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2016 Report Card: Karma activities at GOQii

 

Oxfam Trailwalk

GOQii has been working with Non-profit organizations as its Karma partners in promoting and spreading awareness for different causes. Karma activities are also based on the premise that doing Karma keeps you healthy. Just to reiterate inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s journey of 390 KM, for every 390 steps tracked through your GOQii activity tracker band, you earn one Karma point. These points are then converted into monetary donations that is donated to charity sponsored by our Karma partner.

It’s been two successful years now and we have charities listed on the GOQii app that are successfully funded by the Donor partners.

Here are two recent causes that we have contributed to.

Millions of children in India go to bed hungry because their parents/guardians are not able to purchase food for them. Most of them drop out from schools so that they can help their parents and supplement the family income.

Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust’s-Food for Education Program distributes free food prepared at our kitchens on a daily basis, to poor children if they attend any formal or non-formal educational class. It thus combines food with education-we now have a child who is educated and well fed also. The programme has been very effective in arresting the drop-out rate in schools.

Ratna Nidhi’s food has been treated by the beneficiaries as “Homely Balanced and Tasty”. Not for profit, the food has a flavour of compassion, and tender loving care.

As of today, the organisation feeds more than 4500 Children daily through its approximately 50 centres all over Mumbai including the suburbs. The Mid Day Meal is cooked at the Food Center by the special team of cooks under Ratna Nidhi’s representatives’ direct supervision.

The food partners are identified carefully and after the detailed need evaluation. These are generally Non-aided vernacular schools who do not qualify for the Govt. Mid-Day-Meal, Pre-schools in Urban Areas, Night schools who do not receive any of the welfare benefits and Street Children NGO’s who provide shelter.

The meals are packed for various partner schools and Balwadis. A special delivery system ensures that the food reaches the children by lunch time on a daily basis.

A simple meal for children each day that improves nourishment, increase weight, boosted attentiveness in class and ensures a healthy educated future.

Empowering Women against Violence:-

Moving from children let us now talk of women empowerment. After children, it’s the women who get abused the most and hence empowering women against violence is paramount.

How often have you come across a story in the newspapers or television about violence against women? Every day is the answer. Violence against women and girls is a bitter reality in India. As many as one-third of women and girls in the age group 15-49 have experienced physical violence, about one in 10 have experienced some form of sexual violence [Source: National Family Health Survey Round III (2005-2006)].

Yet, violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, is unavoidable. Many of us think and justify that violence by intimate partners is normal, and therefore acceptable. We need to change this very thinking that normalises violence against women and girls. We all have a role in preventing such violence.

The story of a 9 year old girl Mynah, who was married to a 20-year-old man, is an example to stand up against violence. Her husband repeatedly subjected her to intimate partner violence. After hearing of her experience, counsellors of Oxfam India advised Mynah to file a case under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. Mynah took the brave decision to take control of her life. She continued with her studies, with the court’s intervention, she has got compensation. She has also remarried according to her own wish.

Oxfam India programmes are currently active in the six focus states of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.

Oxfam India has been working to reduce the acceptance of violence against women and girls. They have reached out to more than 42,000 women to end violence in their lives and established 23 support centres within formal and informal locations to provide psycho-social counselling and legal aid to women facing this issue in their lives.

Together, we need to make sure that perceptions, attitudes and behaviours towards women and girls change so that gender-based discrimination comes to an end. With your help, this is what Oxfam India hopes to achieve in the future through supporting women like Mynah.

What has GOQii been doing in the Karma space in the last two years?

Here are some of the activities that we have conducted for players as well as our employees in the last two years…..

One of the biggest on ground Karma event that we are a part of is the 100 KM Oxfam Trailwalk where GOQii players and employees participate and walk 100 km to raise awareness and support a cause.

Part from this we have had regular activities in GOQii office. This year we had a session with Greensole, a social venture that collects discarded shoes, refurbishes them and makes comfortable footwear for the underprivileged.

We also did something interesting this Christmas. While last year we went to a home that housed children with Cancer and spent few hours with the kids by playing and dancing with them, this year we celebrated Christmas in the most unique way. GOQii employees played secret santa to orphaned children of an orphanage in Chembur and also employees pledged for various basic commodities like Rice, dal, wheat, Oil etc and donated to the orphanage.

