User Stories Archives

August 17, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Climbing the Peak of Good Health | Abhay Chaudhary User Journey

“Every mountain top is within your reach if you just keep climbing” – Barry Finlay

If you know what being a Software Engineer is like, then you’re definitely familiar with the erratic work hours, the long spans of time for which you’re glued to the desk and the body pains that come along with it. If you know what this feels like, you might have a few things in common with our Player Abhay Chaudhary.

All Work. All Stress. No Play

When he began working, Abhay Chaudhary rode a bike to work every day. This coupled with spending nearly 7-8 hours on his seat created a lot of back pain problems. He had also suffered a shoulder injury in 2012.

His physiotherapist advised him to stop carrying a heavy bag while travelling on his motorbike. He was also asked to exercise regularly. To top this off, he was a workaholic who never took a vacation. Couple this up with irregular eating habits, low water intake, lack of sleep and you know you’re heading for disaster.

In 2015, after he changed his workplace for which he would have to travel 15km daily. This prompted him to take his health and fitness a little more seriously. It was not until the following year that he decided to take time out for himself every year without fail and increase his stamina and fitness levels as well.

Climbing to the Next Level

In 2016, a friend gifted him a GOQii. That year, he set his health goals as wanting to improve his stamina and endurance for running, playing badminton and wanting to go on Himalayan treks. His GOQii Coach guided him on his nutritional intake and the physical activities he’d have to perform.

He was asked to drink warm water with lemon or jeera to flush out toxins. His coach advised him to eat mid-meal snacks which usually consisted of fruits. He had to consume fruit or dry fruits before his workout. Junk food intake was reduced to twice a week at the most.

To increase his protein intake, he was asked to include a boiled egg, grilled chicken and protein bars which were purchased from the GOQii Health Store within the GOQii App.

On the exercise front, he began with core and leg strengthening exercises. Tabata Workout in the morning for 20 minutes became a ritual to rev his metabolism and cardiovascular fitness. He had to perform Pranayama every day for 10 minutes to increase his lung capacity.

On weekends he started with running, initially without weights and then gradually he moved up to using a weighted backpack – 8kg, then 10kg and finally 15kg. He also practised yoga to strengthen his back and core. As Abhay didn’t prefer going to a gym, he used bands and dumbbells for resistance and weight training.

To the Peak of Good Health and Beyond

Thanks to all his efforts and the changes in his lifestyle, Abhay Chaudhary ran his first 10k run within an hour in 2016. After this experience, he felt more positive. He felt like everything was possible and within his reach. He kept this momentum going by completing another 3 half marathons. Currently, he is a part of a group that does 10k charity runs on the last Sunday of every month.

All the weekend training that he did with 8-10 kg backpack eventually paid off with him starting to go on Himalayan Treks.

His first trek to Saurkundi Pass in Manali at an altitude of 12,900ft. Though he didn’t find the trek very difficult, he said it was an enriching experience. On this trek he realized that he wanted to do more trips such as these where he was cut off from the world with no connectivity, laptop or mobile – just nature, his trekking buddies and himself! He says trekking is rejuvenating since he connects with new people, understands their lifestyle, and shares wonderful experiences.

His second trek was to Hamta Pass in Manali at an altitude of 14,000ft. During this trek, he got to know about the mountaineering course. His guide gave him information to some popular institutes offering this course.

In 2018, he did the Goechala Trek in Sikkim which is at an altitude of 15,000ft. A lot of his friends dissuaded him from doing this trek as it was considered dangerous and difficult. However, he was determined. He wanted to overcome this trek and successfully completed it.

Clicked by Abhay Chaudhary during a rock climbing session

Soon after, he signed up for the Nimas Basic Mountaineering Course, Arunachal Pradesh in April 2019. He completed the 28-day course which tested his physical endurance as well as theoretical knowledge with flying colours.

