Trupti Hingad, Author at GOQii

May 11, 2024 By Trupti Hingad Leave a Comment

Hidden benefits of used tea bags

Tea is Indians favourite beverage. Tea is known for many beneficial properties that it contains. Whether it is black tea or green tea or white tea…there are numerous health, home and cosmetic benefits attached to tea. Tea bags once used do not necessarily need be thrown away in the trash once they have been dunked and seeped into the boiling water and milk if you are using any.

Let me share a couple of hidden benefits of used tea bags

Tea bags for your eyes: The number of antioxidants present in tea makes it ideal when it comes to banishing those dark circles. After use, you can freeze these tea bags and press it on to your eyes for few minutes the next day. This will help in lightening the area and reducing the puffiness under the eye.

Tea bags for food flavouring: You can use tea bags to flavour the dishes too. This can be used as a robust condiment with pasta, grains, and chicken. You can use these tea bags in the water which will be used to boil grains and pasta so that the flavour can get infused in these ingredients. You can use flavoured tea bags like chamomile and cinnamon to make a difference to the dish that you are preparing.

Tea bags in the garden: In a large garden or small pots, you can use tea bags in the water used for watering plants. This will help in preventing the onset of any kind of fungal infection as far as the plants go.

Tea bags to deal with odours: Tea bags can be placed in muslin clothes and hung on rods and placed in corners to acts as deodorising agent. You can place these tea bags in the refrigerator too so that you can eliminate the various scents and odours that are not too pleasant.

Tea bags for cleaning: You can use tea bags to clean your rugs and carpets. These can be frozen before they are opened and the dried tea leaves can be spread over the various stains before being brushed away. This will lighten the stains gradually. Use the teabags to rub furniture and floor scratches to make them disappear.

Tea bags for healing sores: Chill a used tea bag in the freezer. Once it’s cold, place it on your canker sore. The cold plus the tea’s healing properties will help your sore feel better faster.

Tea bags for stopping bleeding on cuts: When a kitchen injury strikes while slicing and dicing, staunch the blood flow fast by saturating a black tea bag with hot water, then holding it against the injury for 30 seconds. The tannins in the tea will quickly clot the blood so you can cover the cut with a bandage and get back to whipping up your delicious dinner.

Tea bags to keep iron vessels rust proof: To make sure that your skillet stays rust-free by wiping it with a damp used black tea bag after every cooking session. The tea’s tannins will coat the pan with an invisible protective layer that prevents rust-causing oxidation.

Don’t discard those used tea bags just yet! Embrace their hidden potential and explore the multitude of ways they can enhance your life, from skincare to household chores. Give these inventive uses a try and make the most out of every cup of tea. We hope this article helps you. For further information or guidance, reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

May 4, 2024 By Trupti Hingad 44 Comments

Body Massage: A luxurious way to healthy life

After a strenuous, hectic week at work, do you feel the need to relax your body and mind on weekends? There are various options to relax like you sleep for more hours, you take a hot shower after a hectic day, Meditation, and many more, but nothing is as comfortable as lying on a massage table.

Yes! The conversation between your skin and therapist fingers is the most important discussion you can ever have.

Let me start with explaining what is body massage and why you should take it?

Body massage is a process of massaging the body by using hands, fingers, knees, elbows, forearm, feet or any massage device. It is generally working on the body with pressure by using structured or unstructured motion.

The word comes from the French massage “friction of kneading”, or from the Arabic word – massage meaning “to touch, feel”

In today’s fast-paced life, physical and mental stress leads to a fatigued body. A masseur or a massage therapist has the art of massaging away the pain, stress, fatigue and tension from the body. Massage involves the rubbing and manipulating of muscles, tendons, skin and ligaments. Massaging rubs away fatigue and stress. It improves blood circulation. It creates a pleasant sensation on the skin and works on the soft tissue like muscles, tendons and ligaments hence improves muscle tone. Its benefits reach the deeper layers of muscle and even the internal organs. It relaxes muscle spasm and relieves tension. It helps to eliminate waste and toxins from the body.

There are various types of massage available on the market now. I am listing few of them.

1. Reflexology: is a special type of massage which includes the application of pressure to the feet and hands with specific movements and pressure. Oil or creams are not used in this technique. The pressure applied in these areas stimulates the effective functioning of those organs.

2. Active Release Technique: ART is used as a treatment for various conditions like pains caused by overuse of muscles. When muscles are subjected to tear, pull or undergo injury, they produce a tough and dense scar tissue at the site. So, this technique helps.

3. Acupressure: This was originated in China. In this, physical pressure is applied to the acupressure points with hand, elbow, palm, wrist, knees or using machines. Acupressure technique of body massage is believed to restore the balance of energies throughout the body.

4. Swedish Massage: This technique involves five styles of strokes, namely sliding, kneading, rhythmic tapping, friction and vibration or shaking. It helps in alleviating pain and joint stiffness.

5. Aromatherapy Massage: It is one of the most common types of massage. It is a body massage using highly effective essential oils and essential oil blends mixed with a carrier oil to massage the body.

