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Tips to Help You Sleep Better!

sleep better

Sleep! You might have already read so many articles about this especially when you’ve not been getting quality sleep. Before we go deeper into how you can sleep better, let us first understand how we define sleep! As per the world’s sleep research, William Dement (Author of promise of sleep) defines sleep as the ‘Moment when the brain starts producing theta waves’.  

Too technical! What exactly are theta waves? I don’t want to get too technical, so I will talk about medical jargon in the most simplest way possible.

The Brain Produces ‘Waves’ All The Time!

While you are awake (concentrating), your brain produces beta waves. When you are daydreaming, relaxing or lying around, your brain produces alpha waves. While your body is in the transition from relaxing to sleeping, that’s when your brain starts producing theta waves. When your body is in deep sleep, your body produces delta waves. sleep better

During this period, your body starts producing growth hormones. I always tell this to my patients. Your body undergoes repairs when you enter deep sleep which is very crucial for overall well being. When I was learning more about sleep, the one question that often came to mind was, “How and when do we get dreams?”

After theta waves, there is one interesting thing which happens. It is called as REM Sleep or Rapid Eye Movement Sleep. This is when your eyes are moving with closed eyelids. You might be dreaming but you will not remember your dreams completely the next day. According to me, these are just basic things about sleep which everyone should be aware of (and with good reason).

Do you ever get a feeling of waking up tired after sleeping for almost 9 hours? When I ask this question to my patients, they say, “I am tired all the time!” This is called as Sleep Deprivation.

How Do You Know That You Are Sleep Deprived?

I read a lot! One of the books that I read on sleep is the Promise of Sleep. The book spoke about a very cool way of figuring out if we are sleep deprived or not. Check out the steps below:

  • Go to bed with a spoon in your hand
  • Your hand should be in a position where the spoon is over the floor and not over the bed
  • Note the time when you plan to sleep
  • As soon as you fall asleep, your hand muscles will relax. Once this happens, the spoon will fall on the floor and the noise will wake you up.
  • Note the time when you wake up. That’s your own sleep latency.

There are many other sleep tests which are done as well to figure sleep deprivation out.

Now that we understand what happens when we sleep,

Follow These Tips to Sleep Better

As always, we go back to our basics: Sleep Hygiene

  • Restrict Tea/Coffee/Green Tea and other caffeinated drinks. Caffeine circulates in the system for at least 7.5 hours. Taking caffeinated drinks close to bedtime can mess your sleep schedule.
  • Make sure you create a sunset kind of environment post sunset with yellow dim lights so your body realizes that it’s the time for you to relax, rest and sleep. Same thing goes for the gadgets! Blue light from your devices block the sleep hormone production. If you have long screen hours, try using blue blocking glasses post sunset.
  • Make sure that your room temperature is around 19-20. Usually, our body temperature tends to fall when we sleep. This will help you in maintaining an ideal body temperature when you wake up.
  • Try to avoid exercising, watching exciting/horror movies which will keep your mind active for a long period of time.

Apart from the basics,

Try the Sleep Restriction State Method

  • If you think you sleep 4 hours per night, then sleep for 4 hours only
  • Go to bed at 1 AM and set your alarm clock for 6AM. You’re not allowed to go to bed earlier than 1AM, or wake up later than 6AM.
  • You will be tired the following day. Extremely tired! That’s a good thing. You will be wondering, what is good in being tired but this will drive you to sleep earlier the next day
  • The next day, you add ½ hour to the sleep time. You go to bed at 12:30AM instead of 1 AM and wake up at 6AM.
  • Keep increasing your sleep window by ½ hour per day till you feel the sleep debt is paid off.

Why are we doing this? It’s because during this time of the sleep window, you won’t be allowed to use stimulants to keep yourself up. No coffee or any kind of caffeinated beverages. We are doing this so that your body starts building up the fatigue, drowsiness and eventually you will end up sleeping. This will help in recovering your sleep debt.

Sometimes, stiff neck muscles will decrease the blood supply to the brain, which results into fragmented sleep. Getting a physio evaluation for the same will also help in improving sleep quality.

We hope these tips help you sleep better! Do type your thoughts and queries in the comments below!

To read more on sleep, check out Healthy Reads. To get these tips directly from your GOQii Coach, subscribe for personalised health coaching here.

