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August 16, 2016 By Anusha Subramanian 2 Comments

Having achieved my goals, I can now proudly declare that my lifestyle has become active

He had a hectic work life that left him with little or no time for exercise or any form of fitness regime. It was all work and no play for him. His sedentary lifestyle got the better of him. As a result his eating habits were erratic with no control on what was being eaten. The net result of all this was he had gained weight apart from being unhealthy. The best part was that this 31 year old young man was aware of his issues and was keen on rectifying the situation. And, adapt a healthy lifestyle for a better future. However, he knew he had to make an effort to achieve his goals. Abhinav Sharma’s story in his own words on how he achieved his active lifestyle and health back.

Here is story in his own words

I work in the travel industry and have a very hectic work life due to which I led a very sedentary life style with no activities of any sort. I realised I was becoming nothing more than a couch potato and wanted to change. I tried to gym but could not sustain it. I then started looking for other solutions. I was looking forward for some options which I could follow and better my lifestyle. During the process of my research I came across GOQii. I got to know its features and one of the main things that attracted me was the unique human touch along with technology.

I came on board GOQii as a beta player two years ago. Personalised coaching attracted me and that was also the motivating factor. I knew that if I had to achieve my goals I would need someone to motivate and push me constantly. As soon as I came on board GOQii, I got Shimpli Patil as my coach. She took me through the GOQii ecosystem and explained the whole process which I found very interesting. Then she educated me about real fitness and how you could achieve an active lifestyle and your health goals by taking small steps initially and then gradually increasing the process. She also told me about water intake and also how in the office and while I am travelling I can keep myself active. And finally, she improved my dietary and nutrition habit. I learnt how a good and balanced diet plays an important part in fitness and overall health.

I did exactly what my coach asked me to. It wasn’t easy at all for me to bring about the changes, follow a routine. I would get tired easily but, I was sure I wasn’t going to give up. Soon, walking for 30 minutes became 45 minutes and then an hour. I then added strength training to my fitness and I gradually started walking the path of a healthy and active lifestyle thereby clocking 10,000 steps daily to the current 12000 steps daily. After a year of being on GOQii, I participated and successfully completed the 100 km Oxfam Trailwalker in November 2015.

Now my daily routine includes regular exercising- basic free hand exercise as suggested by my coach and after that I leave for office around 8:30am and in between office hours I take breaks, go for a walk and use the stairs now instead of taking elevators thereby also increasing my step count.

Along with moving and achieving my daily step count I also overhauled my diet. My diet now includes salads, veggies, lentils and fruits. Now, I know about good and bad foods, which is the right diet for me etc. My water intake increased to 3 litres from a mere one litre earlier.

My initial health goals when I came on board GOQii was two pronged. Firstly, to achieve a healthy lifestyle and secondly control my weight. Due to my hectic and erratic work schedule I gained lots of weigh.

Having achieved my goals, I can now proudly declare that my lifestyle has become active but, I still need to achieve more. My weight is also under control thanks to the changes in my diet. I am glad that I am now a part of the GOQii active family. Going for active Sundays here in Delhi and I have met so many like-minded individuals from GOQii family and it only inspires me further. A big thank you to my coach who has been constant source of motivation at every juncture of my journey be it in good times or when I have been low.

Infact, Shimpli has been my motivator for the participation in the 100 km Oxfam Trailwalker. At first when she told me about it and asked me to participate, I did not believe her. I did not think I could achieve my goal of completing 100 km within 48 hours. My first thought was it is really impossible to do that but, my coach told me that it is possible. I then participated in 2015 after a year f achieving some fitness levels.

Oxfam Trailwalker was an eye opener. I met so many personalities and people both young and old and watching them be so fit and walk so much was inspiring and motivating at the same time. My biggest question to myself was.. if they can do it why can’t I? That environment was conducive for someone like me to share my experience and listen to others too. Overall it was truly an outstanding experience.

What does coach Shimpli Patil have to say about Abhinav Sharma?

When I had my first interaction with Abhinav, he described himself as a ‘Lazy Person’. He had some really good health goals in mind to achieve but lacked motivation and the right push to achieve them. After a quality chat with him, I explained to him why it was important to achieve those health goals and how we could work together towards achieving these.

Abhinav was convinced and decided to go for it. Time was a challenge for him but, he was ready to realign his schedule in a way which could fit an exercise routine in the morning. He took the time to regularize his daily regime but, yes he could pull it off gradually. Jogging, core exercises, body weight exercises. We moved ahead step by step. The best thing about Abhinav was, he never said NO and when I added extra exercises to his routine. He paced up and he decided not to put a full stop and keep at it.