6. Balinese Massage: This type of massage adopts gentle skin folding, kneading, stroking. It improves the flow of blood, oxygen and energy throughout the body.

7. Craniosacral Therapy: The technique involves applying gentle strokes and touches to the skull, face, spine and pelvis. This regulates the flow of cerebrospinal fluid.

8. Stone Massage: Using stones that may be cold or hot to apply pressure and heat to the body. The stones may be heated with water, oil and are usually Basalt stones or lava rocks that are smooth and polished.

9. Lymphatic Drainage: This is a type of gentle massage that facilitates the natural production and drainage of the lymph.

10. Thai Massage: It involves deep, full body massage that progresses from feet towards upper body and concentrates on stroking the energy lines of the body. It is effective in managing musculoskeletal pain and fatigue, improves flexibility and movement of joints and improves blood flow in the body. A very popular form of massage now, mostly in metros.

BENEFITS OF BODY MASSAGE:

Everyday stress is unavoidable in today’s fast-paced world. Tension headaches, tightness in your shoulders, stomachaches and assorted pains are signs of built-up stress. This is a case where you don’t need to do anything other than relaxing and feel your body ease a sigh of relief. The confident hands of an expert massage therapist help melt all that stress and tension like sun bringing energy to each part of your body.

Regular massage improves blood circulation: The manipulation of the soft tissues and the chemicals and hormones relaxed during massage also improve the blood flow to the body.

It keeps skin rejuvenating– A full body massage helps remove dead skin cells over the entire body for improved skin tone. The stimulated blood flow benefits the appearance and health of the skin. Massage can also encourage tissue regeneration, which may help reduce the appearance of scars and stretch marks

It loosens your stiff muscles, reduces cramps, reduces back pain, Gives pain relief post-surgery, releases good hormones into the body and reduce the migrane issues.

For Medical conditions like tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, obesity, sleep disorders, frozen shoulder, sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome massage therapy have shown good results.

Some tips to follow while you go for body massage:

Drink enough water for an hour before the massage session to help remove the toxins easily. Drink enough water post massage too

Breathe deeply when the stroke is painful.

Stay calm and do not encourage any thoughts in your mind during a massage session. Just enjoy and feel it.

NOTE: Consult a physician before having a massage if you have medical conditions, such as cancer, fractures, blood clots, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis or if you are pregnant.

So, get to a Spa and relax the Mind, Renew the Body and Revive the Soul.

#BeTheForce

March 13, 2024 By Trupti Hingad 3 Comments

5 accompaniments to avoid to keep you healthy and to lose weight

I am a foodie! Being a Marwari, our meals are not simple staple food and contains lot of accompaniments along with basic roti, vegetables (sabzi), dal (lentils) and rice. In my quest for personal fitness and wanting to lose weight, I initially struggled for few months. I kept wondering why am I not losing weight in spite of eating at regular intervals, not cheating, not eating out, limiting high fat food intake, proper exercise routine, good 8 hours sleep and also resorting to meditation to remain stress free ?

These questions kept lingering in my thoughts and one fine day my health expert analyzed my routine, my diet and figured that there were few dishes that I should be avoiding or limiting my intake on if I need to lose or maintain my weight. That’s when I found the solution and achieved the best results on this journey!

I would like to share with you all about the most common 5 side dishes that people love, but, should be avoided or have it once in a while if you are on weight loss journey.

(1) Papad

Ahh!! That crunchy crispy papad.

Rice and dal seem like an incomplete meal without Papad on the side. Papads can be deep fried–extremely unhealthy – or roasted – which is equally unhealthy! They can be made from rice, flour, potatoes or chickpeas and are mixed with a variety of spices, salt, and oil. An uncontrolled serving of Papad can amp your calorie intake and exceed your daily budget. The increase in sodium can lead to water retention, bloating, and constant thirst and may even cause an increase in one’s blood pressure. Since, most of them consume more Papad in one sitting it may lead to acidity, and digestive problems too. When fried using same oil many times, the reused oil becomes transfat leading to cardiac issues and high cholesterol. When dry roasted, acrylamide is formed due to the presence of sodium benzoate. So, be mindful.

(2) Pickles

A spoonful of pickle can spice up any meal. In fact I have seen people can take their meal only with pickles without any veggies sometimes. It works well with curd rice; adds a punch to Potato Breads (Aloo Paranthas), and makes Theplas (Breads made of various grains) the best dish to snack on! Pickles stand out as flavorful, low-calorie vegetables and is high in vitamin K. However, pickles are loaded with calories because of the oil they are preserved in and their nutrition content is almost zero, as the vegetables and fruits are minced and dried, which takes away the nutritional value. Like Papads, they are high in sodium due to the use of excessive salt for preservatives which might lead to hypertension if taken in excess. So Again the same funda…Eat in limit!

(3) Salad dressings

Salad…salad and just salads!!! Most of the weight loss dieters say they are on some kind of only salads diet! But, still not losing weight?

If you think having salads at the start of your meal will help you eat one less parantha, then go ahead and have a bowl. But, this salad helps only if it is not loaded with high-calorie dressings. Adding dressing to a salad can make the calorie content soar. Dressings such as Thousand Islands and Mayonnaise are loaded with calories, most of them fat. Stick to olive oil, lemon or low-fat yogurt instead!

