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April 23, 2019 By GOQii 1 Comment

Top 4 Causes of Body Aches & Pains

Experiencing aches and pains in your body is normal. But when these aches and pains persist for longer periods of time and make it difficult for you to move, you have to start asking a few questions.

What is causing this pain? Should I seek help?

Aches and pains are common for a body that is unhealthy and unfit. By the time the unease of these aches and pains set in, it is too late to do any activity in order to get healthier. Based on the research of our IndiaFit Report, we’ve identified the top 4 causes of body aches and pains.

What Causes Aches and Pain?

Additional Weight Strain: When you’re overweight, the additional pounds place immense strain on your joints and bones. This continued strain causes long term issues in the body which result in body aches and pains.
Lack of Movement: One of the major causes of body aches is a sedentary lifestyle. Sitting in one place for longer periods of time, incorrect or bad posture and lack of exercise, all contribute to body pain.
Incorrect Posture While Exercising: Incorrect form or posture when lifting weights, performing an exercise or not giving your body enough cause strain and further aches and pains.
Vitamin D Deficiency: Vitamin D is essential for bone health. Lack of it can cause body aches. This deficiency may be due to lack of exposure to sunlight, not getting enough Vitamin D from food, not being able to absorb Vitamin D from food, etc.

How Can You Tackle Body Aches and Pains?

The easiest way to deal with this issue is to get enough of Vitamin D. Right from its basic function of increasing calcium absorption to promoting bone health, it can also elevate mood, reduce depression and build immunity.

Some of the other ways to deal with aches include:

Losing excess weight
Fix Vitamin D3, Magnesium, and Calcium Levels
Develop muscles around the bone
Invest in rest and recovery after a workout
Avoid acidity causing foods

Have we missed out on anything? Do you have any queries? Write them down in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

April 18, 2019 By Dr. Viral Thakkar 1 Comment

Epitome of Climax: The Big “O”

What is an Orgasm?

The climax of coitus, the mountaintop of making love and the ultimate, the almighty orgasm! Yes! This is what this article is about. You will agree that the pleasure of an orgasm is so heightened, it is difficult to know what is happening; but knowing what’s going on inside of us may heighten that.

Orgasm is the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual excitement resulting in rhythmic muscular contractions in the pelvic region of men and women. It is controlled by the involuntary or autonomic nervous system & associated with other involuntary actions, including muscular spasms in multiple areas of the body, a general euphoric sensation and, frequently, body movements and vocalizations due to intense pleasure.

How Does it Happen?

I believe it is extremely essential to be attracted to your partner before indulging in any sexual activity. In fact, I would go ahead and say, indulge only if you love the person, else do not! More about this in another article.

If you are in this wonderful state, the continual stimulation of erogenous zones, such as the genitals, anus, nipples, or perineum by your partner might lead to an orgasm. Many believe that orgasms actually happen in the brain. Hence, one can reach an orgasm through masturbation as well. Physiologically, orgasms occur following two basic responses to continual stimulation:

Vasocongestion: The process whereby body tissues fill up with blood, swelling in size as a result
Myotonia: The process whereby muscles tense, including both voluntary flexing and involuntary contracting

If you thought having an orgasm is just a minute’s game, then you are in for a surprise. The body undergoes a long process to reach that state through the sexual response cycle, which is the sequence of physical and emotional changes that occur as a person becomes sexually aroused and participates in sexually stimulating activities, including intercourse and masturbation.

Phase 1: Excitement

As the name suggests, this is the stage when you blush and breath heavily in the hope of your coitus. In this stage:

Skin may become flushed
Muscle tension will increase
Heart rate quickens and breathing is accelerated
Nipples become hardened or erect
Vaginal lubrication begins
Blood flow to the genitals increases, resulting in swelling of the woman’s clitoris and labia minora (inner lips), and erection of the man’s penis
The woman’s breasts become fuller and the vaginal walls begin to swell
The man’s testicles swell, his scrotum tightens, and he begins secreting a lubricating liquid

Phase 2: Plateau

This is the phase when you are about to get an orgasm, but haven’t yet! The part of the brain that controls sensations – the primary somatosensory cortex – sees an increase in activity and the parts of the brain that control alertness and anxiety – the amygdala and hippocampus – dropped off.

Several other areas of the prefrontal cortex all show a decrease in activity. In other words, having an orgasm shuts the parts of your brain that make you worry. No wonder all of mankind is crazy about having orgasams! It’s a great stress buster! It’s in the way our bodies are built!

