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February 20, 2021 By GOQii 4 Comments

Shreejit Nandkumar Reaches His Health Goal With Determination and Consistency!

Losing weight or getting fit isn’t just about hitting the gym regularly or having a fitness regime. Pumping iron by itself cannot guarantee sustainable weight loss. It needs to be supplemented with a proper diet as well. One of our players, Shreejit Nandkumar, learned this little fact that changed his life forever.

A 47 year old working professional based out of Mumbai, Shreejit Nandkumar received the GOQii tracker through his former company, Schneider Electric, around 6 years back. Initially, he did not find the time or inclination to follow his Coach’s instructions due to his hectic work schedule but he followed a fitness regime religiously. His diet however, was not balanced at all as it included a lot of sugar intake, alcohol and large portions on a daily basis. In spite of not missing a day in the gym, his weight didn’t seem to reduce. He weighed around 100kg till lockdown in March 2020.

Lockdown – A Blessing In Disguise?

When the pandemic hit hard, the work from home routine and being confined indoors came as a blessing in disguise for Shreejit Nandkumar, who now found the time to interact with his coach regularly. With gyms shutting down, his weight training was heavily compromised. He began cycling early morning which turned out to be an enjoyable experience. He now cycles for 2 hours, covering 50km every day. With gyms open now, he does his weight training in the evenings.

Balancing Nutrition With Exercise

For Shreejit Nandkumar, a major shift has been his diet and calorie consumption. He begins his day with warm water mixed with honey and lemon. Then some nuts followed by a high protein breakfast. He is advised to keep his dinner light. His alcohol consumption has been reduced from every week to once in 4-6 months. Desserts and sweet intake is almost nil. Thanks to these minor modifications in his diet, he was able to reduce his weight to 85kg, body fat percentage is 15.7% from 24% and visceral fat is within healthy range.

He says that his daily interaction with his GOQii Coach, Unnati Cheddha, and her guidance has helped him see fitness from a new perspective. He has come to realize that meal timings, pattern and portion size have to be in sync with exercise. He says, “Every small thing matters and it’s important to try and be fit every day. It’s a continuous journey which has no detours and stops!”

What Does Coach Unnati Cheddha Have To Say About Shreejit Nandkumar

Shreejit Nandkumar has always been very determined towards his health goal – which was to lose weight. Weight loss was also targeted in a healthier way. Body analysis was done to keep a check on his body fat percentage and muscle mass.

He is very passionate about exercising. He will never miss his workouts. Before lockdown, he used to go to the gym regularly, which came to a pause. But this did not stop his passion towards achieving his health goal. He continued his activities with the same motivation and dedication. He was not able to do weight training exercises due to space constraint, so he chose the outdoor option of cycling. This was quite refreshing for him. He still doesn’t miss a single day and feels incomplete without it. Besides physical activity, Shreejit has been very particular with his food habits, maintaining low fat, high protein, moderate carb diet with good water consumption. He also takes adequate rest/sleep hours to recover and rejuvenate. Shreejit started his weight training as soon as the gyms opened in Mumbai.

Changes observed

Weight loss: 100kg to 85kg
Waist inches: 40“ to 32”
Body fat percent: 20.5% to 15.5%

Shreejit’s sincerity, determination, dedication and consistency helped him achieve his goals in a healthy manner. We hope this story inspires you to make a positive and healthy lifestyle change as well! Head over to the GOQii App or our website to begin your journey today! For more inspiring stories, check out Healthy Reads.

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#BeTheForce

February 12, 2021 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Celebrate A Healthy Valentine’s Day With Your Loved Ones!

We wanted to begin this article by saying “Love is in the air”, but this year, with the ongoing pandemic, there’s something in the air which might be just as or more infectious than love. We understand that masks and the rules of social distancing might put a damper on the usual romantic gestures such as holding hands or cuddling and there’s no denying that more than flowers, this Valentine’s Day calls for the safety and immunity of your loved ones. So, we’ve listed a few products from the GOQii Health Store which might help you achieve just that!

Gifting Ideas For a Healthy Valentine’s Day

1. Bottoms Up On Healthy DrinksWe know it’s Valentine’s Day and a little intoxication never hurts anybody. There’s nothing more you’d want to do with your better half than sit back with a six pack or sip on some wine with slow music but honestly, for a change, try something that’ll help you flush toxins from your body as opposed to contribute to it. Try some Assorted Teas or some super drinks that’ll rev up your immune system and keep you guys toxin free! If you’re persistent about that “small drink” which lapses into a never ending circle of “this is the last one” – load up on some anti hangover shots.