(4) Soups

Salads are mostly accompanied with bowl of soup. And, one is right in thinking that a soup can be a healthy meal. It can fill your stomach and make you go less on other carbohydrate foods. But, if the soup is loaded with toppings such as cheese, cream, and croutons, it’s far from being healthy. Stick to clear soup with pieces of veggies and meats; shun all cream-based soups. And never pick up the soup sticks or dinner rolls that accompany your soup in a restaurant. That’s another side you don’t need! Go for more of homemade soups without any corn flour and also avoid packaged one as they are also high in sodium being added as preservative. Rather you can add oats flour as thickening agent. You can also opt for healthy cold soups.

(5) Boondi Raita

This curd based mixture is a hot favourite with most of us. Curd is high in protein, calcium, probiotic and the perfectly aid in digestion. It’s good to have curd daily for a healthy gut. The problem begins when you add fried snack to it. Boondi is nothing but fried globules of chickpea flour. The addition makes it a high-caloric food. When fried in reused oil, it becomes transfat and thus may lead to heart issues. So you can opt for veggies in curd or spinach, cabbage, pomegranate, carrot, cucumber, onion and the likes instead of a friend snack in curd.

So be mindful with all these above foods and get fitter and healthier.

We hope this article helps you make informed choices for your weight loss journey. Have any tips on healthier accompaniments? Share them with us in the comments below. For more guidance on nutrition and weight management, explore Healthy Reads or consult a certified expert through GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

February 7, 2024 By Trupti Hingad 3 Comments

The connection between Sleep and Liver!

Sleep can never be categorised as a boring topic to discuss. 8 out of 10 people love to sleep at any time of the day. For some sleeping is one of the best relaxation techniques.

An old adage says ‘Early to bed, Early to rise, Make a man healthy, wealthy and wise’. How true is this phrase? Is it alright to sleep late and wake up late?

In this digital world the bedtime for most people has changed drastically. Mobile phones, laptop, work pressure, deadlines and online markets have captured most of the sleep time leading to sleep issues for most. I have many clients who have everything in life but not good sleep.

We all know good sleep is very necessary for good health and to live long years. Lack of sleep or sleeping late can reduce your cognitive power, ages your skin faster, leads to weight gain, increased risk of death and also impairs judgment and decision making ability.

While sleep requirements vary from person to person, most adults require about 7-8 hours of sleep. Children and teens need even more. But, yes the quality of sleep is more important than quantity of sleep.

We have an amazing biological clock given by nature inside our body. Various functions occur in our body when we are sleeping. The most important function is detoxification which happens during our sleep hours.

So ideally between 11 pm to 3 am most of our blood circulation concentrates in our liver. The liver gets larger when filled with more blood. This is the time when liver undergoes detoxification process. But, if you cannot sleep during this hour, the liver cannot perform its function smoothly.

Later you sleep lesser the body detoxifies and keeps accumulating toxins in the body leading to weight gain, ageing, greying hair, belly fat, low immunity, multiple organ disorders and impure blood too.

Have you ever noticed when you go to bed very late you end up feeling tired and lazy the next day? Why does this happen?

In yoga practice, it is advised to wake up as early as 4 am and 5 am and exercise. Why is that?

Because between 3-5 am, most of the blood circulation is concentrated in the lungs. Breathing fresh air and exercise during this time is good. As per yoga, this is called Brahma Muhurat. During this time, the air is fresh, the mind is calm and stable and there is very less pollution.

Between 5-7 am most of the blood circulation concentrates in the large intestine. This is the right time to Poop. Pass out all unwanted toxins from the body, preparing the body to absorb good nutrients during the rest of the day.

From 7-9 am most of the blood circulation concentrates in the stomach. This is a good time to have breakfast and digest food well. Having healthy breakfast is a great way to start the day.

Have you ever noticed the daily routine of our grandparents? No matter what happens they sleep early and wake up early and carry out their routine work. This is the only reason they are so fresh, energetic and healthier even in the old age as they have followed their biological clock.

If you go against nature, things will turn out bad!

Some helpful tips to support your liver and get a good night sleep.

Drinking lemon water in the morning
Choose cruciferous veggies in the day for their liver supporting properties
Try to express emotions in the best way rather than suppressing it as the liver is somewhere connected to your emotions too
Have a light dinner and keep a gap of 2 hours before bed
Turn off the phone, laptop, Ipad for one hour before bedtime. Use this time as ME time by reading books, meditation, reflection and yes chatting with family members
Avoid stimulants like caffeine and sugar post 5 pm
Practice yoga
Have warm milk at bedtime to get good sleep as it enhances the production of sleep hormone.

In the symphony of health, the link between quality sleep and a thriving liver is undeniable. A commitment to early, restful nights not only enhances detoxification but also rejuvenates our vitality. Embrace the magic of a good night’s sleep for a healthier, more vibrant you. For personalised guidance on optimizing your sleep and liver health, connect with our experts through GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce