User Stories Archives - Page 3 of 19

January 25, 2019 By Anusha Subramanian 1 Comment

From being lazy to being fit as a fiddle

Sense of accomplaihment -Gagan on the right with his team mates successfully having completed his first 100 Km Trail walk

He was Lazy and had no control of his food habits. But, everything changed drastically on the day his daughter was born 2 years ago. That is the day when he felt if not for anyone else, I have to get fit for my daughter. Today, he is no more lazing on the couch. Clocks on an average 10000 or more steps daily, walks 100 km within 48 hours and even goes trekking when time permits …This is Gagandeep Singh Randhawa’s story in his own words.

I was a very lazy person for the longest time. It dawned on me to get fit when my daughter Samaira was born in April 2014. It was to get fit for her so that I can run around and play with her. It was a wake-up call. I knew I had to do something as I was completely inactive and unfit. I was on an entrepreneurial journey and life got busy. I spent long days at work.

I started looking around to figure what options I have. I thought let’s try gym workout. And went and joined a gym. But, my laziness got the better of me and I missed out on going to the gym and working out on a regular basis due to lack of company. Then I started surfing the net to figure other options to get fit. I was looking for a fitness tracker as it was the in thing. That is when I came across GOQii.

I read about it and found it interesting as it was offering a personal coach. I liked the idea of a personal coach as I knew there will be somebody constantly there behind you to make sure you get active. I decided to go in for GOQii and bought the band in May 2014 with Parwage Alam as my coach.

My health goal was to make my core strong and get fit and active. My coach set a target for me to clock a minimum of 10000 steps daily. In order to be able to do this I started walking regularly, I went trekking and regularly attended Active Sunday sessions. If some day my step count was less I would even take a break from work and go for a walk and come back refreshed to my work desk.

Then in December 2014, I pushed my limits further by participating in the 100 km Oxfam trail walk. My coach convinced me that I could do it. It was my first attempt at something like this. And am I glad to say that I completed successfully? It was fun and yet very challenging for me. But, I realized I could push myself and do it.

Within 3 months of getting on board GOQii, I was able to run/walk 10 km. I was on an average clocking 15000 steps daily. Now, I am able to run behind my daughter with ease. GOQii was a good wake-up call for me. I guess when it comes to fitness half the battle is won when you are able to objectively and easily assess how active you are on a daily basis.

We are the Force-Gagan at an Active Sunday Session. ( Gagan seen in extreme right)

It’s been close to two years for me with GOQii and I have enjoyed every bit of my journey to health and fitness.

I have become more cautious about what I eat and when I eat. The whole change in me I would credit to the fact that there is a coach sitting above me and keeping track of what I am doing. The moment you become answerable to someone that is your transformation. I have realized it’s not about losing weight it’s about how healthy and fit you are by exercising, eating and sleeping right and how well you rest.

It’s not only me who has seen a transformation in myself, my family has also seen the change in me. They have never seen me so active or rather I have never been so active. In fact, my family members have got inspired by me and have got themselves the band as well. I gifted my wife a band last year and she is also regular with her step count and being active on a daily basis. She is more into activities like Zumba. GOQii has definitely helped my family and friends get more fit and heart-happy.

My wife and I along with our daughter go on walks. I want my daughter to be rough and tough and for that, I have to be first fit and tough.Lastly, the concept of donating karma points appeals to me a great deal. It gives me a feel good factor.

What does Coach Parwage Alam have to say about Gangandeep?

When Gagan came on board he was completely inactive. He wanted to become active, increase stamina and be fit. He wanted to start running 5km and slowly go up to 10 km. He was very serious about bringing about a change in himself. Looking at his sincerity and seriousness, I suggested to him why just think of 5km and 10 km why not think big?

