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Nothing Is Difficult If You Try Wholeheartedly! Lijo Paul User Journey

Lijo Paul User Journey

Do you remember your early childhood? All the fun times playing with your friends, running around during recess or participating in sports activities? Childhood, for most of us, is a memorable experience where we recall fun, carefreeness and other fond experiences. On the contrary, for a few of us, childhood might not be the fondest of places in our memory. It was the same for Lijo Paul.

If you’re active on GOQii Play, there is absolutely no way you’ve not come across our player Lijo Paul. A few of you might have interacted with him at some point as well. Recently, we had a chance to speak to him and we’re about to share his story with you!

Early Childhood and Facing the Odds

At the age of 2, Lijo Paul was affected by Seizures. Although he was cured through medication, it wasn’t an easy road ahead. At 6, he was diagnosed with Asthma due to dust and cold. Due to this issue, he was unable to have a normal childhood.

He was unable to walk or run a mile. Climbing stairs was difficult and participating in sports was out of the question. He couldn’t play any games that required physical activity and had to follow a strict diet. In his words, “No kid would love to lead a life where he is unable to play sports or eat the food he likes.” Lijo was affected by sleeplessness as well due to Asthma.

Every doctor and specialist that Lijo visited suggested that he exercise but for him, it meant experiencing breathlessness the next day. He had to spend his childhood with medicines and inhalers. He was also affected by Typhoid twice and vomited blood for which he was on medication again.

After college, he took up a job that consumed 16 hours of his day. Due to this sedentary lifestyle, he developed belly fat and back pain. To combat this, he finally joined a gym but quit within 6 months after not being able to see any results.

Enter GOQii

After much turmoil, Lijo Paul came across GOQii through Axis Bank. Although he was apprehensive at first, he decided to give it a go and subscribed to GOQii in September 2018.

Lijo believed in a myth that healthy food is bland and you need to raw fruits and veggies to stay healthy. This myth was broken by his GOQii Coach who made him realize that losing fat and body weight isn’t about eating boring food but it is about eating the right things at the right time.

In his own words, Lijo said that, “I always troubled my coach with lots of doubts and questions but she ensured that I received proper and adequate knowledge on the topics. She also made sure that I don’t waste money on useless products and kept a frequent track of my food intake.”

His GOQii Coach kept a track of his water intake and began including a lot of fruits and vegetables to his diet. He consumes Apple Cider Vinegar in the morning and gyms for an hour. Green gram sprouts are his post-workout meal.

Since he initially found healthy food boring, his GOQii Coach suggested recipes to make his food more interesting. His initial notion of healthy food has changed drastically. He performs a mix of cardio and weight training, hitting 1 muscle group twice a week and has increased his protein intake as well.

While on GOQii, he tuned in to GOQii Play and followed it diligently. He began following Coach Aliya Imran and her 25-day challenge to lose belly fat.

Witnessing the Change

Within a period of 7 months, he has reduced his weight from 65kg to 60kg. Lijo has seen a drop of body fats from 25% to 12-15%. He can now perform any workout he likes. There has been much improvement in his breathing problem as well.

His confidence levels have sky-rocketed! Due to his awareness about fitness, he guides his friends, colleagues and family as well. In fact, he helped a colleague with PCOS, regularizing her periods and reducing her weight from 85kg to 76kg.

Along with his GOQii Coach, Lijo Paul credits his transformation to our GOQii Play coaches like Aliya Imran, Vishakha Sodha, Tufail Qureshi, Heena Bhimani, Suparna Mukherjee and others. The changes he has experienced from being unfit to fit have made him curious. In the future, he plans on doing a certification course and build a career in fitness.

Lijo Paul believes that it is all about the mindset; nothing is difficult if you do it wholeheartedly. Has Lijo’s story inspired you? Let us know in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

 

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Going Beyond The Challenge | Ravishankar User Journey

Ravi Shankar transformationWhat would life be without challenges? Challenges can either make us or break us and quite honestly, without a challenge, we would never grow. When life throws what seems like an insurmountable challenge at you, what do you do? Faced with a similar hurdle, Ravishankar Balasubramanian, 43, from Coimbatore decided to take control of his life, challenged himself and took a huge leap towards a healthier lifestyle.

The Challenge

Like most of us, Ravishankar led an active life throughout his school and college days. He used to play Volleyball but as time passed, he fell into a sedentary lifestyle due to work and other commitments. He was at an alarming 118kg. Deep down he knew he couldn’t live like this.

