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May 11, 2016 By Anusha Subramanian Leave a Comment

“I thought I knew all about fitness until my GOQii Coach broke all myths”

He has been a fitness freak for the last 15 years. But, he was always under the impression that he knew it all until one day when all his myths about fitness and nutrition were busted. Now along with his regular fitness regime and better eating habits, Samir Dedhia is aiming for four pack abs and take his fitness to the next level…..let us hear from him what changes has he personally brought within himself after so many years of fitness training and how he took his fitness to the next level…..

I have been working out in the gym for the last 15 yrs. I have been on supplements and done lots of R&D on fitness and health. For the longest time, I thought I knew everything about diets, health, and supplements. In fact, my friends used to take advice from me on how to work out what to eat. I was their default go-to man for all their queries on fitness and nutrition. I had reached the stage in fitness where I was now looking for a fitness tracker or some device that could take my fitness to the next level.

What attracted me to GOQii is the product itself. I found it very different from the rest of the fitness products in the market that were there. It was different in the sense that, you have gyms, you have dieticians and you have things like the pedometer and they are three different things. And this was like two things combined i.e. an activity tracker and a coach who is a nutritionist. I became a part of GOQii since the beginning of its start in 2014.

GOQii was a total game changer for me. It has been a fantastic eye opener. The way my coach Vrushali dealt with me, the tips that she gave me on a real time basis was actually required by me at that point in time when I came on board to be able to take my fitness to the next level. Also, she broke all the myths I had on fitness and nutrition.

Broke myths in the sense that I had my own assumptions and presumptions about how fitness should be, diet etc. The myths I had around the combination of foods that you take, what to eat when, how much of carbs should you eat, and not mixing fruits with meals, water intake, what helps you to reach fitness goals etc.

For the last 15 years, my daily routine has been to work out for 45 minutes 6 times a week. Also, following a heavy diet has been a part of my routine, but everything was built on my myth. And then when I interacted with my coach all these concepts I had, were broken instantly and I am clear now on all concepts of fitness and nutrition.

Vrushali gave me the ideal nutritional tips for the kind of workouts I did. There were no major changes brought about to accommodate these tips. I always used to eat good healthy food but never realized I over ate or I mixed wrong food combinations like eating double carbs source in 1 meal etc. ( use to have Rice and Roti together in my meal). Then, by just altering my style of eating, I saw drastic changes which I never came across earlier when I was working out on my own.

Another major eye opener for me was that my water intake was very poor and I just realized when my coach noticed that it was poor. Now, I have at least 2.5 litres per day for the last 6 months.

What also helped me was that I was training alone for so many years and there was a certain level of boredom setting in. That was when my coach took over and kept me motivated all the time and that kept me going. Coaching has definitely added more value since I was already into all this, I was already fit and this was an add-on. After a point coaching helps as it makes you accountable.

On a real-time basis, there are a lot of ups and downs that a player has and you need someone to constantly monitor you and keep your focus. Vrushali used to tell me Samir you are diverting from your goals. You need someone at all times.

Overall fantastic change in my life to the extent that I picked bands for wife- cousins – business partner- gym buddy- office staff etc. etc.

What does Coach VrushaliAthavale have to say about Samir Dedhia?

Samir is a disciplined, dedicated person who works religiously on things once he is convinced about. There were very few visible things which needed to be changed in his routine like the correct combination of foods, increasing his protein intake which was not matching his hardcore workouts and improve water intake. We started with one habit at a time wherein the first habit was to reduce his carbohydrate intake at a time in a meal i.e instead of having rice and roti both at a time, we changed to consume either of them. This made a lot of difference in body fat%. We then moved to make sure his protein intake is sufficient enough to help him reach his goal of getting a lean body and along with this proper intake of fiber and increased intake of water.

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April 15, 2016 By Divita Bhatt Leave a Comment

Meal Preparation Strategies

Whether working or a full time homemaker, deciding on a cooking menu every day for all times of the day is always a task. It’s a bigger task when you are very conscious about the nutrients and a balanced diet. Some simple edits to your routine will surely make it much simpler and fun.

Plan your weekly menu: Whether you plan or do not plan invariably items in our menus are repeated every week. But, if we do plan properly with respect to all the meals for the day, a proper distribution of nutrients throughout the day is possible. Like high energy and protein items can be added in breakfast to kick start the day, light salads and some basic carbs in lunch to keep you going in office without making you feel drowsy, and at the end of the day keeping the dinner such that you digest it without much physical activities.

Prepare in advance: As per plan, prepare for the next meal as well as next day meals. For instance if you need to soak beans/pulses etc. soak it overnight. Also cut/peel some vegetables and keep them ready in advance as per plan.

