Search Results for: stress

July 9, 2023 By Trupti Hingad 1 Comment

4 Best Recipes With Brown Rice

Brown rice is a powerhouse of nutrients. It is undoubtedly the unsung hero of grains, boasting a treasure trove of health benefits that will leave you craving for more! Unlike its pale, processed counterpart, brown rice retains its natural goodness, packed with fiber, minerals like magnesium and phosphorus, and a host of energizing B vitamins.

It not only satisfies your taste buds but also keeps your digestive system running like a well-oiled machine. With its high fiber content, brown rice works well against constipation and also helps you achieve weight management goals by keeping you feeling fuller for longer.

This nutritional powerhouse plays a heartwarming role by lowering LDL cholesterol levels, safeguarding your heart from unwanted surprises. Plus, with its arsenal of antioxidants, brown rice fights off free radicals, protecting your body from oxidative stress and inflammation.

But the questions arises – how do we use it effectively as its nutty texture makes it tough to eat daily. Well, we’ve got you covered with the best recipes with brown rice!

1. Mexican Bean Rice

What You Will Need

Brown rice – ½ Cup cooked
Spring Onion – 1 bulb
Tomato – 1
Rajma or baked beans – 1 Cup
Green chilli – 1
Salt & pepper according to taste
Tomato ketchup – 4 Tsp
Vinegar – ½ Tsp
Oil – 1 Tsp

How To Prepare

Heat oil in a vessel and sauté the chopped onion bulb
Add Chopped chilli & tomato & sauté for 5-10mins
Add the cooked brown rice, baked beans and mix well
Add all other sauces & stir well
Garnish with spring onion greens & Serve hot

2. Fenugreek Leaves (Methi) Brown Rice

What You Will Need

Brown rice – ½ cup cooked
Methi (fenugreek leaves) – 1/2 bunch
Tomato – 1
Black Gram (Urad dal) & Bengal Gram (Chana dal) – 1 tsp each
Whole pepper – 2
Bay leaf – 1
Onion – 1
Green chilli – 1
Salt & pepper according to taste
Tamarind pulp – 2 Tsp
Oil – 1 Tsp

How To Prepare

Heat oil in a vessel, sauté chopped onion, whole spices (masala) and the Black and Bengal grams
Add Chopped chilli, tomato and sauté for 5-10mins
Add chopped Fenugreek leaves, tamarind pulp and mix well
Add cooked brown rice & stir well. Cook for 10-15mins
Serve it with a chilled cup of curd.

3. Stir-Fried Brown Rice (1 portion)

What You Will Need

Brown rice – ½ cup cooked
Assorted veggies (Carrot, cabbage, broccoli, beans, capsicum) – 1 bowl
Spring Onion – 1 stalk
Green chilli – 1
Salt & pepper according to taste
Garlic – 1 pod finely chopped
Ginger – a small piece chopped
Chilli sauce, vinegar and ketchup – 1 tsp each
Oil – 1 Tsp

How To Prepare

Heat oil in a vessel and sauté the chopped onion, chilli, garlic, ginger along with the chopped assorted veggies
Add all the other seasonings and toss well
Add cooked rice, stir well and cook for 10-15 mins
Serve it curd

4. Brown Rice Pudding

What You Will Need

Brown Rice – 1 cup cooked
Skim milk – 250ml
Jaggery – 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder – 1tsp
Nuts (dates, raisins, dried figs) – 1 cup
Vanilla essence – 1drop

How To Prepare

Boil milk in a pan
Once boiled, add the jaggery and rice
Simmer until it cooks
Turn the gas off and add cardamom powder, nuts and 1 drop of vanilla essence
Keep in the refrigerator to cool and serve chilled

If you liked these recipes, let us know in the comments below! If you’ve tried them then take a pic, share it on your social media channels tagging GOQii!

Want to get your hands on organic brown rice? Get it on the GOQii Health Store within the GOQii App.

You can also find more healthy recipes here.