The general characteristics in this stage are:

The changes of phase 1 are intensified
The vagina continues to swell from increased blood flow, and the vaginal walls turn a dark purple
The woman’s clitoris becomes highly sensitive (may even be painful to touch) and retracts under the clitoral hood to avoid direct stimulation from the penis
The man’s testicles are withdrawn up into the scrotum
Breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure continue to increase
Muscle spasms may begin in the feet, face, and hands
Muscle tension increases

Phase 3: Orgasm

The climax – It is the shortest of the phases and generally lasts only a few seconds. Both sexes feel the contractions in a variety of places from the head (that explains funny faces) to the feet (that explains clenched toes). You cannot control these contractions as they are involuntary and cannot be contained… kind of like when you sneeze. The loss of control can be messy, but it is ultimately why we enjoy our orgasms so much.

General characteristics of this phase include the following:

Involuntary muscle contractions begin
Blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing are at their highest rates, with a rapid intake of oxygen
Muscles in the feet spasm
There is a sudden, forceful release of sexual tension
In women, the muscles of the vagina contract. The uterus also undergoes rhythmic contractions
In men, rhythmic contractions of the muscles at the base of the penis results in the ejaculation of semen

Phase 4: Resolution

This is the feeling of “Oh my! What was that?” In this stage, the man enters a temporary recovery phase where further orgasms are not possible. This is known as the refractory period, and its length varies from person to person. It can last from a few minutes to a few days, and this period generally grows longer as a man ages. During this phase, the man’s penis and testicles return to their original size. The rate of breathing will be heavy and fast, and the pulse will be fast.

Orgasms are an inbuilt mechanism of human body (mammals). Our brain, emotions, and physiology are wired so that a person can experience it. In the second part of my article, I will elaborate on the benefits of orgasms, and why it is important to have a few now and then!

Want to know more? Drop a comment below!

#BeTheForce

Disclaimer: Reader discretion is advised. This content is for an older, mature audience who seek to improve their health and wellness. GOQii is not responsible for any misrepresentation of this information.

March 23, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Ashwin Chitransh Never Gave Up On Being Healthy!

Ashwin C-COLLAGE

After GOQii Before GOQii

Sleeping during the day and working at night was his regular routine. He had no discipline in life and ate indiscreetly. He weighed 79 kg at a height of 5 ft 6 inches. He tried to lose weight by just dreaming about it and doing the bare minimum. He did not have a good workout routine so the small gym that he had created for himself at home was not utilized to its optimum. Finally, magic happened and he got into a routine. He joined a gym with a personal trainer, his diet got regularized and he is far healthier and fit that he was.

Ashwin Chitransh’s Transformation Story In His Own Words

It all began for me in August 2017 when I took a trip to McLeodganj for a couple of days and had rich grand meals. When I came back home, I weighed close to 79 Kg at the height of 5 Feet 6 inches. I was aware that I was leading an unhealthy life but I wasn’t doing anything about it. Set up a small gym at home but hardly worked out. My routine was haywire with me sleeping during the day and working at night. My eating habits were bad and nothing was helping me get on track. I wanted to change things for myself. This is when I was introduced to GOQii by a friend. I liked the concept of a personal coach who will motivate and push you to achieve your health goals.

I enrolled in GOQii and also joined the Gym with a personal trainer. This started my journey of transformation! On my first day at the Gym, I felt nauseous and thought I’d pass out in 15 minutes. Other guys were working out smoothly which was quite intimidating. There were so many well-built guys using heavy weights that I could not even dream of. The key, I realized, is patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Don’t compete with others, compete with yourself to achieve your goals.

Apart from a gym workout, cardio workout is important for me. Most of the fat which I had, was on my belly. I started by walking for 2 km, increasing gradually to 5 km per day, at the speed of 5 to 6 kmph. Then, a bit of my belly fat melted, I started running/jogging at 8kmph. I gradually moved to 10 kmph but reduced the distance to cover (to 1.5 km).

Currently, I work out for 30 minutes mostly focusing on the abdominal area. Slowly once the belly fat saw some reduction, I started working on 2 muscles a day.

One thing which is very important to keep in mind while undertaking any health goal is that it takes time to achieve these goals. You need understand your body and how it reacts to various strenuous exercises. You need to have patience especially when it comes to achieving weight loss goals.

Exercise alone cannot help you, diet is equally important. “There is no love sincerer than the love of food,” quoting from Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw. A lot of my misconceptions were broken. One such misconception was that if you go on a diet you have to remain hungry. Secondly, good healthy food is tasteless. But, in fact, I learned a few things:

To eat healthily, you do not need to make it taste bad necessarily
Quit (Avoid) unhealthy/junk/fried food

My GOQii Coach helped me make healthy food choices. My diet now includes pre and post work out meals and salads. I was never a salads guy but I eat them now. I have stopped having refined sugar since November 2017. My meals are balanced and portion size is small with multiple meals in a day, unlike my earlier three large meals.

