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COVID Care: Managing Stress

managing stressAs COVID is raging all around us, I see a surge in stress levels on HRA scores, indicating that people are not managing stress effectively. I also receive messages like “This is too hard for me to cope with”, “What will happen in the future?” showing higher than usual levels of general anxiety and stress amongst us all. During a crisis like this, it is common for everyone to experience increased levels of anxiety and distress particularly due to social isolation, fear of the unknown and concern regarding the health of oneself and a loved one.

The tell tale sign of a spiraling high stress/anxiety levels are:

  • Feelings of fear, frustration, sadness, worry or anger that doesn’t go away with tried methods of managing stress
  • Changes in appetite levels, energy levels, desires and interests
  • Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
  • Overthinking, difficulty in sleeping or nightmares
  • Physical response, such as headaches, body pains, stomach problems, and skin rashes
  • Worsening of chronic health problems
  • Worsening of mental health conditions
  • Increased use of tobacco, alcohol, and other substances

Tips For Managing Stress Levels 

Learning to cope with high stress levels in a healthy way is the need of the hour. I am listing some suggestions below that might help you or your dear ones in managing the current crisis on an emotional level.

  1. Feel free to feel your feelings: Do not bottle up, share your thoughts with people you trust. If you are in isolation, find ways to talk to your loved ones using internet/telephonic services. Share your thoughts/feelings with your GOQii coach if need be.
  2. Manage your expectations: Go easy on yourself. It’s okay if chores are pending, office work or a report is pending. Be realistic in what you can do in a day. Do not overwhelm yourself by your own thoughts of comparison with past productivity and your worries of the future.  
  3. Set a routine: Eat well, exercise well, sleep well, meditate once a day or unwind by doing something you enjoy like card games, painting, playing an instrument, reading a book or watching a comic series, you get the idea right? Just stay away from social media and constant news related to the virus, and follow a routine. A healthy routine is a human’s best friend.
  4. Stay in the present: Manage uncertainty by staying in the present. Think about the next one hour at max. Over dwelling on thoughts of the future, even thoughts  of tomorrow, can cause you more fear related to uncertainty. So stay in the present – use mindfulness meditation techniques which are proven to be very effective.  
  5. If health is your major reason for stress, please know that the human body is wonderfully capable of healing itself. Time is the best healer. So hang in there and give your body time to recover. Having said that, do not undermine the need for medical assistance when an emergency arises. If your symptoms warrant you to seek medical attention, please meet your treating doctor at the earliest. Remember, you have sailed through many health crises in the past (a bruised knee, a broken leg, a tooth extraction, a stye in the eye and so on), reassure yourself that you’ll sail through this as well. 
  6. Stay in the company of positive people OR be the positive influencer for people around you. Believe in the power of positive emotions such as kindness, honesty, contentment. These emotions improve our immunity, which as you know, is our main warrior when dealing with a virus. Give hope to anyone who you know is recovering from the viral infection. Just a few words of hope can do more good than you can imagine.     
  7. Accept and let go: When it becomes really tough, breathe deeply, use the mantra “this too shall pass” and learn to let go.

Not everything from the above might be applicable to you, so go as per your ability. I hope and sincerely do, you will not let yourself be vulnerable in these current times – physically nor emotionally! Wishing our world a quick recovery!

For more on managing stress or any COVID-related article, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Stay safe, manage your stress and #BeTheForce 

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Healthy Eating: The Ultimate Winter Soup

ultimate winter soup

With everyone seeking to build their immunity, especially due to the change in weather and the ongoing pandemic, eating the right food is quite essential to our wellbeing. There is nothing that fuels your body with the right nutrients and warms your soul like the way soup does. So here’s the delicious Ultimate Winter Soup that’s loaded with the goodness of vegetables, herbs and protein.