Abhay Chaudhary and GOQii

He attributes his increased awareness towards a healthy lifestyle, the right information on health, his improved stamina and positive attitude to his GOQii Coach. He appreciates his current GOQii Coach who rigorously follows up with him on his diet and exercise. His GOQii Coach stops him from indulging in unhealthy eating and keeps motivating him to push harder towards his goals.

Apart from his GOQii Coach, he religiously follows Coach Aliya Imran’s class on GOQii Play for cardio. He also follows Yoga Specialists Nishtha Bijlani and Bhumika Uniyal for yoga, Marathon Expert Parwage Alam for running and Coach Tufail Qureshi for Fitness related topics. He finds their classes to be informative and helpful.

For now, he believes himself and GOQii to be inseparable and we couldn’t be any more excited to have him with us on this journey towards a healthy India!

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Click here and our team will reach out to you!

#BeTheForce

August 3, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

“Being Healthy & Fit is Lifelong Habit” – Prashant Pathak User Journey

His rant of just work and no play was similar to the other professionals. His quest for a healthy and fit life was often disrupted by the fact that he does not have the time nor the motivation to do anything. Prashant Pathak always had an excuse for leading an unhealthy life – he blamed his job and erratic work hours… until one day, when his wife stepped in to make him realize that he had to change. It’s been four years that he has taken to being physically active and Prashant Pathak is now running marathons and walking the healthy trail.

Prashant Pathak Tells His Story:

My typical day usually involved going to work in the morning, eating anything that was available with no proper regulation on diet. I would sometimes remain hungry for long hours. Once I got home, I would eat a heavy dinner. On days I was on travel, I would head out to work, and the rest of my day was filled with eating out and hanging out back at the hotel. As a result, I had become overweight and weighed 94kgs and was just few KGs from being obese. My BMI was 29.

I tried but could never get into a regular exercise regime. My challenge was to find time for a workout. I would look at my schedule and invariably come up with an excuse to not workout. Every time it would be a new excuse. There was an impetus and aspiration to workout but energy levels were very low with no motivation and hence, no action. One fine day back in 2015, my wife gifted me GOQii. I was surprised but it was a clear indication that I had to do something about myself.

Goal Setting, Achievement and Transformation

My first health goal when I got on the GOQii platform four years ago was weight reduction and to be energetic throughout the day. My first GOQii Coach and I set small monthly goals in the beginning that could be easily achievable. It was delivering results. My coach started me with only a 15-minute workout that was doable. I had absolutely no activity of any kind for so many years and suddenly to be able to do exercise was not an easy task. But 15 minutes I felt was good enough to begin with.

My Coach simultaneously fine-tuned my diet pattern as well. I started having pre and post workout meals. I was having 6 small meals instead of three bulky meals. Secondly, I also started eating fruits. I have stopped tea/coffee with snacks. My water intake also increased.

Clearly, in the last 6 years or so, I have not been so engaged with any kind of program for over a month. But, the GOQii program has been good. The very fact that somebody is monitoring you, makes you accountable.

My first step when I began my health journey was to form habits and build consistency, while trying to reduce weight. So, for the first two years I concentrated on these aspects. From 94kg I reduced to 87kg. I admit that it was pretty tough. Although I was committed and had focus, it was still tough sticking to working out on a regular basis and eating healthy. Slowly and steadily it started becoming easy to the point that being healthy indeed became a habit.

In the last two years, reducing further from 87kg to 73kg was not so tough. From walking 4-5 km daily, I have taken to running marathons regularly. My exercise routine currently, as guided by Coach Parwage via his class Bhaag Marathon Bhaag on GOQii Play, is 3-2-1 Configuration. Where in 3 alternate days I run 5-10 kms, 2 days I do core strengthening exercises and other exercises such as lunges, planks sit-ups etc. 1 day I alternate between cycling and swimming and 1 day, which is usually Monday, is my rest day.

As a result of this, I am positive and feel very energetic. My overall well-being has gone up. Mentally & physically, I am stronger now. The impetus and the consistency in being healthy comes from the GOQii App and the GOQii Coach. I will never forget what my coach has taught me. She helped me get over all my cravings such as junk food and sugar.

