Search Results for: trail challenge

March 30, 2016 By Anusha Subramanian Leave a Comment

Having a time commitment is important to achieve a health goal

What a feeling : Manish in blue relaxing with his 100 km oxfam trail walk team.

He has always known life to be busy until one day when he realized that it was not worth being unhealthy. He was sick of being fat and always heard from people around him how he needed to lose weight for his own health but, that just made him more frustrated. He knew that for it to stick, he needed to be the one who decided to get healthier. Today, he easily walks 10 km, clocks on an average 7k to 8k steps daily and is walking the path of fitness. Here is Manish Karve’s experience in his own words.

I work for a managed analytics company. I used to manage operations and more often than not worked the night shift. My work got the best of me, spending a significant amount of time in office sitting in meetings or in front of a screen. Add to the inactive life I led, I had terrible eating habits. The net result of all this was that I was unhealthy with ailments like back aches and perennial cold and cough.

My family life was suffering considerably. The time I used to be at home I spent sleeping. I was overweight. Like most people, life carried on. I was eating wrong and never had the time or desire to exercise. I did try my hand at playing a sport, going to the gym for working out but nothing really worked for me as I was not able to do anything that brought about a lifestyle change in me. I was nearing 40 and I thought to myself what was I doing with myself? I was scared for my health.

Given thatI worked with data, I thought a wearable might be a good idea, I tried the Jawbone Up but, it was a standalone fitness tracker and that connect with people was not there. It just helped you track what you do. So I gave that up as well. Then I had a chance meeting with Vishal Gondal who happens to be my schoolmate. During this meet he mentioned to me about GOQii and sent me a link for the Beta.Six months after the beta testing started I got a GOQii band for myself to try it out. Best decision ever!

What appealed to me a lot about GOQii was the personal coaching. There are qualified nutritionist, dieticians and other specialists who can help you chalk your fitness and health goals the right way. Unlike all the other things I tried to do to get fit and healthy, GOQii did just one thing-it kept me engaged thanks to the coaching.

My coach NehaMorche has done a brilliant job. She became my coach when I was at the crossroads of an unhealthy lifestyle. She did not come up with dramatic goals to achieve. She asked me to take baby steps and go slow. She brought about simple changes in lifestyle and nutrition which has helped me a lot.

She also helped me be more active. As I started getting active on a daily basis, I started improving my diet. I began walking one km in the beginning. Initially, it was difficult but, I stayed that I was going to achieve my goal of losing weight and increasing my stamina.I increased my walking and then took to running as well. I initially remember thinking how hard clocking 10,000 steps would be. But, I sweat through it and eventually it got easier.

Today, I am regularly going for walks, cycling at times and I actually go to a gym with a personal trainer. I have been able to easily run 10kms now. I did the 10 km run at Thane in February. I finished that race in just about an hour and a half. What an achievement I thought. I was so fired up! Now, I can walk 10-11 km without a huff. Two years ago I could not have even imagined doing all these things that I am currently doing. I clock on an average 8k to 10k steps daily. For me, I have to look at the GOQii app and see what I have done in a day to keep myself motivated.

As my fitness levels increased I also brought about a change in my nutrition. My coach brought about simple changes. I was such a lover of junk food and especially chaat. But, she did not ask me to stop it but instead told me instead of having a Bhel why not go have SukhaBhel with lots of nuts etc which is healthy. She gave interesting tips on what snacks to carry and what not to eat. I have also significantly reduced my intake of Coffee and tea.

I would eat fruits whenever I want to and Neha helped me understand few realities about when and how to eat fruits. She threw open lots of challenges to me and also gave great tips. In terms of activities too we worked up strengthening core and leg muscles. I then participated in the 2014 Mumbai 100 Oxfam Trailwalk and completed it successfully. That further gave a boost that I could do it if I wanted to. Then I also did the Trailwalk again in 2015. Talk about being a glutton for punishment.

My wife has seen the positive change in me and is happy. All in all I feel positive and another aspect of positivity is also being able to donate karma points. Till date I would have donated close to about 8k points. My plan is to continue living this healthy lifestyle. After all, there is lot of belly fat to lose.

Is what I did that amazing? I don’t think so. I think it’s something that anyone can do. It didn’t cost a lot of money, but one has to be disciplined and dedicate time. Having a time commitment is important to achieve a health goal. I made an effort to be disciplined, gave up junk food and guess what? It is all so worth. I realized my reason to get healthy was more than just a want. I realized that if I want to be healthy, I have to decide to do whatever it takes and make it an everyday, lifestyle change.

