Search Results for: nutrition

March 21, 2016 By CHARMI GOGRI 2 Comments

“If you want to exercise you can whenever and wherever. There should be no excuses”

I have accomplished it

He is young at the age of 52 and a busy top executive of a Mumbai-based Infrastructure company. But, the amazing thing about him is that he still finds time every day out of his busy schedule to go for a run and keeps himself fit wherever he is…you want to know how? Sudhir Hoshing tells us how he manages to be fit?

Fitness was never a part of my wife and my life. But, it’s in 2010 that we started taking fitness more seriously. The reason being that we realized we had put on a lot of weight. In 2009, I was weighing 92 kgs and I wanted to reduce my weight and get fit. In 2010 itself I ran my first Standard Chartered marathon. That’s how my regular fitness regime started. It’s always good when your life partner is also your partner in fitness training in the gym.

Over a period of 2 years, I also reduced my weight to 67 kgs. Then again I had put on some weight. Today, after 5 years I run 8-10 marathons a year. My day usually begins at 4.30 am and I go running for an hour and a half or if not running then I hit the gym. I am back by 7 am and by 8.30 am I leave for work. For me, fitness is one of the main aspects of life. A fit person can bring a lot of positive vibes at work too.

I was looking for something that counts steps and calories and I found GOQii by luck. I got in touch with GOQii and over interactions I found out more about GOQii and I was convinced to go for it. I initially thought that it was just a band that would give me my steps and calorie counts. Then I found that it’s more than just counting steps and calories. It also provides for a personal coach who is in regular interaction with you about your diet and other tips on exercises and lifestyle changes etc.

In 2014, I got the band and a personal coach in and I also opted for a personal trainer from GOQii who can come home for strength training and other exercises. Initially, I did not understand much how all this worked. I thought I knew everything because since 2010 I was seriously into fitness, going to the gym and for runs etc but. I was wrong. I did not know many things and it’s through my coach that I realized so many things on diet and nutrition, sleep, water etc.

I did not have a specific goal when I came on board GOQii platform. I only wanted to reduce my weight. What is my routine currently? Well, I run 10 km on alternate days on weekdays and on weekends I run 20 km.

Currently, I am working along with my coach on Mindful Eating. Until I came on board GOQii I did not know something like Mindful Eating existed. I eat very fast. Within 2 minutes I am done with my meals. And, this my coach told me was wrong and that I am supposed to eat slowly, chew and relish the food When my coach explained to me about how I should be eating I realized my mistake.

Despite the hectic schedule that I have and that fact that I am constantly travelling I manage to run and also do my exercises. If you want to exercise you can exercise whenever and wherever. There should be no excuses.

I love the concept of GOQii. It has helped me a lot and in turn, I have inspired a whole lot of people around me. My colleagues look up to me for my fitness and now want to follow me. My son and my nephews are inspired by me and my wife has also started running marathons since last year. She did her first Thane marathon this year.

Running Together-Sudhir and his wife.

What does Coach Charmi Gogri have to say about Sudhir Hoshing?

Sudhir has always been very particular about his fitness and nutrition. One thing that was missing from his workouts was some relaxation, peace and meditation. He was always engaged with running or weight training. We set an initial goal to include some Yoga Asanas in the weekly routine, eventually, it became part of routine too. Thanks to his sincerity and obedient attitude. While I would say his meals were great (well balanced and spaced), I found a little lag in his water intake. So that became part of initial goal too.

After reviewing his progress for a while, we moved to the next step and focused on getting better sleep. Once that got sorted, we are currently working on mindful eating as he has the habit of eating very fast. So far he has been doing well with this one. Still yet to master the skill.

March 17, 2016 By GOQii Editor 1 Comment

“I needed to be health conscious and not be on the sidelines of life”

He works in the marketing department of a News Media organization and claims he has had a near sedentary lifestyle with spurts of fitness on and off. He weighed 88 kgs and was on the verge of being classified as overweight and also bordering on being diabetic. That’s when he realized he needed to be health conscious and not be on the sidelines of life….Here is Natarajan Viswanathan’s story in his own words.

I never had a fitness regime in my life. I would once in a while feel that I think I need to lose weight and I would spring into action following an exercise regime. I would remain focused, taking my resolution to lose weight seriously but soon lose interest and again go back to being laid back. I took up a gym membership for 3 years but barely hit the gym religiously, hardly making any difference to my weight or the fitness factor. Friends and family made fun of me for not being able to hold on to any fitness regime.

In December 2014, I went for a full body check-up. All the tests were normal but, I was told by the doctor that I was bordering on diabetes. I have a family history of diabetes. What the doctor said then scared me and that is when I got serious about reducing my weight and getting fit.

One evening we had a college reunion and there I got introduced to GOQii by a friend of mine. He explained how it works and what it can do for me. This discussion got me interested. But, he did have a word of caution when he said that just wearing it will not reduce your weight but one needs to make efforts to get active and reduce weight. Things just don’t happen.

