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#DiscoverYourTrail With The GOQii Trail Challenge 2022!

GOQii Trail Challenge 2022As the old saying goes – You can’t keep a good thing down, we are finally back with the next edition of the GOQii Trail Challenge! Thanks to the pandemic, it’s been almost 2 years since we challenged you to take this 50km journey with us where we explored something more than just nature.

We explored hardships, camaraderie, teamwork, motivation, inner strength, fortitude and most importantly, through the many stories that emerged from the GOQii Trail Challenge, we not only observed the beauty that nature held, but we observed ourselves deeply and discovered something new about ourselves! 

How The Trail Can Help You Discover Yourself? 

While we can throw in a couple of adjectives that might strike an emotion, there’s nothing in the world that hits home harder than real life experiences. 

One of our participants had never even done a trek, let alone a 50km trailwalk that requires a decent amount of preparation and training. In fact, she decided to take the challenge to prove her colleagues wrong – all of whom believed that she’d give up halfway. As the journey began, she realized that it’s not an easy feat. 

Pooja as she approached the finish line

Her partner gave up and while this participant thought she’d be alone, she discovered that GOQii is not just a brand but a family, as no one is alone on the trail. Another participant who had been walking solo, paired up with her and motivated her to reach the finish line. She said that every participant she encountered only motivated her to push herself. Somewhere, she believed that she couldn’t complete the trail but as she reached the finish line, in all that awe and surprise, she found a new sense of pride and confidence! You can read Pooja’s heroic journey here.

Shankar Sabadi walking with a makeshift splint

Speaking of heroic journeys, here’s one that taught us a lot about fortitude, determination and not giving up in the face of adversity. Despite encountering a severe injury on the trail, Shankar Sabadi managed to complete the 50km trail using a makeshift splint for his broken arm. His determination to complete the challenge was overwhelming, even for us. He exemplified what it means to not give up and push forward, no matter what.

Sanket Bhirud (L) along with Anusha Subramanian (R)

The previous trailwalk wasn’t just about the struggle of able-bodied people but we also had a participant who had a disability. Being blind, Sanket Bhirud was accompanied by Anusha Subramanian as they raised awareness about inclusion of disabled people in the outdoors. We learned here that no matter who you are or what your circumstances, with enough determination, strong will and good teamwork, you can overcome any hurdle or barrier.  

These are just a few stories from the GOQii Trail Challenge. While walking in the lap of nature, having to rely on your teammates and fellow walkers for support or even crossing a river, you might discover something about yourself that you never did before. It’s not just a trail walk, it’s about finding yourself!

A Few Other Reasons Why You Should Participate

Apart from discovering yourself, you can take the GOQii Trail Challenge to: 

  • Challenge the capabilities of your body and test your mental strength 
  • Connect with mother nature on a deeper level 
  • Enjoy a break in the heart of nature, away from the hustle and bustle of the city 
  • Meet and interact with like-minded people
  • Strike out the “achieve the impossible” target of your checklist for the year 

How Can You Participate In the GOQii Trail Challenge 2022? 

Anyone can participate in this event, as long as they are above 18 years of age. ELITE GOQii Players and past participants are eligible for a special offer on this year’s registration fee. 

The 50 km nature trail is in Mandangad, a village situated at the extreme north of Ratnagiri District in Maharashtra, approximately 4 hours from Mumbai. The journey to Mandangad will begin on Friday, 9th December, from the GOQii office in Mumbai by bus. The 50km trailwalk will be held on Saturday, 10th December 2022. We will return to the GOQii Mumbai office on Sunday, 11th December by 4.00 PM. 

You can register as a single participant or as a team of 2. Please visit www.goqii.com/gtc for more details! 

We hope to see you this year at the GOQii Trail Challenge 2022 as you #DiscoverYourTrail

#BeTheForce  

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How To Build Endurance and Stamina

endurance and stamina

When you go for your usual runs, do you find yourself grasping for breath? Is it difficult for you to run for a longer period without tiring yourself out? Do you want to run freely and participate in marathons and other sporting events? It’s time to improve your endurance and stamina! We’ve got you covered with tips that will help you increase your speed and improve your time duration while avoiding injuries.

