GOQii

Blog

Search Results for: work from home

By 3 Comments

10 Healthy snacks for your road trip

2

How often have you remembered to carry some food with you when you step out of your home? More often than not when we are away from home we seldom think of carrying any food along with us. You could blame this on laziness or to the fact that easily available food on the go. Fast food joints have made our life so simple and comfortable that we don’t bother to carry a lunchbox or snack box if we are going away.

Ideally, it is very important that we plan our trip before leaving our house. Here are few healthy and yummy snacking options that you can choose from:-

Nuts

Nuts are packed with protein, fibre and essential fats. Handful of nuts makes a vitality-boosting snack and unlike most other options contributes a mix of valuable vitamins and minerals. The fiber content in the nuts helps us feel satiated for a longer period of time.

All nuts have different nutritional value and health benefits.

Cashew Nuts :-

Cashews contribute a good level of protein and are a useful source of minerals like iron and zinc; cashews make an excellent choice if you’re following a vegetarian diet. They are rich in the mineral magnesium, which is thought to improve recall and delay age-related memory loss.

Hazelnuts:-

If you are concerned about high levels of homocysteine, an amino acid which has been associated with heart problems as well as conditions like Parkinson’s disease, Hazelnuts are a good source of folate, which plays a key role in keeping homocysteine within normal levels.

Pistachios

Pistachios are rich in vitamin B6, which is important for keeping hormones balanced and healthy, Pistachios also contain good amount of potassium. This is the only nut that contains reasonable levels of lutein and zeaxanthin-two antioxidants that play an important role in protecting the eyes.

Dried fruits

Dried fruits like Raisins, cranberries, apricots, peaches, etc. Dry fruits are anti-cancer militant. These help us in beautiful and healthy skin. Dried fruits lack fats, are rich in fibre and help in increasing iron in the body.  Dry fruits are packed with needed vitamins and minerals that are essential for healthy living.

Carrots :-

Carrots have antioxidant power in reducing free radicals in the body that works as Anti cancer. Helps in reducing lung cancer and has high amount of Vitamin A that helps is better vision.

Blueberries:–

Blueberries are low in Calories, high in nutrients. It is also known as King of Antioxidant Foods. Blueberries protect cholesterol in the blood from getting damaged and lower blood pressure. Blueberries can help maintain brain function and improve memory.

Bananas:-

Bananas help overcome depression due to high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin (happy-mood brain neurotransmitter). Have Banana before workout to pack an energy punch and sustain your blood sugar. It protects against muscle cramps during workouts and nighttime leg cramps. Bananas reduce swelling, protect against type II diabetes, aid weight loss, strengthen the nervous system, and help with the production of white blood cells. All these benefits are due to high levels of vitamin B-6.

Sandwich :-

Make a healthy sandwich by selecting healthy whole grain bread, peanut butter, Honey and add toppings as per taste. You can also add veggies to it.

Whole grain roasted snacks:

If you are buying something from a superstore, then opt for roasted snacks made of whole grains, pulses and seeds.

Whatever you choose, always keep in mind that they must be whole foods, with good fiber content and probably also have good protein, vitamins and minerals. Avoid carrying too salty, spicy and oily snacks.

Eat healthy and enjoy your journey!

 

By 1 Comment

Moderation – 365 days

cheat-day1

“CLEAN EATERS” be like – “Can’t wait till my cheat day !”

Is this your story too? What if I’d say, “let those “REASONABLY SIZED” treats be scattered throughout your life, instead of ‘cheat meal’ which often turns out as a ‘cheat day’ or ‘weekend binge’. And not to forget, the guilt that you take back home , after overdoing it .

Trust me, I too was pretty convinced initially with the idea of a cheat meal/treat. But, what happens in reality is totally different? It’s often blown out of proportion and we end up calling for anything and everything that fits within the 24 hour span of cheat day. This is pretty natural because we have literally “restricted” ourselves these 6 days.

 

cheat-day2

Consider this case –study:

Monday : EAT CLEAN !

Tuesday : EAT CLEAN !

Wednesday : EAT CLEAN ! ( Its mid-week and we are half-way through !)

Thursday : EAT CLEAN ! ( One more day to go ! )

Friday : EAT CLEAN ! (Cant wait for tomorrow ! )

Saturday : ATTACK !!!

-Breakfast is usually skipped, to save appetite for the feast .

-The cheat meal which was supposed to be a “treat” now looks like: “Eat all that you have craved for this week ”+ the weekend “pour” (if you have a habit of drinking alcohol )

Sunday : Who doesn’t want comfort food on Sunday !

Monday (next week) : The aftermath !

-Wake up feeling “HORRIBLE”, bloated, greasy and very unhealthy

-Exercise is generally not in picuture because you feel aweful about the weekend

cheat-day3

I am sure many can relate to this. No wonder, weekend binges were ruining our week’s hard work and goals seemed far away,

Hence, “moderation-365 days approach” !This no-brainer. Just requires practice, thoughtfulness, self-control and mindfulness.

Go ahead! In combination with clean eating, sprinkle those “tiny” treats here and there. The more we deprive, the more we feel the need to indulge (notice the word in inverted commas). BUT, that doesn’t mean we are better off eating whatever, whenever! There are a few rules here too :

  1. Find a healthy alternative:

Choose your battle: Dessert or a pizza and immediately think of its cleaner version. Like almond /coconut milk ice-cream or cauliflower crust pizza, zoodles (zucchini noodles), burritos made with clean ingredients.

I know cleaner versions means “high quality”, which means “expensive”. Accept it .After all, it’s of a “reasonable size” and will not burn a hole in your pocket.