No more do I encourage samosa parties in office. Earlier we would gorge on samosa and all that is unhealthy. Now, even if it is a party in office and a cake is being cut, I politely say no

and people are amazed at me. What makes me happy is that I have become an inspiration to many who think that they will never be able to get back on track. After seeing the progress I made they see a ray of hope for themselves.

Giving It Back Like a Champion

This is one of the key reasons I chose to be a GOQii Champion and started the Palava Chapter in the outskirts of Mumbai. The champions programme is a first-hand experience for players. Only if you believe in being healthy will you be able to motivate others. I totally believe in this concept and even if I am able to improve one person’s health I will be happy. Giving back is what I learned from GOQii.

Giving back brings me to the concept of Karma on the GOQii Platform. The dimension of karma is an added advantage. Earlier you would sweat it out for yourself but here, you are not only sweating it out for yourself and your health but in the process are also helping somebody else who is in need, which is very enriching.

Did you find the story of Prashant Pathak to be inspiring? Would you like your story to be featured next? To write to us, please click here.

July 27, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Overcome! Achieve! Excel! Shivkumar Vishwanathan User Journey

There is definitely a lot of struggle in the process of getting healthy after being sedentary for too long. But what if you’ve been active and healthy your entire life? Do you keep pushing yourself to the limit, consistently improve or stagnate? Shivkumar Vishwanathan found himself in such a predicament and what did he do?

Before GOQii

Before joining GOQii, Shivkumar Vishwanathan was regular at the gym from 2007 to 2014. He stopped training once his trainer quit the gym. Due to the lack of motivation from a trainer, he didn’t hit the gym for almost a year. But Shivkumar Vishwanathan was not someone who could stay still. He wanted to continue being active and decided to look for a fitness tracker that would help him. It was purely by chance that he found GOQii in late 2015. What attracted him to GOQii was the personalized coaching feature, which at the time was not available with anybody else.

Passion for Cycling

Shivkumar Vishwanathan used to cycle to school back in the day. Later, when his family was aversive to him commuting to work on a motorcycle, he bought a bicycle on a whim! What began for purely commuting purposes soon became a passion.

Initially, cycling for even 5-10 km used to be tough. When he registered for BRM (Brevets de Randonneurs Mondiaux) chapters for long-distance endurance cycling, his GOQii Coach was able to help him improve his stamina and endurance.

His GOQii Coach used to give him targets to complete every week, progressively increasing distance and speed. The training strategy was charted out to gear up methodically for the ride. On the nutrition front, he was asked to consume complex carbs and proteins.

He was advised to begin carb-loading 3-4 days before the ride and his GOQii Coach also advised him on how to stay hydrated during the ride and what gels to use for quick energy. His Coach also suggested protein supplements, vitamin D and B12 supplements.

Thanks to all these inputs and support from his family, especially his wife who watched his diet, helped him cut on sugar and implement suggestions by his GOQii Coach, he can cycle for 100 km effortlessly.

He attempted the Mumbai – Pune and back 300 km ride in January, 2019 but, had to pull out midway. He, however, has two successful completion rides namely Mumbai – Charoti 200 km last November in 12 hours and the Mumbai – Kamshet 200 km night ride in April 2019.

Currently, he has cycled in every country he has been to. He did a 55km ride in North England, braving the rain and the extreme cold.

Completing the Kailash Parikrama

One of his close friends wanted him to go on the Kailash Parikrama along with him. They gathered 15 of their friends and decided to do it last December. When his GOQii Coach got to know of this, she immediately suggested that he do a lot of cardio to improve his cardiovascular fitness and to get his heart to pump at a higher rate. Resistance training also became a part of his routine to improve stamina and endurance. He began eating a diet that was rich in antioxidants. This consisted of more fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. He also ate iron-rich foods that improved his blood circulation.