What does Coach Neha Morche have to say about Manish?

Manish and I initially started work on increasing activity levels to increase stamina and be energetic as a goal. He wanted this as his goal as he travels a lot on work and always has a busy routine to form an activity routine for himself. Considering this I suggested some easy exercises which can be performed in the hotel room as well. Then he participated in the 100 Km Oxfam Trail walk in December 2014. It is only after successfully completing the trail walk that he realized that he needs to work on his belly fats, exercises were suggested accordingly. He put in efforts to follow a routine. Eventually he began to do regular walks and slowly moved on to running. He also got regular with logging in food data and I was able to understand his pattern of meals and suggest balanced nutrition for him. Overall he managed to make lifestyle changes despite his busy schedule.

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March 22, 2016 By Anusha Subramanian Leave a Comment

“It’s been a long, slow journey. And if you want to be successful, you need to change your lifestyle—that takes time”

Running keeps you Healthy & Fit.

Who does not want to be healthy and fit? Everybody does. But, only a few can take the decision instantly to make the change and lead a healthier life. Girish Narang is one of those few guys who one fine day decided enough is enough and decided he needed to get fit and healthy and control his sugar levels. Here is how he did it. Let’s hear it from him….

I head Equities for a foreign bank. My office starts at 8.30 am and till 4 pm (when the market closes) it’s too much pressure to deal with. And after market hours, it’s time for client meetings. You invariably are clueless about when you day is likely to end.

These work hours over a period of time had taken a toll on my health. Over and above that, I have always been overweight and a foodie. 5 years ago I weighed 102 kgs. My fasting sugar levels had gone up to 330. The result of this was that I could not even walk for one Km (mile). I was so unfit and unhealthy.

I tried few dieticians and other things to reduce weight but, I got limited success. I also did go to the gym and managed to lose some weight. That was not enough, though. I was on medication. I will not say that GOQii was like eureka moment for me. But, then when I got into that momentum of losing weight and trying to exercise it helped me a lot and brought about a lot of clarity in my concepts regarding fitness, diet, sleep, water etc.

Prior to GOQii, I got introduced to the pedometer and its functions through Stepathlon that was conducted in our office. It’s during this time that I started tracking steps and consciously started thinking that every step counts. The pedometer was an awareness for me. Even though you were not working out in the gym you can make a difference by bringing about some small lifestyle changes. That’s how things started for me. I was seeing some success and my sugar was getting controlled and then I decided to go in for GOQii in 2014.

I was mentally prepared that every step counts and when I was told about the GOQii concept and what it does beyond just counting steps, I realized that it is a natural extension of what a pedometer does but, with a specialized coach who is in constant dialogue with you and telling you what is to be done and how it is to be done.

The coaching factor appealed to me as there was someone constantly going to be there to keep a check on you and make you feel guilty about not being sincere towards your health and fitness.

My health goal when I got on board GOQii was to lose weight and control my sugar levels. Just as I started working towards these goals, I resolved to pay attention to my food choices and started tracking my meals as well. The step count and other numbers helped me see how far I needed to go and having access to my data and seeing how that impacted my health helped me a great deal.

Then, one day I saw my colleagues preparing to run the marathon. I found it intriguing that people are running 10km, 21 km, and 42 km. Initially, I felt these guys are crazy running so much. But, that thought stemmed from my own inabilities to be able to do something like this. I decided to just try once to do a long run. Running a marathon became my subconscious goal.

My initial plan was very simple. It was a small start. But, as I slowly started enjoying running and noticed the increase in stamina and my ability to run, I realized I could push myself further. I started training for a 10km, and that really opened things up for me.

Now, I’m running longer distances like a half marathon. 2015, I ran my first Standard Chartered half marathon and in 2016, I ran for the second time the Standard Chartered Mumbai marathon. Now it’s been 2.5 years since I have started running seriously. And, this season I will do every run that I can.

From not being able to walk even a km (mile), I feel great now about being able to do long distance runs. After having run marathons, I also for the first time pushed my limits to do the 100 km Oxfam Trailwalk in November 2015 and I completed it. This was a big high. The 100 km walk was an eye opener for me. It was no mean task to walk the 100 km that went through tough and smooth terrains. My shoes also gave away. My feet were swollen from the top and had blisters beneath. I had learnt to treat my blisters and continue my walk. And, I managed to complete the walk with my team.