All these small changes over time have helped me achieve my health goals. I am much fitter and healthier now. My only message to all is don’t be disheartened if your hard work does not pay initially. It takes time. You won’t see changes in a week. Just be self-motivated and keep pushing yourself. There will be days when you won’t be able to work out or you won’t be able to follow your diet. But, it’s okay! Continue with the same routine next day. When you fall, you must have the willpower to stand up again not once but multiple times. Its sheer determination and hard work that will help you achieve your goals. Did I fail during my transformation phase? Of course, I did fail, and on more than one occasion but I never gave up.

What does coach Evangelene Wankhar have to say about her player Ashwin?

Ashwin Chitransh was assigned to me in October 2017. His goal was to lose 10-12kgs. He wanted to get active and build strength. Prior to GOQii, he had already started with gym workouts with a personal trainer and lost 3kgs. But, his concern was his food habits. When we started, he was having a heavy meal for dinner, adding few unhealthy foodstuff during the day. These were old habits which I had to gradually get him to shed. Each time he had a heavy meal and ate unhealthy food, I guided and explained to him the pros and cons. I told him choosing healthy food over unhealthy will help him achieve his goal. He agreed and started applying the tips I shared with him every day. Of course, he had few cheat meals but he has managed to make the cheat meals healthy as well. If he took something over the counter which was unhealthy, he compensated that with more activities and a healthy diet the next day. Over the last few months, he has progressed well. He has been very consistent in his workouts, healthy food habits and has been following every guideline that I share with him. I am proud to say that Ashwin has achieved his target goal of losing 12kgs and now we are in the process of building his strength and muscles since that is his next goal.

March 8, 2019 By GOQii 3 Comments

Championing the Health & Fitness Space | International Women’s Day

What does it mean to be a champion? Is a champion someone who always wins? Is a champion someone who strives in the face of adversity? Does a champion believe in their self, perseveres and never gives up? There are many different parameters that can be used to define what a champion is or should be but there are some that stand out from the rest. On International Women’s Day, let’s read through the accomplishments of some of our Indian women who have redefined what it means to be a champion by being a daily source of inspiration and motivation to many!

Rujuta Diwekar

“When we go through nutrition transition and give up on our local, native, regional food and we begin to adopt a food system, which has no resonance to our region, culture, that’s when our waists start spilling out in a protest for you to go back to your more local diet.”

A nutrition and exercise science expert, Rujuta Diwekar is a vocal champion of using our common sense and un-complicating the act of eating. In a career spanning more than 15 years, Rujuta Diwekar has worked with clients from all walks of life – from businessmen to homemakers, students, celebrities and sportsmen including Kareena Kapoor and Anil Ambani. She emphasizes a blend of traditional food wisdom and modern nutritional science for a healthy body and mind, best reflected through the mantra – Eat local, think global. She is also the author of 5 best-selling nutrition books.

Sucheta Pal

TheHealthSite.com

Ranchi girl and ex-IT professional Sucheta Pal inspired an entire nation towards healthier living and fitness through Zumba. She is India’s first Zumba Education Specialist and the brand ambassador for Zumba in India. In 2018, she was felicitated by the Hon. President of India as the “First Lady” for women wellness. Over four and a half years, she has trained nearly 3,500 Zumba instructors and has represented Zumba and India in multiple international fitness conferences from FIBO Germany, IFEX Indonesia, AFAA Japan conference, Asia Fitness Convention, Bangkok and others across the world. She is also a fitness TV-show host of Zoom TV’s Zumba Dance Fitness Party and has featured in several fitness shows on NDTV, Mtunes and TLC. Definitely a champion of heath and fitness in our books!

Pooja Makhija

http://www.dssc.co/delhi/2018/02/08/nourish-eat-delete-celebrity-nutritionist-pooja-makhija/

Ace Nutritionist Pooja Makhija has successfully transformed the bodies and lives of thousands of people! She’s a nutritionist to celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor and Sushmita Sen. Pooja believes in nourishment over weight loss – food is fuel, it is your friend and not your enemy. To date, she has published two books – Eat Delete and Eat Delete Junior. She feels that people are seeing food for its calories rather than its true value. According to her, eating the right food can prevent lifestyle diseases such as high cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes.