After consulting a doctor, he got to know that he had excess bad fats and needed medication to reduce it. This is when Ravishankar told his doctor that he doesn’t want to rely on medication. He challenged the doctor that he would lose weight naturally in 2 months. And so, his journey began!

Defying the Odds

Ravishankar immediately took to walking. He believed that with an obese body, one cannot perform many exercises. His initial goal became to lose the extra kilos. Through walking alone, he was able to shed 15kg. He knew this wasn’t enough and had to lose more weight. This is when he decided to get some help.

Enter GOQii

Around October 2018, Ravishankar began looking for a fitness tracker to measure his daily steps and activities. Initially, he was confused between the Mi Band and GOQii. Considering the pros and cons of both, he settled on GOQii because of the personalized live coaching feature. He hasn’t regretted his choice since!

Healthy Habits and Transformation

After taking stock of his goals, his GOQii Coach suggested that he continue walking and jogging. His GOQii Coach also introduced him to a few exercises he could practice. In addition, she asked him to start with pre and post workout meals. Initially, Ravishankar was unaware of its importance but decided to trust his coach. Now, it is a regular part of his day.

His coach guided him on his eating habits. He was strictly asked to avoid junk food and go for good proteins. She explained in detail as to why he should follow these habits. This motivated him to be consistent with them.

His sleeping habits improved a lot after inputs from his coach. He started drinking buttermilk with dinner and hot milk before bed. When Ravishankar traveled abroad for work, his coach was sure to follow up regularly by asking him to send pictures of his plate to know what and how much he was eating. She also ensured that he followed the habits she had set for him.

His GOQii Coach suggested workouts to improve his running style and to recover from injuries. Now, he runs a minimum of 30km a day. He does this by running 2.5 hours in the morning and at night after work, he goes for a walk, followed by jogging and running. He plans to run a marathon next year and is training vigorously to achieve this goal.

Inspiration and Active Sunday Champion

Today, Ravishankar Balasubramanian weighs around 80kg and is motivating people around him to do the same! He is an Active Sunday Champion and heads the sessions in Coimbatore. He guides his participants and is a continuous source of inspiration for them.

India Steps Challenge

Within two weeks of the challenge starting, Ravishankar had already referred 100 members and increased his daily cap to 36,000 steps. Without losing a beat, he began walking and clocking in 36k steps and more on a daily basis. He is one of the first few individuals to claim the OnePlus 6T as a reward in the India Steps Challenge.

Ravishankar’s journey to weight loss and his determination to dive further into health and fitness is a source of inspiration for us all. From something as simple as walking, he has transformed his life for the better. Now, he has a dedicated team that walks, runs and exercises with him. Through walking alone, he has started a collective movement!

He believes that if he can do it, so can you!

What Did Ravishankar’s GOQii Coach Have to Say About Him?

“In his health journey to reduce weight and belly fat, we decided to stick to a routine of structured workout cardio, strength training and lifestyle modification with a focus on  balanced food, sound sleep and managing stress in a positive way.

When he approached me with the willingness to participate in the India Steps Challenge, I was was very happy to see his excitement and zest towards it. We formulated a pattern where he could train, take part in the challenge and at the same time stay injury and stress free too.

With a constant monitoring of his workout, nutrition and sleeping pattern, today, he has achieved his target and a healthier lifestyle at the same time. I wish him a very happy and healthy life forever.”

#BeTheForce

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Overcoming the Odds! Aliya Imran’s Journey to Fitness

overcoming the odds Aliya Imran

How many times have we come across movies or a television drama series where the protagonist defies all the odds, overcomes challenges and despite all the insurmountable hurdles, wins? We can’t ignore the obvious catharsis we feel and the emotional bonds we form with a protagonist’s journey. We can’t deny the overwhelming sense of joy we experience at their eventual success.

While we all love rooting for a beloved fictional character, we need to remember that there are real heroes out there who face their own struggles head on and emerge victorious. One such hero is none other than our GOQii Play Coach Aliya Imran.

Born in Mumbai, Aliya Imran spent some years in the city and then shifted to Vadodara. Although her schooling was normal, she did not experience a peaceful childhood. Despite her emotionally challenging circumstances, she was a healthy child. At the age of 13, Aliya was diagnosed with jaundice. It was so severe that no doctor was willing to admit her in their hospital. Stress coupled with a weak immune system triggered Vitiligo (A disease that causes the loss of skin colour in blotches) which became a permanent feature. Her Vitiligo increased and decreased with her stress levels.