When I finished the trail walk, the first question I was asked by my shoe benefactor “how did you complete it in those shoes”. It seems he was sending messages to people to stop me since those shoes would really hurt my feet, thanks to the phones not working most of the times the messages got delayed and I had already moved ahead. It was such a great moment to see somebody happier than myself for having completed the challenge.

Thanks to GOQii I have been able to do all of this. The coaching factor has helped me a great deal. Today, I am free of all medication. I just take one tablet for Sugar control. For the last one and a half years my sugar is under control. It’s is around 95-108 down from 330. My Cholesterol is under control and my weight has come down to 83 from 102 kgs and I have been maintaining it. One thing I have realised over a period is that running does not help you lose weight. Weight training helps you lose weight.

Also, you don’t become overweight overnight, and you don’t lose weight overnight either. It’s a long, slow journey. And if you want to be successful, you need to change your lifestyle—that takes time.

Now, I make sure that I workout at least thrice a week. I have also managed to pick up newer activities like outdoor cycling and Golfing. I am feeling extremely good about myself and I have become some kind of a fitness guru to my colleagues as well. My family thinks I have become more arrogant. From being the least fit person in the family to being very fit now my confidence is soaring and I feel great. It’s not an easy journey, but I can do things now I never could have done 3 years ago, and that’s a great feeling. I am continuing with GOQii.

What does Coach Vrushali Athavale have to say about him?

Girish is a dedicated and self-motivated player. His health goal was clearly to reduce weight and bring down his sugar levels. He was very active but, his meal pattern, water intake and rest was not adequate for the amount of activity he was doing in a day. So we worked initially on the normal food guidelines like having a heavy breakfast, light lunch, dinner needs to be light as well. Also, I worked towards helping him eat smaller meals and more frequently. Water intake was not enough so got him to start drinking 3 liters of water daily. And lastly, a proper combination of cardio and weight training was a must for him. Girish worked on all these factors and we have been successful in achieving our goals.

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March 16, 2016 By GOQii Editor Leave a Comment

“It is not about losing weight but, it is the way you look at things and how you manage it”

Every player of GOQii is a new story with a new experience. Today we bring you the story of a not so fit housewife and entrepreneur to a fit housewife and entrepreneur now. She credits GOQii Coach for bringing about the positive lifestyle change in her and getting her on a health trail. Here is Ruchi Sandhu’s story in her own words.

I have never been a fitness freak and I was on the heavier side. I was conscious about my weight gain and had gained weight over a long period of time. I was neither paying any attention towards my weight gain nor was I trying to reduce it. I also did not bring about any change in my diet. To sum it up I was just not paying too much attention to my health and overall well-being.

Then, during my regular check with my doctor, she suggested I do an Insulin test. In that test, it was revealed that I was Insulin resistant and, therefore, my sugar levels were down. I was on medication to control my insulin levels but the doctor suggested that only medication is not going to improve the situation. I was asked to get active and also bring about changes in my diet. These were the only ways to bring down the insulin levels to the required levels I was told.

Before:

Insulin resistant
Weight Gain-79 kgs
Has a personal trainer – Though no control on her diet
On a crash diet – Eating less
Skip dinner – Munch on unhealthy snacks

Soon after the doctor’s advice, I joined the gym and then my husband’s friend suggested that he has got a GOQii band and that I must try it too. I said ok and got the GOQii band and got associated with my personal coach Disti Shah.

Believe me, when I say this that I have never been happier with myself. My main health goal when I started on GOQii was to reduce my weight and with that, the Insulin levels would also come down. I worked along with my coach towards achieving this goal.

Disti helped me make small changes such as what I eat when I eat, how much I eat etc. She disciplined me in my eating habits. I am very conscious now of what I eat, how much I eat. It has been a wonderful experience for me in the last one year or so ever since I got GOQii as my insulin levels have come down.

I am more disciplined now with regard to eating. I used to have a very sweet tooth and my coach put me on a sugar-free challenge. The first time I failed miserably. But, my coach did not give up. After a few days, she once again out me on a sugar-free challenge. And the second time around I was able to resist myself off sugar. Whenever I get a sweet craving I replace it with dates. I have also controlled my midnight cravings for sweets. .

After:

Eating at regular intervals – Not skipping any meals
Weight reduced to 73 kgs and automatically Insulin levels have come down
Took on the sugar-free week challenge – replaced sweets with dates
Urge of having sweets has reduced
Added pre – workout and post workout meals – thus her energy through the workout is consistent

Off late I have not been able to work out so much as I am on some medication and my gynecologist has asked me to do strenuous workouts. But, my health goal remains the same. I want to lose some more weight. Disti has been largely helping me with my healthy eating habits and has also given me some home workout options. I am trying to do whatever I am able to do.