Shop & Store: As you plan your meals, you will need certain items to be bought from the shop and some would be readily available in stock in your kitchen. Perishable items like dairy, poultry, fruits and fresh veggies needs to be shopped and stocked as per your plan at regular intervals. Non perishables can be stocked for monthly requirements based on your consumption.

Plan of Action: Now as you have outlined what to do and how to do, you need to document it to keep everything in line. Yes, a weekly menu plan on a piece of paper will bring in the clarity for next week. This will make sure you don’t repeat items very often and plan beforehand for the next day and especially for step 2 and 3 above.

Also you can spare Sunday for preparation of dry snacks, chutney, dips etc. to be used in next week.

March 15, 2016 By Harshita Mehrotra Leave a Comment

“Give yourself just half hour in a day to be active”

She is a doctor by profession but, strangely never found time for herself to be active and healthy. But, the GOQii band and her coach changed everything for her in 18 months. Here is Dr. Harshita Mehrotra’s success story in her own words.

I am a surgeon and currently posted in Port Blair. But, during my residency training to be a surgeon I was based in Delhi. Residency can be very taxing and stressful. I was so involved in my studies and work that I never paid attention to my own health as I never made time for myself. It’s ironic that I was studying medicine and I myself was not up to mark with my health goals.

I used to be frequently working night shifts in the hospital and I got addicted to caffeine leading me to have several cups of Coffee through the day. Add to this habit, I also had a very sweet tooth so it used to be pastries with Coffee invariably. I just could not resist them. I was also suffering from PCOD and GRD (Gastro Reflux Disorder) which are lifestyle diseases. And above all, I had no form of exercise at all.

I knew it was time for me to do something about this and get on the health path as soon as possible. I was sure that whatever changes I made to my life needed to be sustainable over the long-term. After all, what would be the point of working really hard to get active and healthy, only to go back to old times and face all the problems again?

Before:

Unstructured schedules of a medical student
No focus on her own health – Incorrect food, no exercise routine

In November 2014, I was suggested that I join a gym or do something to get active. I had joined a gym earlier but due to my odd things as a resident, I frequently skipped it. I came across GOQii band and I decided to go for it. The moment I got it I had made up my mind I am going to get active. I was also happy that I got a personal coach who would be having a hawk’s eye on me.

My dear coach Neha More asked me all about what I did, how I ate, what I ate, if I was active daily, how much did I sleep and when did I sleep etc. I had no positive answers to give her but, I told her my health goal was clear – I wanted to get active and be active every day. Neha helped me a lot towards achieving my goal.

We did not do anything drastic. Slowly and steadily she made me change my habits. She would say “ok, you are not having enough water – so drink water and not coffee.” She got me to reduce my caffeine and sugar intake. Alongside, she also made sure I was walking or had some kind of physical activity. Prior to getting a GOQii, I was leading quite a sedentary life. Then just by jogging around also gave me some leg pain but as I got regular, the pain also disappeared.

After:

Daily fitness routine – Run and core exercises every morning
Introduced Interval Training to build stamina
Healthier meals – given up sugar, white carbs, and snacking on junk food, having an early dinner and not skipping breakfast
Change in mood, energy levels, and dress size

I have now moved out of Delhi and practice in a hospital in Port Blair so cannot be a part of Delhi active Sundays anymore. But, I make it a point to spend at least 30 minutes with myself. Currently, I do a step count of anywhere between 7000 to 10000 steps daily. I also go for a 1.5 to 2 km run every day.

Having a personal coach has really helped. Some days when I am really stressed out and tell her I am stressed she would tell me to do some meditation and breathing exercise. She would ask me to focus on the positives and these helped me.

My life has been transformed as a result of being active on a daily basis. Even the voice in my head has changed. The voice that used to be harsh and self-critical is now kinder and much more compassionate. I have learned to treat myself and others with me too who are struggling to be active and healthy.

I have also had the opportunity to inspire others to take steps to become more physically active, too. I just tell them to give you 30 minutes daily to get active and that would be all.

While it’s not just about getting active and healthy, GOQii also gives you an opportunity to do good through their Karma initiative. I have so far donated 5000 karma points till date. I donated this towards improving healthcare access for women, improving access to healthcare to poor and victims of Tamilnadu floods. Karma initiative is a great idea and makes me feel that I am contributing to the welfare of society.

It’s been over a year-and-a-half since I started on this journey. Today, I can proudly say that I have gained so much more. I have gained a healthy life and hope for the future. By the end of this year, I want to run a marathon.

What does Coach Neha More have to say about Dr. Harshita?

Dr. Harshita is a surgeon and very dedicated. When she was working in a hospital in night shifts she used to have lot of coffee and pastries. She had a sweet tooth or should I say rather sweet teeth and no time to be physically active.

