Search Results for: sleep

March 14, 2020 By Anusha Subramanian 4 Comments

Safety Tips to Prevent Coronavirus Infection

The recent Coronavirus outbreak has become one of the biggest health scare in the world right now. What started in Wuhan, China on 31 December, 2019 has now struck Europe and the US and has overall claimed many lives. As of February 27, 2020, China reported 78,824 confirmed cases of the virus with a death toll of 2,788.

The virus is spreading rapidly and has been deemed to have pandemic potential by WHO. Now, among all the quarantines, preventive measures and news spreading like wildfire, how much do we really know about the virus? Of course, we’re well aware that it spread from China but what else do we really know?

In India, people are aware about the virus but aren’t prepared. This is because of lack of details. At this point, we are of the opinion that prevention is best as there is no cure for the Coronavirus yet.

As a leading preventive healthcare company, GOQii is recommending a few basic prevention and safety tips that people need to follow. The recommendations made here are in line with WHO guidelines: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

The first and foremost thing is to build your defense by building your Immunity. All that one needs to do is follow the basics of exercise, eat right and sleep well.

How Do You Build Immunity Against the Coronavirus?

Include 1 or 2 cloves of garlic every day in your meals. As garlic is a potent anti-viral.
Cut out smoking completely. Smoking destroys your respiratory tract including the lungs.
Exercise regularly- Include a combination of strength training and cardio, concentrating on breathing patterns
A dehydrated body is most prone to infections. Drink adequate water. Avoid alkaline water and drink boiled water.
Avoid refined sugar in any form as sugar can reduce your immunity directly plus alters the bacteria in your gut
Make sure you sleep well for at least 6-8 hours.

Other Prevention Must-Dos to be Followed

Wear a Mask while travelling to crowded places. Preferably avoid crowded places.
Wash your hands at regular intervals.
If you have any symptoms of fever, cough, cold, sore throat and having trouble breathing please seek medical advice immediately.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth while travelling and otherwise
While coughing or sneezing use a tissue and dispose it off safely

February 22, 2020 By GOQii 1 Comment

The Secret To Good Health Which Helped Vijay Prabudevan Make a Positive Change

Working towards good health is never a one-off affair. It’s an ongoing journey. As the saying goes, “Being healthy isn’t a race, it’s a marathon” and quite rightly so. In a world where we get everything quickly at the click of a button, we expect the same while recovering our health as well but that is never the case. The key is consistency and patience – qualities that our player Vijay Prabudevan uncovered for himself.

Before joining GOQii

Vijay Prabudevan, a 48 year old working professional from Bangalore, joined GOQii in 2015. Before that, his food habits and lifestyle choices had remained more or less the same – which included veg food, unabated consumption of oily food, frequently eating out and surrendering himself to the joy of eating.

His activity levels were quite low with inconsistent minimal walking. His sleep routine was marred by television and his mobile phone. This hampered his sleep time and quality. Stress levels were high and all of this took a toll on his health. He was diagnosed with high cholesterol. This was the moment he knew he had to change.

Getting Introduced to a Lifestyle Change

During his fight against his rising cholesterol levels, Vijay’s boss, who is an active user, recommended GOQii. His boss and a few of his friends were exploring different wearable in the market and had found GOQii to be the best. Although not convinced at first, Vijay Prabudevan was curious about the personalized coaching featured. He initially doubted the effectiveness of this model as he wondered how a coach, who hasn’t even seen him, will be able to help him with his health issues. His qualms about credibility were quelled once he came on board.

Beginning The Journey Towards Good Health

The first year with GOQii was tough for Vijay Prabudevan. There was no change in his cholesterol levels which only seemed to frustrate him. Change was difficult especially when it came to his meal patterns and their timings. He blames himself for this lapse as he was still not completely convinced with the concept and wasn’t consistent with his habits. He was trying to do too many things at the same time which ended in failure. In 2016, his coach guided him on the importance of introducing one habit at a time. His coach told him that it is an ongoing process and sustainable results will come slowly and steadily.

Making a Positive Shift

He began streamlining his meal plate. For instance, he reduced the amount of rice and substituted that quantity with salads. His plate now has 30% proteins, 30% fiber and 40% carbs. He also began adding fruits and nuts, which were non-existent in his diet before.

As of now, his breakfast is heavy, followed by a moderate lunch and a light dinner which used to be the opposite before. To keep his body active, he either incorporates 1 hour of walking, jogging or visits the gym 4 days a week. He has regularized his sleep timing as well. He ensures that he sleeps by 10 pm and wakes up at 6 am.

He has planned his work calls in a way that he winds up all his work before 10 pm. He has also begun Pranayama and meditation as recommended by his coach to work on his stress levels.

Vijay Prabudevan Makes The Shift!

