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June 24, 2020 By Swati Savla 6 Comments

Can Moringa Help You Fight the Coronavirus?

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been many suggestions on boosting immunity against the virus. These include lemon, ginger, citrus fruits, vegetables, turmeric, etc. all of which are high on antioxidants, have anti-inflammatory or anti-bacterial properties – aiding the fight against the virus and helping us maintain optimum health. Imagine getting all these properties under one umbrella. Sounds interesting? One superfood can provide you all of these and that superfood is Moringa – vouched for by our ancestors as well.

Why is the Ayurveda Prescribed Moringa Valued Globally?

Almost all parts of this tree (roots, leaves, pods, flowers, seeds) are utilized in varied ways.
It has Vitamins like A, B complex (folic acid, pyridoxine, choline), C, D, E & K (4 times Vitamin A of carrots), 7 times Vitamin C that of Oranges, 2 times the protein of Yoghurt, 25 times more iron than spinach.
It is abundant in protein, calcium, potassium, iron, chromium, magnesium, selenium and zinc.
Phytochemicals present in Moringa include tannins, phenolics, saponins, anthraquinones, etc. and flavonoids like Quercetin, Isoquercetin, kaemfericitin, isothiocyanates, all of which have shown to have antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
These nutrients are not destroyed after drying or boiling.
It doesn’t leave behind hygiene as well. Moringa oleifera leaf powder was as effective as soap for washing hands when wetted in advance to enable antiseptic and detergent properties from phytochemicals in the leaves.

With all these benefits and properties, the magical Moringa can help you boost your immune system as well as ward off illnesses. Give it a try now but before you do, do consult your doctor or nutritionist.

We hope this article helps you. For more articles on moringa, nutrition et al, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to experts on GOQii Play.

Stay home, stay safe, eat healthy and #BeTheForce

June 3, 2020 By Dr. Vaidya's 1 Comment

Stressed Out? Natural Ways To Manage Stress During Lockdown

It is normal to feel sad, stressed, confused, scared or angry during an epidemic outbreak. Hearing constant reports about the illness and death caused by the outbreak world over can be hard to take. But even amid the pandemic, it is important to make sure that you take care of your physical and mental health. We must cope with the stress and anxiety that the pandemic brings. Stress and anxiety can trigger ailments such as insomnia, depression, high blood pressure and more. It may also lead to an imbalance of the three doshas; vata, pitta and kapha in the body, depending on an individual’s constitution. Here are some ayurvedic tips that can help you manage stress and anxiety during this time period:

How To Manage Stress During Lockdown

Eat right and hydrate well: Eat foods that help you relax. Choose foods that help reduce stress. All fresh fruits, lightly cooked, spiced vegetables and whole grains will revive your tired mind and body. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day to flush out any disease-causing toxic matter from your system. You can also add some calming teas like peppermint or chamomile to your daily diet. Use this time to get restful sleep of 7-8 hours – this can also drastically reduce stress and anxiety.
Exercise is a good way to de-stress: Yoga is a great way to exercise all parts of your body, while also soothing nerves and balancing the mind. Some of the yoga poses that can be practised are child’s pose, bridge pose, standing forward bend pose, eagle pose, extended triangle pose and extended puppy pose (you can find explanations and demonstrations of each of these poses online). Simple pranayama exercises can also help restore vitality to the energy channels of the body, release tension, and offer support to the mind and the nervous system.
Create a sense of structure and routine in daily life: At the most fundamental level, our physiology is very much adapted to and supported by some sense of regularity. This is precisely why the daily routine is such good medicine for anxiety. The routine itself has a very grounding and stabilizing effect on the system; it creates several familiar and comforting reference points throughout the day. This, in turn, sends an affirmation to the body that all is well and we can be at ease. Adopting a daily routine is also an act of love and self-care. Our routines provide us with opportunities to take care of our health and well-being, despite what else might be going on in our lives. While one is at home, try and keep a routine like one is actually going to the office. Don’t stay in pyjamas all day, eat at the same time and schedule the day with virtual meetings like you would at the office. These seem like inane steps but really help.
Meditation: Meditation, even if practised for as few as 10 minutes each day, can help you control stress, decrease anxiety, improve cardiovascular health, and relax the mind. It consists of the silent repetition of a word, sound, or phrase while sitting quietly with eyes closed and a good posture for 10 to 20 minutes. This should be done in a quiet place to get rid of any distractions. Sitting is preferred to lying down to avoid falling asleep. Relax your muscles and breathe through your nose naturally. During a meditation session, all worries and thoughts should be dismissed by focusing on the word, sound or phrase.
Abhyanga: Abhyanga or self-oil massage utilizes the absorbing properties of the skin to not only nourish but also provide a healing and calming effect on the mind and body. Daily massage with natural oils like sesame, coconut, almond, tea tree, etc pacifies all the doshas to provide relief from fatigue, stress, and promote peaceful sleep.
Avoid unhelpful coping strategies: Habits like drinking alcohol and smoking may not help cope with stress and anxiety. They not only harm you physically but can also increase levels of stress and anxiety and reduce immunity. It is better to avoid such practices.