It is not exercises alone that we worked towards, he also brought about dietary changes wherein I introduced him to the concept of pre and post workout meals, some mid meals (to cut the large gaps between meals) and he learned to keep his dinner light yet balanced. With these wondrous dietary changes along with regular workout routine, there was no doubt he could reach his goals. After few months he noticed a drop in his inches (Fat loss), increase in stamina and endurance while he jogged and ran. He kept feeling better each day.

One day, after having shared his progress with me, he asked me now what next? And I immediately said ‘Let’s Walk 100 km within 48 hours’. ‘You are all set’, I said and he was dumbstruck for few seconds. I made him believe that ‘HE COULD DO IT’ and should have confidence in himself. He decided to take up this incredible challenge. And, guess what he completed it gracefully.

“When you have the will, you can achieve anything that you want!” That’s what Abhinav has proved.

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August 3, 2016 By Luke Coutinho Leave a Comment

Our Health and the Irony of Life

I strongly believe that we humans complicate things way too much. We have more gyms, health clubs and health foods available and we have more disease and obesity. We have more elaborate security systems and we have more crime. We have strong and multiple education systems and we have more children taking to drugs and other illegal activities. We have more money and less..time to care about our health.

We must understand that our bodies are built differently. What works for someone else, may not work for you. Fitness is a result of so many factors: Your lifestyle, genes, the food you eat, the kind of exercise you choose, the amount of sleep you get, and most importantly, your mental attitude and the kind of goals you shape for yourself.

The concept of fitness, health and living has gotten twisted and complicated by man and has become expensive over time. It’s ironic how we complicate our lives more and more every day. We strive to earn more and we neglect our health which later becomes a liability for us and our loved ones.

I had once counseled a businessman who has built an empire over the years, and he mentioned how he achieved success, fame, and fortune but, neglected his health along the way. Today, his knees and back ache every morning and through the day. Simple enjoyments in life, like a walk in the park with his grandchildren or a game of ball with his nephew, has become arduous. He regretfully spoke about his money being of no use at this stage in his life.

How many of us know someone like this?

It comes down to valuing and doing the simple things in life, like treating our bodies with respect. Without the use of our body and mind, we have little.

Do you know what your life goal is? You will be surprised at the amount of people who do not know what they want or what their life goal is. That’s not a bad thing. If you have one, make sure that your health is one of the goals and if you don’t have a goal, you can start off with ‘your health’ being one of them.

For whatever your life goal is, you need a healthy body, mind, and soul to achieve it. You need your health to live a complete and whole life.

My intention is clear. It is to share and receive knowledge and wisdom that can help humans ‘prevent’ and ‘cure’ with food and nature. It is my desire to be able to motivate people to get fit, build healthy lifestyles and contribute towards a healthier planet.

July 28, 2016 By Bansi Mehta Vora 7 Comments

Quick healthy dinner recipes

In today’s fast paced life, we are constantly chasing our goals and in the process neglecting our health and body’s needs such as rest, sufficient sleep, lots of nutrition and water. Only when we listen to our body’s needs, will it help us in return, to achieve our targets and support our daily activities.

There are innumerable reasons for not eating nutritious foods. Some of the reasons are lack of time, cooks at home or sometimes its sheer lack of knowledge on what to buy from the market, how to match two ingredients and what to do with the leftovers etc.

Well, I have tried to easy your difficulty by sharing some of the quick and easy recipes which may help you sort out dinners for all your 5 busy working days! I am sure you will love these dishes! Enjoy it guilt free! These dishes will not only do justice to your workouts but, also ensure good nutrition supply for a healthy and energetic you!

DAL KHICHDI

Serves 1; preparation time 15 minutes

Ingredients:

15gms Daliya
10gms Yellow moong dal
10gms Chana dal
25gms Bottle gourd
25gms Cauliflowerv 25gms French beans
10gms Green peas
1 Tomato
2-5 curry leaves
2 big green chilies
A tiny piece of cinnamon

2 cloves
1tbsp oil/ghee
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp mustard seeds
1/2tsp hing
1tsp red chili powder
1tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp garam masala
1tsp kitchen king masala
Salt to taste
Coriander for garnishing

Method:

Wash and soak the mentioned dal and daliya for about 10 minutes
Chop bottle gourd, cauliflower and French beans to medium sized cubes.
In a pan, put some oil, let it heat, then add mustard seeds, hing, cumin seed, curry leaves and green chilies. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and the kitchen king masala. Mix well.
Add the chopped veggies and green peas. Mix well.
Now drain and add the soaked dal and daliya mixture. Mix well.
Add about 250 ml water, mix well for a few minutes. Add salt to taste
Now transfer this into a pressure cooker vessel and let it cook for 15 minutes.
Once the cooker is done, you will notice the ingredients have been cooked leaving no water behind, if there is some water left, let it cook for another 5 minutes.
Transfer it in a serving plate, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with chilled curd.

