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January 3, 2025 By Tabassum Parveen 1 Comment

How to Burn Body Fat & Keep it Off!

How many times have we pushed ourselves to our physical limits in order to get rid of excess body fat, only to end up gaining it all over again? Keeping body fat off is a difficult task, but it is not impossible. All you need is the right knowledge and this article has it!

Need to Burn Body Fat

Many articles explain the need to burn body fat. However, they often overlook the fact that muscle behavior changes when body fat is burned. When you’re on a journey to lose weight, it is important to burn body fat as well as restore body muscles to gain control over important body functions.

How to Burn Body Fat

1. Increase Protein Intake:

The theory behind increasing protein intake is that more muscles result in more fat burning. It’s best to start your day with good carbs and proteins, as adding protein to breakfast works on hunger hormones, making you feel fuller for longer.

This is why including protein helps in losing weight and keeping it off. If you don’t have a good protein source, add it. But remember, only consuming protein without good carbs, fiber, vitamins, and minerals may result in weight gain, as extra protein will get deposited.

Sources of protein that can be included in your daily lifestyle are quinoa, moringa, peanut butter, almond butter, nuts, seeds, legumes, beans, lean meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products like curd, yogurt, cottage cheese, paneer, and soy products like tofu.

2. Water Intake:

The average water intake of a person is 2.17 liters. Water intake can be increased to 3 liters per day to prevent sunstroke and dehydration, especially in hot weather. Hydration is crucial because your body will not burn fat when it is dehydrated.

Drinking a glass of water before meals acts as an appetite suppressant, helping you keep extra fats from food at bay. Avoid sugary drinks like colas or other carbonated beverages. Instead, carry a chilled bottle of water containing chia seeds or basil seeds, mint leaves, a little salt, and a piece of jaggery to stay hydrated and refreshed!

3. Foods with Fiber:

Gut health is the key to maintaining body weight and shedding extra fat. Fiber helps in maintaining a healthy weight and reducing cholesterol and diabetes levels.

If you’re looking for low-calorie foods, try broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms, green beans, zucchini, apples, popcorn, cucumber, spinach, oats, and brown rice. These are good sources of fiber and keep you full for longer.

Psyllium husk (Isapgol) is great for detoxing the system. It also helps eliminate cholesterol and fat globules from the body. However, it needs to be consumed in moderation—half a teaspoon or 2 grams per day is sufficient.

4. Cut down on Salt, Sugar and Refined Carbs:

Everything in excess is harmful. Salt and sugar are basic needs of our lifestyle as they help maintain the pH level of blood. Excess salt results in water retention and can make it difficult to lose weight. Similarly, excess sugar affects your metabolism and can cause joint pain and fatty liver problems.

This doesn’t mean you need to go tasteless! Moderation is the key to a healthier lifestyle. Avoid extra salts and sugars from processed food, junk food, and refined carbs like white bread, white flour, sweetened beverages, and bakery products. Instead, carry healthy snacks like fox nuts, goji berries, dry fruits, mixed seeds, and popcorn. Also, cut off any additional salt in your curds or salads.

Foods That Help in Burning Body Fat Faster

Apple Cider Vinegar: Mix 1 or 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar in lukewarm water for a healthy morning drink. It helps burn extra fats.
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil: Reducing normal oil intake while consuming extra virgin cold-pressed coconut oil benefits thyroid functioning and increases the body’s metabolic rate due to medium-chain triglycerides. This helps burn fat faster. Add it to your salads or cooked curry (avoid heating it to retain its nutrients).
Beverages: Green coffee, black coffee, oolong tea, green tea, chamomile tea, and goji berry tea all improve metabolism and help burn fat faster. However, 2-3 cups a day is advised, as anything in excess is harmful.

Stress and Lack of Sleep Can Result in Weight Gain

Stress and sleep are often neglected during fat-burning journeys. Overindulging in workouts can lead to stress and weight gain. Working out 3-4 times a week is sufficient. Jumping jacks, HIIT, planks, crunches, lunges with stretching, and yoga help maintain body shape without stress while promoting good-quality sleep.

If mediation or deep breathing dosen’t help you relax, try stress-busting foods like dark chocolate, nuts, seeds, bananas, and avocados. Ensure you get enough sleep. Lack of sleep and stress can slow down metabolism and cause weight gain. To sleep peacefully, keep your room dark, avoid heavy workouts before bedtime and stay off screens at least an hour before sleeping.

