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December 11, 2019 By Anusha Subramanian 15 Comments

Fitness For Trekking: Tips To Get You Started!

Get fit for trekking

In my blog titled ‘Trekking is not difficult if you know how to walk’, I talked of how going on a trek is not such an arduous task. I also mentioned a few dos and don’ts that would help first time trekkers. In this blog, we’ll talk about fitness for trekking and how to prepare.

Trekking up a mountain or just hiking across the countryside is a wonderful activity to indulge in. Believe me, it is such a joyous and rewarding experience. However, one must be prepared! Most people heading off on a trek must be at a fitness level wherein they can truly enjoy the trek. Unfortunately, leading a busy life and lacking a specific fitness regime leaves many trekkers less prepared than they should be. Fitness for trekking or training for a trek is no rocket science. Training smart helps and training effectively helps to gain energy which in turn will help you truly enjoy your trek.

Before Everything, Get Yourself Checked

Any adventure sport activity requires stamina and strength. Trekking is like any other athletic sport and before you embark on this path it’s good to get yourself medically checked and consult your doctor. If you let your doctor where you are going for a trek –in India specifically if you are going for the time for a trek to the Himalayas it is good to get a basic medical checkup done. You can also let your doctor know the conditions your trek entails. What altitude would you be scaling, the number of days the trek entails, the distance you would be covering per day, the change in altitude per day and the extremes of temperature that you are likely to encounter.

Once your doctor is aware of what activity you are going to undertake he can advise you accordingly. But, in terms of getting some fitness tips its better you discuss your activity with your personal trainer or somebody who is a pro trekker and well aware of the conditions in the high altitude as they would be better equipped to give you the right guidance.

Fitness For Trekking 

Preparing for a trek is no different from preparing for a long distance run or a long distance trail walking. The only difference being a trek is not a competition and you can walk at your pace and enjoy the serenity around you. For trekking, you need to adapt your body to stress and build on it slowly and steadily to be able to handle more stress in the future. The idea is to toughen your body to withstand extreme conditions of the trek. Walking for 5-6 hours in high altitude or at an altitude of even 3000 feet is taxing if you are not used to it or if you are not fit.

This is not achieved overnight. Your training has to start at least 3-6 months in advance for your body to get attuned to the stress levels that it will go through. If you intend to take trekking or any outdoor activity seriously and plan to go on regular treks, then training on a regular basis would be helpful.

Trekkers need a balanced approach, strengthening the entire body, if you want to be successful and injury free during training and during the trek. It is therefore important to strengthen your weak links as well as the major muscle groups.

When it comes to trekking, having a strong back goes a long way from having strong legs and arms. So along with cardio, coupling strength training will not hurt but only help. Strength training will help build up muscles. The key is to strengthen our stomach muscles as well as the surrounding muscle groups known as the core.

Every trek involves climbing or descending significant elevations. Therefore, you need to prepare your body for climbing, descending, or both. It is important to vary your training to work the muscles and joints used as you climb and descend.

If you have varied terrain near your house where you live that would an ideal training topography. By taking longer walks up and down a hill trail, you simulate the conditions of your trek and work both the muscles needed for downhill as well as uphill. But, not all of us are lucky to have that perfect training setting. Then, the best way to train is to build a few physical activities within your daily routine before you embark on the trek. Start with walking for about 1-2 hours on flat surface for a week and gradually increase it to about 3 hours with walks on inclines for four or five days a week with a backpack with about 4 kg in it.

This is because in every trek you go, you will be carrying a small daypack with at least 3-4 kg in it. Doing this on a regular basis will help you get used to it. If you work out in the gym then walking on the treadmill with a backpack at a 2-5% incline will enhance your endurance and also strengthen you.

The other ideal way is to simulate your hill training is by climbing up and down flights of stairs. Repeating the process a number of times helps. Initially start with 20 flights of stairs. Then gradually build up to 100 flights of stairs. This number is highly subjective as flights vary in size and the amount of elevation you may climb in a day varies greatly. However, 100 flights is a reasonable goal that accomplishes a good base to prepare for your trek.

When walking up and down steps, try to vary which leg you lead with as well as whether you take one or two steps in a stride. By varying your step you greater simulate real world conditions. It’s usually not the case that you can walk with a consistent exact stride. Sometimes you have to step over large rocks or reach down to a flat area. The more you simulate the conditions experienced on the trail the better prepared you will be.

Most people don’t realize that walking downhill is actually more destructive to the body. This is due to two reasons: First, there is more force on the body as you go downhill, especially with weight on your back. Second, as you descend, the muscles elongate when stressed caused by walking uphill.

Initially you can start climbing stairs without a pack on your back. As the trek dates near say a month before the trek you can walk with the pack and the weight.

Remember along with all this training, a proper diet and rest should not be forgotten. Finally, trekking should be fun! It should be enjoyed and not thought of as an arduous task. The goal should also never be a race to a destination. The moment you think it’s a race and want to go ahead of everyone, you are putting yourself into trouble and in the process, miss the wonderful sites and experiences along the way.

