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5 Alarming Effects of Overtraining & How To Manage Them

overtrainingOvertraining, in essence, is performing excessive training which your body is unable to recover from – both in and outside the gym. The less severe versions of overtraining may take you a week to recover from. While most fitness experts will tell you that overtraining is worse than undertraining, some people still choose to push themselves which result in alarming physical and psychological effects. 

Signs That You’re Overtraining 

Can you tell the difference between giving it your all and pushing yourself too hard? Here are some signs, symptoms and effects of overtraining you need to watch out for. 

  1. Increased Heart Rate: Check for the elevated resting heart rate. A healthy resting heart rate range is 60-100bpm (beats per minute) and usually, the fitter you are, the lower your resting heart rate will be. If you’re overtraining, you may notice your resting heart rate will be 10-15 bpm higher than usual.
  2. 2. The Gaining or Losing Dilemma: This issue can be extremely problematic for people who gain weight unintentionally. The unexpected weight gain can lead to excessive workouts. The hormonal and inflammatory effects of overtraining can lead the body to lower thyroid function, crank out stress hormones, ramp up inflammatory cytokines, and create an overall environment that favours fat storage.
  3. Muscle Soreness: This is common when you exercise regularly. However, if you’re experiencing soreness for longer than 72hrs, you need a break as this could be a sign of overtraining. If you are aiming to build muscle, recovery is equally important. If your muscles aren’t recovering, it will have a negative impact on muscle gains and can also lead to muscle loss.
  4. Sleep Quality & Insomnia: Generally after a good workout at the gym, you may feel exhausted and fall asleep in no time. But you may notice that even after you have hit the gym and you are exhausted, you are still struggling to fall asleep. This can be linked to an overload on the hormonal and nervous system.
  5. Injuries: If you’re always getting injured or soreness which isn’t healing, then this could mean your body can’t cope with the pressure. Give it a break and take it slow. It’s absolutely vital to rest so that your body regains its strength.

The other signs and effects of overtraining may also include nausea, decreased appetite, allergic reactions, head colds/persistent upper respiratory tract infections, changes in menstrual patterns, decreased coordination and loss of strength. 

How Can You Manage It Effectively? 

Now that you’re aware of the effects, let’s take a look at how you can manage and take possible precautions! 

  • When you are weight training, ensure that you don’t exceed more than 45-75 minutes.
  • The right nutrition is the key to recovery. Make sure you plan your meals to ensure you’re refuelling effectively and getting the right amount of nutrients in your diet with your Pre and Post workout meals. You may require expert advice on this. You can subscribe to GOQii to get personalized advice from a coach and an expert. 
  • Quality Sleep: Physical recovery happens between 10pm to 2am. So getting in some early nights in will aid your recovery.
  • Heart rate devices are a great tool to measure recovery rates. Try these awesome GOQii Trackers. 
  • Plan Regular Rest Days: An excessively sore or weak muscle should be given adequate rest. A good rule of thumb is to wait for 48 hours before working the same muscle group. If that muscle group is still sore, you may need to wait even longer – sometimes up to 5 days.
  • Avoid eating late, sugary foods (or other stimulants). Follow a healthy diet and plan regular rest days until you’re back into a regular sleeping pattern.

 We hope this article helps you overcome all the hurdles to your training. Remember that giving it your best is okay but never overdo it. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. 

For more articles on training or for some effective and easy home workouts, check out Healthy Reads. To get into a proper training routine and not over-train, speak to an expert by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

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6 Foods That Help Reduce Acid Reflux

reduce acid refluxEver felt that burning sensation in your chest after a big meal or when you eat after a long gap? That feeling is known as acid reflux. Acid reflux is a condition where the acid content of the stomach flows up to the esophagus and pushes the food out from the mouth.

This is often called a heartburn but has nothing to do with the heart. One of the major reasons for this condition is a weak lower esophageal sphincter – which acts like a valve to prevent the food in the stomach from going back to the food pipe. Besides this, other factors contributing are excessive caffeine intakes, erratic meal patterns, eating in large portions, excessive junk food, sleeping immediately after meals and obesity, etc.

How Can You Reduce Acid Reflux?

Modifying our diet is the easiest way to reduce acid reflux. Try these simple and easily available foods from your kitchen to get some relief.

1. Fruits
Alkaline food will help to reduce the backflow of acid and fruits are the best example. Fruits like bananas, watermelon, pomegranate and cantaloupe help to neutralize the acid content and numb the effects of reflux. Banana is a natural antacid. The high fiber content of fruits helps to improve the digestion and ward off indigestion.