Staying in touch with near and dear ones can also help reduce anxiety and promote positive thoughts and environment around you. During these difficult times, we must take care of our physical and mental health and take preventative measures like practising personal hygiene and social distancing till the tide passes over. We hope everybody stays safe and healthy! This too shall pass.

We hope this article helps you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more tips on managing stress, tune in to our emotional wellness experts on GOQii Play.

Stay home, stay safe, manage stress and #BeTheForce

May 27, 2020 By Sunita Arora 7 Comments

Explore The Wonderful Health Benefits and Uses of Honey

Honey is a food and medicine which is well-known for its antioxidant, antibacterial and soothing effects. People have used raw honey in traditional medicine for hundreds of years. This sweet, natural substance contains elements that processed honey does not have. Raw honey, which comes straight from the beehive, contains healthy bee pollen, bee propolis, and plenty of antioxidants. Due to processing and pasteurization, there is a loss of many beneficial elements. So, it is important to always choose raw honey instead of regular one for good health. Choosing raw or pure honey over refined sugar is a much healthier option for a diabetic person because it is a natural sweetener which is made with fructose and minerals.

Did You Know?

1 tablespoon (21g) of raw honey contains 64 calories and 16g of sugar with so many vitamins and minerals like calcium, zinc, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, niacin, riboflavin etc. Diabetic patients can also take it, but in lesser amounts and with a strict check on the blood sugar levels at all times.

Health Benefits of Honey

Rich in Antioxidants: It contains compounds like phytochemicals, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid which make it antioxidant-rich and reduces oxidative stress in the body and replenish the health of cells. By including it in the diet, we can reduce the risk of chronic disease like cancer.
Wound Healing: It works well in wound healing because of its antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. It has an acidic nature which promotes wound healing if applied on minor cuts and burns. Always go for raw honey for the application over the wounds for faster healing.
Antibacterial Properties: It is an antibacterial and antimicrobial agent which kills harmful pathogens and bacteria which cause food poisoning, gastric infection and stomach ulcers.
Digestive Disorders: It contains several enzymes which help in improving digestion and treating digestive disorders like gastritis and GERD. As we know it is an anti-inflammatory agent and prebiotic which is very effective in reducing diarrhoea, abdominal pain, burning in the lining of the stomach and promotes gut health.
Anti-inflammatory: Due to the anti-inflammatory properties, it reduces inflammation including swelling and lowers irritation on the lining of the stomach and intestines. Honey is effective against IBS in the same way that it is against gastritis by triggering the immune cells into action to fight the infection.
Boosts Immunity: It contains special protein like Apisai which helps in boosting immunity and it also stimulates the immune system to provide a stronger and faster response to the diseases and infections.
Reduce Allergy Symptom: It contains pollen spores which are picked up by the bees from local plants. If these pollen spores introduce a small amount of allergen into our system. This helps to activate the immune system and over time, we can build up natural immunity against it.
Cough and Cold Medicine: Cough and cold are very common among children, especially with change in season. It has antiviral and antibacterial properties that help in treating viral and bacterial infections and give relief from cold and cough, sore throat, runny nose and even mild fever. Using a combination of honey with cinnamon or honey with ginger is a well-known home remedy for hundreds of years.
Energy and Memory Booster: It is an instant energy booster. If you need a quick energy boost before or after a workout, it will surely help you but make sure you have a healthy diet and get proper sleep. Regular consumption of honey helps in preventing cellular damage and loss within the brain as per Ayurveda.

Amazing Uses of Honey

Treating Cough: Mix 1 tsp of honey and 2 tsp of lemon juice. Swallow the mixture at once. You can have it 2-3 times in a day to alleviate coughing. Alternatively, you can also take 1 cup milk, ½ turmeric, ¼ tsp cinnamon, a pinch of black pepper and 2 tsp of Honey. Heat the milk and add turmeric and whisk it well. Then add honey and other ingredients and strain it. Have it twice daily till you get relief from cough.
Wound and Burn Treatment: Apply it directly to wound or to the dressing, cover with a bandage and change the dressing every 12 to 48 hrs ( Note: the darker the color, the stronger its antibacterial and antioxidant power but serious burns should be seen by a medical expert immediately).
Acid Reflux and Indigestion: Mix 2 tsp of honey and yogurt (small bowl) and have it with your meals. It helps in reducing acid reflux and indigestion.
Sunburn Remedy: Take 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp olive oil, ¼ lemon juice. Combine all ingredients and apply on sunburn skin, leave for 10 minutes before rinsing with water.
Glowing Skin: 1tsp honey, 1 tsp aloe vera gel. Mix both and gently rub on the face for 15 minutes and rinse with cold water.
Perfect Hair Conditioner: Take ½ cup of honey, ¼ cup of olive oil and slightly warm it. Apply on your hair and allow to soak in by wrapping the hair with a towel, then wash your hair with cool water.
Face Mask for Acne: Take 2 tsp of fresh milk, 2 tsp of honey, fresh juice of one lemon, one tsp of yoghurt and lukewarm water. Thoroughly mix all ingredients and apply on face, wait for a few minutes, so that it can get dry. After 10 minutes rinse off your face with lukewarm water. Use this mask 2-3 times in a week and need to prepare fresh every time.
Strengthen Weak Nails: Mix one tablespoon honey with ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar in some shallow dish. Soak your nails for 10 minutes once in a week to make your nails strong.

