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November 28, 2017 By Zehra Fatima 4 Comments

Myths and Facts about Dieting

diet myths

Dieting is synonymous with Weight loss. But what does dieting mean? There is a lot of misconception among people that going on a diet means not eating enough food is dieting.

Let’s clear this misconception by proper examples and scientific approach.

1. Dieting means to skip meals?

The major misconception that leads to health risk is skipping meals which people assume will help them to achieve weight loss. Skipping meals will only increase acidity levels, more food cravings and large portion size. The sensible approach is to take lesser quantity food at regular intervals what we call as “small ad frequent meals”.

2.Reducing calories

Reducing calories doesn’t mean you skip your major course meals, for instance, skipping rice, roti or oats. The smart approach is to fill your stomach with low calorie and more fluid foods. If you take a salad plate include more cucumber and sprouts which will fill your stomach with a good amount of food but are low in calories.

3.Restrict non-vegetarian food

The non-vegetarian food contains all the essential amino acids that lack in vegetarian or vegan food. However, food preference is a matter of choice for each individual. If you choose chicken, fish or lean beef you are probably increasing proteins in your diet. Make sure the portion size is not more. Your plate should have more of low calorie, high protein food and less of calorie dense food.

4. Cut back on carbs to lose weight.

Carbohydrates come in different forms: simple and complex. Simple carbs found in foods like cookies and candy lack vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Cutting back on these sweets is a great way to eat healthier. Foods with complex carbs like whole-wheat bread, beans, and fruit, have lots of nutrients that are good for you. Cut back on simple carbs but keep complex carbs on the menu.

5. You need fat in your diet. Fat keeps you full and satisfied.

Fat is the slowest food component to clear the stomach. For ages, it was assumed that fatty foods slow digestion and keep you feeling full longer. Recent research proves that the proportion of sugar and fat has little or no difference in satiety ratings. What’s more, fat actually has twice the calories of protein or carbohydrates. In reality, protein tends to leave people feeling more satisfied than either carbohydrates or fat while fibre and whole grains affect feelings of fullness and satisfaction. To stay full longer, eat healthy foods that are high in fibre, like fruits and veggies and lots of healthy whole grains.

6. Only dieting will promote weight loss.

Weight loss is 50% with proper diet (as mentioned above) and 50% with exercise. You need to burn already stored calories in the body to lose weight. Extra calories and extra carbs are converted into fat in the body for storage. Extra proteins get converted to uric acid. You need to burn out and eliminate that extra energy. Choose exercise from low intensity to gradually increasing to moderate and then high.

7.Detoxification is the quickest way to lose weight.

The truth is that while detox actually does help you lose weight very quickly, most of the weight loss is body water and the weight will come right back on as soon as you stop doing it. Detox can also help you lose stool through diarrhoea and that will cause your weight to drop fast but as soon as you eat, the stool will build up again. You can lose only so much weight when participating in a cleanse diet. It is much better to lose weight the conventional way—through eating a low-calorie diet and exercising in order to lose the extra pounds.

November 25, 2017 By Palak Mittal 2 Comments

What should you eat before your workout?

pre workout meals1

It is a commonly known fact that workouts are necessary for the maintenance and well-being of our system. While working is on everybody’s mind, must also work out with the sole aim of wanting to reduce their weight. To achieve your weight loss goals proper diet combined with exercise is the best

For all those wanting to start their workout regime has to bear in mind that one cannot exercise without having something to eat as diet and exercise go hand in hand. In fact. Diet contributes 70% and exercises 30% to achieve the desired results. But 70% diet does not mean you have to eat less, it means that you eat the right meal at the right time and in the right proportion. Hence it is very necessary to look into your pre-work meals.

Why proper pre-workout meals are necessary!

One of the reasons to have something to eat before you start your work out is to protect your muscles from overstrain by reducing the glycogen depletion and the breakdown of the muscle protein. Also, the levels of the stress hormone called cortisol can be maintained at the optimal level by giving your body the proper nutrition that it needs.