Eat Healthy and #BeTheForce

July 8, 2023 By GOQii 1 Comment

Consistency, Discipline & Dedication – Bharat Rao Shares 3 Secrets For Healthy Living!

Living a healthy life is all about maintaining balance. This includes exercise, nutrition, sleep and maintaining good mental & emotional health as well. If you’ve been hitting the gym or doing your daily walks or even eating the food you are supposed to without achieving results, there might be something that is amiss. That’s where having a coach who can guide and motivate you, really helps! To let you know how, here’s the journey of our Player Bharat Rao who went from being healthy to healthier, with help from his GOQii Coach.

Life Before GOQii

Bharat Rao works as a Senior Technical Lead in an IT Company. His work requires him to travel frequently. Till June 2019, his weight was 85kg but after a year, it shot up to 103kg. He did keep himself active despite his daily routine by playing badminton with a friend who eventually introduced him to GOQii.

Making The Shift

GOQii’s concept of Karma, personalized coaching and a tracker to monitor his step counts along with an integrated app really intrigued Bharat Rao. He decided that investing his time in GOQii would be worth his while.

After they got on call, his GOQii Coach included changes such as correcting his food habits, introducing more fruits and vegetables while reducing junk food, tea and coffee in take as well as putting a stop to late dinners. His workout included basic cardio and strength training at home. He was asked to avoid using his cellphone late at night in hopes to correct his sleep pattern.

Within the first month itself, Bharat Rao felt healthy! He was able to cope with the changes thanks to him being active before and was able to follow through with discipline. It got a bit challenging to incorporate these changes with his frequent traveling, but his GOQii Coach was able to help him adjust his schedule that included walking 6-7k steps a day, drinking cinnamon honey water in the morning before he began his journey. They were able to adjust eating habits too thanks to portion control. If regular walking didn’t cut it for him, he switched to GOQii Play in the mornings.

Staying Fit During Lockdown

With the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown in 2020, he was quite worried about how he would keep up his routine. With some advice from his GOQii Coach, he began walking more indoors, meditating for 15 mins in the morning and 45 mins at night. He also began practicing yoga. He says, “Meditating in the morning and evening has actually helped me think positively, keeping all the negativity around the coronavirus and the economic situation at bay. I feel more grounded and peaceful even while sitting at home.”

At the end of 2020, his weight reduced to 85kg and he felt he was much healthier than before. He says that this journey was all about him repeating a routine over and over again, not giving up, staying disciplined and having good people push him further in a healthy way! He says that the 3 secrets to his transformation were consistency, discipline and dedication!

What Does Bharat Rao Think About GOQii?

Bharat Rao says that his coaches have constantly motivated him to be disciplined and consistent, sharing inputs from time to time about what he should eat, what exercises he should do and what he shouldn’t do. Most importantly, they have structured his routine for the days he travels. He is thankful to GOQii for helping him achieve his goal.

His Coach, Sudrita Roy Choudhury says, “Bharat was very committed to his health goal when he came on board. He was always very sincere from the beginning and never missed his updates. Along with walking, we have also included yoga and core exercises to his routine.

We have always discussed portion size which he has maintained and has got visible results! Deep breathing helped him reduce stress – one of the important parameters to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I am convinced he will reach his goal soon. He is very active and promptly maintains two way communication via chats and calls which motivates me as well.”

Did this story inspire you? If you want to make a positive lifestyle change like Bharat Rao, subscribe to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching.

You can also find more inspiring Health Stories here.

#BeTheForce

June 30, 2023 By Palak Mittal 11 Comments

How To Break a Weight Loss Plateau

You have been working hard on your weight loss journey by following a healthy, low-calorie diet and improving your exercise habits. Your reward has been watching your weight go down on the weighing scale. Now, at some point, your weight stops decreasing! The weighing scale doesn’t tip in your favor anymore and you’re left frustrated! Don’t worry. You’ve just hit a weight loss plateau.