2. Cook Healthy Meals With SuperfoodsGood food is great but healthy food is better. So spice up that home cooked dinner with some superfoods. Probably do a couple cook off because there’s nothing that brings two souls together like food does. The plus point of cooking healthy is that you get all the necessary nutrients to spend your life together, absolutely disease-free! You can check out some Healthy Recipes here!

3. Add A Bit Of SweetnessThere’s no denying that the universal food for love is chocolate! Gifting a nice bar of dark chocolate or some scrumptious healthy cookies will help you indulge without any guilt! Adding a little bit more sweetness to your relationship might be just what you need!

4. Clothes! Clothes and Clothes!You can never go wrong with this one. Everybody loves clothes. If you’re a couple who workout together or go for those lovely early morning runs, there’s nothing better than some premium athleisure wear you can pick for your better half.

5. GOQii Smart VitalLast but not least – to ensure that your partner stays in the best shape and to track the early onset of any infection, you can get them the GOQii Smart Vital which comes with an integrated pulse oximeter to measure blood oxygen (SpO2) and it also has sensors to check body temperature, measure blood pressure and heart rate as well. Read more about it here: https://goqii.com/blog/keep-a-watch-on-your-health-with-the-goqii-smart-vital/

We hope these Healthy Valentine’s Day gifting ideas help you make the right choice for your special someone! All the options mentioned above are available on the GOQii Health Store within the GOQii App for a discount using your GOQii Cash. Shop Now!

Have a Healthy Valentine’s Day and #BeTheForce!

February 6, 2021 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Chandan Tiwari Makes A Positive Lifestyle Shift!

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns and as you age those twists and turns keep getting narrower. But as long as you are determined to pull through, nothing can stop you. And sometimes all you need is a helping hand. The story of our player Chandan Tiwari is one such example.

Life Before GOQii

Now 28 years of age, Chandan Tiwari used to be quite active in sports during his youth. He represented his school and college in cricket. He was lean, fit and weighed 74kg. However, once he began working in 2016, his life got caught up in the twists and turns of a working individual and he found himself working for 14-15 hours a day backed by lack of sleep, unhealthy eating habits and lack of physical activity. In 3 years, he gained 22kg and also suffered bouts of depression with his confidence being at an all time low. He says he is not sure whether depression led to all the unhealthy eating and weight gain or was it the other way round. He faced frequent health issues like cold and fever, stomach issues and skin allergy. He was diagnosed with fatty liver too during one of the medical tests conducted in 2018.

Enter GOQii

Chandan was introduced to GOQii by his brother who is also an active user and had undergone a transformation due to lifestyle changes introduced by the coach. He joined GOQii in August 2019 and his life took another turn – this time for the better.

The first thing his GOQii Coach did was explain the importance of a slow and consistent approach to fat loss rather than changing his lifestyle completely. So he started slowly. The changes introduced by his coach included:

No outside food on weekdays
Lemon water early in the morning on an empty stomach’
ACV before lunch
30 min of walking everyday
Reduce consumption of sweets

Later, his GOQii Coach also introduced habits such as:

Focusing on eating and chewing food slowly as he was used to finishing his meals quickly
Eating fruits and raw vegetables
Less oil in cooking and more boiled food
Start with a run for 1 or 2 km and then slowly increase it to 5 km

Chandan Tiwari Takes The Positive Turn!

In 2 months flat, Chandan was able to lose 10kg. This motivated him to be more dedicated. He says it was initially difficult to abstain from his normal eating habits as all the sweet cravings were hard to control but he pulled through. He proudly says he has not touched sweets in the last 5 months.

The other changes he experienced include:

2-3 days of run and 3-4 days of bodyweight exercises at home by following YouTube or GOQii Play Coaches. The bodyweight training has helped him achieve lean muscle.
He participated in a 10k run last year and now wants to do a 21 km marathon.
His sleep has improved as he avoids late night TV or his phone. Goes to bed at 11PM as compared to 2-3AM before.
Has incorporated meditation and breathing exercises to his routine which keep him calm although work pressure has not reduced, he is able to manage his work and prioritize fitness.