I suggested why not go ahead and participate in the 100 km Oxfam Trailwalk and practice for it. The goal was to successfully complete the 100 km. For him, it was ‘from the couch to 100 km’. He was very dedicated and practiced hard. Within 3 months he was able to run 10 km and he also completed the 100 km Oxfam Trailwalk. After this, his activities started increasing drastically. He was regular at ‘Active Sundays’. On an average, he would clock 15k steps daily.

The effect of being active has also reflected in his nutrition. He has got more conscious about what he is eating and when and how he is eating. Overall, Gagan has been able to achieve his goals because of his dedication and sincerity and by making small changes to his lifestyle. He has taken all my advice positively. Seeing him motivated motivates me too.

Gagan getting his legs massaged during his first Oxfam Trail walk in 2014

‘Want to get featured here? Click Here to tell us your story.’

October 16, 2018 By Anusha Subramanian 1 Comment

Age no Bar, if you’re determined to achieve your goals

shankar

Transformed Shankar Sabadi

Every day is another chance to get stronger, to get better and to live healthier. At 54 years of age, Shankar Sabadi from Hubli in Karnataka proved that age is just a number if you are really determined in achieving your goals. He joined GOQii on 1^st May 2017 and has turned his life around in an unbelievable fashion.

A businessman by profession, Shankar was not always appealed by the idea of staying healthy. His friend had to persuade him for almost a year before he decided to give it a try. At the age of 54, Shankar was fairly content with his life, not feeling the need to stay healthy. His bigger apprehension of joining a health platform was being asked to restrict himself from doing things and eating stuff that he has been fond of. However, he was aware that it was important to keep an open mind and not give up when starting a health journey. Soon and surely his attitude changed and also the state of his health, in a good way.

Initially, Shankar’s health goals were to reduce his belly fat which was at 46 inches, then reducing the 15 tablets he was popping on a daily basis, improving his calcium levels and lastly getting rid of unhealthy eating habits. Already having a medical history of high blood pressure, he started slow and gradually eased into his regime.

When asked about his routine, this is what Shankar had to say:

“My coach Anagha started by inculcating, simple but healthy habits like having 2tbsp of Sesame seeds daily in the morning, having small and frequent meals, not eating fruits after sunset etc. I also reduced my consumption of salt considering my history with high BP and started taking small walks after every meal. As I started feeling more comfortable with the program, I decided to take my goals a notch higher. I focused on shedding some weight and also burning some belly fat. Though I could have never imagined myself doing any of these earlier and achieving my goal, joining GOQii induced a new-born confidence in me. 8 months into the program, the results were miraculous. I reduced more than 80% belly fat reaching a waist size of 36 inches from 46 inches and also shed 15kgs in weight.”

“My BP is back to normalcy and cholesterol levels dropped significantly. I used to take 8 pills a day for my cholesterol and BP and now I don’t take only 1 for BP. All my other Tabs for calcium and pains etc have also been stopped completely. My stamina and endurance are much better now, I couldn’t walk 100 metres without getting tired but, now I walk to achieve my target of 10000 steps daily. I walk for over 2 km a day. I also completed a trek of 252kms in 6 days, covering an average of 40kms per day and not once did I feel the need for any kind of medical attention. It was a proud moment for me. Overall, it has been a wonderful time for me and I look forward to achieving more and always stay healthy,” he adds.

At this age, it is easy to say Shankar has achieved wonders.

This is what his coach Anagha Kulkarni had to say :

“We started our journey on 1^st May 2017. The most amazing thing about him is that he is very determined and enthusiastic to learn and improve. We focused on his diet primarily and encouraged him to eat more meals but in lesser quantities, from three meals a day, it went up to 5. He has been an active player on the app since the beginning and seeing his determination gives me the incentive to help him further. We maintain a good contact on the app and I get all the data about his meals and activities regularly. I’m very proud of the trek he completed, which would’ve been an impossible task for someone of his age. Now, we are just working on muscle strengthening and maintaining his current health routine.