It’s pretty common and nothing to get discouraged about. It is normal for weight loss to slow down and even stall. But, by understanding what causes a weight loss plateau, you can decide how to respond and avoid backsliding on your new healthy habits.

Here are some ways you can overcome a weight loss plateau to stay on track and keep going!

How Can You Overcome a Weight Loss Plateau?

When you reach a plateau, you may have lost all of the weight you can on your current diet and exercise plan. Ask yourself if you’re satisfied with your current weight or if you want to lose more. In which case, you’ll need to adjust your weight loss program.

If you’re committed to lose more weight, try these tips for getting past the plateau:

1. Drop Your Calorie Intake

To cut down fat, a calorie deficit diet is needed. Consume fewer calories than you burn per day. Maintain a food journal to track your calories. Then slowly reduce your calorie intake by 500 calories per day to boost fat loss. Fat percentage can be measured either by using callipers or with the BCA machine.

2. Rotate Your Workout Routine

Have you been addicted to the treadmill and cross training for the past 4 months? It’s time to switch! Once your muscles become familiar with the same old workout, it makes your regular routine less effective. To see a change in body fat, you have to get outside your fitness comfort zone. Introduce High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to burn body fat effectively. Try a total-body circuit. Instead of a basic sprint interval, you’ll work your entire body which will boost your metabolism. Also note that you need to progress slowly and deliberately when incorporating high-intensity exercise into your routine. Doing too much too fast can leave you too sore, tired or even injured.

3. Eat More Protein

Protein is essential to fat loss, as it maintains your muscle during a calorie deficit. It keeps you satiated, which prevents overeating and snacking on junk food. Also, it boosts your calorie burn throughout the day because takes more energy to digest as compared to carbs or fat. Eat at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight every day and get your protein from whole sources like nuts, eggs, lean meats, yogurts, and quality protein powders.

4. Eat More Healthy Fats

To lose more fat, eat more fat. This might seem absurd but healthy fats such as animal fats, real butter, coconut oil, nuts, and avocados actually make you leaner and more muscular—they keep you full & maintain your good testosterone levels. Eating healthy fats force you to lower your carbohydrate intake. Get at least 30 percent of your calories from good sources of fat and never consume artificial fats, which can cause health problems like heart disease.

5. Stay Hydrated

Hydration is important as your body often craves food even when you are mildly dehydrated. We are often confused whether we are thirsty or hungry because the symptoms of hunger and thirst are similar. Aim to drink 2-3L of water per day plus additional fluids lost during activity.

6. Try Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting increases fat oxidation, which promotes more fat loss. Also, fasting along with exercise boosts the insulin sensitivity, helping your body send nutrients to muscle rather than fat. Fasting during a calorie-restricted diet can lead to weight loss.

7. Get Plenty of Sleep

Insufficient sleep can interfere with weight loss by reducing your metabolic rate and shifting your hormone levels to promote hunger and fat storage. Hence, have at least 7-8hrs of good quality sleep.

8. Eat Your Veggies

Vegetables are loaded with important nutrients and are low in calories and carbs. The fiber in your greens aids digestion and also provide your body the essential antioxidants it needs. Including them might help you break through the weight loss plateau.

9. Don’t Rely on a Weighing Scale

The numbers flashing on your weighing scale might be misleading because it does not reflect the loss of body fat. Instead, focus on how you feel, whether your old clothes fit you or if your measurements have changed.

10. Check for Medical Conditions

If you’re still stuck on the weight loss plateau despite all your efforts, then you might need to check for a medical condition. Check your thyroid levels, hormonal imbalance, PCOD, or for Vitamin deficiencies such as Vitamin D or B12. You will first need to correct a medical issue to lose more weight.

Stress also plays a part in weight loss as it raises the level of cortisol in the body which in turn increases weight. Most important of all, don’t get demotivated and work towards your goals. The weight loss plateau is a part of the journey and with the right direction, you can overcome it!