The one thing I have realized with GOQii is that it is not about losing weight but, it is the way you look at things and how you do it. For me personally, it has been a positive lifestyle change.

I am a kind of person who does not like to take advice from anyone but Disti has been able to break that has changed my perspective and outlook towards life. I am a better off now than I ever was. I thoroughly enjoy the personal attention I get from my coach. The best part of all these changes is that my husband is very happy with me for having taken all the efforts and watching it pay off for me.

Ruchi Singhvi looking her best

What does Coach Disti Shah have to say about Ruchi?

As a coach my dream to get a player who follows your guidance and suggestions. Ruchi is one of those few people who has really taken the GOQii journey seriously and made sure to reach her targets. The dedication and self-determination of Ruchi towards her target, got me also excited to work with her. The two of us never had a coach and player relationship, it was more a friendly chat and discussion that we used to have.

Her health goal was to decrease fat percentage and insulin resistance, which she achieved by sheer dedication towards diet and exercise. This is just a beginning of a long journey and she really defined the journey well by saying: “It’s the journey that matters and not the destination”.

Achievements of Ruchi:

Insulin level dropped from 48 to 21.
Decreased body fat percentage.
Regular exercises.
More focus on fruits and salads.
Increased protein intake, by making sure, each major meal has the protein source.
One week of No Sugar challenge was completed and thus continuing to reduce sugar intake further.
Short and frequent meals.
Updating logs at regular intervals even when traveling abroad.

December 31, 2014 By Parwage Alam 1 Comment

Geriatric Health Maintenance-A Systematic Approach

I recently participated in the 100 km OxfamTrail walk and the one thing that I was overwhelmed about is the number of senior citizens who were participating in this challenge. It’s nice to see senior people fitter than many youngsters. One fine example was that of Milind Soman’s mother who at 76 years old looked fit and completed the 100 km trail walk in 40 hours along with her daughters. That was commendable.

Growing old is great but along with that maintaining your health is equally important. At some point in our life many of us have faced and dealt with an old parent’s illness. And therefore I feel that staying healthy as a senior citizen is very important.

Your mental and physical health plays a crucial role in the latter years of your life. Staying healthy means eating nutritious foods, exercising, and getting regular medical check-ups. Prevention and early detection are the best defense against illness and disease.

As people get older, physiological changes occur in their body as a natural part of aging.Due to aging mostly all organs are affected and some diseases and co morbid conditions become more prominent in the elderly.

Psychological issues can also play a role in physical and mental health of older adults. At senior stage a balanced diet and regular exercise are strongly linked to better health outcomes. Regular medical checkup and important preventive measures at home help to improve the safety and health of seniors.

As health needs change with age, one thing remains the same: healthy living (healthy lifestyle), one of the best way to avoid disease (related to Skin, Bones, joints, and muscles, mobility and balance, body shape, face, teeth and gums, Hair and nail, memory, immunity, hearing, vision and sleep).

Living a longer, healthier life can be made easier with these simple steps.

Healthy Eating Habits: Always try to have natural foods, avoid the artificial source and opt for fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fiber-rich foods—bean, spinach, and romaine lettuce, for example—lean cuts of meat, fresh fish, and poultry instead. Processed food usually filled with unhealthy things like high-fructose corn syrup that leads to overconsumption. Secondly, contains lot of artificial Ingredients. Most processed foods are Low in Nutrients.

It requires less energy and time to digest processed foods. Processed foods contain MSG (Monosodium glutamate – to enhance flavor), it also contains lots of sodium and typically all the wrong heart-clogging oils. Therefore it is always good to go with natural food available, if possible go with homemade food.

Activities:Physical activity is vital for developing the strong bones and muscles. This would help in avoiding falls or accidental injuries. Exercise is add on as part of overall healthy lifestyle and to avoid obesity, which is the root cause of other diseases. So if you have not started your activity, please get and include some physical activities into your routine before it gets too late.

Stop Smoking, tobacco:Dump the cigarette/tobacco habit before this dumps you. And stay away from those who do smoke, as second-hand smoking is more dangerous than direct smoking.

Meditation: I personally believe in meditation, as it really help to avoid stress because like obesity – stress is also a main cause of 70% diseases. So Meditation really helps you in terms of Psychological&Physiological. To get more information about Meditation you can also check my blog at:

https://goqii.com/blog/myths-and-health-benefits-of-meditation/

So what are you waiting for get up and change your lifestyle from sedentary to Active and live healthy long life.