PAV BHAJI

Serves 1; preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

10gms Yellow moong dal
10gms green moong dal
15gms white peas
10gms red gram dal
25gms cauliflower
25gms green peas
20gms green capsicum
2 tomatoes

1tbsp ghee
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp hing
1tsp turmeric powder
1tsp red chili powder
2tsp Pav Bhaji masala (or add as per your taste preference)
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash and soak the pulses and legumes for 10 minutes in hot water.
Chop cauliflower in small pcs. Mix it with green peas.
In a pressure cooker vessel, mix the pulses, legumes, cauliflower and green peas, with water and add some salt. Let it cook in the pressure cooker for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, finely chop green capsicum and grate the tomatoes and make a puree. In a pan, add some ghee and let it heat. Add cumin seeds, hing, and let it simmer. Now add green capsicum and tomato puree, let it cook. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, and pav bhaji masala. Cook this on low flame.
Check if the pressure cooker is done. If yes, remove the pulses mixture and mash it lightly.
Now add the pulses mixture to the cooked tomato puree mixture. Mix well until everything blends well and let it simmer for a few minutes.
Transfer in a serving bowl. Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and serve with multigrain breads and piece of lemon.

BESAN PANCAKES:

Makes 3-4 pancakes, preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

100gms besan flour
1 big tomato, shredded
1 big cucumber, shredded
30gms bottle gourd, shredded
Coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 green chilies (optional)

1tsp red chili powder
1tsp turmeric powder
2tsp ginger + chilies paste (if available, to make it spicy)
2tbsp curd
Salt to taste

Method:

In a bowl, take besan flour. Add shredded tomato, cucumber, bottle gourd and coriander leaves.
Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger chilies paste and curd. Mix well. Add very little water if required. We need a slightly flowing consistency of the batter to make pancakes.
In a pan, heat 1tsp oil, spread the batter, top it with some green chilies and some coriander leaves.
Let it cook on both sides on medium flame.
Serve it with green mint chutney mixed with some curd.

ANEER FRANKIE:

Makes 3 Frankies.

Ingredients:

15gms pearl millet flour (bajra)
15gms white millet flour (jowar)
10gms whole wheat flour
Salt to taste
60gms Paneer, shredded or crushed
30gms Yellow capsicum, finely chopped
30gms red capsicum, finely chopped

30gms green capsicum, finely chopped
Coriander leaves, finely chopped
2-3tsp Kapol’s Frankie masala
1tsp jeera masala
Salt to taste
Ginger chilies paste (if available and to make it spicier)

Method:

Make a roti dough by mixing all the three flours with water, some oil and salt. Cover it and keep it aside
In a bowl mix all the capsicums and coriander.
Add salt, ginger chili paste, Frankie masala and some jeera masala. Mix well. You may add come dry mango powder if you like it tangier. Add the shredded paneer to this mixture.
Mix well and make (3) rolls of this mixture.
Using a rolling pin, make 3 rotis of the dough.
In a pan heat some oil and cook a roti. Let it cook properly front and back. As the texture changes, add some green phudina chutney (optional) and spread it over the roti. Then keep a paneer roll on one end of the roti, and gently roll the entire roti. Let it stay on the pan if you like it crispy.
Serve it with ketchup, green phudina chutney or chilled curd.

STUFFED MOONG DAL DOSA

Makes 7-8 dosas

Ingredients

10gms Green moong dal
10gms Yellow moong dal
10gms Urad dal
10gms Red gram dal
10gms Lentils
10gms Bengal gram dal

For the stuffing:

40gms Paneer, shredded
40gms corn kernels

Coriander leaves
15gms coconut, shredded
2 green chilies, finely chopped (optional)
Ginger chili paste
Salt to taste
Grounded black pepper
1tsp garam masala
Dried mango powder (aamchur) to taste

Method:

Wash and soak all the dals in 3 cups hot water for 15 minutes.
In a bowl, mash the paneer, corn and coriander leaves.
Add salt, ginger chili paste, garam masala, some grounded black pepper, dried mango powder and finely chopped chilies (optional). Mix well.
The soaked dals must have become tender. Grind this in a mixture with minimal water. We need the batter to be dense and have flowing consistency.
In the batter add some salt and grounded black pepper.
In a pan, heat some ghee, pour a spoon full of batter and spread it in round motion.
Let it cook on the bottom. Flip it, and let it cook for a few minutes. Flip it again and check if it’s slightly brown.
Then add some of the paneer and corn stuffing on the dosa. Let it cook for a few minutes.
Fold the dosa in two, or you can roll it all the way. Cut in pieces and serve with green phudina chutney or some tamarind chutney.