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Healthy Summer Drinks & Their Benefits

Summer Drinks RecipeThe rising mercury can leave you quite tired and dehydrated. While water can help you avoid dehydration, turning to some healthy drinks can help you replenish the essential nutrients you need to beat the heat! Here’s a guide to some flavorful and refreshing combination of summer drinks to get you through this season!

1. Sattu Sherbet  

Sattu has an extremely cooling effect. It is not only refreshing but is also filling. Generally prepared by roasted bengal grams, they are sieved and then ground to a fine flour. This flour can be used to make Sattu Sherbet. One can either serve Sattu with jaggery or with cumin seeds powder and chopped coriander leaves with Himalaya Pink Salt and water. Sattu Sherbet is full of nutrient fibre and protein, a super summer cooler!

Ingredients:

  • Chana sattu – 2 tbsp  
  • Lemon juice – 2 tsp
  • Roasted Cumin powder – ½ tsp
  • Mint leaves – 2 tsp (chopped)
  • Black salt/Rock salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves
  • Chilled water

Method:

  1. Add all ingredients in a jug and mix well
  2. Serve in glasses along with some ice cubes
  3. Garnish with more mint leaves

Benefits of Sattu Sherbet:

  • Good source of energy
  • Improves digestion
  • Good for  skin
  • Good for diabetes: Sattu has low glycaemic index and keeps our sugar level in check
  • It has more insoluble fibre and flushes out oil consumed in diet
  • Maintains healthy weight
  • Sattu consists of vitamins and minerals, especially protein that keeps you strong and takes care of wear and tear of muscle which works great as a post workout drink .

2. Aam Panna

One of the traditional summer drinks, Aam Panna is considered as one of the best! It will help your body stay cool and hydrated. This drink is prepared using raw mango pulp blended with cumin and mint leaves. It’s a refreshing drink that takes care of your skin!

Ingredients:

  • Raw mango pulp – 4 tbsp  
  • Jaggery for taste
  • Roasted cumin seeds powder – 1 spoon
  • Black Salt – ¼ spoon
  • Water and Ice cubes

Method:

  1. Boil the raw mangoes till they become soft
  2. When cool, remove the skin and squeeze the pulp with a spoon
  3. Mix all the ingredients in a mixer, blend well
  4. Add 2 cups of water
  5. Put ice cubes first in glass and pour the panna over it
  6. Garnish with mint leaves and coriander leaves

Benefits of Aam Panna:

  • The Vitamin C takes found in Aam Panna takes care of skin infections during summer and it detoxes the body
  • Improves digestion: Black Salt and mint leaves enhance the effects of digestion
  • Improves immunity
  • Takes care of sunstroke

3. Shikanji

Also known as Shikanjbeen, Shikanji is one of the most favourite summer drinks of India. A flavourful summer cooler that is rich in vitamin C. This lemonade is a mixture of normal water with lemon juice and some Indian spices such as roasted cumin seeds powder, black pepper powder, black salt and ginger.

All the spices found in Shikanji enhance flavour and improve the absorption of Vitamin C. It is anti-inflammatory in nature and prevents sunstroke.

Ingredients:

  • Chilled water
  • Lemon juice
  • Roasted Cumin Seeds Powder – 1 spoon
  • Black pepper powder – ¼ spoon
  • Black Salt – ¼ spoon  
  • Mint leaves
  • Jaggery/Sugar to taste

Method:

  1. Blend all the ingredients
  2. Put a few ice cubes and garnish with mint leaves

Health benefits of Shikanji:

  • Improves digestion
  • It works as an antioxidant. As lemon is rich in vitamin C, its alkaline nature protects the cells from oxidation
  • Natural coolant: It keeps the body cool and hydrated.
  • Prevents the loss of electrolytes due to sweating

4. Kokum sherbet

The scientific name of Kokum is Garcinia Indica. It is a perfect refreshing, energizing and hydrating drink. 