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7 trends in Health and Wellness that we can look forward to in 2017

Health and Wellness

The year 2016, was a year of healthy living which became a huge trend and will continue to be so in the coming year. All this was because the trend in wearable technology took centre stage in 2016. In fact, the year 2016 could be termed as the year of wearable technology that brought along with it healthy living. Healthy living in turn saw the influx of usage of cold pressed oils, Apple Cider Vinegar, drinking Matcha (a new form of Green tea derived from the Japanese tencha leaf and then stone ground into a bright green fine powder) and few other foods that are slowly becoming more of a fad.

Let us look at 7 emerging trends in Health and Wellness in 2017

  • The use of Curcumin or Turmeric: Popping Curcumin tabs or drinking turmeric curd or milk is a big trend that is being witnessed across the world. For Indians, Turmeric has been an age old remedy for aches and pains. But, in recent times it is being prescribed as an anti-inflammatory food and is slowly being integrated into one’s lifestyle and diet.
  • Super Foods: Super Foods are becoming part of daily regular diet. Two years ago, Quinoa, flax seeds, Melon seeds, Pumpkin seeds and Kale were considered exotic and difficult to find in supermarkets. Now however, these super foods have become staples for many and is part of regular daily diet of many. However, a disclaimer form my side is buy these only if required and not because it’s a growing trend and a fad to eat them.
  • Wellness retreats: Since people have taken to healthy living, their holiday habits are also changing. They are thinking of going for wellness spa holidays, or meditation and yoga retreats in the mountains or go to pure wellness centers that is built amidst nature for detox. People are taking off for a week to be in complete solace with themselves and soak in the good aspects of life and bring in a discipline in their life. However, it needs to be seen how one is able to sustain this lifestyle once they are out of the retreat and back to their normal and routine life
  • Healthy Gupshups: Being conscious of their health many have taken to talking healthy as well. All those who have experienced healthy lifestyle and leading one are becoming influencers and trying to get their near and dear ones to also see the change and adapt a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise, eating well, sleep and good rest. A whole new community of healthy living influencers are emerging all around us. Healthy Gupshups over good clean food, events, and workshops are coming into action. It’s amazing to gather with like-minded people to exchange healthy recipes, finding balance in your life, fitness, etc and this is only here to stay for the long term as people are getting more conscious.
  • Healthy Cocktails and Shots: For all those health conscious souls who also like their alcohol once in a way during a social gathering are now opting for healthy cocktails and shots made of healthy natural juices and drinking more responsibly.
  • Sitting is the new Smoking so walk 10,000 steps daily: If smoking was not bad enough to kill you, here is another lethal habit that can kill you-‘Sitting’. Sitting is known to increase belly fat which in turn is a recipe for disaster as it directly injures the heart. Hence, clocking 10,000 steps on a daily basis has been proved to be good and medically too doctors have accepted that this should be the daily norm.
  • Positive thinking: The quest to live healthy is also leading many to think positively in life. They are finding way to look good and care for themselves.

So if you are not on the health path, then the coming year is your chance to walk this path. Watch out for these trends and adopt those that you think suits you and always stay positive and happy.

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Be a happy and healthy eater

DE8AB426-13ED-4809-968D-650F639D3F41-9315-00001128AD2CB366_tmpWeekend is getaway time with our family, friends or colleagues. Some people think after doing strenuous workouts and crash dieting it’s time to relax over the weekend and relaxing means literally binging on outside food. More often than not, the thought process is –‘its only today so let me indulge…..I will make up for this binging over the week by sipping a meal or two’.

When Monday arrives, they are guilty of having indulged over the weekend. One needs to stop and notice these chain of events. There has to be a change in the behavior. Individuals’ need to realize that indulging in binge eating for two days and then feeling guilty and trying to rectify the situation does not work.

Hence it is said that ‘Mindful Eating’ is a must and the best solution. Mindful eating teaches us to simply observe thoughts, feelings and cravings for food. It enable us to change our behavior while we maintain our sanity and happiness

Here are Some Mindful eating tips-–

  • Multi-tasking while eating or watching television while eating always causes distraction or causes hurried eating. So switch off your phone, TV and Computer before eating.
  • Preferably adopt the cross legged posture Or sit At your usual dining place.
  • Try to eat sitting cross legged. You can do this even while sitting on a chair. Sitting cross legged on the floor and eating meals is an age old technique from our grandma’s days. (This helps to blood flow to the stomach area)
  • Calm your mind and body then start eating your meal. When your mind is calm and composed, you release the right amount of digestive juices which gives you better digestion.
  • If you are stressed or guilty while eating -stress hormone called cortisol is released which lowers our metabolic rate, prevent fat burning and help convert food to fat.
  • Take deep breath, calm yourself and get settled before eating.