Shankar Sabadi’s story has set an example for everyone who thinks it’s too late for them, and use their age as an excuse for not leading a healthy lifestyle. As mentioned earlier, age is just a number if you are really determined to make your dreams come true.

“Do not go gentle into that night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light”– Dylan Thomas

September 8, 2018 By Anusha Subramanian Leave a Comment

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE

We are all at some point in life restricted by many emotional barricades. They stop us from progressing further in life and affect’s your morale drastically. Shripavan’s tells a story similar to that and he has successfully ended it by proving that it’s never too late to achieve what you want in life.

Shripavan Radhakrishnan (23) led a lifestyle which most would define as an unhealthy one. Since childhood, he has been an avid foodie who was extremely fond of chocolates, ice creams, and other dairy products. Not surprising at all, who doesn’t like chocolates and ice cream right? We feel you Shri. The problem occurred when he carried his childhood eating habits to the later years of his life. By the time he was in college, Shri had an unfortunate gift which most foodies carry around, a pot belly.

Before/After

Weighing about 72 kgs with a waistline of 36 inches, Shri was totally uncomfortable in his skin. This might not sound like an extreme situation but who are we to define that? The only thing that mattered was how much it was affecting him emotionally and the results were drastic. He was constantly made fun of in college because of his physique and this put forth many barriers for him to move forward confidently. Taking the health aspect into consideration, Shri was dealing with vomiting and diarrhea on a daily basis.

Nothing changed until Shripavan became an employee and started working for a private organization. This is when he was first introduced to GOQii by a colleague, in April 2018. Shri was immediately impressed by the cause GOQii stood for. He further researched the brand and soon ordered a GOQii band for himself. He has been a GOQii player for the past three months and the changes have turned his life around.

When asked about his experience with GOQii this is what he had to say:

“I joined the GOQii team about 4 months ago, my colleague/friend Ranjith is the one who introduced me to this amazing platform and I still thank him for it. He explained to me how the band works and how it helps you track your daily activities and eating habits. I soon ordered one for myself.

Looking back in time, I’ve had many unpleasant experiences because of my physique. I remember a time when I used to look at myself in the mirror and constantly criticize myself for my habits. Ah! Those were indeed the dark days. I weighed about 72 kgs and my waistline was 36 inches. My health was also going down the drain, literally! I was forced to accept Vomiting and Diarrhoea as a part of my life, that’s how bad it was.

Now, my life as a GOQii player has been somewhat different. With the help of my coach Hima Gupta, who has been a powerhouse of motivation for me, we addressed problems at the very basic level and to my surprise, this made a big difference in my life. Today, I’ve brought down my weight to 62 kgs, losing nearly 10 kgs and my waistline is 32 inches which were about 36 earlier. From my diet to exercise everything was specially designed to extract the best out of me to bring out the best in me. I reduced my sugar intake and started working out regularly. Various types of planks, crunches and cycling exercises were the major components of my workout. The karma point system served as a major incentive during the course of my journey, it felt good to know that every time I exerted the best of myself out there, I was also supporting a cause for the greater good of the society.

GOQii arena was another platform that made this entire journey much more fun, meeting like-minded people who share the same interests as you do was truly an amazing experience.

My hard work has paid and I have managed to get my body back in shape and my coach deserves the greater portion of the credits. She has been so patient with me the entire time, providing me with the support in times of need. I regularly record everything I eat into the food log and hope to continue on this path of a healthy living.”

Coach Hima was very enthusiastic to talk about her player.

“Shripavan has been really cooperating and full of spirit from the very beginning. He was excited to try new things in his workout and never complained. His major goal was to shed some inches around his belly and to make this possible we started slow, with brisk walking and planks. We also focused on his daily meals and infused more healthy food items into it. This helped him a lot with his metabolism and once he was used to this routine, I also added detox drinks and some core workouts into his regime, which he followed diligently. His dedication and high spirits helped him achieve his goals in a remarkable time. I’m really happy to see his progress and proud to be his Coach. I wish him all the best in life” she added.