By working on these small lifestyle changes, you can effectively lose body fat and keep it off!

We hope this article helps you. For more information or tips on weight loss, check out Healthy Reads or speak to an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health.

December 31, 2024 By Arooshi Garg 3 Comments

10 Resolutions You Can Make In 2025 For A Healthier YOU!

It’s that time of the year when most people start to ponder over their New Year resolutions. Every year, millions of people make New Year resolutions but 80% fail to keep them going through the year. It’s hard to keep up the enthusiasm going month after month after you’ve set goals for yourself, but it’s definitely not impossible. Most of us strive for unrealistic goals that are difficult to accomplish after a while. This year, let’s be different! Pick one of the following worthy resolutions, and do your best to stick to it.

Top 10 New Year Resolutions For A Healthy You

Eat breakfast: A healthy breakfast refuels the body after a whole 10-12 hours of previous night’s dinner and gets the metabolism going. It helps one concentrate better throughout the day and increase productivity.
Stress Less: Stress on a daily basis takes a toll on physical and mental health. No matter what the job is, day to day affairs can lead to a lot of stress. Pent up emotions can not only create feelings of distress and promote destructive behavior. So make a New Year resolution to de-stress yourself by getting adequate sleep, exercising, meditating and following your hobbies.
Improve posture at work: Prolonged use of the computer, sitting at one place for hours together can cause muscle aches and discomfort. This routine on a daily basis, through years of work, can lead to permanent damage. Follow these steps to correct your posture at work. Don’t forget to take a break, or several one or two minute breaks every 20-30 minutes, and a five minute break every hour. This will ensure that you do not strain your muscles.
Get an annual health check up: Scheduling an annual routine check up for all your family members is a thoughtful New Year gift. Discuss your general health related queries and need for undergoing some preventive screening tests.
Get adequate and good quality sleep: I know it is difficult to keep your hands off your mobile devices at night but believe me, late night usage of gadgets is one of the main reasons for low quality and inadequate sleep. Make a New Year resolution to keep all electronic devices out of the room and pledge to sleep soundly for 7 hours at least.
Practice mindful eating: Don’t make your body a garbage bin. Every time you put food in your mouth, ask yourself – “Is this healthy?” Mindless eating can lead to a lot of calorie consumption and can add up to an extra of 600 calories daily to your diet. The next time you are tempted by a dish, when you are not actually hungry, have a list of other healthy/nutritious substitutes to try instead. Divert yourself by drinking a green tea, taking a stroll, have a quick chat with a co-worker, or simply drink a glass of water!
Avoid crash diets: Diets that promote large amounts of protein and fat, like low carb diets, might help you lose weight but the effects of these are short term. Finally, NO pain – NO gain is an ideal weight/fat loss plan which must include regular exercise in addition to a wholesome diet. Remember no crash diet can be substitute for a healthy diet.
Cut back on carbonated beverages: Believe it or not, consumption of fizzy carbonated drinks is on a fall in the United States and surprisingly on the rise in the Middle East and Asia. It’s an alarming call for us to re-write our habits. Ditch the carbonated drinks this year and replace them with healthier options like fresh lime water, coconut water, chamomile tea, green tea and of course our desi Shikanji! Water is your best bet on any given day. For a little change, add up just enough juice to change the color along with an orange or a lime!
Practice Deep Breathing everyday: After a tiring day, do you prefer lying on the couch and watching TV? But for good relaxation, what you need is a mentally active process which leaves the body calm and focused. Deep breathing is free and can be practiced anywhere. The key of course is focused breathing. Just 5-10 minutes of your day for deep breathing will reduce anxiety and reduce stress. Deep breathing increases the supply of blood to your brain and releases relaxing hormones, which promotes a state of calmness.
Exercise Regularly: The New Year is an amazing time to kick-start a new fitness plan – so as long as you create one you can stick with, you’ll be fine! Here’s how you can build a good workout plan. If you need guidance and motivation, subscribe for a GOQii PRO class within the GOQii App – where you’ll be guided by experts in real-time.

We hope these New Year resolutions help you get healthier! Do let us know which resolutions you’ve planned for 2025 in the comments below.