The highlights of the expedition were that he did not suffer from any stomach issues or headaches which are common among people while acclimatizing to higher altitudes. He didn’t face any major issues thanks to his training and diet. He was happy that he didn’t have to pop a single pill during the entire expedition.

The first day they covered 15km at an altitude of 5000mtrs and 22km on the 2nd day which was a climb to 5620mtrs. This was extremely excruciating and painful due to the lack of oxygen. 7 out of 15 of his friends, including him, completed the Parikrama. The expedition was a success for him although it was physically and mentally challenging.

Although physically fit, Shivkumar Vishwanathan wanted to push past his limits and take up challenges to test himself. He says it was because of the guidance, motivation and inputs from his GOQii Coach that he could overcome his challenges and achieve everything he has so far!

He plans to visit Tokyo to watch the Olympics and cycle in Japan! We look forward to hearing more of his adventures!

Got a good story to share with us? Let us know by Clicking Here!

#BeTheForce!

July 20, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

“It’s My Duty To Give It Back!” – Paramdeep Singh Ghuman

Does health really need to take a backseat when you chase your professional goals? And if you do recover, work on your health, get active and fitter, how do you take it to the next level? Do you train harder or do you influence those around you to be better? Our GOQii Player and Champion of Chandigarh Paramdeep Singh Ghuman found the answers to these questions!

Life Before GOQii

As with every high profile working professional, Paramdeep Singh Ghuman was unable to focus on his health. He used to actively participate in sports during his college days but once he began working, everything else took a backseat.

He became a workaholic and immersed himself into work without thinking about his health, diet or sleep. As a result of neglecting his health, he was diagnosed with high blood pressure (140/100) and cholesterol (250). To add to this, he suffered from constipation and disturbed sleep.

His doctor advised him to start with some physical activity and lifestyle changes. Taking his doctor’s advice, he started walking for 20 minutes a day at a nearby park. After a while, he became inconsistent and fell back to his old habits. As soon as that happened, the fear of heart-related ailments crept in. He began exploring other options to track his activity, steps and someone who could monitor his eating habits.

He was determined to change!

Enter GOQii

Paramdeep Singh Ghuman’s friend, who was employed with Axis Bank, introduced him to GOQii in February 2017. This proved to be a turning point for him. His journey began with a little bit of myth-busting and a lot of hard work! Paramdeep believed that a heavy breakfast like paratha with ghee and curd was ideal to keep him going throughout the day. This, along with his other perceptions on nutrition was corrected by his coach.

He was asked to drink lemon with warm water in the morning and eat nuts that were soaked overnight. After his morning exercise, he ate muesli with milk. Once he reaches office, he had to eat either raw paneer or boiled eggs. He began including salads in his lunch and dinner, fruits for mid-morning snacks and an apple or banana milkshake in the evening.

On the exercise front, he was advised to start walking again. Initially, he did complain of pain but his coach reassured him that it was because his body is still getting used to being active. After 3-4 months, he began running for a kilometre which gradually increased to 5km and further to 10km. He improved his stamina with strength training and HIIT.

Changes and Champion of Good Health!

As of today, Paramdeep’s blood pressure, as well as cholesterol, are both under control. He is completely off medication. His sleep has improved and his constipation issues are now a thing of the past!

His weight has reduced from 90kg to 83kg. He feels stress-free, happy and content with his life and the changes introduced by his GOQii Coach. He regularly attends Dr. Paramjeet, Coach Parwage Alam and other nutrition classes on GOQii Play.

After seeing the impact of the changes that he made to his lifestyle, Paramdeep wanted to do the same for others. He now encourages community members and office colleagues to be physically fit – with many of them joining GOQii.

He says, “I feel it is my duty to give back to society, prep young guns to participate in some or the other activity, stay fit and healthy. I want to emphasize the importance of physical exercise and mindful eating to them.”

He is currently a GOQii Champion and heads the Chandigarh Chapter and thoroughly enjoys his assignments.

Did you find this story inspiring? Do you have a story to tell? Click here and we’ll reach out to you!

#BeTheForce