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May 12, 2021 By Sheryl Afonso 1 Comment

Fatigue Fighting Hacks To Supercharge Your Mornings At Home

Trrriiing! There goes your 6 a.m. alarm!

Boing! There goes the snooze button hit! Just another ten minutes you plead with your fatigued mind even though you know you’ll be late for that zoom call!

How often have you caught yourself doing that in a week? The day whizzes by in a blur as you struggle to stay awake through that all-important morning call, exercise restraint from unnecessarily blowing your top at your colleague, force yourself to be patient as your junior takes longer than expected to understand a concept, and stop short of actually dozing and snoring at your comfy workspace at home as the day slowly comes to a close…

Morning fatigue can be pinned down to many reasons: a super-late night, hypothyroidism, too much progesterone, midnight visits to the washroom, sleep apnea, an overworked mind, and more. Chronic fatigue can take a toll on human health, and is best nipped in the bud. Once hormonal imbalances and sleep apnea have been ruled out as the cause of your daily fatigue, try out these fatigue fighting hacks to keep you alert through the day.

Fatigue Fighting Hacks To Supercharge Your Mornings

Set a Double Alarm: A full sleep cycle is approximately 90 minutes. So, if you need to step out of bed at 7 a.m., set an alarm for 5:30 a.m. and another one for 7 a.m. Turn off the 5:30 alarm once it begins to shrill – go back to getting another complete sleep cycle – and bounce out of bed happily when the second alarm goes off! You won’t need the snooze button at all!
Exercise: If home workout isn’t your style – fret not! Begin your day with a few simple stretches or a 10-minute yoga session. The release of endorphins that this brings on will keep you feeling energized through the day.
Be a Sunflower: Just like a sunflower thrives on the energizing rays of the sun, so does your body. Throw open your windows, draw back the curtains and revel in the joy that comes along with the morning rays hitting your face. You’ll get a good dose of vitamin D too whilst you are at it.
Power-up with Protein: Skipping breakfast is never an option if you want to feel fresh throughout the day. But choosing the right breakfast foods is important. Begin and end your day with protein-rich foods. Research indicates that protein induces serotonin and subsequent melatonin release that brings on better quality sleep while also leading to a build-up of enzymes that signal the brain to wake-up in the mornings. Plate up the eggs, fish, yoghurt, pulses, peanut butter, and nuts and roll away the sugar-laden carbohydrates.
Tank up on Water: Dehydration can often be the reason for fatigue in the morning and all through the day. A glass of plain water or fruit-infused water is a sure shot way to get your body into “run” mode. Placing this by your bedside and reaching out for it as soon as your alarm goes off will get you moving faster than the Duracell rabbit!
Alexa to the Rescue: Programme Alexa to play out your favourite music at the exact hour you need to be out of bed. What better way to begin your day than with a blast of pop, hip hop, golden oldies, jazz or Hindi chartbusters?
Tease your Brain: Alarm clocks and mobiles that need you to perform a mental task before they can be “snoozed” or shut off are now available in the market! Not only will they supercharge your morning, but you’ll have increased your IQ by 5 points at least by the end of the month.

List Of Don’ts Before Bed

I don’t need to dwell on the much-touted DON’Ts that keep you away from enjoying your mornings, but a quick reminder will reinforce your learning:

Limit water intake to just one glass a couple of hours before you hit the sack; then you won’t need to blame your midnight loo visits for your morning fatigue.
Cut down the fat at dinner to help you drift away to dreamland sooner.
Make sure your bedroom has just the right amount of light and is at the right temperature to allow for some uninterrupted sleep.
Choose the right sleep accessories – pillow, mattress, blanket, and even a cuddly toy, if that’s what will keep your peepers tightly shut for 8 hours straight.
Stay away from electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime. Reading a book may be a better bit to bring on deeper sleep.
Maintain a sleep schedule so that the natural release of melatonin takes charge at the right time.
Stay away from alcohol and caffeine closer to bedtime; they are diuretics that will cause you to wake up to piddle in the middle of the night!

Sleep has no replacement. Fatigue is easily prevented. Do your health a huge favour – beat the morning blues!

We hope these fatigue fighting hacks help you make your work from home more productive! Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below. For more tips, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

To directly interact with your GOQii Coach, subscribe to GOQii now: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu

Stay home, stay safe and #BeTheForce

May 11, 2021 By Pradnya Shinde 1 Comment

Panicked Due To The Pandemic? You Need To Know This!

There must be few people you know who have been affected by COVID-19 during this global pandemic. Maybe you have gone through this too. Maybe you are experiencing few symptoms. You might have witnessed a few unfortunate deaths around you. This is like one of those sci-fi movies gone real. Everyone is talking about it and it’s terrible!

How You Can Avoid Panic During The Pandemic

As humans, we crave for stability and we are facing this uncertainty for more than a year now. Are you wondering when it will all end? Do we even see an end in sight? How do we deal with it?