Pre-workout meals should be a combination of complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates for a slow and steady release of energy throughout your workout. Along with carbohydrates adding a small amount of protein helps to decrease the exercise-induced muscle loss. When you exercise, blood flow is diverted away from your digestive system to your muscles. Hence one should avoid meals which take time to digest like meals high in fats and fibre.

Ideally, if you work out in the mid-day, afternoon or in the evening one should eat about 2-3 hours before the workout to give time for your system to move the food out of the stomach and begin digestion and absorption. Some of the examples of pre work out meals can be whole wheat toast with banana and low-fat yoghurt and fruit smoothies with some granola bar or any traditional Indian balanced meal.

For early morning workouts, your glycogen (stored carbohydrates) and blood sugar levels are low. The time between your last meal at night and early morning, tend to be between 10-12 hours. During this overnight fast, your glycogen stores slowly decline because it is being used up to keep various bodily functions going while you sleep. So for early morning workouts, eating a small amount of rapidly digestible carbohydrate like any seasonal fruit be the best choice.

I have put down a list of few foods that you can have a workout! By feeding your system with proper nutrition before any form of exercise you can achieve positive results

#Fruits:

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The consumption of fruits with a high glycemic index can be ideal for a workout. The high GI fruits not only contain low fat but also contain easily digestible sugars. This helps the food to digest well before the workout and the necessary fuel needed for a vigorous workout is also obtained. Also, you do not feel this healthy snack bouncing in your stomach while exercising, thus relieving you of an uncomfortable feeling. Some of the fruits which can be consumed are the banana, apple, mango, pineapple, watermelon, etc.

#DryFruits – Almonds and Walnuts:

dried fruits

Dried fruits, as well as nuts like almonds and walnuts, can be an excellent pre-workout snack. Firstly, they get digested very fast and thus you can grab a hand full of the nuts just before you head to the gym. Also, they comprise of carbohydrates, which can be easily broken down and provide you with the necessary energy during a vigorous exercise.

#Chia Seeds:

cia seeds

Packed with powerful antioxidants, omega-3 fats and proteins, chia seeds can form a perfect pre-workout meal. These help in getting the much-needed energy, strength and stamina, you can safely vouch for chia seeds.

#Oatmeal:

oatmeal

Rich in fibre and vitamin B content, oatmeal can be voted as another best pre-workout food. Because of a large amount of fibre in it, it gets digested slowly, providing a steady release of energy into the bloodstream. This can keep your energy levels up for a long time.

But a word of #caution! Oatmeal gives best results during a workout when consumed at least half an hour before you hit the gym.

#Lemon and Honey water:

lemon honey water

To start your day fresh before a workout, you can consume lemon and honey water. The honey and lemon combination can give you the much-needed energy to sustain throughout the workout. Being an excellent detoxifier, drinking this is a sure way to achieve your weight loss goals.

#Yogurt:

Packed with protein content, yogurt should be had well before workouts. It prevents muscle damage and when combined with fruits, it can form an excellent pre-workout snack.

Have a happy workout by consuming the above-listed foods and stay fit and healthy!

November 24, 2017 By Richa Athavale 3 Comments

Are you having your fruits the right way?

fruits

Fruits are a great choice when it comes to eating healthy. But, that’s not all, there is more to it. Having fruits at the right time, in the right form and the right combination is important. A common mistake, I have observed among people is the wrong way of consuming fruits.

Let’s see what they are:

Having fruits with meals or post meal
Having fruits late evening or night (post-dinner)
Having fruit juices

The above mentioned are certainly not the right way of consuming fruits and is harmful. Let us take a look at each of these in a detailed manner.

