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Health Benefits of Weight Lifting You Might Not Know

weight lifting

Whenever I advise my players to include weight lifting in their workout regimes, their reactions range from, “It’s too complicated or difficult for me,” to “No! I don’t want to bulk up”. These are the misconceptions engraved in our minds from the glossy images of sculpted and chiseled bodies of men and women appearing in fitness websites and magazines!

Apart from the fact that many of these photographs are Photoshopped or Edited, they unanimously promote the sole purpose of weight lifting as ‘body building’, which defers many people who want to actually stay fit and active, from it. Weight lifting, in essence, is not just about getting toned and sculpted! The benefits of weight lifting are numerous, ranging from improving your body composition, burning fat, strengthening your bones and joints and increasing your happiness quotient as well!

Health Benefits of Weight Lifting

  1. Get Stronger and More Active: Weight lifting stimulates the growth and development of the slow twitching muscle fibers (type2 muscle fibers) which improves agility, endurance, and builds up your stamina and strength, thus, boosting your performance in doing activities of daily livings (ADLs).
  2. Boosts Resting Metabolism: When the muscles are stimulated after strength training, they need to work harder to rebuild. Hence, they utilize more calories for redevelopment and growth! Muscles are metabolically active tissues which keep burning calories even during the resting phase known as the Afterburn Effect!
  3. Strengthens Your Bones and Joints: Weight training not only strengthens your muscles and ligaments but also improves bone density. The way muscles start developing under stress, the bones also adapt by increasing deposition after consistent weight lifting. This becomes more important as one reaches the age of early 40s when we are prone to natural decline. Also, stronger ligaments and bones prevent the occurrence of injuries while performing cardio and other activities!
  4. Lower Risk of Diabetes & Blood Sugar Levels: A study funded by the National Institute of Health has found that men who added weight lifting to their cardiovascular exercise routine had a 34% lower risk of diabetes. It’s advisable for individuals with type 2 diabetes to include weight training in their workout regime as toned muscles improve insulin sensitivity and better utilization of glucose!
  5. Improves Heart Health: As weight lifting improves the lean muscle mass in the body, it improves blood flow to different body areas which put less pressure on arteries, thus improving cardiac muscles pumping capacity!
  6. Improves Posture & Balance: Weight lifting strengthens your core, tones up your muscles and improves your posture. It reduces undue stress on different bones and joints, especially the shoulders, spine and hips which are more prone to injuries because of bad posture! Weight training also promotes the development of smaller muscle sets known as stabilizers. These take care of keeping you upright and helping you balance on a slippery surface or on one foot when you are reaching out to a higher shelf!
  7. Makes You Happier: Weight training stimulates the release of endorphins in the body which are also known as the ‘feel good hormones’. They trigger the happy centers in the brain. A well-toned, lean and fit body elevates your mood and self-esteem. Weight training brings you out of your comfort zone. High intensity weight training proves the worth in persisting through uncomfortable situations – a lesson which can be applied to be successful in other aspects of life too.

How to Start Your Weight Training Journey?

The simple mantra is just ‘go ahead’. Simply enter a gym or put on a video to see how you can take your journey forward. Start with minimum weights and gradually increase. Make sure to start under the guidance of an expert to avoid injuries or wrong postures or techniques. Keep setting challenges and targets which will keep you motivated to push harder.

You can even subscribe to GOQii’s Personalized Health Coaching to seek guidance from your GOQii Coach, tackle myths and get the right information about weight training.

Push past your limits to the extent that your toughest workout now, becomes your warm up later! If you hit a wall, simply climb over it. What stops you from hitting the gym? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

#BeTheForce

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5 Healthy Juices For Weight Loss

Juices for weight loss

One of the golden rules to live by is to include at least 2 servings of fruits and vegetables to our diet every day. While this seems hard for some people because of the sugar content in fruit juices, you can’t deny the fact that one can get numerous micronutrients from them. While juices alone won’t help you lose weight, you can add these nutrient rich, less sugar blends to your existing regime and see drastic improvements! Try these amazing juices for weight loss now!

Best Natural Juices For Weight Loss

Below are some recipes we think can help you in your journey to lose weight. More greens are useful than fruits but this variety and blends will definitely help you a lot to not just detox, but supply your body with the nutrients it needs.