July 25, 2016 By Luke Coutinho 3 Comments

Why eating too healthy is dangerous for your health

Fruit diets, fruit juice diets, banana and milk diets, high protein diets, chia seed infused water, salads, Vegan food, sugarless snacks, low-fat foods, organic foods, fortified foods, innumerable ranges of organic vitamins, supplements etc……

We have it all….We also have more obesity, more cancer, more diabetes, more depression, more mental decay, more medication, more vitamin deficiencies, more time spent with doctors and in hospitals.

In our endeavor to get healthy, we may actually be doing more harm than good, if we don’t understand the physiology of the human body and mind. Too much of a good thing is bad…..even food… Yes, fruits are extremely nutrient dense foods but, it does not mean we constantly eat them.
Protein is needed, it’s good for repair, tone, muscle, recovery but, it does not mean we need more and more of it.

Many fats may be bad, but it does not mean we stop eating fat completely. It’s a very common belief that to be healthy, we need to eat more and more healthy foods.

Pure Ghee on a fresh hot wheat roti? What’s’ worse, the ghee or the roti?

Most people say that Ghee, is a fat and fat causes cholesterol and high cholesterol causes heart attacks… which really isn’t’ the case in most people who have cardiac arrests or strokes. There are many other reasons. I would worry about the roti, the wheat, where has the wheat come from, is it GMO? How processed is it?

Our beliefs about healthy foods need to be balanced with the understanding of what our body really needs and how our body assimilates nutrients from the food we eat.

A fruit diet is not going to do anything but cleansing……

Too much protein intake is going to do more harm than just repair or muscle build. This is when good food turns bad. When we have too much of even a good thing, it ceases to be good, and can in fact cause harm. There is absolutely no doubt that fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals and all things good, and that they also contain fibre, which prevents constipation and other gastric problems. But, too much fibre (for instance, when you eat platefuls of raw green leafy vegetables or salads like radish day in and out) can mess things up – big time. Excess fibre often causes bloating, abdominal cramps and gas right away.

In the long term, it can interfere with the absorption of minerals like iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, causing some serious deficiencies. Fruits also contain natural sugars, no harm in that but, too much is bad…your body only uses what it needs, the rest gets stored as fat or becomes waste and all waste is waste, whether it’s a fruit or a samosa. Waste is toxic.

Insane workouts or working out too much, I have a question for you, is it really working? are you really getting the desired body you have in mind? Or are you using exercise as a way of punishing your body because you ate too much?

It just doesn’t work, your body has a life, so does your bones, your muscles and joints and over exercising will decrease your bone density, deplete vitamins from your body , raise cortisol levels, decrease immunity and leave you with ‘STUBBORN BELLY FAT AND LOVE HANDLES’…

The body needs not more than 30 minutes of smart exercise to stay health and if your fat and you are trying to lose weight, more exercise DOES NOT mean more exercise…it means looking smartly at your food choices, your alcohol intake, your sleep, your stress levels, your sugar and the consistency of your exercise program.

Does your choice of exercise suit your body or are you just following the latest fad ?

The body needs protein to repair and build muscle, but eating excessive amounts won’t do the job better. In fact, in a diet where the protein intake goes beyond 30 per cent of the daily caloric intake, a build-up of toxic ketones in the body may occur, causing the kidneys to go into overdrive in an attempt to flush them out. This may lead to a significant loss of water and calcium from the body, causing dehydration and bone loss.

Symptoms include a feeling of weakness and dizziness, dry skin, loss of hair, low appetite, nausea and bad breath. In the long term, this may strain the kidneys, stretch out the liver and put stress on your heart too.

Weight loss efforts go bust too, as excess protein is converted into fat. Another problem is that while making protein into carbs or fat, the body converts the protein’s nitrogen into urea or uric acid. In large amounts, this can mess up your kidneys, lead to gout (a condition that causes your joints to become inflamed, tender and painful to move) and cause gallstones and kidney stones.”

Be super careful with protein shakes and bars. The body can process only about four to five grams of protein per hour, so the 50 grams you got from that protein bar or shake will take about 10 hours to digest and absorb. Also, when you replace your meals with protein shakes, you run the risk of missing the vitamins and nutrients you get from real food.

The Japanese eat soya and stay healthy and live longer. It is high in protein and has zero cholesterol. So what could be wrong with that?

That’s true, but, what is also true is that most Japanese eat only about 8 to 10g of soy protein a day, and even soya causes problems when eaten in excess. If overeaten, it may promote cancer, dementia, reproductive abnormalities, and osteoporosis and thyroid disorders. Increased consumption could also increase a woman’s total estrogen level, which is a risk factor for breast cancer.

For men, excessive soya can raise the risk of infertility, physical changes, and hormonal havoc.

The body will only use what it needs…anything in excess becomes fat or waste and both are detrimental to your mind-body health.

Having achieved my goals, I can now proudly declare that my lifestyle has become active

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