If this article helped you, let us know your thoughts in the comments below! You can also find more articles on weight loss here. If you want to overcome a weight loss plateau and need some advice or guidance, reach out to our experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

June 28, 2023 By Bhumi Mehta 3 Comments

Yoga Therapy To Fight Viral Infections

Get ready to boost your immunity and conquer those pesky viral infections! Monsoons and the ever-changing weather can leave us feeling drained and vulnerable to sore throats, colds, and fevers. But fret not! Yoga Therapy comes to the rescue with its comprehensive approach.

How Does Yoga Therapy Help?

Yoga Therapy works on five different levels i.e. Physical Body, Energy Body, Mental, Intellectual, Emotional and Spiritual level. Let’s explore how it helps you!

1. Physical Body

Here are some Yoga Asanas you can practice to remove the physical symptoms of the infection.

A. UttanasanaHelps in clearing out the sinus passages, thereby clearing out blockages and allowing for more complete breathing. It invigorates the nervous system and relieves stress and tension.

B. SetubandhaasanaOpens up the chest. It also sends fresh blood to the head, which helps open up the sinuses further. This asana also activates the thymus glands, one of the main organs of the immune system.

C. Viparit Karni The Legs Up the Wall Pose is a great pose to practice to counter respiratory ailments. When you practice this asana, you might find relief from headaches or backaches that accompany a cold. Practicing this asana calms the mind and makes you strong as your body deals with the cold and helps in reducing fatigue, which usually follows common cold. This asana helps the immune cells to move through your body.

D. Adho Mukha SvanasanaIn this asana, your heart is placed higher than the head. There is a reverse pull of gravity that happens when you do that, and this aids in the proper circulation of the lymph and the blood. The mild inversion allows a free flow of white blood cells throughout the body and also helps to drain out the sinuses.

E. Ustrasana This asana opens up the chest and clears out all the passages. It is essential to try and breathe as much as you can while you are in this pose. This will help open up all the blocked areas that are causing the cold.

F. Matsyasana When you assume this asana, your chest is raised and your throat is opened up. This improves your breathing and might help alleviate a cold. During colds, one can support the upper thoracic back with a cushion, bolster, or yoga blocks, aiding optimal recovery.

2. Energy Body

Pranayama is practiced to eliminate mucus and any agitations in breathing. Practices for this are as follows:

Kapalbhati Pranayama: Helps unclog the respiratory tract. Improves blood circulation and uplifts the mind. 2-3 rounds twice a day gives you renewed energy to combat common cold.
Bhastrika Pranayama: Involves forceful exhalation that aids in clearing the nasal passage.
Nadi Shodhan Pranayama: Helps open up a blocked nose. It also facilitates better flow of oxygen to the lungs and keeps your mind calm and peaceful.
Ujjayi Pranayama: Helps increase lung capacity, as well as releases toxins with each exhalation.

3. Mental Level

Simple Dhyana Meditation is practiced to keep one relaxed in the physically stressful time. Just sitting in a quiet place with closed eyes for a few minutes and meditating can help boost the immune system and help fight any kind of infection.

4. Intellectual Level

Observing part of the self while practicing Yoga increases the awareness of self. This awareness eliminates agitations of mind, which brings self love and compassion

Shavasana: This is a deep resting pose. Sometimes, when you have a cold, all you need to do is to rest your body. It energizes it and helps it fight better against the cold-causing viruses. It shifts the focus on oneself, and increases awareness, which helps relax the mind and body.

5. Spiritual Level

Mediation, Prayers and Chanting can help you boost your immunity and keep you mentally strong during the time when the body is suffering with an infection.

Practicing the yoga therapy based module for viral infections not only strengthens the immune system of the body, but it also improves mental health, which is very important to heal and recover. Staying strong mentally helps our body fight any infection better. Yoga Therapy works on our overall health. It gives one a strong body, a strong mind and a strong spirit to overcome most things.

If this article helped you, let us know in the comments below. Find more articles on Yoga here. You can also practice yoga safely under the guidance of an expert by joining a live, interactive GOQii PRO class. Book a class now through the GOQii App.

#BeTheForce