Ingredients:

  • Kokam – 2 cups
  • Roasted ground cumin seeds – 1 sp
  • Black Salt – ½ sp  
  • Sugar/Jaggery to taste

Method:

  1. Soak dried Kokam in hot water till soft,
  2. Blend and make it into a puree, strain the puree and discard seeds and hard particles
  3. Add 3 spoons of this puree in a glass and fill with chilled water
  4. Adding sugar or jaggery, mix the cumin seed powder and Black Salt
  5. Serve with ice cubes and mint leaves ,

Health benefits of Kokum Sherbet:

  • Kokam acts as a natural coolant
  • It removes pitta dosha  as per Ayurveda
  • Has good Vitamin C and Antioxidant properties
  • Improves digestion
  • Helps in relieving skin rashes

Do try these summer drinks and let us know your thoughts in the comments below! For more tips on keeping cool during summer, click here or speak to an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here. 

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Lose Body Fat by Changing What You Eat

lose body fat

There are many of us who lead demanding and hectic lifestyles which are marred with extensive working hours, early mornings and late nights. In fact, late-night shifts affect our eating patterns a lot!

Due to erratic working patterns, processed foods, instant food items and junk food are in trend as they are easy to carry and can be ordered or eaten anywhere! People don’t carry home food as much and always eat food at work in a hurry, knowing that they are gulping their food without chewing.

If we pay a little attention to what we are eating and how we are eating it, it makes a big difference. The statement, “Lose body fat by changing what you eat” holds true in this context.

Can You Lose Body Fat with Food?

First of all, you have to see the natural foods around you which have the capability to help you lose body fat. Try including some of the following option in your daily meals.

  1. Whole Grains: contain a good amount of fiber and as they are complex in nature, they release carbohydrates slowly in the body. They need energy from the body to breakdown and in turn, help you lose fat. So, include brown rice, whole wheat flour, rolled oats, Ragi, Jowar, and Bajra over refined flour like maida, suji and white rice.
  2. Pulses & Legumes: are an excellent source of fiber and vegetable protein. Protein gives you a feeling of satiety which stops you from overeating and decreases your total calorie intake resulting in fat loss. Choose whole pulses like white & black chana, cow pea, kidney bean, sprouts and have them in at least two meals.
  3. Vegetables & Fruits: are excellent sources of fiber and are low in calories. They require a lot of energy to breakdown and some fibers don’t digest in human bodies. They need to be excreted and absorb fat from the body while doing so, thereby reducing fat and cutting down total calorie intake. Have at least 2-3 servings of fruits & vegetables. Their way of cooking can be changed like sautéing, steaming, baking, shallow frying, or roasting instead of deep-frying.
  4. Healthy Fats: can be obtained through nuts, fish & seeds to improve omega 3 fatty acid which is anti-inflammatory and helps in controlling visceral fat accumulation. Cut down your intake of all types of visible fats such as butter, ghee, oils and avoid refined oils. Instead, use soybean oil, sesame oil, mustard & groundnut oil.
  5. Water: increases the metabolism of the body by flushing out toxins and cleansing the liver. The best part? It has zero calories. Drink at least 2-3 litres of water a day.
  6. Tea: Replacing your tea with green, turmeric or lemon tea and avoiding or minimizing visible intake of sugar [1tsp of sugar (5gm) = 20 calories] helps you lose weight.

Meal timings are also crucial in shedding extra fat. This is because the metabolism of the body slows down as the day progresses. That’s why late-night eaters are prone to weight gain. Low calorie and nutrient-dense food can be chosen by late eaters.

Chewing your food properly also increases the rate of absorption of nutrients and avoids extra accumulation of fat. Practicing mindful eating i.e. eating by paying attention and noticing each sip or bite, tasting your food, teaches you to control your hunger and actually helps in weight loss.

We hope these tips help you lose body fat. For more on how adjusting food habits can help you lose weight, ask a GOQii Coach for guidance by subscribing for personalised health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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Your Favorite Recipes Made Healthy

recipes made healthySome recipes are timeless but are they healthy? Well, if you’re craving for biryani, butter chicken or pizza, but are worried that it might not be healthy, we’re here to help! In this article, we covered 4 of your favorite recipes and made them healthy! Let’s get right to it –

1. Biryani Recipe Made Healthy 

Starting with the finest, let’s start with identifying what’s healthy and what’s not in the recipe. I personally consider Biryani a healthy dish to start with. An excellent combination of proteins (paneer/chicken/mutton) with rice. Hence, balancing out your only rice dish. Seasoned with the best spices in your pantry, each with its unique benefits helping in the digestion of your meal apart from adding flavour. It is usually combined with a good quantity of curd based salad, so you do not have to worry about your fiber and veggie intake either.