2. Herbal tea
Herbal tea with ginger, licorice, mint and Tulsi [Holy Basil] helps to curb acidity. Ginger has anti inflammatory properties and along with Mint leaves, stimulates the digestive system to produce more bile for better digestion. Ginger has the capability to destroy the acidity triggering pylori bacteria. Licorice is said to increase the mucus lining on the esophagus and thus have a calm effect on the stomach. Tulsi leaves are a natural cure for acidity and burning sensation in the stomach.

3. Curd & Buttermilk
Curd is a probiotic which help in digestion and has a soothing effect on the stomach. It keeps discomfort at bay. Being a good source of protein it helps digest the food and boost the immune system.

Cold buttermilk is a good antidote for acidity. The good bacteria in buttermilk helps in digesting the food well and prevents bloating and gas formation which eventually leads to acid reflux. Adding a pinch of jeera powder and pepper makes it more beneficial.

4. Coconut Water
One of the lesser known reasons for acid reflux is less intake of water. Sipping on coconut water is a great way to stay hydrated. Coconut water is rich in potassium which regulates the pH balance crucial for acid reflux. Having coconut water daily helps to reduce bloating drastically.

5. Aloe Vera
The antibacterial compounds of Aloe Vera fight the bad bacteria in the digestive system which cause bloating and belching. The bad bacteria present not only weaken the digestive system but also reduces the digestion ability of the body. Aloe Vera juice and gels work very well on acid reflux condition. Aloe Vera soft gel and powder can also be tried.

6. Lemon Water
Although lemons are acidic in nature, they have an alkaline effect on the stomach and help in neutralizing the acid and thus reduce acid reflux. For better results, replace the sugar with rock salt in the lemon water and feel instant relief. Lemons are rich in Vitamin C, which help fight infection and boost immunity.

Was this article helpful? Do you have your own home remedy? Want to know more? Drop us your thoughts and queries in the comments below!

For more tips on how to reduce acid reflux, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

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Celebrate Occasions with Health: Tips for Eating Well at Parties, Festivals, and Weddings

always eat healthy

We Asians relate food to almost every occasion. Be it any occasion- happy times or sad, food plays an important role in our lives.

Birthdays remind us of cakes, weddings of a large buffet spread of delicious food and desserts and festivals of all the goodies. India is such a vast country with so many cultures and religions that we celebrate one festival almost every other week. Secondly, we Indians are highly social people and we have loads of relatives who visit us or we visit them, we also have a lot of business meetings taking place over food.

Given this background how does one stay fit? People are constantly making excuses to not exercise or eat healthy. The list is never ending and neither are the excuses to not stay fit.

Why do we make such excuses? The biggest reason being the perception that most have about dieting. Diet to most Indians means eating just salads, fruits and tasteless food and that they are forbidden from eating their favourite foods or desserts. But, little do we realise that dieting is not all about salads or fruits, instead, it is all about achieving the right balance of all the nutrients required in your diet. You can also have that occasional junk but, we need to maintain a right balance between junk and wholesome food.

An average Indian also lacks basic knowledge of foods and is easily fooled by the junk market and not to forget some less aware doctors, dieticians, newspaper articles add more to the confusion. In such a scenario what does one do?

If you ask me I would say anything in excess is bad. You eat too much of salads and raw foods you will end up with a bloated stomach. Therefore the best way to lead a healthy life is to maintain a good balance of the healthy and the not so healthy.

Not all our traditional food is bad. In fact, we have such a unique cooking culture that every region has different cooking styles and this is something that is influenced by the climate, soil fertility and the crops grown and yes, that is what is healthy!

The olive oil that travels from Italy or middle-east is not the trend we should follow, we should stick to our local grown peanut oil (Gujarat/Maharashtra), Sesame (Til) oil (Punjab), Coconut oil (south). So why are we fat and not fit compared to our grandparents and ancestors, despite having so much access to all the information about health and nutrition?

We eat the non-traditional foods such as burgers, pizzas, pasta etc too often and our grandparents traditionally stayed in joint families and worked in farms all day, the food was limited and physical exercise in the form of working on the farm was very high. We have now come down to nuclear families and abundance of food. To cut it short, we need to eat local wherever on the globe we are, because local food is customised to suit local people for better health.

Some tips to eat healthy when eating on many above illustrated occasions:

  • Eat the traditionally fried, baked or sweet foods but in controlled portions
  • Drink more water, at least 3 litres every day, if you stay outside in the sun a lot then you definitely need more water intake.
  • Make the traditional delicacies at home so you know there is no adulteration in the ingredients.
  • On festive occasions like Holi, Eid, Lori relish the milk based sweet drinks (Thandai and Shirkurma, Lassi) all of which contain really healthy spices and nuts.
  • Do not force anybody to eat more, change the trend by avoiding fried food and offering healthy sweets. Also, if someone says they are on a diet, help them follow it and don’t push food down their throat.
  • If possible take tasters of food and appreciate healthy food. However, never mention you are on a diet, trust me you will be the biggest target at the party to eat.
  • If the food is heavy, avoid the dessert. But, if you have a major sweet tooth, eat a smaller main course to accommodate the sweet.
  • Limit alcoholic drinks to 1-2. Banning soda is the best thing you can do for your body.