Tips To Improve Endurance and Stamina 

Endurance and stamina are the body’s ability to exert itself to its maximum without completely gasping for breath while being able to speak a sentence. There are certain tips and tricks to increase and build endurance and stamina.  

  1. Maintain a Schedule: with 2-3 short distance runs and a long distance run at least once a week to acclimatize the body to run farther distances and to build Aerobic capacity. Then slowly try to increase the duration of the run by 1km per week or 0.5 km per week depending on your fitness levels. For instance, 2-3times, 5-8km runs in a week with one 10km run in the first week (this is for athletes who are at moderate level intensity). With increasing the distance by 0.5-1km per week for Long runs for a couple of months, followed with increasing the Speed needed to cover the same distance.
  2. A simple rule of thumb that can be followed here is the FITT (Frequency of exercise, Intensity of Exercise, Type of Exercise and Time duration needed to complete a distance) principle: Always increase the time duration first (of the long runs) in the first few weeks of training. Then increase the speed/intensity of the workout in the coming months of training. This trick  helps in preventing any form of injury.
  3. Muscle Strengthening: For completing marathons in less time and improving speed and fitness, strengthening the core muscles and the lower body muscles is a necessity as doing only cardio will reduce the resistance in joints and muscles. The weight of the entire body lies on the legs and is supported by the core muscles. It would be great to sneak in a couple of days of weight bearing strength training into the schedule. But my advice would be try for more repetitions and lesser weights while doing strength training (avoid extremely heavy weights as the goal is to build on Muscular Endurance and strength and not become bulky). 
  4. Nutrition: is as important as exercises for improving stamina. It can make or break a performance. 1-2 bananas or 12-15 grapes 20mins before a short run would be a great option or 1 bowl muesli with 1 banana and milk would be perfect 1-1.5 hours before a long run. Even 1-2 Idlis 1 hour before the workouts would be a perfect blend of Carbs, Proteins and Salt. A homemade Nimboo pani with pink salt and jaggery/sugar would be great to be carried for sipping during the runs or a coconut water or even an electoral would work the trick for long runs. 20-30mins post workout is the window of anabolic opportunity where max absorption of nutrients happens. Preferable to have post workout nutrition within 20mins of workout. Dates(4-5 in nos), Prunes(handful), Banana(1-2), Raisins(handful), Grapes(12-15 in nos), Watermelon(1-2 slices) along with a glass of Milk or Whey isolate or 2 (whites):1(yolk) eggs for proteins would be great. Even having your Breakfast rich in carbs-proteins immediately post workout (if a morning run) would work as a fantastic post workout meal.
  5. Recovery: No training or progression with any goal is complete without sufficient rest and recovery periods. Sleep, rest is essential to excrete toxin and lactic acid build up in the body. It is very important to also reduce the levels of the stress hormone Cortisol (which also increases with training), it helps in recovery of every cell and muscle in the body thereby enabling better performance.

Simple things like doing an active warm-up pre-workout and static cool down stretches post workout is essential to prevent any forms of injury and will indirectly help in building endurance and stamina.

We hope this article helps you improve your endurance and stamina. To read more about indoor workouts, check out Healthy Reads. For tips on weight/strength training, and to workout with our experts on a live session, subscribe for a GOQii Pro class within the GOQii App.  

Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments below! 

#BeTheForce 

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Anupa Samuel Lowers Triglycerides and Cholesterol Levels With Help From Her GOQii Coach!

Anupa SamuelWhile the lockdown was a great move to curb the spread of COVID-19, it affected the health and lifestyle of a lot of people. Those leading active lifestyles had to be homebound and this led to the development of certain ailments that affect them even today. Our player Anupa Samuel faced a similar situation where her triglycerides and cholesterol levels shot up but with the help of her GOQii Coach, she was able to reverse her condition. Here’s how her Health Story unfolded.

The Journey From Active To Inactive

Anupa Samuel is a 46 year old who lives in Mumbai with her husband and 2 children. She claimed to be a sports enthusiast, playing sports since childhood. She enjoyed playing sports such as throwball and badminton. She was quite active even before the COVID pandemic, walking almost 14km a day.

After the lockdown, Anupa Samuel was unable to participate in the activities she enjoyed. She stopped walking. “It got difficult to walk even 5k steps,” she said. Her eating habits became problematic as well as her lunch and dinner was too heavy and she began eating at odd hours. Although weight wasn’t an issue for her, her triglycerides and cholesterol levels shot up significantly. 