His cholesterol level which was at 400 mg/dL in 2015 before joining GOQii has now reduced to 200 mg/dL has been stable for the past 2 years. He is completely off medication. His weight has reduced from 84kg in 2016 to 73kg in 2020. His energy levels have tremendously improved. Thanks to this, he can work tirelessly and is more energetic than before.

Before, the word marathon or run used to scare him. Now, he has successfully completed around 6-7 5k runs in the last 2 years and aims to complete a 10k run before the end of this year.

He regularly uses GOQii to log his data and has explored the GOQii Health Store as well as purchased products during flash sales. He also enjoys reading the blogs within the app.

He says that one should believe in the GOQii ecosystem, follow the habits set by the GOQii Coach and be patient enough to see results. He firmly believes that if he can achieve his health goals, then anyone can. He had joined GOQii in 2015 and since then has renewed his subscription every year. Now he says that it is going to be a lifelong association.

Vijay Prabudevan is elated that he made the right choice with GOQii. What’s stopping you from making the shift?

Download the app now and #LevelUp your lifestyle!

#BeTheForce

January 22, 2020 By Anusha Subramanian Leave a Comment

India’s Ikigai: Centennials know the secret sauce to Longevity

It is not just about staying physically healthy-it is also about mental, emotional and social health

Mishrilal Jain, 92 years lives in Bareli in a Madhya Pradesh and still sits in their family cloth store. He totally defies age by being active, healthy and social. Every day, he makes it a point to chat with his friends. He walks on his own with a stick and has no medical conditions or lifestyle diseases. A freedom fighter who has even been to jail in 1947, Jain has a very positive outlook towards life. His granddaughter reiterates his secret to longevity is that fact he has been active throughout his life, eats only homecooked food and is happy and content.

Dr Narsingh Gulvady, 90, lives in Navi Mumbai and is a retired MBBS doctor. He says, “do not do anything to live long. I did nothing”. Born in 1929, in then Madras, Dr Gulvady is active and spends a lot of time with his books apart from enjoying his beloved wife’s company who is also 86 years of age. Dr Gulvady attributes his longevity also to people’s love all along that has kept him happy and healthy. He also does not forget to credit his gene pool for longevity. Both he and his wife have led a very active and simple life. He maintains a diary on a daily basis and does not have any medical issues.

The above stories are just two of the examples of the many 90 plus people GOQii interviewed for their longevity study. Aging is a natural process and it is inevitable It is precisely the impermanence of life that renders it so precious. But, how about aging gracefully and disease-free? Is this even possible? Are some of the questions we asked and the answers we found were positive. Yes, it is very possible according to the latest India fit Report 2020 titled –– India’s Ikigai: The Old Know Better but the Young Don’t Care’.

As per the report, the above examples highlighted, the 90 plus years and above people attribute their longevity to simple living, being active, eating home-cooked nutritious food and to being socially active with friends and family. For many their years of living have been happy and content.

The India Fit report 2020 is in its 6^th edition and it is a result of a year-long study of 5 million GOQii users. The report presents a holistic overview on the health and lifestyle of Indians across different parameters such as steps taken, lifestyle diseases (Diabetes, Cardiac and Hypertension), BMI (Body Mass Index), nutrition, water, stress, sleep, gut health and immunity, allergies, smoking and alcohol consumption; all of which are classified according to gender and key cities. This year India Fit report went a step further and decoded the secret to ‘India’s Ikigai-longevity of life’ from 90 years old and above across the country

Most of the centennials also lead a disease-free life while the younger age groups demonstrated a higher risk profile for lifestyle diseases, the study indicates. As per the health risk assessment (HRA) (framework of the study, 62% of people are either high risk or borderline on the Health-Risk Assessment spectrum. Only 38% of people are healthy. Young adults in the 19-30 age group have the unhealthiest habits and demonstrate a high propensity to be afflicted by lifestyle diseases.

The study indicates that people who report being happy and satisfied with their lives are more likely to enjoy a longer life span with good health and fewer long-term limiting health concerns. Bonding with family and friends appears to enhance health, and even increase longevity. At GOQii, our endeavour is to create awareness about preventive health while providing people with a platform to improve their health and fitness and move a step ahead to increase India’s average lifespan to 80 years and above.

ALARMING RISE IN LIFESTYLE DISEASES

The report indicates that Diabetes has increased from 7.1% to 12% this year. The incidence of diabetes is highest among older adults at 23.81% and seniors at 36.82%. As per the report, 13.5% of Indians have Cholesterol issues. High Cholesterol can even occur among people who are underweight, or overweight, thin or fat thus regular monitoring is key in keeping cholesterol in check. Currently, 36% of the people who have high cholesterol have heart issues too while 51.7% of the people who have diabetes have abnormal cholesterol too. This past year Thyroid issues have increased from 6.8 to 10.7 %. The report also suggests that 13.4% of the people in India have high blood pressure.