#BeTheForce

December 7, 2024 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Devesh Srivastava Lowers His HbA1c from 6.7 to 5.8 With GOQii

Have you ever suffered from a cold or fever and thought to yourself that you can manage this? In fact, there’s a good chance that with some medication and rest, the symptoms of a cold or fever have subsided. But, when you deal with issues such as Diabetes and Hypertension, trying to manage the issue on your own might not be such a good idea. Our Player Devesh Srivastava came to realize that personalized health coaching is the best way forward!

Life Before Joining GOQii

Devesh Srivastava is a 52 year old investment banker residing in the city of Ahmedabad. He was always keen on joining an app-based fitness solution. Back in 2014, he heard our Founder & CEO Vishal Gondal speak at an event. He says, “What he said connected well with me and I was looking forward to joining something like GOQii, but it never happened”.

While he did have a normal routine, he wanted someone to look over him and guide him towards a healthy lifestyle. He says, “Before the pandemic, things were manageable but during the pandemic, the situation was difficult as you were at home the whole time. Earlier I would walk with my friends and colleagues but then it all stopped during the lockdown. I did not have a proper routine and that created a weight issue”.

During this time, Devesh Srivastava tried creating his own regime and restricted his diet to reduce weight. “I’ve seen other people reduce weight by doing their own things. So I decided to try as well. But, my sugar levels were not reducing,” he said. He was also on Diabetes and Hypertension medication.

Joining GOQii and Making Lifestyle Changes

After several trials and errors of trying to manage his health by himself, Devesh Srivastava said that he needed someone to keep a watch on his health and guide him properly. So, he came to the decision to subscribe for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching in November 2021.

“The coach’s guidance worked well for me. She made simple and doable changes,” he says. Some of these changes included:

Have soaked Methi seeds in the morning
Increase salad portion before lunch and consume fruits as mid-meal snacks
Eat healthy evening snacks which include dry fruits, fruits or roasted snacks.
Eating an early dinner
Reduce carbs from dinner and replace them with fiber and protein
Drink green tea in the evening
Begin the day with Surya Namaskar
Increase steps count gradually

Apart from the above changes, his GOQii Coach kept a close watch on his food consumption, water intake, sleep and exercise, making timely corrections as per requirements.

What Changes Did Devesh Srivastava Experience?

Within 4 months, Devesh could experience changes in his health. As his journey continued, within 7 months he was able to lose approximately 7kg. From 80kg, he came down to 74.6kg. His waist size had reduced from 36 inches to 34 inches.

In his current report, he found that his blood sugar and cholesterol levels had lowered down. “With Coaching, I feel better,” he says. “My stress levels are better managed. I am also able to sleep well for at least 6.5 hours daily,” he added.

What Does Coach Sakshi Agarwal Have To Say About Her Player?

When he came onboard, he was overweight. His height is 170cm and weight was 80kg. His waist size was 36 inches and his BMI was 27.7. He was suffering from Diabetes and High Blood Pressure. His Triglyceride was also high at about 180.

Fortunately, Devesh Srivastava is a very sincere player and was always enthusiastic about taking on all the challenges I threw at him. He tried his absolute best to complete them. Within 4 months, he has made remarkable progress.

Apart from reducing his weight and waist size, his blood sugar and cholesterol levels have also reduced. His HbA1c reduced from 6.7 to 5.8. His Triglyceride levels reduced from 180 to 148. His Blood Pressure reduced from 97fbs – 135pp to 85fbs – 119pp.

He is quite happy with these transformations and I appreciate his positive response to my suggestions as well as his dedicated approach to improving his lifestyle!

Do you have a condition similar to Devesh Srivastava? You too can make a positive lifestyle change by getting the right guidance and motivation from certified experts. Join the GOQii Diabetes Care program – India’s only diabetes program that is driven by Smart Science and Personal Coaching to improve Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), Postprandial Blood Sugar (PP), reduce HbA1c levels and let you win gold! You can subscribe here: https://store.goqii.com/diabetescare.

For more inspiring Health Stories, check out Healthy Reads.

#BeTheForce

December 3, 2024 By Sunita Arora 3 Comments

Lower Blood Pressure Naturally With Dietary Changes

Hypertension, known as a silent killer, is simply the elevation of your blood pressure levels. It is majorly developed due to factors like a sedentary lifestyle, high salt intake due to processed and packaged food. But, the good news is that you can control it. You can manage to lower blood pressure naturally by making dietary and other lifestyle changes after consulting with your doctor.