Embrace the joy of celebrations without compromising on your health. Follow these tips to enjoy traditional foods in moderation and maintain a balanced diet during parties, festivals, and weddings. Share your own healthy eating tips in the comments below! For personalised guidance on nutrition and wellness, connect with our experts through GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here. Start making healthier choices today!

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5 accompaniments to avoid to keep you healthy and to lose weight

I am a foodie! Being a Marwari, our meals are not simple staple food and contains lot of accompaniments along with basic roti, vegetables (sabzi), dal (lentils) and rice. In my quest for personal fitness and wanting to lose weight, I initially struggled for few months. I kept wondering why am I not losing weight in spite of eating at regular intervals, not cheating, not eating out, limiting high fat food intake, proper exercise routine, good 8 hours sleep and also resorting to meditation to remain stress free ?

These questions kept lingering in my thoughts and one fine day my health expert analyzed my routine, my diet and figured that there were few dishes that I should be avoiding or limiting my intake on if I need to lose or maintain my weight. That’s when I found the solution and achieved the best results on this journey!

I would like to share with you all about the most common 5 side dishes that people love, but, should be avoided or have it once in a while if you are on weight loss journey.

(1) Papad

Ahh!! That crunchy crispy papad.

Rice and dal seem like an incomplete meal without Papad on the side. Papads can be deep fried–extremely unhealthy – or roasted – which is equally unhealthy! They can be made from rice, flour, potatoes or chickpeas and are mixed with a variety of spices, salt, and oil. An uncontrolled serving of Papad can amp your calorie intake and exceed your daily budget. The increase in sodium can lead to water retention, bloating, and constant thirst and may even cause an increase in one’s blood pressure. Since, most of them consume more Papad in one sitting it may lead to acidity, and digestive problems too. When fried using same oil many times, the reused oil becomes transfat leading to cardiac issues and high cholesterol. When dry roasted, acrylamide is formed due to the presence of sodium benzoate. So, be mindful.

(2) Pickles

A spoonful of pickle can spice up any meal. In fact I have seen people can take their meal only with pickles without any veggies sometimes. It works well with curd rice; adds a punch to Potato Breads (Aloo Paranthas), and makes Theplas (Breads made of various grains) the best dish to snack on! Pickles stand out as flavorful, low-calorie vegetables and is high in vitamin K. However, pickles are loaded with calories because of the oil they are preserved in and their nutrition content is almost zero, as the vegetables and fruits are minced and dried, which takes away the nutritional value. Like Papads, they are high in sodium due to the use of excessive salt for preservatives which might lead to hypertension if taken in excess. So Again the same funda…Eat in limit!

 (3) Salad dressings  

Salad…salad and just salads!!! Most of the weight loss dieters say they are on some kind of only salads diet! But, still not losing weight?

If you think having salads at the start of your meal will help you eat one less parantha, then go ahead and have a bowl. But, this salad helps only if it is not loaded with high-calorie dressings. Adding dressing to a salad can make the calorie content soar. Dressings such as Thousand Islands and Mayonnaise are loaded with calories, most of them fat. Stick to olive oil, lemon or low-fat yogurt instead!

(4) Soups

Salads are mostly accompanied with bowl of soup. And, one is right in thinking that a soup can be a healthy meal. It can fill your stomach and make you go less on other carbohydrate foods. But, if the soup is loaded with toppings such as cheese, cream, and croutons, it’s far from being healthy. Stick to clear soup with pieces of veggies and meats; shun all cream-based soups. And never pick up the soup sticks or dinner rolls that accompany your soup in a restaurant. That’s another side you don’t need! Go for more of homemade soups without any corn flour and also avoid packaged one as they are also high in sodium being added as preservative. Rather you can add oats flour as thickening agent. You can also opt for healthy cold soups.

(5) Boondi Raita

This curd based mixture is a hot favourite with most of us. Curd is high in protein, calcium, probiotic and the perfectly aid in digestion. It’s good to have curd daily for a healthy gut. The problem begins when you add fried snack to it. Boondi is nothing but fried globules of chickpea flour. The addition makes it a high-caloric food. When fried in reused oil, it becomes transfat and thus may lead to heart issues. So you can opt for veggies in curd or spinach, cabbage, pomegranate, carrot, cucumber, onion and the likes instead of a friend snack in curd.

So be mindful with all these above foods and get fitter and healthier.

We hope this article helps you make informed choices for your weight loss journey. Have any tips on healthier accompaniments? Share them with us in the comments below. For more guidance on nutrition and weight management, explore Healthy Reads or consult a certified expert through GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#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 […]