Precautions: Always take it in cold or lukewarm water, not with hot water, as the temperature degrades some of the beneficial properties. Children below 12 months should not be made to consume honey due to the fear of botulism poisoning. People suffering from pollen or bee allergy should not consume it.

We hope this article helps you use honey to its optimum purpose! Is there a special way you use honey? Let us know in the comments below. To know more about other foods and nutrition, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to expert nutritionists on GOQii Play.

Stay home, stay safe, eat healthy and #BeTheForce

February 8, 2020 By GOQii Leave a Comment

How Akhil Minocha Made a Positive U-Turn!

We have always advocated that inculcating small healthy habits into your lifestyle can yield big results! There are so many stories of individuals who were fit during their childhood but as soon as they hit adulthood, their health and fitness took a turn for the worse. While most people continue living with illnesses and refuse to make changes, Akhil Minocha stepped up and turned his life around for the best!

Before Joining GOQii

Akhil Minocha, now 47, works for a corporate based out of Gurugram which requires frequent traveling. As a child, he was always lean. As he is from a Defence background, he was well involved in all kinds of sports and physical activities including horse riding. Even during his MBA days, he managed to stay lean and fit.

Akhil’s struggle with weight began right after he got married in 2001. By the time he moved to Gurugram in 2005, he was fairly obese. His entire focus during this time was work and being a complete foodie. He indulged in all sorts of unhealthy food. Frequent travels for work added to his appetite, driving him further into an unhealthy lifestyle.

Joining GOQii and Making the Change

As he had interacted with our founder and CEO Vishal Gondal during his IndiaGames days and was actively in touch with him via social media, he had joined GOQii in 2015 and had a coach assigned to him. However, due to his work and his own personal lack of interest, he did not take it seriously.

Around July 2019, everything changed for him. He was diagnosed as a pre-diabetic. Akhil Minocha was clear from the start that he did not want to start with allopathy. Instead, he opted for Ayurveda which wasn’t helping him at all. His family suggested that he switch to Allopathy before it gets worse.

All of this coincided with a change of his GOQii Coach. His new GOQii Coach was a blessing in disguise for him. She gave him an expert’s perspective on various ideas related to diet, fitness and lifestyle. He had done some studies on diet and she validated whether it was worth incorporating or not. For instance, he had started with the keto diet which clearly did not benefit him but made things worse as his LDL shot up due to increase in fat intake. His GOQii Coach discouraged him against going for such diets and rather focus on a balanced diet.

He began exercising regularly and now works out 6 times a week on an average even on his travelling days. As for his diet, he almost stopped the consumption of rice and wheat and substituted them with alternative grains such as Amaranth, Ragi, Bajra, Quinoa and sometimes a mix of any 2 of these. Recently, he modified his diet further by including greens.

He has also started including different varieties of millets. He basically changed the way his meal plate looked like – increasing the amount of salads and vegetables, increasing protein and reducing carbs. He also began eating a fruit every day along with a light dinner. Short walks after meals have become his favorite activity.

Akhil Minocha’s GOQii Coach also introduced him to intermittent fasting and asked him to follow the guidelines set by Master Coach Luke Coutinho for maximum benefit. By following this, he has cleared a lot of his misconceptions.

As of now, his vitals are in the normal range especially his HBA1C which has dropped to 5.6. Also, his postprandial blood sugar stands at 130mg/dL. He has reduced his weight from 87kg to 77kg in a period of 5 months which is remarkable. Since then, he has participated in a few marathons and has completed a 10k run.

How Akhil Minocha uses GOQii

He regularly messages his coach though he does miss updating logs. He also watches GOQii Play videos of Heena, Dr. Paramjeet and couple of other coaches as and when he finds the time. He actively buys products from the GOQii Health Store and recently ordered some supplements for himself and family which he claims to be very useful.

He firmly believes that you can make a difference if you take care of your diet and have a supportive coach to handhold you through the journey. He says you can benefit immensely from this platform if you are focused on your end goal. Akhil Minocha says GOQii is the most cost effective platform delivering value for money through its various features & services.

We hope Akhil continues on this journey to good health as you know, a healthy lifestyle is not a race, it is a marathon! Even you can make a positive U-turn in your life and change things for the better. For more inspiring stories, visit the Healthy Reads section within the GOQii App!

#LevelUp and #BeTheForce

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