What You Will Need 

  • Finely chopped onion – ½ cup
  • Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
  • Finely chopped carrot – ¼ cup
  • Finely chopped sweet potato – ¼ cup
  • Chopped french beans – ½ cup
  • Finely chopped tomato – ½ cup
  • Soft boiled chick peas – 1 cup
  • Vegetable broth/ water – 5 cups
  • Coriander – ½ cup
  • Oil – 2 tbsp
  • Salt 
  • Black pepper powder – ½ tsp
  • Red chilli paste – 1 tsp
  • Turmeric – ½ tsp

How To Prepare

  1. Heat a pan and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and allow it to sauté until soft.
  2. Then add the ginger garlic paste, give it a quick stir and allow it to cook for a minute.
  3. Add the carrot, french beans & sweet potato. Let them cook for 2 minutes.
  4. Now add the vegetable broth or water and partially cover the pan with the lid and allow the veggies to cook.
  5. After 10 mins, once you see the carrots are tender, add the tomato and mix everything well. Add the turmeric and salt during this time.
  6. In another small bowl, mash the chick peas with a fork and transfer it to the soup pan. Also add the coriander, red chilli paste and black pepper at the same time. Give it a quick mix and let it cook for 5 more minutes.
  7. Time to serve the hot colorful looking soup and enjoy.

Note: Instead of chickpeas, you can use any pulse of your choice like chana, sprouts, mung, etc. 

Highlights of the Ultimate Winter Soup

  • An absolute delight for your body, it will boost immunity, heat you up and clear your throat. 
  • Very fulfilling due to the use of a variety of seasonal vegetables. 
  • Great for people healing from any type of viral infections.

We hope you enjoy this Ultimate Winter Soup! Do share your thoughts with us in the comments below. For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Eat healthy and #BeTheForce 

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Reimagining Corporate Wellness after COVID-19

corporate wellnessThe impact of COVID-19 and the measures taken by organizations to contain it were unprecedented. Work from home, following guidelines, and a hybrid working model were few of the changes that we saw in our work life. With offices slowly opening up, additional measures need to be taken to ensure that employees are safe and healthy. 

Reimagining Corporate Wellness 

Here are some measures corporations can take to ensure that their employees are happy and healthy! 

  1. Access to On and Off-site Fitness: After spending over a year working from home, everyone needs to move! The couch potato lifestyle doesn’t cut it. Having an effective program or access to activities that incentivise movement in the form of walking, yoga and exercise can greatly benefit the health of everyone in the organization. 
  2. Challenges: There’s no better way to improve team spirit and camaraderie than issuing challenges that help employees bond after spending months working in isolation. 
  3. Promoting Healthy Eating: Proper nutrition plays a big role in building immunity. Good health begins from the gut. Knowing what to eat, the timing, portion sizes, healthy snacking options, etc. can go a long way in improving health and avoiding unwanted sickness. 
  4. Focus On Mental Health: Introducing meditation techniques can help employees beat stress, anxiety and help them clear their heads and focus better on their assigned tasks. Given the stress of work and the looming pandemic, mindfulness practices like deep breathing can help a person relax and be more present. 

How Can The GOQii Corporate Challenge Help? 

The GOQii Corporate Challenge, a 60 day inter-corporate challenge, where corporations can get their employees to participate on an individual, team and corporate level, can significantly improve employee health, engagement, team spirit and performance at work! 

The challenge consists of a 30 day steps challenge, daily social media spot challenges and also includes daily fitness sessions starting with yoga, health talks and workout sessions that can help improve the overall health of an individual.

What’s In It For A Corporation? 

  • Remote Fitness: As places are still not completely open, it can be difficult to take your employees off-site for team building activities. More so, the cost to the company reduces as you might have to hire external trainers, book a venue, et al. GOQii has the tech and resources to take this entire module from on-site to online where your employees can train with certified experts, take guidance for nutrition, sleep, stress management and more in real time. 
  • Incentivizing Participation: By participating in the GOQii Corporate Challenge, 1 in 4 players stands a chance to win exciting prizes such as hotel stays, luxury watches, smart phones, gadgets and exclusive merchandise that can incentivize employee engagement. 
  • Healthy Employees: With various activities that promote healthy habits, you can be sure that your employees will be healthier. It increases individual accountability which in turn reflects on their work and productivity.  

You can register your corporation and get on board starting 13th December. Let’s improve and reimagine corporate wellness together! For more information and to sign up, check: https://gcc.goqii.com/ 

#BeTheForce 

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Foods That Weaken the Immune System

immune systemDo you experience high amounts of stress, get irritated by little things, aren’t able to concentrate on work, suffer from digestive disturbances or have a cold more often than usual? In fact, do your wounds take more time to heal than normal? Frequent infections? Do you feel tired all the time? All this could be due to a weak immune system!