Having fruits with meals or post meal

Our meals contain lots of sugar & calories. All carbohydrates sources like rice, bread, chapatti etc. are finally broken down to sugars in our digestive system. Other components like dal, curds, chicken, eggs, and fish have proteins. Calories come from all these foods. Fruits contain natural sugar – fructose. Though natural it is still sugar. Adding a fruit to it will increase the calorie load. When fruits are consumed along with lunch or dinner, the excess sugar from fruits has a higher chance of turning into fats. The body always stores excess sugar as fats. Moreover, the combination of fruits with other foods might turn poisonous. When fruits are mixed with other food it creates digestive disorders. This cause indigestion, gas and bloating.

fruit 2

Having fruits in the late evening or night (post-dinner)

There is a simple reason why you should avoid fruits in the late evenings or at night. Our activity reduces towards the end of the day. Calories or sugars that we eat the food get utilised (burnt) when we are active. Fruits have a natural source of sugar-fructose. We do not need this sugar during the night when our activity levels are low. The extra sugar from fruits gas high chances of getting converted into fat. Thereby increasing the body’s fat %.

People who have the night shift or sportspersons having a game in the late evening can go for fruits at this time.

fruits 3

Having fruit juices

This is one of the common mistakes that I have observed. In fact, this very aspect provoked me to write this article. We have fruit juice out of the notion that it is very healthy or just a plain convenience. But, did you know that it is harming us in a big way? Fruit juice lacks fibres. A juice is taken out from relatively more quantity of fruits than what one can eat in one serving. As compared to this, we get all the fibres when we eat a whole fruit. Fibres help in removing the toxins & wastes from your body. When we have juice we tend to have it faster as compared to eating fruit pieces. Having a fruit juice raises blood sugar level faster. Whereas eating fruits in pieces is fibre rich and brings the Glycemic Index (GI) of the food down. Glycaemic Index is the rate at which sugar is absorbed into the blood. It is very important for having blood sugar levels maintained for Diabetic, pre-diabetic or even for a normal person.

Believe me, the satiety value is much more when you bite into a fresh, juicy fruit. All those who are having sweet cravings, try having a fresh fruit and see how dramatically you get that feel good factor!

Fruit juices can be had by elderly, sick people with digestive disorders. Sportsperson with very high activity levels can have it post-game/ exercise.

In a nutshell

Have fruits as a mid-meal (in between your meals). Few best times are
As soon as you wake up 6-8 am
Mid-morning meal 11 am
Evening snacks 4-5 pm
Avoid fruits post 6 pm or late night unless you have high activity
Always opt for a whole fruit & ditch the juice

November 17, 2017 By Anusha Subramanian Leave a Comment

“I learnt to listen to myself and understand my own body. I do not force myself to do anything”

He has never had any fitness regime. He says he has had more ailments and has been on medication for the last 3 years. As a result of the medications his body weakened and could not fight back. He has also been subject to constant back pains. Above all this he has a sedentary work life. All day long he sits at his desk and his weight had started going up. He never cultivated any good habits nor was he aware of any. There were zero activity levels. Bottom line- he had constant health issues. But, last 5 months there has been a drastic change within Anthony Soares who has started walking the path of fitness and is more positive about life. He has managed to get his health back on track—one step at a time. Let’s hear it from him what changed him.

I will soon turn 40 and I realised that I needed to get over a lot of issues. I need to physically be able to lead a better and healthy life in the future.

I have constantly been subject to some medical issues and been on regular medication. I was also on the heavier side and was unhappy about myself overall. I was looking for something that could help me get my basic health in place. I knew of fitness bands that help measure everything and lets you adjust your habits to get the results you want.

I started researching for the same and I was convinced to go for the MI band but unfortunately, it was out of stock. And then I stumbled upon GOQii which was slightly higher in price. I remembered a friend wearing GOQii band and I asked her for more information it. Once I understood how it works and that it came with a coach who can help you make the changes, I was convinced to go for it. At the point when I took the band, I realised it is a good replacement for my watch.

