digestion, boosts your immunity, aids weight loss and helps provide relief in Arthritis. This drink is your ally while battling cold and cough as well.

Ingredients: 1 cup of water, 2 tsp of freshly grated ginger and 1 tsp of raw honey (optional)

How to Prepare: Boil ginger in water for 5-10 minutes, strain it, add raw honey if you want to and sip it hot. Simple, isn’t it!

2. Spiced Green Tea

Do you love Green Tea? Let’s spice it up! This aromatic tea is a wonderful blend of taste and good health! It is rich in antioxidants, aids weight loss, boosts metabolism and the best part is that you can consume this any time during winter!

Ingredients: 1 cup of water, a pinch of cinnamon, ½ tsp crushed ginger, 2 tsp of green tea leaf, ½ lemon and 1 tsp of raw honey (optional).

How to Prepare: Add green tea leaf, crushed ginger and cinnamon in hot water. Cover and steep for 5-6 minutes. Pour it in your favorite mug, then add lemon and honey and start sipping immediately!

3. Warm Turmeric Milk

This popular household drink is an excellent remedy for treating inflammation and joint pains. It helps in resolving sleep-related issues as well.

Ingredients: 1 cup of organic milk, ½ tsp of ground turmeric, a pinch of cinnamon powder, 1 tsp of raw honey (optional).

How to Prepare: Mix all the ingredients in a blender for 1 minute. Then, boil it on low flame for a few minutes till it is hot enough. Add raw honey if you want to and serve! The perfect hot winter drink! For sleep disorders, drink this milk 30 minutes before bedtime daily.

4. Spiced Almond Milk

This is a treat for vegans! Purely because it is naturally dairy-free! It can also be consumed by people with dairy allergy or those who are lactose intolerant. Be sure to try this one though, it has an exotic flavor and is quite easy to prepare.

Ingredients: 1 cup of Almond milk, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp of ginger powder, a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg.

How to prepare: Take a saucepan and combine all the ingredients. Slowly bring it to a simmer for a few minutes and serve hot. If you want to make your own almond milk, Click Here.

5. Masala Chai

Everybody’s favourite! If you’re a tea person, this has to be the beverage you wake up to, or the thing that keeps you going late afternoon! If you want to know about the benefits masala chai offers, read my article on The Magic of Indian Masala Chai. To keep it short, it regulates the digestive system, prevents people from gaining weight, stimulates the appetite and boosts the immune system among other benefits!

Ingredients: ½ cup of Water, ½ cup of milk, 1 tsp of loose tea leaf, 2-3 cloves, 1 cardamom, ½ inch cinnamon stick, 1 small slice of ginger, 1 star anise, 2-3 peppercorn, 1 tsp of jaggery powder or brown sugar (optional).

How to Prepare: Crush cinnamon, clove, ginger, star anise, and peppercorn. Add them in boiling water. Then, add the tea leaf and boil for 2-3 minutes. Add the jiggery and milk. Simmer it 2-3 times and then turn the gas off. Pour it in your favorite mug and enjoy the weather!

Whenever you feel like drinking something hot or spicy, these hot winter drinks are your best picks! We hope you enjoy these recipes in the days to come. Don’t forget to check out Healthy Reads within the GOQii App for more healthy recipes!

Do leave your thoughts in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

November 11, 2019 By Sunita Arora 1 Comment

11 Easy Habits to Help You Lose Weight

easy habits to help you lose weight

As a lifestyle coach and weight management expert, I often see people struggling to lose weight. In my previous blog, I have shared my insight on 11 Unhealthy Habits That Are Destroying Your Health. While I hope you read that, I will be sharing a few easy habits you can adopt to lose weight! By making small efforts and small changes in your habits, you can easily achieve your weight loss goals.