1. Clean and Green Detox Juice

juices for weight loss

Ingredients:

  • Apples
  • Kale
  • Celery
  • Cucumbers
  • Basil

Method:

  1. Place all ingredients in a blender
  2. Add 1/4th cup of water. Mix thoroughly. Add water and/or ice in order to make the smoothie thicker or thinner based on your preference

This smoothie is excellent for detox as it flushes out all toxins from your body and contains antioxidants from the basil to make this one of the effective vegetable juices for fat loss.

2. Beetroot, Carrot & Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • Beetroots
  • Carrots
  • Strawberries

Method:

  1. Peel beetroots and chop the carrots. Add strawberries to the veggies and blend it in a blender
  2. Add 1/4th cup of water. Add water and/or ice in order to make the smoothie thicker or thinner based on your preference

Beetroot juice will help you work out harder in the gym and this is one of the fruit juices for weight loss that contain a high amount of soluble and insoluble fiber that assists in weight loss.

3. Mint, Watermelon and Kale Juice

Ingredients:

  • Watermelon: 1.5-2 cups
  • Mint leaves: 1 fistful
  • Kale: 3 leaves

Method:

  1. Wash mint and kale leaves and put in blender. Chop the watermelon, remove the seeds and place in blender.
  2. Add 1/4th cup of water and mix well. Add water and/or ice in order to make the smoothie thicker or thinner based on your preference.

Watermelon, by nature, are mainly water and sugar, thus making them a low calorie, weight loss assistant. This is a handy juice for weight loss because of the mint leaves. Mint leaves are a natural appetite suppressant. So forget your hunger pangs after having one of these smoothies!

4. Green Spinach Lemonade

Ingredients:

  • Lemon: 1/4th cup
  • Water: 1/2 cup
  • Spinach: 1 whole
  • Apple (secret ingredient)

Method:

  1. Cut up lemons and remove seeds. Add spinach, lemon and water to blender.
  2. Add 1 apple with skin. Mix thoroughly. Add more apple if you want to sweeten more.
  3. Add water and/or ice in order to make the smoothie thicker or thinner based on your preference

The key ingredient to this, as you may have noticed, is the apple. Not only is it a fantastic sweetener, but it is also a fantastic source of antioxidants and minerals. This is the best juice for weight loss because it contains the minerals and micro-nutrients from spinach and apples but also assists in weight loss due to the lemons.

5. Cucumber Kiwi Juice

Ingredients:

  • Kiwi – 2 whole
  • Cucumber – 1 whole
  • Lemon – 1/2
  • Water – 1/4 Cup

Method:

  1. Chop and peel the kiwis and cucumber. Blend together.
  2. Add water and/or ice in order to make the smoothie thicker or thinner based on your preference

This recipe is the best juice recipe to get rid of belly fat because it is high in water and low in sodium. Low sodium juices reduce the overall bloating of the body and because this juice is lower than 50 calories, it is a fantastic way to satiate your hunger and be in a caloric deficit. A must try option for effective weight loss.

There you go! We hope these juices aid you on your weight loss journey. More importantly, consult with your doctor before trying these in case you have any allergies.

Which recipe did you like the most? Leave your thoughts in the comments below! For more recipes, check out Healthy Reads. To get more tips and guidance on your weight loss journey, speak with a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

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Myths, Tips and Tricks for Weight Loss

Weight Loss
Are you facing issues with weight loss? Have you tried everything from fad diets to exercises to health clubs but found no permanent results? At some point, you may have even gained the kilos almost as quickly as you lost them. So when it comes to weight loss, what exactly works?

As each person’s body needs and compositions differ, weight loss works differently for different people. What remains common is the fact that weight loss needs to be holistic and diet alone isn’t the best method. The ideal method is a combination of various lifestyle factors.

The key to weight loss is making permanent changes in your eating habits as well as lifestyle. It is said that weight gain is not quick and is not the result of days or even a few months. It’s a result of years of overeating. The safest and the most effective way of slimming is to lose weight sensibly. For instance, a kilo in a week is quick, safe and manageable.

Crash diets should be avoided because more often than not, they fail. A severe diet can slow the body’s metabolism down. The key to successful weight loss is making permanent changes in your eating habits. Do not try to revamp your diet all at once. Start with a few adjustments and gradually build on them until balanced nutrition choices become a regular part of your routine. Gradual changes in diet are more likely to become habits eventually.