Immunity is a balanced state of multicellular organisms having adequate defence to fight infection, disease or other unwanted biological invasion while also avoiding allergies and other autoimmune disease. The immune system also keeps a record of every microbe it has defeated so it can recognise and destroy the microbe if it enters the body again.

Bone marrow and thymus form the primary immune system and spleen, tonsils, lymph vessels, lymph nodes, adenoids, skin and liver form the secondary immune system.

  • Bone marrow: helps produce white blood cells (T cells, B cells) which defend the body against infectious disease and foreign materials.
  • Thymus: Situated at the base of the neck is most active in the neonatal and preadolescent period of development.

One of the best ways to build immunity is through nutrition. There are many foods that help us improve the immune system but there are also foods which can weaken it. During this Coronavirus pandemic, it has become increasingly important to take care of ourselves and build our immune system! In order to do that, we must avoid consuming things which can lower or harm our immunity levels. 

Foods That You Must Avoid

1. Soda and Carbonated Beverages
This includes sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose, which are all harmful to the immune system. These ingredients reduce levels of beneficial bacteria in your gut and have an adverse effect on glucose metabolism which has an extended effect on how well our body responds to potential threats.

Solution: Choose water with few slices of fruits if you do not like having plain water or choose green tea with lemon which has good antioxidants. Drink green Tea in moderation.

2. Processed Foods and Refined Carbs
The large number of calories in processed food may lead to health problems such as increased inflammation, reduced control of infection, increased rates of cancer, and increased risk for allergic and auto-inflammatory disease by changing the balance of bacteria in our gut – all of which weaken the immune system

Solution: Include whole grain healthy snacks which are baked or roasted and not deep fried

3. Foods & Drinks High in Sugar
Drinks high in sugar spike insulin levels which spike cortisol and suppress the immune system. Unwanted bacteria thrive on sugar and the more sugar they have to feed on, the safer they grow, which will outnumber beneficial bacteria. This can have a negative effect on our mood, blood sugar levels and immune function. Increased sugar intake makes it difficult for the body to absorb Vitamin C, which eventually decreases immunity levels

Solution: Choose whole foods and natural sweeteners like honey which promote growth of healthy gut bacteria

4. Alcoholic Beverages
Drinking alcoholic beverages affects hormones by disrupting the circadian rhythm. As sleep is closely connected to the immune system, changes in circadian rhythm can make one feel unwell by having a negative effect on the immune system.

Solution: Alternate alcohol drinks with water or choose healthy snacks to have with alcohol to limit intake of alcohol.

5. Caffeine
Increased intake of caffeine (present in coffee and coffee products) boosts cortisol levels which reduces your immunity levels. Regular increased intake of caffeine reduces the number of T cells which are responsible for destroying the infected cells of the body.

Solution: Switch to low caffeine beverage and keep check on your intake of caffeine rich foods

 6. Refined Oil
Oil can be incredibly healthy, providing much-needed fatty acids like omega-3 and vitamin E but only when they’re produced the right way. Refined oils go through a lot of heat processing which destroys the nutrients that we derive from fats. Eating food cooked in refined oils leads to production of free radicals that damage the tissues and cause temporary inflammation.

Solution: Switch to cold pressed oils and filtered oils which go through less or no heat processing, keeping the nutrients intact.

 7. Junk Foods
Foods high in fat, sugar and low on fiber other than creating cravings, also destroys the immune system. The body responds to fast foods the same way it responds to an infection. The moment one consumes fast food our body identifies it as a threat and starts attacking faster than usual as it would react to a bacterial infection. These repeated reactions of the body leads to development of diabetes and heart diseases.

Solution: Choose healthy homemade snacks which have no added namkeen/crispies or are fried in healthy oils 

We hope that this article helps you remain healthy during this time. It is crucial to keep our immunity levels in check and avoid foods that can destroy it. 

For tips on how to build your immunity, read more articles on Healthy Reads. To get these tips directly from your GOQii Coach, subscribe to personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr  

Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! 

#BeTheForce 

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