Choosing Diet Over Medicine 

When she figured her triglyceride and cholesterol levels were high, she made a decision to avoid medicines. “I don’t like taking medicines,” she said. She was willing to do anything apart from taking medication and wanted to solely focus on reversing her condition through diet and nutrition. 

When her husband asked his friends and colleagues if it is possible to reduce triglyceride and cholesterol levels through diet alone, they said it would be a difficult task as you need to switch your food habits and eat lots of salads, to which Anupa said, “I can do it!” 

Joining GOQii & Making A Positive Lifestyle Change 

Anupa joined GOQii on Feb 11, 2022 when her husband gave it to her as a gift. Around April, she was assigned to Coach Nikhil Sapate. “Now, he’s not just a coach but a very good friend of mine, so I’m very comfortable with him,” says Anupa about her GOQii Coach Nikhil. 

He closely monitored her habits and took into account her goal of wanting to reverse her condition through diet and nutrition alone and suggested a few changes.

These suggestions included: 

  • Start the day with apple cider vinegar with turmeric and lukewarm water for detox 
  • Drink bay leaf ginger tea in the evening
  • Eat fruits, roasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, soaked brazilian nuts, walnuts and almonds 
  • Include red rice in meals 
  • Eat heavy meals only till lunch, whereas before her lunch and dinner used to be heavy 
  • Post lunch, stick to green tea
  • For dinner, eat fruits or a bowl of salad
  • Drink more than 2L of water a day 

Apart from the changes above, Coach Nikhil also ensured that she stopped consuming brown bread. She also began indulging in activities she enjoyed doing before. Currently, she spends her time being active throughout the day by walking, playing table tennis, performing aerobics, planks, squats and badminton, etc. She varies her workout to keep it from being boring. Albeit, she tries to cover these activities within a single day. She says, “I enjoy activities so I can give as much time as needed for exercising”.  

When her father was diagnosed with prostate cancer in April, she had to do hospital visits once a month. While waiting for her father’s treatment, she found ways to keep herself active like meditating while waiting or trying to complete her steps by walking up and down the stairs of the hospital.

Within 6 months of joining GOQii Anupa is already an Elite Player. When asked about her progress, she says, “All the credit goes to my GOQii Coach. He is outstanding. Apart from him, coaches like Anushka Contractor and Mukesh Morwall have helped me a lot!” 

This can also be credited to the fact that Anupa is quite active on the GOQii App. “My kids say that I am married to GOQii only,” she said as she has a hard time when she is not close to her GOQii Tracker. 

She is a regular on GOQii Play and also joins live online classes on GOQii PRO. Her favorite coaches include Anushka Contractor, Mukesh Morwall, Rounak Gajjar, Sheetal Tewari and Alistair Fernandes as well as she enjoys dancing. 

She is also an active reader of the GOQii Blog. Her main goal right now is to improve her sleep and hydration levels. She joins the ASMR sessions on GOQii Play to improve her sleep. 

Results Of Personalized Health Coaching With GOQii 

At the time of joining, Anupa’s triglycerides were at 345 and her total cholesterol level was at 239. Her TSH levels were at 7.33. “She was looking to bring her triglycerides and total cholesterol down with the help of natural food and no medication,” says her Coach Nikhil. “After cutting processed foods and fried items, she managed to bring her triglycerides down to 187, and cholesterol to 174, while her TSH levels dropped massively to 4.64. The levels were achieved in 3 months,” he added.

As of now, she avoids biscuits, crackers and packaged foods as well as any type of bread. She consumes air fried chicken and fish with minimum oil intake. She also completes 17k steps a day. 

“All the changes we made gave good results. She feels that her energy levels have improved and she can work the whole day without any sign of fatigue. She has gotten leaner as well. Now, to achieve her goal of improving her sleep, we’ve begun with chamomile tea,” said Coach Nikhil.

Anupa Samuel made significant changes in just a few months. You can do the same with dedication, discipline and a little bit of guidance and motivation from our experts. Sign up for GOQii’s personalised health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

For more inspiring Health Stories, check out Healthy Reads. 