Change Your Mindset!

The stress can cause frustration, worry, fear, helplessness, lack of hunger, overeating, tiredness, sleeping too much, headache, nightmares or the inability to focus on work. If you are overwhelmed due to this pandemic situation, let me tell you that you need to overcome this. When you panic, your body responds in the same way. If this is the battle, then half the battle is lost when you panic. When your mind gives up, then slowly your body gives up.

Everyone has suffered a cold and blocked nose at some point or the other in their life. And you experience breathlessness in such times. People with Asthma deal with breathlessness many times. Before the pandemic, you used to get cold, cough and fever, but you didn’t think that you would die. Then there’s no need to think that way now. I am not suggesting that you ignore the symptoms or your health. By now everyone knows what they need to do for their safety. I Am not repeating here. I am talking about the mindset. How you deal with this mentally and emotionally is important.

You can get the information you need but stop binge watching news channels and be conscious of what you read, watch and listen. You can make a habit to get the update at a specific time from a trusted source only. Other times, keep yourself involved in something meaningful.

If you get a cough, start a treatment or medicine for the cough. You can talk to your coach for a nice home remedy. If things get worse and you need to get admitted in the hospital, let me repeat, the first thing you need to do is stay strong emotionally.

What Can You Do Now?

Let’s start working for the things which are in our hands. Your immunity is so much more important right now than ever before. Cut down sugar slowly from your diet. Sugar has inflammation enhancing properties. It supports more mucus production in the body, which increases the chances of you getting infected easily. When I say sugar, I mean sugar from tea, coffee, biscuits, desserts, ketchup and all kinds of packaged food. It’s difficult but start making changes one by one. Taking action for better health is much better than taking stress.

Regular exercise will help to beat the anxiety. Work to improve your lung capacity. If you have a habit of smoking, please stop it. Breathing exercises are a great way to improve your lung function. You can breathe better. Spend a good time for meditation regularly. It will reduce your anxiety. If you are not fond of it, then indulge in any of your hobbies, which you can pursue at home.

You will help a lot as an individual by NOT spreading fear. Stop discussing the topic with ten people. Don’t forward random whatsapp messages. Stay calm and keep calm. If possible, provide emotional support to those who are going through it. If you can help them in any means it would be great. We are physically apart, but you can stay connected with your loved ones like friends and family through calls or video calls. Provide the emotional support. Having a conversation with friends and family will help to reduce your stress.

Remember that we’re all in this together. So remain calm, observe your body and stay strong. More so, you can also self monitor using the GOQii Smart Vital which checks body temperature, SpO2, heart rate and blood pressure – basically all the vital parameters that could alert you if something is wrong. Till then, there’s no need to panic!

For more COVID-related articles, you can check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. Furthermore, you can subscribe to GOQii and get the right guidance from a certified expert: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu

#BeTheForce

May 3, 2021 By Aruna Bhatia Leave a Comment

What Should You Eat If You Get Infected By COVID-19?

We are going through a very tough time with everyday monster surges in COVID-19 cases all over the country, excluding a few districts. It almost seems like each and every household has one or more members down with this infection. Thankfully, we have a good number of people getting well too! Food plays a key role in any form of recovery. So which kind of food should a person infected with COVID-19 eat?

A Balanced Diet Is Key To COVID-19 Recovery

Each day, the combination of food should include:

Whole Grains: Millets, oats, wheat, brown rice, white rice, all this as roti, khichdi, upama, Pulao, Daliya, Chilla etc.
Proteins: Eggs, Lentils, Legumes, Dairy Products, Soy Products, can be taken as besan cheela, Dal Soup, Sprouts Chat, Moong dal Khichdi, Paneer Bhurji, Omelette, Dosa, chickpea bowl, rajma, etc.
Fats: Good fats have anti-inflammatory acids like omega 3 fatty acids. So include flax seeds oils, extra virgin olive oils and safflower oil. Good fats can also be added from almonds, avocado, laddu with a mix of nuts, white sesame seeds, kalonji, ajwain all roasted in desi ghee helps provide essential minerals like zinc and magnesium for fast recovery.
Fiber: Fresh fruits and vegetables are great sources of dietary fibers, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. So try to include two fruits a day, along with 2-3 cups of vegetables. This requirement can be met by adding soups mashed vegetables and fruits as small mid meals.

Apart from these main macros, here are a few things you need to consider:

2-3 liters of water should be included daily as infections dehydrate the body. Infused water, coconut water, water with honey can help meet the requirement.
Immunity boosters like a herbal concoction, turmeric milk, soups and broth should be included at least one or two times a day.
As far as possible, make sure that all fruits, vegetables are fresh and meals are home cooked.
Always eat small and frequent meals as the body will not tolerate big meals at a time.
Avoid alcohol as it is highly dehydrating and may inhibit your immune system.
Limit salt and sugar
Avoid packaged processed food.