So what’s wrong? Except for the oil content, I cannot think of much. Next question – where is the oil? Answer- In the fried onions! Every Biryani recipe has fried onions amounting to the same quantity as the chicken/mutton. So, if you are making Biryani with 1 kg chicken, you have to add 1kg of fried onions.

How do you make this healthy?

  • Take 1 kg onions, slice and fry 3 onions from this and grind the rest to a pulp.
  • Heat 2 tbsp of oil and cook your onion paste – this requires patience and can be done a day ahead.
  • Keep cooking and stirring your onion paste till the water is dry and it starts turning brown.
  • Keep a handful of your fried onions aside for garnishing and grind the rest to a paste.
  • Add the fried onion paste to the rest of your browned onion paste.
  • Voila! You have 1 kg of fried onion paste to add to your chicken, cooked in less than the oil you would otherwise require.

This tip can be used for gravies requiring fried onion paste too such as Kormas.

2. Chicken Nuggets Made Healthy 

Who doesn’t like nuggets? Especially kids! Serve them a plate of nuggets and you are their best friend forever! So, what’s wrong? My answer nothing and everything. Buy a pack of frozen nuggets and you are feeding your kids questionable meat fried in questionable oil and seasoned with a variety of chemicals and preservatives. Instead, prepare a plate of chicken nuggets from scratch, with fresh meat and love and you are offering your kids a healthy, high protein snack!

Ingredients

  • Chicken breasts, cut into slices
  • Seasoning of your choice
  • Corn flour
  • Breadcrumbs

Method

  1. Flatten your chicken breast a bit with a meat hammer. Cut into nugget sized pieces.
  2. Season with salt and whatever other spices you like, I like to season mine with herbs and garlic.
  3. Add 2 tbsp. of Corn flour to the chicken, coat each nugget with bread crumbs.
  4. These can then be stored in your freezer or fried right away.
  5. They just need to be shallow fried in a skillet and don’t need any deep frying.

3. Butter Chicken

Another hot favourite in my kitchen. The yummy North Indian gravies are usually made with cashew/almond paste and a lot of cream. Butter chicken has an added generous dollop of butter on top.

How do we make this healthy? 

My recipe calls for 2 tbsp of oil initially for sautéing the onions, plus a generous dollop of butter in the end. Instead, I add 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of oil for sautéing the onions, and minus the butter in the end. My recipe called for frying marinated chicken and then shredding it. I just grill/broil the chicken in the oven instead.

While making the cashew paste, I add a tbsp of melon seeds while reducing the cashew quantity a bit. And grind it with milk instead of water to make a thick and creamy paste (thereby avoiding the cream in the end).

I substitute the fresh cream with either milk or thick buttermilk. If I’m in a festive mood, I add 1 tbsp of fresh cream to 150 ml of milk (Small indulgences are always allowed). Make sure to remove your gravy from the flame after 30 seconds of adding the milk/buttermilk as this will otherwise curdle in the gravy.

4. Pizza Made Healthy 

Pizzas are bad unless you try this whole wheat pizza base!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup ground oats
  • 1 tbsp yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 Tsp pepper powder
  • 1 tsp oregano (optional)
  • 1 tsp dried basil (optional)

Method

  1. Dissolve the sugar in the lukewarm water. Mix the yeast in it and keep for 15 – 20 minutes in a warm place.
  2. Mix all the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients, including the yeast mixture, mix with a spoon, and bring together with your hands, you may have to wet your hands a bit.
  3. Keep it for proving in a warm and dry place, for 2 hours. The dough will have expanded to double or more volume at this time. Punch it down once and shape into balls. Roll each ball and flatten to make a thin pizza base.
  4. If you want to pre-bake the base, bake at 200°C for 8 minutes in a preheated oven. If you are making the pizza directly, then add the desired toppings and bake at 200°C for 10 – 15 minute.
  5. The same recipe for bread can also be used for other recipes like rolls and buns.

We hope this article on your favorite recipes made healthy helps you enjoy your food without any guilt! For more healthy recipes, click here or speak to an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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