I started with a 3 months plan. I had no goals clear in my head to achieve. I was expecting some miracle to happen with GOQii. My coach Tarun Arora then explained how I will need to change my habits and work hard to achieve my goals. She explained everything in detail to me and what I needed to do.

I started with running and interval training. Within a month of starting to run I participated in the 5 km ILFS run and hurt my knee badly.The moment I hurt myself, my coach and the doctor advised me not to run for at least a month until the pain completely vanishes. I was not very happy initially but, I realised if I followed their advice I would only get better.

Initially, when I got the band I was clueless about having any goals then I realised it was important to have a goal. My goal was to lose weight. Initially, I thought I should lose about 3-4 kilos. I have always been above 90 roughly plateauing around 94 kilos. In the last two decades, I have been maintaining my weight between 90-94.

After I came on GOQii, I have lost weight purely through right nutrition and exercise. I now weigh 87 kilos within a span of 4 months. I was last at 87 kilos when I got married 9 and a half years ago. So, I can now proudly say that I am back to my old self- looking good. I can tell the difference in myself the moment I started doing more activities. I feel so much more energetic in the morning and I am also mentally more focussed and strong all day long.

The other habit changes that I brought about within me is to drink 2 litres of water daily and do some interval training. This was then improvised by adding proteins to my breakfast and fruits as an evening snack. Then I was introduced to having dates before my run. When I was away from running for a while due to the knee injury, my coach gave me other exercises to do. I also started on having 1 teaspoon apple cider every day.

I am a foodie and it is really difficult to break old habits. But, a lot of what I do now I am aware of it. I have also realised that anything in excess is very bad. Moderation is key I was told by my coach. I have reduced my intake on butter and cheese. At one point I used to have these so often but, now I have it occasionally. I eat mindfully when I got to a restaurant.

From doing nothing at all, I now try to work out all 7 days of the week. If that is not possible then 5 days a week is for sure. My workout includes 3 times cardio and twice a week yoga. I also give my body enough rest. You cannot play around with your body. You have to give it 7 hours sleep daily and have to give it enough nutrition and water.

Being on the GOQii platform I have learnt to train myself to do various things. There is no magic pill that is being given to you. You have to work hard. The first thing I learnt to do is listen to myself and understand my own body. I do not force myself to do anything. If I cannot run one day that day I try and do Yoga instead. I am learning.

People around me especially my family was very surprised at the change I took to. Initially, my family was not very comfortable. They wondered was is this GOQii? They were not very positive about what I was doing and the changes I was making or had made.

They were surprised that I had started eating fruits because prior to GOQii we never had fruits regularly. But, now over a period they have gotten used to my habits and do not say anything now. They have noticed that I have reduced considerably but, they do not ask how why etc etc…However, they are not too convinced with the changes I have made.

What matters to me is how I feel? Honestly, over the last 5 months, I feel much healthier and positive. I look better, my shoulders are not drooping. The best part now is I have the strength to lift my 4-year-old son when we go to the market and I do not stress about it like I did earlier. I am glad that things that I was not able to do or were not doing earlier I am doing them now.

Thanks to GOQii, I have become very active in life. Apart from running, I have now joined for a Salsa class. I am also planning to start playing a sport. Close to 20 years of my life all I did was just study and then work. Now, at 40 I want to live my life. We live it once, whatever time has gone is gone. But, not anymore. I am glad that I have started on a couple of activities.

What does coachTarun Arora have to say about Anthony?

Anthony is sincere, disciplined and a hardworking person who understands the importance of health. He is always ready to make healthy changes in life once he is convinced of it and then gives his 100% to achieve them. There were few visible things which needed to be changed in his routine like a correct combination of meals, an increase in protein intake which was lacking in every meal and water intake.We started with one habit at a time. The first habit was to increase water intake to 2 litres because his water intake was quite less, we have developed a habit of having 2 litres everyday. This has made a huge difference in his hunger pangs.We then moved to make sure his protein intake is sufficient enough to help him reach his goal of getting a toned body and along with this proper intake of fiber.