She married at the age of 19, moved to Gurugram and completed her graduation. The trauma from a miscarriage at the age of 22 further aggravated her Vitiligo, causing it to spread all over her hands and face. She delivered her first child in 2009. Her weight had then increased to 79 kg. After being blessed with a second child in 2011, her weight further increased to 85 kg. Her Vitiligo issue hadn’t gotten any better.

She faced discrimination due to her Vitiligo issue. One such instance was during a pilgrimage with her family, a woman serving herself some food beside her threw the plate and walked away in disgust after looking at Aliya’s Vitiligo patches. By the end of 2013, she returned to Mumbai. At this point in time, Aliya felt completely hopeless about her weight gain issue as well as her skin condition. Something had to be done!

Becoming the Change

One fine day, she decided that she had enough! She thought to herself, “If I can’t fix Vitiligo, let me at least fix my weight!” She immediately joined a gym nearby. Not wasting a moment, she sat on the Spinning Bike and started spinning with vengeance! She didn’t have a clue about exercise or fitness and there was no one to guide her either. She just went with whatever caught her attention.

Soon enough, she began running along with working out. She performed high intensity cardio with a day’s rest, never skipped a single gym day for 3 months and managed to reduce 9 kg. Later, she returned to Gurugram, joined a college and completed an Interior Designing course. She joined a gym there as well. Obsessed with fitness, she used to do stair exercises before hitting the gym. Her family members and friends thought she had gone crazy but that didn’t stop her.

She slowly began weight training. She used to have only one meal a day without realizing that it was a fasting method. After attending one of GOQii Master Coach Luke Coutinho’s sessions, she found out that what she had been doing was Intermittent Fasting. This further encouraged her to fine tune her eating habits. She strictly avoided junk and outside foods and sought a high protein diet.

By the end of 2014, she weighed only 50 kg. She had lost 25 kg in a year without going on any crash diet. She achieved this through mindful eating and intense physical activity only. This gave a tremendous boost to her self-confidence, especially when her college and neighborhood acquaintances commented on her physique and unbelievable age.

One such instance of the boost in her confidence was when she was discriminated again for her skin condition. It was at a spa when an attendant refused to touch her. This was a similar situation as before but only this time, Aliya stood up for herself. Her confidence was sky high, never to be deterred again.

Passion, Determination and Success

Around this time, gym instructors suggested that she take up fitness as a profession. They were convinced that she would be a success considering her dedication and hunger for fitness. Taking their advice, she completed her Zumba certification in 2016 and also got a spinning license. Between 2015-2016, she achieved professional success, accolades and was sought by leading gyms in Gurugram to join them as an instructor.

Aliya Imran shifted to Mumbai in 2017. She completed a few more certifications which included Pilates Training License and Reebok Training. Aliya also completed a certification in Personal Training and Nutrition from Dubai. She opened a home studio and began taking in clients, both from India and abroad.

In 2018, she acquired a Master Functional Training certification by ACE. Later that year, in September, she came to GOQii. She identified with the GOQii ideology that thrives on guiding and motivating people to lead a healthier lifestyle. The rest is history! Since joining GOQii Play as a coach, Aliya has had 1,734.3k views, 1,231k likes and has 183,347 players who have enrolled for her class! If that’s not amazing, then what is?

It wasn’t an easy journey to have come this far. She had to constantly maintain her weight from 2014 to 2019, improvise on her own fitness and at the same time bring variety and content to her clients. Aliya Imran attributes her success to her persistent efforts, her never-say-die attitude and the will to change without getting bogged down by limitations. She also thanks God for the tremendous support she has received from her family and her husband for motivating her.

We all face hurdles from time to time. If you have faced similar issues, know that there is always a way you can beat your circumstances and emerge as the best version of yourself!

Does this story inspire you? Are you motivated to move? Join Aliya Imran’s fun-fueled, energy-driven classes exclusively on GOQii Play. Download the app now: www.goqii.com/app

#BeTheForce

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Decoding Autism and ADHD

 

You have probably seen movies such as Dustin Hoffman starred ‘Rainman’ and Shah Rukh Khan’s My Name is Khan. In both the films, the male lead protagonists play an autistic adult. Dyslexia, also an issue of learning disorder was beautifully talked about in ‘Amir Khan’s ‘Taare Zameer Par’.  Movies are the best way for common people to understand these medical conditions. Today, on World Autism day, we have tried to decode both Autism and ADHD. 

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can seem similar. Adults and children with these conditions have a problem focusing. They can be impulsive or have a hard time communicating. These individuals are intelligent and only different than the others and in many ways special.