Some Myths, Tips & Funny Tricks For Weight Loss

Myths

  • A glass of warm water in the morning helps you lose weight: Many believe that consuming warm water on an empty stomach is a cure for excess weight. They believe that hot water dissolves fat but the truth is that fat does not dissolve in water
  • Switching sugar with honey will aid weight loss: I agree that honey has many therapeutic and curative powers but curing obesity is not one of them
  • Bananas are fattening: This is the most misunderstood fruit and has calories as much as any other fruit. Also they are a wonderful source of potassium. They are filling and assuage constipation
  • Standing while eating burns more calories: The truth is you tend to eat more while standing. I always recommend one to sit and eat unless circumstances demand otherwise
  • Skipping breakfast is good during dieting: It’s recommended never to skip breakfast or else you tend to overeat in your next meal. After dinner, our body is in the fasting state and next morning when we wake up, our body needs fuel to get going
  • Potatoes are fattening: It’s safer to consume potatoes over breads as breads are twice as fattening as potatoes. Go for boiled potatoes rather than fried ones
  • Saunas help in shedding kilos: You may feel rejuvenated and great sitting in a sauna but what you really lose after one session is merely the weight of water. Once the fluids have been replenished, your weight comes back to normal

Tips

  • Eat plenty of green leafy veggies, fruits, and whole grains
  • Drink plenty of water. This will keep off hunger. Sometimes, what we often think as hunger is in fact thirst. Here’s how you can differentiate between hunger and thirst
  • You need to watch the nutrients that you consume. Divide your entire day’s plate into 4 quarters. Fill more than half of your plate with veggies and fruits. Remaining could be balanced between dairy, beans or cereals
  • Try to go for small frequent meals instead of typical 3 square meals i.e. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Ideally, you should consume some food after every 2.5- 3 hours
  • Have a colourful meal. By colours I don’t mean artificial/synthetic colours. What I mean is choose foods with colourful veggies and fruits and make your plate aesthetically attractive
  • Eat your meals mindfully and chew thoroughly. This will help in portion control, better digestion and reduces the chances of overeating
  • If you have a sweet tooth, don’t hold the guilt, satisfy it. Choose a sweet, like a candy or peppermint, which will last in your mouth for some time and tastes heavenly. If it is a high calorie sweet loaded with sugar and fat, take just a bite. Remember taste is what you want, not the calories
  • If you happen to treat yourself with some sweets or fried foods, do so at breakfast. As our metabolism is more active during this time of the day. Plus, you have an entire day to burn off the extra calories
  • Sleep deprivation can cause you to snack unnecessarily. Have a good rest and sleep for weight moderation
  • Focus on deep breathing, into your stomach and not just your chest. Oxygen is one key to lose weight, as fat burns in the flame of oxygen. Take equal time to exhale so as to eliminate toxins from the body
  • Don’t miss your daily workout. If you don’t have the luxury of time, try and be active for at least 20 minutes per day as it’s always said that a little workout is better than no workout

Tricks

  • Develop a reward system. It’s proven that when you have something to look forward to at the end of each milestone, it automatically helps to mentally and emotionally shorten the cycle of long term success
  • While setting a target, try to be realistic and do not dream of a petite figure. It will boost your confidence once you achieve that realistic goal
  • This sounds silly but really works (personal experience). When you are tempted to reach out for that forbidden snack, before satisfying your taste buds, just take a deep breath & count to 100. Usually, by the time you finish counting to 100, your craving would have vanished
  • Chocolate craving is the most addictive of all. Next time you feel like eating a chocolate, just take a whiff of a strong perfume. This eases the craving
  • Pinch your ear to lose your appetite! Surprising, isn’t it? Well Reflexologists believe that pinching your ear will curb cravings and reduce your appetite
  • Above all, always be motivated! Think thin and fit. Imagine yourself at the weight you would like to be or the clothes you would like to fit in. Also picture how others will react to you at your new weight and look. Enjoy the feelings that these thoughts will evoke as they will keep you motivated for the long run!

The takeaway message here is that weight loss comes as a by product of an active and healthy lifestyle. It’s you who has to get you off the couch to exercise, cook a healthy meal and move that body!

Do you have any other myths, tips or tricks you’d like to share? Drop them in the comments below! For more on Weight Loss, check out Healthy Reads. For the right guidance and motivation to work towards your health goals, subscribe for GOQii’s personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

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5 Powerful Bodyweight Exercises For Lower Back

exercises for lower backWith sedentary jobs and increased sitting time, we are much more prone to weak and underutilized muscles, leading to faulty postures and eventually lower back pain. So, it’s all the more important to work on strengthening our core/lower back muscles. A strong back not only makes you look aesthetically great, it also helps you maintain/improve your posture and protects from any back pain/injury. And what’s best, when you can use your own bodyweight as a tool to gain strength, rather than rely on fancy equipment! 