August 25, 2018 By Anusha Subramanian 3 Comments

A Tale Of Self Belief and Determination

Weight loss is often a mental challenge rather than a physical one. If you can focus and not drift away from your goals, more than half of your work is done. This is Tanay Rawat’s story on how he did it?

BEFORE?AFTER

Tanay Kumar Rawat’s goal was to achieve a normal BMI index, which required him to reduce his weight significantly. Also suffering from ENT disorders and constipation, breaking the mental barricade and gaining self-confidence was the first step Tanay adapted, towards his road to success.

“My primary health goal was to reduce my weight and achieve a normal BMI index, being subjected to ENT disorders and constipation didn’t make this task easier for me. The hardest part was to gain a sense of belief in myself and from there it was a less bumpy ride.

My coach Manmeet ma’am had planned a diet for me which required me to consume fewer carbs, fried food, and other junk items. Green salads, seasonal fruits, and a few chapatis became a regular in my everyday diet. It was also required that I walk for 20 minutes, a few minutes past my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Other exercises in the regime included brisk walking of 45 minutes and some full body exercises.

Initially, walking for upto 20 minutes post dinner, I gradually brought the scale upto 1 hour per day. My diet was strictly supervised and controlled with minimum oil and fried food consumption. I reduced the intake of chapati’s ( flat bread) from 4 chapattis (flat bread) to 2 and mostly consumed only Vegetables, Dal or Milk as dinner. I also added salad’s and fruits into my diet and consumed them almost every day.”

Before joining GoQii, fried samosas and pakodas were a major part of Tanay’s, everyday diet. As far as walking and exercising were concerned, let’s just say his body received very minimal activity, leading to weight gain and other disorders. But those days are far behind him, integrating brisk walking and a healthy diet into his everyday life, Tanay has adapted a more disciplined way of life. When we asked him to comment on his achievement, this is what he had to say, “I have been able to reduce about 25kgs within 200 days of my new regime and I’m very proud of my achievement.”

Like every other individual out there, Tanay possessed the power to reshape his life and knew only he alone could better the quality of his life. This is a tale of self-belief and determination, which enabled Tanay to break free from his emotional bulwarks and make a difference.

Here is what Manmeet Kour’s has to say about Tanay Kumar Rawat

“At 41 years of age, reducing 25 kgs looked like a herculean task. Tanay’s determination was what inspired me to help him throughout. We started off by increasing his fiber intake, in the form of fruits and salads. Cinnamon water, flax seeds, and other healthy snacks were also introduced to Tanay’s diet. Brisk walking for 30-45 minutes every day was now a daily routine in his life. To improve Tanay’s sleep quality he was asked to consume nuts and drink a glass of milk before going to bed. The result was marvelous, Tanay burned 25kgs and reduced 2 inches from his waist and hips each. His stamina and immunity considerably increased and also felt very relieved of his ENT problem.”

Tanay is very active, determined, focused, and dedicated to his goal. He clocks more than 16 k steps daily, do yoga and meditation, consumes 3.5 liters of water daily and covers the distance of 12.5 km on an average day. His main area of concern was his weight, belly inches, and the stress. As a dedicated player, he started the walking and yoga right from the day-1 and never skipped a single day except for the traveling days. His food, steps, water log etc. everything is up to date never ever skipped even a single day without syncing the band. Each day’s food log right from the day it was told since August -17 is uploaded with the pics. Now he knows to controls portion and knows to compensate if he indulges once in a while. He joined with 103 kg and now he is 78 kgs. Initially, his diet was very low in proteins.

I tried to focus on his diet and also suggested him exercise to strengthen his core. I counseled him on choosing the healthy foods from the available choices. Als,o his dinner was made to be more on complex carbs and protein rich.As a coach, I am really glad to see his progress.