Thanks to all these changes, he now weighs 74.5kg. His fatty liver condition is completely cured. His thyroid is under control although he is still on medication. Right now, he feels more positive, confident and energetic even after 11 hours of work. Apart from interacting with his coach on a regular basis, he has been regularly buying products from the GOQii Health Store.

In his words, he was almost obsessed with his transformation and wanted to get back in shape at any cost. He said, “It’s not just the physical transformation but my mental transformation which I am happy about. I now feel totally in control of myself and stronger to handle everything.” His family is overwhelmed with his transformation and wish to thank GOQii for their support and help.

Do you want to make a positive shift too? Well, download the GOQii app and subscribe now! To read more inspiring stories, check out Healthy Reads.

#BeTheForce

January 12, 2021 By Roopa Tandur Leave a Comment

Tips To Support Your Immunity During Winter

With the onset of winter, there’s always that one person at home who catches a cold and spreads it to the rest of the family members due to the close proximity. Infections spread easily during winter and given the ongoing pandemic, it has become quite important to support your immunity and avoid cough, cold and flu. But, is there a way to support your immunity naturally? Let’s take a look!

Support Your Immunity Naturally

Improve gut health as your gut is your second brain. Any disturbance in gut health will affect your immune system. Prebiotics and probiotics together help keep the gut healthy. Prebiotics in simple terms is the food that feeds the friendly bacteria in the gut. Garlic, onion, leeks, asparagus, bananas, barley, oats and flax seeds all help increase gut friendly bacteria and improve the immune system. On the other hand, probiotics are living microorganisms which give health benefits when taken orally. Probiotic foods include sauerkraut, yogurt, Kimchi and tempeh.
Eat Seasonal and dark coloured fruits and vegetables which are rich in antioxidants and vitamin C like oranges, sweet lime, amla, guava, apple, sweet potato, ginger, carrot and beetroot. You can also have sea buckthorn juice which is the best known source of vitamin C having 12 times more vitamin C than an orange. These foods help us keep our moisture levels and prevent dryness due to seasonal changes.
Get your daily dose of Vitamin D: As there are less food sources of vitamin D, getting a good amount of sunlight, at least 20 minutes during the day, between 9am to 3pm or including supplements to maintain your vitamin D levels is very important, especially if you are living in an area with severe cold. Low levels of vitamin D can lead to low levels of mood boosting hormone, mood swings and depression.
Supplement your regular diet with immune boosting herbs like ashwagandha, tulsi, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, methi seeds and ginger. The list is endless! These foods help us keep warm, improve gut health, reduce inflammation and also manage stress – all of which keeps our immunity at optimum levels.
Get adequate sleep of 7-8 hours: When we sleep, we give our body a chance to repair and restore itself to optimal levels. It helps you gear up for the next day’s activities. Good sleep also means fewer cravings for unhealthy food, better management of stress, less hormonal variations and weight gain.
Have well-balanced meals and avoid junk and unhealthy sweets in large quantities as they cause inflammation and increase your risk of infection. Including a lot of sugar in your diet also reduces the white blood cells ability to attack invaders. Having a lot of sweets also leads to more production of free radicals, which increases inflammation and lowers immunity.
Exercise regularly: Aim for 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days a week as it improves metabolism and blood circulation. This makes it easy for the body to digest food and improved blood circulation makes it easy for cells to absorb nutrients from it. Exercising regularly also helps improve cardiovascular health, manage BP and avoid many lifestyle diseases. Exercise helps us manage our weight as being overweight impairs immunity.
Quit smoking and keep a check on alcohol intake: Nicotine is known to suppress neutrophil’s ability to kill pathogens, leading to tissue damage and inflammation. Research also proves that the brains of smokers have weaker neuro-immune response to infection and inflammation. Alcohol intake kills the healthy bacteria in the gut, triggering inflammation by altering the microbiome of the gut. It also destroys the cells of the immune system which leads to increased risk of serious infection. Alcohol also disrupts the body’s critical functions as the body does not have the ability to store alcohol as it does with other nutrients like carbohydrates or fats. So the moment one consumes alcohol, all the body’s energy is concentrated in breaking down the alcohol and sending it to the liver for further metabolism.

We hope this article helps you support your immunity and stay strong during winter. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! For more on immunity, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

#BeTheForce