Autism and ADHD are neurodevelopmental disorders that impact the same brain functions. Studies have shown that two-thirds of the total affected children with ADHD show autism symptoms too. There is a thin line of difference between their characteristic symptoms, let’s learn about them in detail.

AUTISM – The Isolated Self

The word Autism is derived from a Greek word, ‘autos’ which means ‘self’. Autism can be diagnosed in children as early as 2 years of age and as late as 6-7 years of age. Each autistic child may show different symptoms. You cannot really categorise them into one. It is one of the syndromes that fall under the range of autism spectrum disorders.

Here are some of the distinct characteristics to look out for in an autistic child:

  • They find difficulty in communicating with others
  • They prefer to sit alone or play alone. Finds difficult to make friends.
  • Sensory Dysfunction – cannot stand loud noises, strong smell or flavour.
  • Repetitive Behaviour- Doing or saying the same things over and over again. For example, constantly clap hands.

The cause of Autism is largely genetic. So if diagnosed from start and treated well then it effectively reduces the symptoms.

How Do You Treat Autism?

– Most diagnosis is by the age of 2. Hence, an overall approach therapy- occupational, behavioural, medical, dietary and physical would help them to cope with the environment and other children better.

– Being oversensitive to touch, taste and sight, they tend to become picky eaters. They prefer to eat only a particular food item over and over again making them nutritional deficit. These deficits need to be addressed through supplements under the guidance of a doctor.

– Expose them to different varieties of the same food item. For example, if they eat apple jam, then the child will be open to trying apple pie or apple as a whole fruit.

– Usually, they are sensitive to foods containing casein (milk, paneer, curd), gluten (wheat, barley, oats) or preservatives (packaged food items). Try to eliminate these items one at a time and observe how they respond.

– Once the sensitivity is known, use substitutes for it. For example, in the case of casein, substitute their milk/paneer requirements with soybean milk/ tofu respectively.

– Gut health is compromised with a condition known as Leaky Gut (i.e. Gut is permeable to toxins and bacteria as they get absorbed or “leak” into the bloodstream). Long term studies have shown that bacteria B. Fragilis aids recovery from leaky gut and reduces the autistic syndrome.

– Medical therapy is important. The drugs that are given will not cure autism but will reduce anxiety and depression in the child. This will improve their learning and communication skills and make them more friendly and open.

ADHD

ADHD is seen in both children and adults. It is usually difficult to identify in children before the age of 5. This is because being inattentive and hyperactive are normal traits shown by any toddler or child.

Its symptoms may or may not stand out clearly. Some of the symptoms include:

  • Cannot focus on one task for a long time
  • Difficulty in paying attention in class or in any given activity or discussion
  • Always needs to move around. Cannot sit at one place.
  • Usually responds or answers back without thinking much/ Impulsive behaviour

Along with behavioural therapy, diet also plays an important role in managing ADHD. Studies have shown that a diet high in sugar worsens the hyperactive trait in ADHD children. This is because sugars provide instant energy to the brain, so they tend to overthink, overreact more.

A well-balanced diet including veggies, fruits, complex carbs like high fibre cereals and more of proteins will slowly help in easing the symptoms.

Below is the list of foods to be avoided and included-

Foods to be AVOIDED Foods to be INCLUDED
High sugar-containing foods like candies, cakes, cookies, sweetened chocolates Dark chocolates loaded with berries,

Homemade date (Khajur) rolls or pieces of almonds, raisins. Homemade carrot halwa, sheera

Fried Chips, wafers, ready to eat noodles Roasted Indian snacks like Chivda, bhel.

Plain or less of butter made popcorn.

Roasted peanuts and yellow channa.

Finger foods like sautee paneer, ragi wafers
Flavoured cereals- cornflakes, milk powder mixes. Plain cornflakes – add In bananas, berries.

Dates milkshake, fruit smoothies, yoghurt
Tetra pack fruit juices, colas, soda beverages Cut fruits and make popsicles out of it
Refined products like maida based pasta, pizzas, burgers, junk items Choose whole wheat pizzas with more veggie toppings, make up a salad of the kids choice of veggies and fruits, present veggies inside a chapati roll.

There is no cure for autism and ADHD, but early intervention using skills-training and behaviour modification can yield excellent results.

To understand Autism better, tune into GOQii Play Coach Divya Thampi’s class on ‘Common Myths about Autism Spectrum Disorder‘ tonight at 8:30 PM on the GOQii App.

 

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