We hope this article helps you trek and see more! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below!

#BeTheForce 

September 28, 2019 By GOQii 1 Comment

Fitness for Positivity – How Rupasish Bhattacharjee Overcame the Odds!

Rupasish Bhattacharjee

The transition from childhood to adulthood is very delicate. Everything you do during your formative years shape you as a person. If it is your choices that shape you, what happens when you have no choice? What do you do when certain things aren’t in your control? Do you double down or do you find a way to fight? In the face of hurdles, our player Rupasish Bhattacharjee made the choice to overcome them!

Life before GOQii

Hailing from Bengaluru, Rupasish Bhattacharjee was afflicted with a liver complication since birth. Owing to this, he couldn’t eat or play as much as his friends did during childhood. He felt the need to do something about this as he yearned to live a normal life from a very young age. He did not want to miss out on the pleasures of life due to his health issues.

Thanks to this determination, he got an opportunity to enrol for a yoga program at school. He learned poses to improve his liver condition and though not completely cured, his overall health improved by 70%. After seeing the changes, he got interested in physical activities and participated in various sporting events in school. He moved to Sikkim for his graduation and completed his engineering from Manipal University. His health improved further due to god weather and because he started going to the gym for strength training.

Things were going good till the time he began working. The fast-paced routine between family and work left him with no time to think about fitness. He found it extremely difficult to manage food, exercise and sleep due to his changing shifts. This eventually left him unenergetic and depressed. He felt that being physically active had always been the reason his cheerful attitude and now that there wasn’t any, he was demotivated and negative about everything around him.

Finding a New Lease on Life

Before joining GOQii, Rupasish Bhattacharjee was desperately searching for a solution to streamline everything in his life. Around October 2018, one of his uncles who was a GOQii Player directed him to the platform. He found the coaching model impressive and immediately purchased a tracker.

He set his long term goal to be energetic since it was a major issue back then. His GOQii Coach asked him to start with basic walking and clock 8000 steps a day. He always thought that walking is not an exercise and no good would come out of it but his coach said otherwise. Convinced with the benefits, he began walking.

Around February 2019, when the India Steps Challenge was launched, he became obsessed with walking. So much so that one day he managed to clock in 35k steps on a Sunday. On average, he used to clock in 25k steps a day.

This much walking, coupled with late nights at work and proper rest put a lot of stress on his knees. He developed knee pain and had to discontinue physical activities for some time. This is when he discovered that rest is an important part of being healthy as well.

How GOQii Helped Rupasish Bhattacharjee

Earlier, Rupasish had a lot of misconceptions about food, nutrition and how they benefit the body. His GOQii Coach shared a lot of insights on these things and now he feels he is much more aware with knowledge from an expert and is eager to share his knowledge with the world.

He says that GOQii is a one-stop-shop for all your health needs. It has a tracker to track steps, it offers doctor consultations, LIVE Coaching to guide you whenever you falter in eating or exercise and challenges to keep you motivated and test your abilities.

He believes that our body is like a car which needs to be serviced. Good food is the fuel and exercise is what circulates the fuel to all parts of the body, keeping it in good condition to run smoothly. GOQii is like the authorized service centre for your car where all its problems get addressed and resolved in an authentic manner.

He feels that once you’re associated with GOQii, you automatically feel the need to eat balanced food and correct your lifestyle.

Being a Champion of Good Health

Rupasish is elated that he has been given the responsibility to lead one of GOQii’s Active Sunday Chapters at Bengaluru. He organizes sessions every Sunday at 7 AM. He plans to spread the word about Active Sunday activities to all the people in his society.

He says that being healthy is not just about physical fitness but mental health as well. When you’re happy and fit, everything feels positive. Even though his body may age, he always wishes to be a child at heart – full of energy and cheerfulness!

You can watch Rupasish talk about his experience on our User Journey Special on GOQii Play. Download the app to access many more user stories to get your daily dose of inspiration!

Do you want to share your experience and transformation with GOQii? Click here to share your story!

#BeTheForce

July 13, 2019 By GOQii 1 Comment

Fitness is Self Realization! Dhanalakshmi Kollipara User Journey

user journeyDoes work occupy so much of your time that you don’t find any to keep yourself healthy? Being healthy and active is not about making drastic lifestyle changes or hitting the gym for 2 hours straight. Getting your health on track can be achieved with simple lifestyle changes. Here’s how Dhanalakshmi Kollipara made a switch to her lifestyle!

Life Before GOQii 

An assistant manager at Tata Sky, Dhanalakshmi Kollipara from Mumbai is married and has 2 children. Fitness was always on her mind but after the birth of her second child, she had to just work on weight loss. She took a break from work, tried gyms and dieting to reduce weight. However, once she resumed work, being active took a backseat.

Introduction to GOQii

As an initiative of GOQii’s Corporate Wellness Program, Dhanalakshmi Kollipara received a GOQii Tracker along with 3-month subscription. The feature that she found the most alluring was the coaching feature which was absent with other trackers in the market.