SOME SURPRISES: Healthiest City is Chandigarh and Mumba slips to rank 15 in the list of healthy cities

The survey deep dives into city-wise parameters and has recorded Chandigarh to be the healthiest city in India while Mumbai slips far down in the list of healthiest cities, ranking 15^th overall. Kolkata is at the lowest end of the spectrum. 18% of people in Kolkata are diabetic followed by Surat and Bhopal. In terms of allergies, Pune ranks lowest on the allergy index having the least amount of people suffering from allergies. Chennai has the worst BMI rank across all cities, Kolkata has the largest aging population in the country and the highest incidence of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure and thyroid. About 60% of people in Lucknow fall in the unhealthy bracket which is just 2 % below the country’s average. Ahmedabad ranks 10th in the overall ranking, manages stress better than many other cities. Bhopal has overtaken all other major cities, having the highest percentage of people who consume alcohol.

The GOQii India Fit Report has been administered across 16 cities in the country and data has been collected from a cross-section of 5 million GOQii app users. The study evaluates the health of users basis the Health Risk Assessment that take and also the data recorded on a daily basis that is tracked by users on the App. HRA considers factors such as current body statistics, medical parameters, current nutrition, physical activity, stress, sleep, alcohol, smoking, current illness, lifestyle diseases, immunity levels, symptoms or health indicators. The data that is tracked by the users on a daily basis is their steps clocked, food logs, sleep, water intake and their vital parameters. This edition of the report has focused on doing in-depth interviews with India’s oldest citizens. Over 100 respondents across the length and breadth of India, between 90 and 100 plus years of age were an integral part of the study.

Download the full report from www.indiafit.org

For more topics on the health benefits of foods, check out our Healthy Reads section within the GOQii App or simply tune in to GOQii Play for LIVE sessions by experts.

#LevelUp your winter and #BeTheForce

December 31, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Level Up Your 2020 With GOQii!

The year has come to an end and around this time, we all begin formulating resolutions for the coming year. While most of us haven’t stuck to our resolutions or surprisingly achieved them, we need to understand that being healthy and active is an ongoing process. It never ends and the only thing to do is Level Up!

What happens once you achieve a health goal? Do you stop? Do you go back to being unhealthy? What happens if you don’t achieve your health goals? Do you give up? The answer is no! You move forward. You rise up to the challenge. You learn all there is to know to push ahead and #BeTheForce. That’s what we mean when we say Level Up.

So how do you Level Up? How do you take things up a notch? Let us help!

How You Can Level Up Your 2020

Below are a few things that GOQii helps you with so you can better equip yourself with the right guidance, right knowledge and the right products – all available within the GOQii App.

GOQii Play: Tired of routine? Have doubts about nutrition? Want to try yoga and meditation? We’ve got all of these covered and much more on GOQii Play. You have access to tons of information from experts in their respective fields. Be it sexual wellness, mental health or medicine, we bring you the latest topics, exciting workouts, healthy recipes among others, all of which will help you better equip yourself to take it to the next level in 2020!
Health Store: Want a trusted source for nutraceuticals? Want to eat healthy snacks? Do you need clothing for your gym? The GOQii Health Store has everything you need to get you started on the right path to good health. The brands and their products are curated by a team of experts to bring you nothing but the best. Let shopping healthy be one of your resolutions this year.
Active Sunday: If motivation doesn’t find you, you need to go out there and find it yourself! Nothing works as better motivation than a group of like-minded individuals who meet up every Sunday for an hour and exercise. GOQii Active Sundays happen every week and are a great way to kickstart your week on a healthy note. Currently, we have around 50 GOQii Champions who conduct Active Sundays across different locations in India and at the pace at which we’re going, this number is likely to increase in the coming year. Want to be a part of this? Click here to register: https://goo.gl/KN82CU
Challenges: In 2019, we initiated 3 challenges that were massive and had a huge impact on healthcare in India. Through the India Steps Challenge, we were able to increase the national step count to an average of 9391. The India Health Quiz helped users increase their knowledge about all things healthy and bust common health myths which were floating around the internet. The GOQii Trail Challenge this year saw an amazing turnout, inspiring stories which included a 60 year old participant completing the trail with a broken arm as well as a blind and sighted duo who completed the 50km arduous trail in 16 hours. In 2020, we’re going to issue more challenges and more opportunities for all of us to shine!

In one app, you have all the tools you need to make 2020 as healthy as possible but don’t forget one of the key ingredients which is YOU! It is your willpower, determination and motivation which will make all the difference. 2020 is about you and what you do to Level Up your lifestyle and make a difference.

So walk more, eat healthy, sleep right and have more fun! The world is your playground. Here’s to a healthy and happy New Year!