Before:

Pre-Diabetic:

Doctor advised reducing weight.
Had lost 14 kgs weight earlier but now weight had plateaued with no loss despite efforts.
Wants to walk 6 km per day

My journey with GOQii started in April 2015 and got Komilla Pareekh as my coach. They say that every journey needs motivation and direction. The band provided the much-needed motivation and the coach gave me the right direction. Many a time you want to do it but you either do not know how to go about it or you are plain lazy. I chose Komilla as my coach because she is a nutritionist and for my journey to a fitter life, I knew I should eat well and right.

When I got on to GOQii my health goal was to become fitter and reduce my weight. I wanted to fit into a pair of jeans I had got out of for a long long time.

I worked towards it along with my coach and am I glad to say that I have achieved my health goals. I have reduced considerably from 88 kgs I am down to 74 kgs.

My pre-diabetic condition is under control and I run 10 km now four days a week and my bigger goal is to run the Marathon in 2017.

After:

Improved nutrition by focusing on high fibre, high protein and small frequent meals.
Introduced millets in the diet. Cut down fruits at night, added a salad to meals.
Worked on knees and back exercises.
Morning walks After Surpassed 6km goal. Starting jogging now. Weight loss and inch loss.

The good news is that I got into the pair of jeans that I wanted to get into for a long time.

Personally, how do I feel now? I feel fantastic. I have become more presentable. I never had confidence or communication issues but, I will not deny that now after having made these changes to life, my first impression in business meetings is good.

All these changes in me have also been noticed by my near and dear ones. I have been a great influencer to people around me and also got 4 others to register on GOQii. I will certainly continue with GOQii and be motivated to be healthy and active.Another super initiative is the Karma point initiative. You can earn points and donate them to a cause you believe in. It gets you connected to your social quotient. So I have donated 4000 points to the education cause and for the Chennai floods. Great initiative. Keep it going.

What does Coach Komilla have to say about Natarajan?

When Natarajan joined GOQii, he had plateaued on his weight, despite having lost 14 kgs in past due to his will and determination. Being a borderline diabetic, he was advised by his doctor to lose a couple of more kgs to avoid medication. Also, he was nurturing a dream of walking 6 km in a single stance and to participate in a Marathon. The journey was not easy, but surelya challenging one full of hurdles- knee pain, back pain, time constraint, sweet craving, Mumbai rains …..but, he never lost the focus. Today, he runs not walks 10 km in a single stance and has lost weight and inches to settle on his healthy weight. The biggest strength of our relationshipand working was mutual trust and belief. Natarajan truthfully discussed all the challenges faced by him in working towards our goals and kept firm belief in his coach. That is the secret of our success!

March 17, 2016 By GOQii Editor Leave a Comment

“I have worked really hard with my coach to achieve my health goals and in the process learnt a lot”

He is based in Cochin and has been active at a very minimal level. Activity was restricted to doing just some warm up exercises. Until one day he realized he needs to get more active and regular with his physical exercises. Being active on a regular basis was the only way he could reduce his belly fat and overall weight. Here is Vipin Thrissur’s story in his own words …

I work in a broking firm and my job involves lots of travel. Due to this constant travelling, I could never focus on having a daily routine. I was under the impression that routines never work if you are going to be on the move constantly.

You name it and I had all the issues. I did warm up exercises but never had an exercise regime. The only thing I did in the name of the exercise was to climb stairs instead of taking the elevator. I also did not have enough water through the day, there was a lack of sleep leave alone having quality sleep and last I did not have proper nutrition.

Before:

Being a South Indian, his Rice intake was more
He also had a lot of red meat
Less activity only stair climbing to compensate

One day as I was browsing the net for a fitness tracker and reading about fitness and nutrition, pop came a message about GOQii. I got intrigued and started reading about GOQii and tried to learn as much about it through the net. Then I contacted GOQii and got to know more. I was fairly convinced and decided to try it out. It was in Oct 2014 that I got on to GOQii platform and I am glad that I am still continuing with GOQii and my coach Sneha.

My health goal when I got on to the platform was fat and weight reduction. It’s been one and half years with GOQii and I must say I am thoroughly enjoying my journey with GOQii. In so many months as I have worked hard along with my coach to achieve my health goals I have also learnt a lot about nutrition, exercising, why sleep is important and what is quality sleep etc. One always took all these things for granted.

Have I achieved my health goals? Oh yes, I have.

After :

Reduced rice intake slowly but steadily
Now red meat is replaced with chicken & fish
Started the 7 min workout along with Stair climbing
Tummy has reduced and has been getting compliments from his newly wedded wife

From being a person with very minimal activity and more excuses now I do at least 8000 steps a day. My exercise routine is still not up to the mark but, I am working on it.