After speaking to the GOQii Coach assigned to her, she wanted to set a realistic goal that she could achieve and didn’t want to go overboard. So she decided that her long term goal will be to lose 5-6kgs in 3 months.

Forming Habits and Lifestyle Change

To start her off on her journey, her GOQii Coach advised her to eat a pre and post workout snack. She was also asked to increase her water intake, complete 10k steps every day and walk or cycle for half an hour on weekends.

When Dhanalakshmi’s GOQii Coach explained the reason behind these habits to her, she was convinced and decided to follow them through. She liked the fact that the GOQii Coach’s recommendations were all doable and did not involve any drastic changes to her lifestyle.

She started with half an hour of walking for 4 days a week, 10 mins walk after lunch, taking stairs instead of the lift and taking a stroll every hour. This helped her achieve her 10k daily step count.

Another important habit introduced by her GOQii Coach was Intermittent Fasting, which is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. She continues this habit to date. She has observed this fast for 4-5 days a week for 16 hours. She eats her last meal at 5 PM and then directly eats breakfast the next day at 9 AM. She feels that this is what helped her reduce her weight by 3kgs at the end of her coaching subscription.

Her Experience with GOQii LIVE Coaching 

She still continues with the habits set by her GOQii Coach. Although too occupied with work, she continues to do what she can manage.

About face to face coaching, she says that it is the optimum. She also feels that virtual coaching is still better than not having a coach at all. She avoids the internet or the “word of mouth gyaan” that people give and rather trusts the expertise of GOQii Play Coaches.

She usually watches GOQii Play videos on nutrition and medical topics and has currently subscribed to a GOQii Play coach plan for 12 months!

In closing, she says that “Fitness is self-realization and the motivation to follow through must come from within.”

We’re rooting for Dhanalakshmi Kollipara to complete her long term goal and #BeTheForce of a healthy lifestyle!

Do you want to share your user journey with us? Click here and we’ll reach out to you!

July 4, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

How The Gamification of Fitness is Helping You!

GamificationSince childhood, playing games has always been fun. Even now, thanks to advanced technology, there are many fun and addictive games available on smartphones. There’s a game app for everyone out there! Ever wondered what happens when your favourite activity gets turned into a game?

Gamifying activities has become the latest trend, especially among health and fitness apps. The idea of competition, gratification through rewards and bragging rights motivate individuals to keep going at it and the health and fitness industry knows this all too well.

What is the Gamification of Fitness?

Recent studies have shown that ‘gamifying’ exercise can improve one’s motivation and make fitness more effective and exciting at all levels. Gamifying is done by taking a workout regime and then incorporating game mechanics, such as reward-based objectives, to increase one’s motivation and enthusiasm.

What Are Its Benefits?

  • Engages Brain Chemistry: Gamification is a powerful tool for engagement and works with our brain chemistry to create behavioural changes. Learning triggers a rush of dopamine, our happy hormones, so when learners enjoy the workout regime, they feel engaged and are left wanting more. But if the workout regime is boring, the ‘good feeling’ goes away. Gamification helps make your workout regime fun and interesting!
  • A Ton of Fun: Anyone who has played games will know that gaming is a lot of fun!  The competition, objectives, accomplishments, progress, and rewards are all gamification techniques that make you enjoy the game. Certain features like your character’s level, or your XP, or even leaderboards, all add a depth of excitement to the game. For workout apps too, the sense of competition, achievements, progress and rewards all motivate the user to get fit and healthy!
  • The Rewards: All games, whether they are as simple as candy crush, or as complex as Fortnite, have reward-based progression. Rewards keep the players engaged and excited for what they might win. Even daily rewards leave the players waiting for the next day to win something new. Apps such as GOQii, reward the users with in-app currency i.e. GOQii Cash, for completing small tasks, creating a feeling of happiness and success within the user.
  • Real-World Benefits: Certain apps and games offer a range of rewards for completing tasks. A new skin for your character wouldn’t seem nearly as fun as a free rollercoaster ride or a free meal! To ensure that the user stays hooked on to the app, certain rewards start increasing in the level of excitement and can go up to rewards in the real world. These rewards are far more exciting than in-game rewards and encourage the user to keep using the app.
  • Epic-Meaning: Certain apps and games make their users feel like their actions matter, have an impact, and even help benefit the company mission. Will they finish the race in under a minute? Will they be able to lose a kilo in a week? These clear goals make the users feel a sense of inclusiveness, and that their actions can benefit themselves and the company. This is known as Epic-meaning. Apps use gamification features by letting their users customize their badges, or change their banners to show how their progress helps the app’s mission. Certain apps even go as far as sharing user-stories, to ensure their users that their actions are noticed and are important.

Gamification makes working out, eating healthy and leading an overall healthy life more fun, engaging and exciting.

Do you know of any apps that have gamified fitness? Share them in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

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