#BeTheForce  

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Food is Your Fountain of Youth! Healthy Eating Tips for the Elderly

Healthy Eating Tips for the ElderlyAs we mentioned in our IndiaFit Report 2020: India’s Ikigai – The Secret to Longevity, there are some folks who manage to live long and healthy lives thanks to their discipline, but most people usually find their health crumbling. In old age, a human either becomes disinterested in eating or can’t manage their meals due to medical conditions which make eating difficult. There is a loss of appetite as anxiety, depression, irritability or gastric trouble become commonplace.

The body of the elderly needs to be cared for and fed with good food so that it helps in combating stress, depression, fight inflammation and pain. With the growing rate of diabetes in the mid-40s, by the time a person reaches 70-80 years of age, the damage done to the organs by diabetes or any other lifestyle disease is unpredictable.

Healthy Eating Tips for the Elderly

It is important that the elderly eat small meals at frequent intervals. The diet should be a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. In fact, the food should be appealing. Let’s see how we can incorporate all of this:

  • The diet of the elderly should contain complex carbohydrates like Wheat, Oats, Ragi, Jowar, Brown rice and should avoid refined cereals like white bread and maida.
  • Protein is a very important nutrient because there is a lot of muscle wastage that occurs in old age. Loss of skin tone, loss of skin elasticity is profound. The diet should include good sources of proteins such as lentils, dals, soybean, milk and milk products. For non-vegetarians, boiled egg whites every day is recommended. Opt for skinless chicken which can be grilled, roasted or used in soups. 
  • Healthy fats are essential to protect the heart and provide essential vitamins such as vitamin E which protects the body organs and nourishes the skin. Include soaked almonds, walnuts, dates, dried figs in the diet in the form of morning snacks. Fish like Salmon provides Omega 3 fatty acids which help fight against cancers. 
  • As we age our digestive system slows down. Many face a problem digesting fiber. While it is easy to consume salads or raw veggies, for some, it is difficult and leads to constipating, bloating or gassiness. In this case, it is better to consume vegetables which are boiled or steamed. Unstrained vegetable soups and vegetable smoothies are good options as well. 
  • Including 1-2 servings of fruits every day is crucial. Fruits not only regulate blood sugar but also provide essential minerals and vitamins to the body. 
  • The most important thing is to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and hydrate! Especially at old age, it is more important to consume 2-3 liters of water every day. Having 1 glass of warm water immediately after waking up stimulates the body cells. For improving digestion, consuming 1 glass of warm water half an hour before and half and hour after meals is a must. 
  • Don’t forget to include anti-inflammatory foods like turmeric, ginger and cinnamon. They will help protect against bone disease and reduce joint pains while protecting the heart. Consuming ginger water in the day helps treat various digestion related issues as well. 

What’s an Ideal Meal Plan? 

If you need a roadmap or an ideal plan, here it is: 

  1. Start the day with a glass of warm water, lemon water or ginger water with half tsp of honey. 
  2. Eat a healthy breakfast consisting of oats porridge, khichdi, vegetable idli, paneer dosa or poha with a glass of milk or boiled egg white. 
  3. Mid morning should contain a fruit which can be an apple, guava, watermelon, pears, banana, papaya or you can have a mixed fruit bowl as well.
  4. Lunch should include roti or rice with 1 bowl dal, a bowl of vegetable curry, 1 salad and 1 bowl of curd. 
  5. Dinner should be the same as lunch, although, it should be lighter. Cut down the quantity of rice/roti. Eat dinner at least 2-3 hours before bed to ensure proper digestion. 
  6. Before bed, drink low fat milk to ensure good sleep and provide your body with calcium for strong bones. You can also add turmeric to it for extra benefits! 

Before you undertake this meal plan or decide to follow it religiously, you need to consult your doctor or nutritionist to check how it may affect any existing medical condition you may have. Along with all kinds of fruits, veggies and healthy foods, don’t forget to stay active! 

We hope these healthy eating tips for the elderly help you. Do share your thoughts in the comments below. To subscribe for GOQii’s personalised health coaching and get more of these tips from a GOQii Coach, click here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr 

#BeTheForce 

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

As we observe World Cancer Day under the powerful theme ‘United by Unique’ (2025-2027)**, we are reminded that every individual’s journey with cancer is distinct, yet united by shared resilience, hope, and the collective fight against this disease. This theme places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the […]