While Eating-

  • Don’t be in a rush while eating and try to get up fast.
  • Start eating (preferably with your hands) and eat slowly.
  • Chew your food slowly
  • Use your entire mouth and do not just chew from 1 side of your Jaw.
  • While you still have food in your mouth don’t pick up another morsel from your plate.
  • Keeping food ready in your hands or in a spoon means you are eating fast and will ultimately this could lead to overeating.
  • Eat with your senses and think about how the food is nourishing you from within.
  • Savor every bit of what you eat, slowly and mindfully and you will naturally find your threshold. So be silence and attentive while you eat.
  • Prepare Food in smaller quantity. If number of People are less it helps to prepare lesser quantity and better by retaining nutrient value.
  • Always eat food that is freshly prepared. One should consume food within 3 hours of Cooking.
  • Don’t deep freeze cooked food.
  • Try eating with your non-dominant hand. If you’re a righty, hold your fork in your left hand when lifting food to your mouth whenever you eat outside in restaurant or party
  • Whenever you get the craving for a sweet – before opening the fridge or cabinet for the same, take a deep breath and ask yourself, “Am I really hungry?” Do something else, like reading or going on a short walk as that will help you to avoid any emotional extra eating under stress.

Let’s start to enjoy eating food rather than think of it as a task to complete. Remind the body of its own intelligence and its ability to self-regulate for you! Cultivate a sustainable, balanced and healthy approach to the way we eat, the way we look, and the way we live.

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10 health care tips for a shift worker

vegi-protein

Shift workers as we know them are people who work through the night. But, ideally, it is not so. Anyone who works outside a steady 9 to 5 schedule is considered a shift worker. Working in shifts has become more prevalent in the last few years thanks to the numerous BPOs that have started across the country. Anyone working in shift goes through serious psychological and physiological changes that give rise to health issues

Working in a shift can have a serious impact both in the short and long term. Short term symptoms are equivalent to symptoms faced by individuals who have had a long flight, or a late night at work these include Gastrointestinal symptoms like upset stomach, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and heartburn, Increased risk of injuries and accidents, Insomnia, decreased the quality of life and general feeling of being unwell.

Long-term effects are much serious and these include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. A Japanese study found that shift workers — specifically, those who worked 16-hour shifts — had a 50% higher incidence of diabetes than those who work during the day for normal hours.Metabolic syndrome is a combination of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, obesity, and unhealthy cholesterol levels. These lead to diabetes, heart attacks, and stroke. Apart from these individuals working in shifts are prone to obesity, mood swings and depression and serious gastrointestinal problems. 

Here are 10 healthcare tips for individuals working in shifts:

  • Take an hour or so to relax after work, whether it is day or nighttime. Relaxing music or a warm bath will help.
  • Eat meals at the same time each day seven days a week. This schedule helps maintain the body’s clock.
  • Eat high protein foods (egg whites, peanut butter on crackers, roasted nuts etc) to keep you alert. If you simply must eat some sweets, which tend to make you sleepy, do so at the END of your shift.
  • Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages before bedtime. Although the sedative effect helps you fall asleep, it tends to wear off in 2 – 3 hours and causes disturbed sleep in the latter half of the night.
  • Avoid coffee, tea, colas, and other caffeine drinks, which interfere with sleep. During a coffee break, drink orange juice and walk around. Physical activity promotes wakefulness.
  • Avoid going to bed on an empty stomach. If you don’t feel like eating much, try a glass of milk or dairy products, which promote sleep.Keep the temperature in your bedroom cool, not cold.
  • Darken bedroom or wear comfortable eyeshades. Eyes are sensitive to light even when the lids are closed, preventing you from falling asleep or getting consolidated sleep.
  • Block out daytime noises, which can disturb deep restful sleep. Use comfortable sponge ear plugs or “white noise” electrical devices such as fans, air conditioners, or a quiet tape.
  • Exercise, at least, every other day AFTER sleep. Daytime sleepers should avoid early morning exercise, which can promote wakefulness during the day.
  • Beware of certain medication. Avoid prolonged use of sleeping pills and other sedatives, which interfere with normal sleep patterns. Beware of cold and allergy medications which have sleep-related side effects. Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) has a stimulating effect and antihistamines (Dristan) can cause drowsiness.

Follow these tips and bring a permanent shift in your lifestyle. Get healthy and fit.

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