Sonali Swami

https://naidunia.jagran.com

A mother of two, Sonali Swami is definitely a source of inspiration for every fit mom out there! An IBBF athlete, she has bagged a bronze at the WBBF Asian Championship 2016, won Fit Factor India 2014, won Muscle Mania India 2014 in Fitness and Model’s Physique Categorory, secured 6th place in Asian Body Building Championships 2017 and is among the country’s Top 10 bodybuilders – all this while starting her journey towards bodybuilding at the age of 37! She firmly believes that age is just a number and you can start training regardless of your age, it doesn’t matter if you’re a teenager or in your 60’s. She advises people to be patient, consistent and never give up.

Yasmin Karachiwala

The fitness guru that Bollywood swears by! Yasmin Karachiwala boasts of a clientele that includes the likes of Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhat. She owns a gym called Body Image, she was the first BASI certified Pilates instructor in India and established the first Pilates studio in Mumbai. She often shares workout videos with her followers and fitness enthusiasts on social media. She has also co-authored a book on Pilates. Yasmin does not believe in a diet and prefers making smarter food choices. Her mantra is to strive to be the best version of yourself!

Deepika Mehta

http://deepikamehta.in/

After a near death rock climbing accident in 1997, doctors told Deepika Mehta that she wouldn’t walk again. This wasn’t acceptable to someone like her who possessed a great zeal for life. She sought alternative approaches and found yoga. Since then, she has been learning and practicing various forms such as Pranayama, Ashtanga Yoga and meditation. Deepika has had her own TV show called Yoga City. She has a vast clientele including celebrities, individuals and corporates all over the country. She has been a master trainer on the show “The Biggest Loser” in India. In 2014, she was featured as one of the three women redefining beauty ideals in India in Vogue Magazine and has been the face of Elle India’s 2015 fitness campaign. She has also given a dance/yoga presentation and talk at the TedX event at the UN Headquarters in NYC.

Namrata Purohit

https://twitter.com/namratapurohit

The youngest Stott Pilates instructor in the world at the age of 16, Namrata Purohit has trained celebrities such as Kangana Ranaut, Jacqueline Fernandez, Varun Dhawan, Arjun Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Elli Avram, Malaika Arora, Neha Dhupia and Lauren Gottlieb to name a few. When she was 19, she completed all the courses on Stott Pilates and is also a certified Barre Instructor. Along with her father Samir Purohit, she is the co-founder of The Pilates Studio, which is the first in the world to have pilates and a simulated altitude training room under one roof. At 21, she launched her first book titled The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Being Fit. She was the official fitness partner to Femina Miss India Organization since 2011, official Fitness Partner to Miss Diva (2013 & 2014) and along with her father, were official Pilates coaches to the 2014 Mumbai City FC team. She was also a national level squash player and a state level football player.

Shilpa Shetty Kundra

http://www.priyaadivarekar.com/2018/06/shilpa-shetty-kundra-interview-international-yoga-day.html

Apart from being a successful Bollywood Diva, Shilpa Shetty Kundra also follows an active and healthy lifestyle by practicing yoga, healthy eating and exercise. According to her, Yoga inculcates a sense of discipline and self-control. On days when she isn’t able to workout, she practices Pranayama. Being a health enthusiast, she decided to foray into the health and wellness space with the simple aim of spreading awareness. Shilpa’s Yoga DVD was a huge success. Her YouTube channel is a one-stop-shop for all fitness enthusiasts across the globe. Her first book ‘The Great Indian Diet’ went on to be an award-winning one and still remains one of the bestsellers in the health segment. Her second book, The Diary of a Domestic Diva, aims to share quick and hassle-free methods that lead to cooking healthy, nutritious and delicious meals.

P V Sindhu

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/sports/cricket/251216/2016-pv-sindhus-olympic-silver-marks-a-glorious-year-for-badminton.html

Picking up badminton at the age of 7, P V Sindhu became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic Silver Medal. Fitness definitely plays an important role in her overall game which includes 8 hours of training. Her daily schedule includes Yoga, Pranayama, Running and Swimming, along with push-ups and sit-ups. In nutrition, she eats a zero sugar and high protein diet. She won a silver medal in Women’s Singles at Commonwealth 2018. She was also a silver medalist at the 2017 BWF World Championships and 2018 BWF World Championships consecutively. In the Asian Games 2018, held in Indonesia, she grabbed another silver medal. Sindhu came into international attention when she broke into the top 20 of the BWF World Ranking and was the first ever Indian women’s singles player to win a medal at the Badminton World Championships. In 2015, she was awarded the Padma Shri. In 2018, she became the first Indian to have clinched the BWF World Tour title defeating Nozomi Okuhara in the finals.