5 Effective Bodyweight Exercises For Lower Back 

1. Plank lower back
The plank is an excellent exercise to strengthen your core, it works on your abdominal muscles and the entire back from the pelvis, along the spine and up to the shoulder girdle. It also engages the entire lower limbs.

How to do a Plank?

  1. Begin in the plank position, with your face down and your forearms and toes on the floor. Your elbows should be directly under your shoulders and your forearms should be facing forward. Your head should be relaxed and you should be looking at the floor.
  2. Engage your abdominal muscles, drawing your navel toward your spine. Keep your torso straight and rigid and your body in a straight line from head to toes with no sagging or upward bend. This is the neutral spine position.
  3. Hold this position for 10-15 seconds, release onto the floor and as you progress, you can increase the hold time to 30 sec/1 min/ 2 min.

 2. Side Plank
The side plank works on your core, along with the internal and external oblique muscles that collectively help to control the rotational movements of our spine. A regular plank keeps our core stabilized, while working on the transverse abdominis muscle, whereas the side plank has a stronger emphasis on the quadratus lumborum or the part of the back side of the abdominal wall that plays a major role in preventing back pain.

How to do a Side Plank?

  1. Start with your elbow positioned directly below your shoulder, with the forearm resting on the ground.
  2. Keep the feet stacked or staggered (depending on your core strength), lift up your bottom, through the lower obliques until the body is in a straight line. Keep the shoulders and hips stacked.
  3. Perform one to three sets for 10-30 seconds, or as long as you can maintain proper form.
  4. For Beginners: You can drop the knee to the floor for additional support or find an elevated surface to place the hand or forearm, reducing the challenge on the core.

3. Quadruped Limb Raises/ Bird Dog
The bird dog is a simple core exercise that improves stability, strength (of core, hips and back muscles), mobility and alignment of the entire spine. Hence is very effective in relieving low back pain.

How to do a Bird Dog?

  1. Begin on all fours in the tabletop position, with your hands placed under the shoulders and knees under the hips. Maintain a neutral spine and draw your shoulders blades together.
  2. Raise your right arm and left leg, keeping your shoulders and hips parallel to the floor. Lengthen the back of your neck and tuck your chin into your chest to gaze down at the floor.
  3. Hold this position for a few seconds, then lower back down to the starting position. Repeat with the left arm and right leg. You can do 8-10 repetitions each side and progress with more sets.

4. Back Extension Exercise/Superman Pose
An exercise named after “the Man of Steel”, should definitely give your back muscles the power of steel, to keep you away from back pain and increase your mobility and strength for daily activities. The Superman pose is a great bodyweight exercise that engages your entire core- including the abdominals, obliques, back extensors, hamstrings, glutes and the arms too.

How to do a Superman?

  1. Begin by lying with your belly on the floor, head in neutral position and arms extended over your head, so that a straight line is created from the tips of your finger to the toes.
  2. Slowly lift your arms and legs off the ground at the same time, tightening your glutes(butt) as you lift up. Hold the position at the top, for 3-5 seconds.
  3. Gradually lower your arms and legs to the floor. Repeat the movement 5-10 times, depending on your fitness level.
  4. Increase difficulty level: If you think the above move is easy, you can increase the challenge by making this an isometric exercise. Hold the top position for 30-60 seconds, or as long as you can maintain proper form.

5. Bridge/Supine Gluteal Bridge
The bridge is a great exercise for improving hip mobility and strengthening your lower back muscles, using your own bodyweight. This exercise targets the back of your legs, or posterior chain, that includes your hamstrings and glutes. 

How to do it?  

  1. Lie on your back with your knees bent. Tighten your abdominal muscles.
  2. Raise your hips off the floor until your hips are aligned with your knees and shoulders. Hold for three deep breaths.
  3. Return to the starting position and repeat. You can do up to 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
  4. Increase difficulty level: by performing this exercise with a single leg, while maintaining level hips.

So, if you are looking to strengthen your back muscles using your own bodyweight and no equipment, you now know what exercises to do and how to progress ahead. You can do the exercises, 2-3 times a week and also can add to any workout routine that you have been following.

We hope this article on bodyweight exercises for lower back helps you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more home workouts and exercises, check out Healthy Reads or you can join our fitness experts for live, interactive sessions on GOQii PRO within the GOQii App. 

#BeTheForce 

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