Foods That Help Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

Let’s take a look at foods which are healthy and can help with the condition!

Green Tea: is associated with numerous health benefits. It is rich in polyphenols and catechins, which act as antioxidants to prevent cell damage, reduce inflammation, and protect heart health. Intake of green tea is associated with significantly lower levels of LDL, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and blood pressure. You can have 1-2 cups of green tea daily one hour after a meal to maintain your blood pressure and to improve insulin sensitivity.
Olive Oil: is packed with antioxidants like tocopherols, β-carotene, lutein which helps in relieving inflammation and decreases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. It is rich in MUFA which promotes heart health and is linked with lowering blood pressure. In Indian cooking, you can safely use 1-2 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil daily to sauté veggies, make salad dressings, etc.
Fatty Fish: like salmon and tuna are rich with omega-3 fatty acids which aid in improving heart health. These fatty fishes and fish oil supplements are beneficial for lowering blood pressure, sugar levels and triglycerides. Consumption of fatty fish 2-3 times a week is good for heart health.
Nuts: like walnuts, almonds are a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids which lower total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol and blood pressure. It has minerals like magnesium and copper, Vitamin E, MUFA which protects against various heart diseases by reducing plaque formation and keeps your arteries clear. You can include 5-6 soaked almonds and 2-3 walnuts in your diet.
Seeds: are the powerhouse of various nutrients, rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids which improve many heart disease risk factors including blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides. Include flax seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds and hemp seeds in your diet. Just make a mixture of these seeds and have 1-2 tsp daily by mixing them with nuts or adding them to your smoothies or salads.
Berries: are packed with antioxidants like anthocyanins which protect the heart from oxidative stress and help in maintaining normal blood pressure. It also has polyphenols which improve blood pressure, insulin resistance and systemic inflammation. You can add a handful of strawberries, blackberries and raspberries in your diet.
Banana: The American Heart Association encourages people to increase the consumption of foods that contain potassium. Eating foods that are rich in potassium helps in lowering blood pressure levels better than taking supplements. You can slice a banana in your favourite cereal or oatmeal, make a smoothie or a shake for a potassium-rich addition.
Pomegranate: is rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals. Drinking a cup of pomegranate juice daily for four weeks can help lower blood pressure naturally. Early research suggests that drinking pomegranate juice helps to keep the arteries in the neck clear of the build-up of fatty deposits and improve blood flow to the heart.
Tomato: is one of the important ingredients in our Indian cuisine which enhances the flavour and colour of dishes. Tomatoes are loaded with lycopene which reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. New research claims that drinking a glass of unsalted tomato juice daily is a simple way to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. It also removes excess cholesterol, plaque from arteries and increases the level of HDL Cholesterol.
Garlic: is a pearl for Hypertension patients. Daily consumption of garlic for an extended period can reduce LDL Cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure significantly. It has allicin, allyl mercaptan, and diallyl disulphide which are very effective in controlling cholesterol and blood pressure. Eating 1-2 fresh, raw garlic is one among the herbal remedies for controlling high blood pressure.
Oats: are a rich source of soluble and insoluble fiber. They are low in fat, low in sodium and contain beta-glucan, a type of fiber which lowers blood pressure. A review of 28 trials concluded that higher consumption of beta-glucan fiber may lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Eating oats for breakfast/snacks in the form of oats porridge, oats upma, oats chila, is a great way to fuel up for the day.
Beetroot: Drinking one glass of beetroot juice daily can significantly reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension. Due to the high concentration of nitrates, it relaxes blood vessels and dilates them, which helps the blood flow more easily and lowers blood pressure. Both raw beet juice and cooked beets are effective to lower blood pressure and decrease inflammation.

Apart from the above food options, you need to control what you eat. Avoid sauces, pickles, coffee, packaged food, etc. and cut your salt intake to half a teaspoon daily. Avoid smoking and consuming alcohol in excess as well. Before making any massive dietary changes, consult your doctor first!

We hope this article helps you! For more on hypertension and tips to lower blood pressure, tune in to live sessions by experts on GOQii Play or ask your GOQii Coach directly by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here.

To know how simple lifestyle changes can help your reverse high blood pressure, listen to our player Digvijay Singh’s journey as he discusses the lifestyle changes he made with our Founder & CEO Vishal Gondal.