While earning a good livelihood is important, is it taking more life out of living? Long working hours, being seated most of the time with no physical activity and bad eating habits can take a toll on your health over a period of time. If this sounds relatable, you might have a lot in common with our Player Venkatrao Alaparthi.
Successful But Sedentary
Venkatrao Alaparthi, 46, is a Food Science Specialist having studied Dairy Science, and is currently working with Amul in Gujarat. Due to the nature of his work, he remains seated before his desk for long hours. For most of his work life, he has been sedentary without any exercise regime or proper eating habits.
As he wasn’t doing any regular exercise, the bare minimum being when he walked from his home to the factory, it led to severe weight gain. “I was consistently inconsistent in pursuing a health regime. I had no medical condition or medical issues but, I was obese due to a sedentary lifestyle and irregular patterns of eating,” says Venkatrao. As he is from South India, 90% of his diet consisted of carbs.
His work also involved touring. On one of his tours with his colleagues, Venkatrao Alaparthi realised how unfit he was as he couldn’t walk much. “I was sad that I was obese,” he says. As he was tired all the time, he couldn’t enjoy the visit as much. His 8 year old daughter pointed out saying, “you have a huge stomach” and his wife also told him how inconsistent he was while trying to lose weight on his own.
“My wife has been getting me to take care of my health for the last 10 years, and I have been inconsistent in being able to maintain a good lifestyle and my health,” says Venkatrao.
Due to all these factors, he decided that he would have to do something about his health. While researching the best way to lead a healthy lifestyle, he came across a GOQii Ad on social media. “GOQii & Fit India were my motivation to lead a healthy life. I decided to get the band and try it out,” he said.
Making Healthier Choices To Lose Weight
Venkatrao Alaparthi joined GOQii on Jan 30, 2022. He set his goal to lose weight. At the time, he weighed 91kg. After their initial conversation, GOQii Coach Parul Massey realised that he didn’t have any severe medical conditions and was only obese. She deemed that they had to work on weight loss slowly, in a healthier manner.
“I asked him to start with 30 minutes of normal morning walk, reduce portions of rice from his daily diet and replace it with a protein-rich diet, jeera and lemon water on an empty stomach. He started following these habits daily,” says Coach Parul Massey
During the first week, Venkatrao Alaparthi found it difficult to walk for 30 minutes even at normal pace. But, he did not lose hope and continued doing it by slowly increasing his time to 45 mins after 10 days. In a month’s time, he began noticing some difference.
His diet had changed to include lots of proteins and vegetables for fibre. He also began including eggs, sprouts, and flax seeds, etc to his breakfast. In the second month of coaching, Coach Parul added a few more habits such as having nuts and seeds.
Did These Changes Pay Off?
After 2 months of following these minor tweaks in habits and changing his lifestyle, he lost 5kg. After months of making changes and following the course set by his GOQii Coach Parul Massey, Venkatrao Alaparthi lost 20kg. He is quite fit and active now. He even had to change his wardrobe due to his successful weight loss journey.
Currently, he clocks in over 20k steps daily. “I could not walk 3km and today, I can easily do 10km,” says Venkatrao Alaparthi. Apart from walking, he also plays badminton 3 times a week. For yoga and strength training, he subscribes to GOQii PRO classes within the GOQii App.
His wife and his daughter are quite happy with the change he has made to his lifestyle and the weight he has lost. His wife says, “I am happy that you are more consistent now”. Venkatrao Alaparthi has been an Elite GOQii Player for 272 days and is among the top 6% of active players. He is still going strong with an active subscription, consistent changes, and guidance from his coach, Parul Massey.
Do you want to make a lifestyle change and reduce weight too? Speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr
For more inspiring stories, check out Healthy Reads.
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Amla, Amalaki or Indian Gooseberry is one of the most important part of many Ayurvedic medicines. It is a powerhouse of not just antioxidants and vitamin c, but also a good source of calcium, iron, phosphorus, carotene, vitamin B and fiber. Available for consumption in various forms like churna, juice, candies, pickles and supplements, benefits of this superfood are innumerable.
Snacking is an important part of our diet plan. But, when one talks about snacking in the office, we are often caught in front of a vending machine or a food delivery app wondering what to and what not to eat. One of the reasons people don’t eat healthy at work or stick to their healthy eating resolutions of bringing their own homemade food, rather than ordering or eating out, is because of a lack of time. In this fast-paced world, fast food comes as the optimum solution. Luckily, there are plenty of quick, easy, and inexpensive healthy snacks.
Greek yogurt is fulfilling and super yummy. An ideal office snack, you should go for low-fat or skimmed milk versions of yogurt. If you want, you can just add a dash of honey or jaggery to it. Best is to add some fresh berries, fine slice of apples and bananas.
Why binge or eat something unhealthy and fattening when you can go for nuts and seeds. Nuts are packed with protein, while other snacks are packed with carbs and empty calories. Nuts and seeds are one of the few snack items that have protein and can fill you up for a long time.
Fruits provide us with the best form of natural sugars. They are really good for a snack if you are feeling low on energy in the office. Strawberries, gooseberries, oranges, apples, bananas and melons are all packed with antioxidants and vitamins which your body needs!
A plain instant oatmeal packet is a great way to indulge in something comforting, yet healthy. You can add your own flavoring and keep a tab on the calorie and sugar content. Top it with raisins or add cinnamon and nutmeg to it – your powerful healthy office snack is ready! You can also try these 
Be careful with these! Some protein bars are packed with calories. Check the ingredients and make sure the one you pick has fruit, nuts, and fewer than 200 calories. You can even make these at home or try these 