Given all the dietary guidelines, a question may still come up as to how to manage adequate calorie intake when the infection has robbed you of your taste buds and sense of smell.

Try adding lemon juice or vinegar in food, soups and water. The flavor of acids from them comes through even when smell or taste is impaired.
Try going a bit heavy on spices like cinnamon, black pepper, cumin, garlic and ginger, which could add flavor back to food.

To make things a bit more clear, here is a sample diet chart, although it will be more customized as per symptoms.

Early morning: 5 to 6 soaked almonds, two dates and lukewarm lemon cinnamon water or tulsi lemon honey water.
Breakfast: Besan cheela or moong dal cheela or stuffed omelette sandwich or paneer paratha or idli sambar or vegetable uttapam with coconut chutney.
Mid meal: Coconut water or any one fruit with one tsp mix seeds
Lunch: Rice with dal and subzi or Ajwain roti with rajma and any green leafy vegetable
Evening: Any herbal concoction (kadha or green tea) and chana/ sprouts/ sweet potato chat and any one fruit
Pre dinner: mix veg soup or moong dal soup or chicken broth or boiled egg
Dinner: Khichdi or vegetable daliya or oats cheela or oats with milk or Garlic roti with any dal and mixed veg
Post dinner: One cup milk with turmeric and pinch of black pepper

We hope this article helps you manage COVID-19 infection and recover quickly. For more information, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by exprts on GOQii Play.

For more expert guidance, subscribe to GOQii or download the app here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu

#BeTheForce

May 1, 2021 By GOQii 1 Comment

Sandeep Vasant Shares The Secret To His Transformation

Does your work revolve around traveling and leaves you with little time to focus on your health? Sandeep Vasant, a marketing professional from Bengaluru had the exact same issue till he decided that it was time to change.

In 2016, Sandeep Vasant weighed around 89kg, his BMI was hovering around the overweight to obese category and he knew he had to change. His opportunity came when he won a GOQii band as a part of a contest.

Making the Shift

The concept of personalized coaching, a band to track his daily step count and an integrated app – all of this intrigued him and he decided to invest his time in the GOQii model. His coach guided him on how they would go about his goal to lose weight. These changes included:

Correcting food habits: Consuming fruits and vegetables while reducing junk food, tea and coffee in take. Stop late dinners
Begin basic cardio and strength training at a gym
Correct sleep pattern and avoid using the cellphone late at night

Within the first 10 days itself, Sandeep Vasant began seeing changes in himself which motivated him to be more consistent.

The challenge came when he had to incorporate these changes to his frequent traveling. His coach recommended that he pack his workout gear even while traveling so he can go for runs and workout in his hotel room as well. For food, he had to settle with what was available albeit, he had to choose healthy and maintain portion control. If he got bored with gym workouts, he switched his attention to GOQii Play coaches in the morning.

Small Changes. Big Rewards!

At the start of 2018, he had already dropped 10 kgs. If 2017 was about changing food patterns and beginning exercises, 2018 became more about his interest in marathons. He started participating in 5k runs which initially took him 45 mins to complete. He wanted to improve his timing and start training more for marathons. He decided to participate in at least one marathon each month. Turns out, he won a few medals in the course of his journey as well. He draws his inspiration to workout everyday looking at the medals he won at those events.

Staying Fit During Lockdown

When the country went into lockdown, like others, he was worried how he’d keep up with his exercise routine. He did not want to squander all the hard work he had put in till now. He decided to increase his workout time and started participating in evening Zumba sessions on GOQii Play.

He began practicing yoga – something which never interested him before but was the need of the hour. Now, he is a regular at Ronak Gajjar’s meditation sessions on GOQii Play. He says, “Meditating along with Ronak has actually helped me think positively, keeping all the negativity around the coronavirus and the economic situation at bay. I feel more grounded and peaceful even while sitting at home.”

During the past 3 months, he has not gained weight but in fact, he has lost 4kg more and now weighs 75kg. His goal is to further drop 2kg which will bring him in the normal BMI range.

What Does Sandeep Vasant Think About GOQii?

Sandeep says his coaches have constantly motivated him to be consistent, shared inputs from time to time on what he should and should not eat. Most importantly, they have structured his routine for the days he travels. He is thankful to GOQii for helping him achieve his goal.

He says that the 3 secrets to his transformation were consistency, discipline and dedication! As of now, Sandeep is making great progress. What about you? Subscribe to GOQii now and make a positive lifestyle change!

For more stories on transformation and lifestyle change, check out user stories on Healthy Reads.

#BeTheForce

Sandeep Vasant Shares The Secret To His Transformation

Making the Shift

Small Changes. Big Rewards!

Staying Fit During Lockdown

What Does Sandeep Vasant Think About GOQii?

Transforming Health and Life: Dhiren Matani’s Inspirational Journey to Wellness

What’s Your Excuse?

Prioritizing Health: Kuntal Goswami’s Post-Pandemic Pursuit of Wellness

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