11 Habits For a Healthier You

  1. Read Food Labels: Reading food labels helps you make the right food choices! It helps with certain medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, etc. by helping you avoid food with ingredients which may aggravate these conditions. On the label, the greatest quantities come first. A product that lists sugar or corn syrup as its first ingredient will always be high in calories.
  2. Maintain a Food Journal: After doing all of the above, if you’ve still not shed some weight, maintain a food journal. It will help you track your food and beverage intake. Then you can easily decide where you need to cut out extra calories which have affected your weight loss goals.
  3. Begin Your Day With Protein: We couldn’t stress enough on the importance of breakfast! Never skip it. Eating a high protein breakfast helps us curb cravings and aids weight loss. Give a kick-start to your day by including nuts, seeds, oats, cottage cheese, yogurt, buttermilk and eggs in your breakfast.
  4. Eat Slow and Chew More: The entire digestive process starts in the mouth with chewing. The faster you eat, the more food you will consume. Chewing food at a slower pace can help you reduce overall food intake. It can also help you get more nutrients from the food you eat.
  5. Let Dinner Be The Last Meal: Boredom or stress can lead to unhealthy snacking! People often eat out of boredom or stress even when they aren’t hungry. If you feel hungry even after a good dinner, go for lighter, healthier options which are rich in fiber and protein such as nuts, whole grains, legumes, hummus, yogurt, air-popped popcorn, etc.
  6. Don’t Skip Meals: Skipping meals can slow your metabolism down, making it harder to lose weight. It also leads to poor, unhealthy food choices, overeating and obesity. When you don’t eat enough, you don’t get the required nutrients for muscle growth, bone health and the immune system which leads to issues such as fatigue, hair loss and low immunity.
  7. Avoid TV and Gadgets While Eating: Working or Watching TV while eating has harmful effects on your health. By paying attention to what you eat, you are more likely to make healthier food choices. You will enjoy your meals more with its smell, flavor and texture!
  8. Use Smaller Plates: Using smaller plates helps one control the quantity of food consumed. It helps you maintain portion control. Using bigger plates often leads to overeating. If you are eating out, you can always ask for a half portion. This will save a lot of calories and prevent overeating.
  9. Aim For 8 Hours of Sleep: Lack of sleep is associated with an increase in calorie intake. Going to bed early and taking in 8 hours of sleep helps in reducing weight. Without enough sleep, it is difficult to plan meals and exercise. If you stay up late, you will definitely overeat.
  10. Drink Plenty of Water: Increasing your water intake reduces your appetite and helps you lose weight. Drinking 2-3 liters of water daily helps you flush toxins from your body and gives you a feeling of satiety too! Keep yourself well hydrated, always!
  11. Move More: Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining weight and good health. Regular physical activity can improve muscle strength and boost metabolism. Depending on your workout, it can either prevent weight gain or help you maintain your weight.

We hope this article has helped you! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below!

To learn more tips and tricks for weight loss, tune in to live coaching sessions by experts on GOQii Play. Subscribe now!

#BeTheForce

 

October 22, 2019 By Sunita Arora 1 Comment

11 Unhealthy Habits That Are Destroying Your Health

unhealthy habits

Old habits die hard and that’s true. Habits are stored in our subconscious mind. We keep on carrying out tasks or habits, without even realizing we are doing it. While some habits help us complete day to day activities, there are some which aren’t good for our health, especially the ones which affect our diet. It is crucial to follow habits which have a positive impact on health. It is time to identify unhealthy habits and get rid of them for good health’s sake.

Unhealthy Habits You Need to Stop 

  1. Skipping Breakfast: For some people, skipping breakfast is an easy way to cut calories. However, if you skip breakfast, you’ll probably overeat during lunch. Secondly, in the morning, our metabolic rate is high. To maintain it, we need to give enough fuel to our body in the form of breakfast. So you should not skip your morning meal at any cost.
  2. Emotional Eating: If you are stressed or if you’ve had a bad day, call a friend, listen to music, write in a journal or try going for a walk. These options are better than binge-eating junk food due to emotional reasons.
  3. Including Unhealthy Drinks: At some point, we all reach out for a soft drink after a meal. It has somehow become a norm. Sweetened/Aerated drinks increase your daily calorie intake and cause other health issues. Instead, drink lemon water, coconut water or buttermilk. In fact, you can make your own healthy energy drinks!
  4. Eating Out Frequently: Avoid the habit to grab something unhealthy when going out for a long day. Take healthier shortcuts! Eat a vegetable sandwich, protein salads, whole grain crackers & veggies with humus. You can even carry fresh fruits.
  5. Munching While Watching TV or During Long Drives: Try to avoid unnecessary munching while watching your favorite program or when you are on a long drive or a road trip.  Instead of having processed foods like chips, cookies, etc. you can have a handful of nuts, air popcorn, seed trail-mix and unsalted peanuts.
  6. Lack of Sleep: Sleep works as nutrition for the brain. Our body needs 8-9 hours of sleep every night. Less than 8 hour of sleep triggers a cortisol spike and hampers our metabolism and contributes to weight gain. Shut your computer, mobile, and TV at least an hour before sleeping.
  7. Long Gap Between Meals: There shouldn’t be a huge time gap between meals. When you are on a weight loss journey, you shouldn’t just be careful about the food you eat but the time you eat as well! Many studies show that, if you are not eating at the right time, you might not be able to achieve your weight loss goals. The ideal gap between breakfast – Lunch & lunch –dinner should not exceed 4 hours.
  8. Eating Late at Night: You should not eat dinner very late as it promotes weight gain. Your last meal or your dinner should always be 3 hours before bedtime.
  9. Consuming Extra Salt: Eating a lot of salt can cause an increase in water weight and fat in your body. If you eat too much salt, extra water gets stored in your body which can raise your blood pressure.  Higher blood pressure leads to heart attacks, strokes and kidney diseases. Avoid sauces, pickles, sprinkling extra on salad & curd in your meals.
  10. Eating Heavy Meals Close to Bedtime: Avoid eating heavy meals close to bedtime, it can cause acidity, severe heartburn and make difficult to fall asleep.  Also avoid tea, coffee, and chocolate in the evening because caffeine can stay in our system for 5-6 hrs and suppress the sleep hormone.
  11. Putting Calorie Restrictions: Eating more calories than your body needs will lead to weight gain. Whereas, eating lesser calories than your body needs will lead to weight loss. However, restricting calories too much may slow down metabolism, can cause fatigue, nutrient deficiencies and lower immunity too.