My water intake has improved. I drink 2 liters of water daily without fail. My nutrition has also improved drastically. My fast food intake has stopped and I have also stopped aerated drinks. Thanks to the constant motivation push from my coach I have been able to bring about all these changes. My belly fat has also reduced considerably but it keeps fluctuating because I am not able to exercise regularly. But we are working towards overcoming this. The other positives are also that I am into meditation and that is considerably helping in relieving stress.

Overall I am positive about GOQii and my coach experience. The best part is that I am also being able to do some good in the society. I have been a blood donor and every three months I regularly donate blood but now I am also able to donate my Karma points. So far I have donated 3000 points to various causes.

What does coach Sneha Chikhale have to say about Vipin?

It’s been more than a year now, Vipin is a part of GOQii family. His goal was nothing but to lose few kilos and stay healthy. He was not someone who had a past history of health issues but, has always pursued a goal of staying fit and shed few kilos. Our journey started on a regular note and it became interesting as we proceeded further.

As he hailed from the southern region of India, cutting down on rice was a big challenge for him, being absolute rice eater to now moderate rice eater is one of the healthy lifestyle change we made in this ongoing journey which has also helped him lose fat. The inclusion of mid meals has also made an impact on his overall eating patterns.

There was a time, when he has lost a band and till the time he did not get a new one, we continued our coaching for a certain period without the band because he was totally motivated. Losing the band had not deterred him from losing his motivation.

The best aspects about Vipin is that he has been a very active GOQii player, who maintains a regular connect with me on the app. This kind of connection between the coach and the player is very important for achieving the health goals. We are currently working with his sleep and stress patterns. I am sure, that like the other goals, he will be achieving these as well!

February 25, 2016 By Tejal Gupte 4 Comments

5 tips to eat safe outside your home

Eating outside your home comes as a big relief for most of us especially when we want to have something different from the regular routine “Ghar ka Khana”.

No matter how much we love home cooked food, there comes a point in time when we all crave for outside food even if it is not prepared in the best hygienic way. And well, it’s the first thing foodies like me look forward to do when on holidays or socializing.

Usually,nutritionists and dieticians always emphasize on healthy choices and mindful eating practices while eating out. But sadly, eating healthy i.e non-fatty, low calorie foods alone don’t help to stay healthy and fit. While we pay attention to the fat or sugar content and the processing method of the food while eating out, it’s also equally important to make sure what is served on our plate is safe enough to be consumed.

Failure to adhere to proper safety measures can cause nausea, vomiting, cramps, stomach upset, and in worst case can lead to a serious episode of food poisoning or food borne illness. Thus,a mere act of enjoyment and pleasing the taste buds ends up putting extra stress on our digestive and immune system.

So what’s the alternative? Is there something which can take care of both-the taste buds and our body’s system? The Answer is YES

Here are 5 simple tips which can help us lower the health risk and ensure that the food safety part is not completely ignored!

1) Look for eateries having open kitchen or at least which allows a view of the kitchen

Food safety is all about what goes beyond the scenes i,e inside the kitchen and depends on the person who is cooking as well as the one who is serving the food. Hence, opting for places or restaurant joints that have open kitchen or dining place which allows you to have a view of the kitchen area helps a lot. This will give you some idea of the cleanliness of the kitchen premise, the utensils/equipment and also whether the chef and other kitchen staff are taking care of personal hygiene or not.

2) Go for places/joints which are always crowded or have high visitor ratio

Apart from ensuring that such restaurant is popular and serves tasty food, it will also ensure safer food. This is because crowded places have high turnover of food, and hence chances of getting served stale food reduces (example-the left over gravies and sauces or foods such as cooked rice from previous day).

3) Avoid opting for dishes which are too exotic, off beat or off seasonal

This is largely to play safe as we never know which ingredients go inthe preparation of such foods. Also,it’salways best to avoid dishes which have offseasonal food ingredients say any fruit or vegetable, because storage method of such foods then is a big question?Which if not stored properly as per the protocol can impose a potential risk for food toxicity.

4) Prefer cooked foods over raw or cold foods

This is applicable while eatingin the roadside eateries or joints as they often use food items like chopped onion, peeled potatoes, chutneys etc; which are pre prepared and if not covered and stored properlycan be subjected to contamination from flies, pests etc and thus become a potential health hazard. Opting for cooked foods ensures that at least some microbes get destroyed due to heat.

For example:

#Go for grilled/toasted sandwich instead of regular sandwich

5)Beware of what you eat during buffet set ups

** Avoid having cut salads, cold pastas and fruits in buffet set ups like weddings or in hotels since they are likely to sit there for a long time before they actually go into our plate.We can have soups, grilled/sauteedveggies or steamed starters instead of salads in such situations to fill ourselves and save us from overindulgence.

** Besides this, make sure that all other foods kept at buffet table are maintained at proper temperatures; cold food should be kept cold, hot food should be kept hot when you serve them on your plate.

Remember, next time when you head out just follow these simple tips to make sure you enjoy your time away from the kitchen without thinking of the extra calories or worrying about food poisoning…think good nutrition!!