OR

Make a home-made version, where you have a 100% control over what goes in it . Even better!

  1. In accordance to your appetite:

Eat what you actually want. Eat in tune with your hunger and you’ll likely end up eating a reasonable amount

  1. Enjoy treats time to time:

Like I mentioned several times before: SPRINKLE- REASONABLE SIZED TREATS .

Enjoy a piece or half of a cookie or a piece of dark chocolate…say on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday .

  1. Savour “EVERY” bite :

This is BIG ! Lack of this makes it easy to down a whole bar of chocolate or a tub of ice-cream or an entire pizza!

Place it in your mouth, take a moment to taste, smell and experience the food, Awaken your senses !

Well, these were my thoughts on what’s working for me . I know it’s a highly debatable topic but, this has helped me make a healthier pact with life and feel so much free and confident.

Neither does healthy food nor the cravings run my life. I am on the driver’s seat when it comes to my chow choices.

What do you think about this? If you are already following this, I ‘d love to hear your success story . Lay it on me!

 

By 1 Comment

How important is to know ‘Self Defence’?

Self-Defense

Gone are the days when one felt safe in this country. Recently a childhood friend of mine was attacked by some robbers in the road. He was threatened at knife point and robbed.My friend was disappointed with himself because he just was unable to do fight for himself. Many like my friend have been in this unfortunate situation where they have been attacked or threatened by someone they don’t know. Or t time by someone they know. Some have suffered injury, have had broken bones and wounds and in some cases even died.

With increasing violence on men and women it has become very important to be more aware of our surroundings and the people around us. Today, the need to protect one is something everyone should take note of seriously. We all invest in health and nutrition and fitness programs, but it’s time to start thinking about defending our bodies as well.

Here is where I would recommend that each one of you should know self defense. We need to ask our self, are we in a position to defend ourselves and our loved ones if someone were to physically attack us? Self Defense is not confined to men alone. It has become imperative that both men and women should be able to defend themselves when in a tough situation.

According to me, the old adage ‘prevention is better than cure’ is the best self defence. We don’t know if someone is trying to attack us what is his or her motive behind the attack. Just follow general safety tips like being aware of your surroundings, walk in a known and in a well lit area, keep your keys in hand when you are about to reach your home or car.

There are many self defense classes today that one can join. But, in the eventuality that you are not able to take these classes, here are few tips I am sharing with you that will help you to defend yourself.

The first thing to bear in mind when someone attacks you is do not panic. When you don’t panic look into the eye of the attacker he will lose half his confidence.

Here are few dos you must know and can do.

The most effective body parts to hit are :-

Eyes- Poking the attacker’s eyes with your fingers, a pen or knuckles would be effective. Always have a pen as it works as a good defense to poke people. It will cause the attacker lot of pain and you can easily escape as his vision will blur and will not clear for couple of minutes.

Nose- If the attacker is close to you, use the edge of your palm to hit on his nose, push your body weight along with it while hitting with your palm as it will give more power to hit. Once you hit him he sure lose his balance and you will get an opportunity to escape.

Neck- The side of the neck is a good target to attack as this is where both the carotid artery and jugular vein are located. Hitting the side of the neck or pushing the side of the neck of the attacker hard with your palm can stun the attacker.

Knee- Knee is an ideal self-defense target. We can kick without our foot being grabbed. Kicking the side of the knee will cause injury to the attacker.

Sheen Bone: Kicking the attackers sheen with the tip of your shoes is equally painful and can put the attacker off balance

The above mentioned parts are the most sensitive to hit in any attacker. Having said that, we should also use our body parts such as the elbows, knees, hands, legs and head to hit the attacker.

Be extremely careful and cautious when you are away from home or town. If possible don’t have a fixed schedule of travelling and above all the most important thing is ‘NEVER PANIC’.

Await my next blog where I tell you how to get rid from the attacker’s holds.

By 3 Comments

What do you know about doing crunches?

crunch

PRO’S AND CON’S OF CRUNCHES

Summer is here, and it’s the time to flaunt your perfect physique. Some of them have that perfect beach body already and many of them dream to have one all the time.

To have that perfect body, the one most common thing that a person resorts to is an exercise called ‘Crunches’. But, before one does hundreds of Crunches, is it not necessary to know its pro’s & con’s?

The answer is ‘Yes’, it is indeed extremely important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of an exercise.

Let’s have a look at some of them here,

Pro’s

  • It is an exercise which can be done anytime. You don’t have to go to a gym to perform crunches. You can do these at home.
  • Crunches help you tone and strengthen the muscles in the abdomen.
  • Helps build the core muscles. Hence, improves the stability of your body
  • Gives you a perfect ripped midsection.

Con’s

  • While regular crunches helps to build the abdominal muscles and strengthen our core, performing the same exercise in a wrong way or too many repetitions at once may potentially increase the risk of a back or a neck injury.
  • To have a perfect beach body, it is necessary to maintain a balance between the structures. This balance is disrupted when we over work or build only a section of our abdominal muscles. We tend to focus on our front abdominals more than our oblique’s and the back muscles, which are also a part of our core. This imbalance results in faulty posture and loss of balance.
  • Larger muscles burn more fat. Crunches use only a specific muscle group and don’t involve the larger group of muscles. Hence, the amount of fat burnt is less.

So, should we continue to do the Crunches or stop it completely? Well, I suggest that we do this exercise by following the proper technique and minimizing the repetitions to protect our spine.

 

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

As we observe World Cancer Day under the powerful theme ‘United by Unique’ (2025-2027)**, we are reminded that every individual’s journey with cancer is distinct, yet united by shared resilience, hope, and the collective fight against this disease. This theme places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the […]