These 11 unhealthy habits can contribute to weight gain, affect metabolism and can be extremely detrimental to your health. Avoid them and adopt a healthier lifestyle. For tips on how to improve your health, do watch our expert coaches live on GOQii Play within the GOQii App or reach out to your personal coach via subscription.

We hope this article has helped you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

June 27, 2019 By Sunita Arora Leave a Comment

Make Your Own Healthy and Natural Energy Drinks

natural and healthy energy drinksAt some point, you have definitely come across beverages or energy drinks which claim to increase physical energy and boost brainpower. These energy drinks are popular among people who want to feel more energetic. Although they do provide short bursts of energy, they have some huge downsides that can leave you feeling worse.

Why not opt for healthier options that give you the same boost of energy minus the side effects? Want more reasons to replace manufactured drinks with healthy and natural energy drinks?

Benefits of Healthy and Natural Energy Drinks

  • Ingredients are inexpensive, easy to make, readily available, safe and absolutely delicious
  • No chance of high sugar content, they contain no preservatives and added colors
  • Low on calories and they boost the immune system

I would suggest that you replace pre-made, packaged drinks with these healthier options that offer more nutritional value and give you a boost instantly without any artificial ingredients.

1. Chia Seeds & Kombucha Natural Drink

healthy and natural energy drinksTake 2 tsp of chia seeds, pre-soaked for 2 hrs, and add 1 cup of kombucha (a fermented, slightly effervescent, sweetened black or green tea). Stir it well and keep it to chill. Your healthy and natural energy drink is ready instantly!

2. Chia Fruit Water

healthy and natural energy drinksPre-soak 2 tsp of Chia Seeds for 2 hrs. Take one glass of cold water and take a ground mixture of 5-6  strawberries in a bottle and shake well. Add chia seeds in the end. Refrigerate or add ice cubes and enjoy!

3. Classic Electrolyte Drink

healthy and natural energy drinksMix 2 cups of coconut water with some Himalayan sea salt, pure honey (optional) and half a spoon of lemon juice. This natural energy boosting drink will give you instant energy.

4. Chia Fresca

healthy and natural energy drinksAdd chia seeds (2 tsp)  and water into a glass and mix them well. Let it sit for 2 hrs to allow the chia seeds to swell up. Finally, add some lime juice , ice cubes and pure honey (optional)  to taste. Sip this healthy and natural energy drink when you’re low on energy.

5. Fruit Infused Water

healthy and natural energy drinksCut fresh fruits like strawberries, watermelons and kiwi along with some lemon slices and mint leaves. Put them in water for 2-3 hrs. Refrigerate or add ice cubes. Drink this fruit infused natural energy drink when you feel thirsty after a long day.

6. Cherry Lemonade Energy Drink

healthy and natural energy drinksCombine fresh green tea with some cherry juice, coconut water and lime juice in a large glass. Shake it well and serve using lemon slices and ice cubes.

7. Wellness Shot

healthy and natural energy drinksTake some tender coconut water, turmeric and ginger root in a blender and give it a whirl. Later, add some honey and sea salt to taste. Strain this liquid and your healthy and natural energy drink is ready instantly!

Did you like these healthy and natural energy drink recipes? Do you have any recipes of your own? Would you like us to share more recipes? Type your thoughts out in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

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