We had been working on her sweet cravings, coffee intake then later running, interval jog and strengthening exercises too.

She started with exercises like strengthening, Interval jog and run and it has now become her routine and she ensures to keep herself active through the day if she misses on her daily exercises.

She incorporated healthy foods and understood the effects of ‘Mindful Eating’ while having meals which had great impact on her sweet cravings and portion control. She started consuming more water, lemon water after having sweets and coffee to maintain hydration level. We also worked on balancing the nutrient intake than restricting the specific food items to develop a healthy meal routine. All in all she is well on her path to ‘Good Health’ and be the force.

December 13, 2015 By Parwage Alam 2 Comments

The Best Post-Run Recovery Foods

All athletes plan their routine, in terms of their exercise, nutrition; practice sessions all of this is done to get the best results from his/her body. While you might get the expected results with your performance but, that certainly does not mean that your body is also getting the expected nutrition. In fact, some of the best athletes and more recently we have come across cases of regular marathon runners fainting or blacking out during the run or after the run. This situation occurs due to nutrition imbalance in body.

To be healthy we have to take care of our meals throughout the day. Similarly, we have to take care of our post run meals as well to recover our body. By eating the right foods at right times your body will recover and be able to perform the way you want it to. So if you are a runner or planning to run you need to be aware of what exactly you should be eating before, during and after your running events. This is important so that you are able to keep your body in optimal condition.

So let’s understand more about this.

Some basics before your run: If you are planning to jog no longer than 40 or 50 minutes at a relaxed pace, a glass of water might be all that’s needed ahead of time—provided you have had a decent dinner the night before. But, if the previous night’s meal wasn’t filling or if you ate it early, downing some orange juice or a banana will replace glycogen stores in your muscles to wave off sluggishness. If you’re heading out in the afternoon, have a snack with about 50 grams of carbs in it—like yogurt and a granola bar—an hour or two before hand
Post run, our body requires lot of different nutrition, so let’s divide into different category – PROTEIN, CARBS, ELECTROLYTES AND ANTIOXIDANTS.

Protein: Protein is the best resource to repair your body. It repairs muscle damage, diminishes the effects of cortisol—the so-called “stress” hormone that breaks down muscle—and, when taken with carbohydrates it speeds your body’s ability to replenish its glycogen stores, your all-important energy source for those long runs during marathon season. So post run your Protein ratio should be 1:4 which means 1 gram of protein for every 4 gram of CARBS
Carbs: Carbohydrates or carbs as is known commonly are body’s main fuel source, and are stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver, so eating carbs shortly after your workout helps optimize your body’s recovery. And it is during this time that your muscles are most receptive to rebuilding your glycogen reserves.
Electrolytes and Antioxidants: Electrolytes are minerals in our blood and other body fluids like Calcium, Chloride, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Potassium, Sodium, etc that carry an electric charge. It also affects the percentage of water in our body, the acidity of our blood (pH), our muscle functionality, and other important processes. While running, we sweat a lot and we lose electrolytes when we sweat. So we really have to replace our sweat by drinking fluids that contain electrolytes.

The techniques we can use

The fastest recovery techniques post training is rehydration, glycogen resynthesis and protein and antioxidant supplementation. These techniques replenish our muscle fuel supplies, hasten the repair of muscle damage and combat free radical formation in our cells.

Having said all of the above now it’s time for me to provide you with some resources for the post recovery foods that can help to replenish your body with the vital nutrients discussed above.

At first you start restoring the fluids in the body after your long run – the quick fixes for this are sports drink, lemon water or some plain water. However, the recovery process does not stop here so we have some specific foods that can help you to restore your body in recovery.

Salmon
Cherries
Kale
Oatmeal
Greek yogurt
Banana
Skim Milk
Chicken
Hummus
Green Tea
Tomatoes
Lean beef
Turkey breast
Sports/Energy bar
Whole-Wheat Pasta
Berries
Fruit Juice
Low-fat cottage cheese
Eggs
Almonds or other nuts
Vegetables

Its recommended to have your post run meal within an hour or so, but incase if it is not possible then you can go for the following options, which will help you to sustain for some time:

Have an apple which will give you some energy and raise your glucose level to sustain.
Protein bars, Protein shake with the combination of milk or water, whatever is convenient for you.
Banana is really good option to get quick energy.
Have Bread with some peanut butter.
My Favorite – Chocolate Milkshake.
Hummus and carrots
Some Greek yogurt.

As we love running and it’s a part of our lifestyle, routine and our health journey, so we really need to take care of the hard impact of it on our body. To continue our journey with running and healthy lifestyle we need to give appropriate rest and relaxation after every run and make sure that our body recovers completely after a every rigorous workout/running.