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Venkatrao Alaparthi Loses 20kg With Guidance From His GOQii Coach

Venkatrao Alaparthi Loses 20kg With Guidance From His GOQii Coach

While earning a good livelihood is important, is it taking more life out of living? Long working hours, being seated most of the time with no physical activity and bad eating habits can take a toll on your health over a period of time. If this sounds relatable, you might have a lot in common with our Player Venkatrao Alaparthi.

Successful But Sedentary

Venkatrao Alaparthi, 46, is a Food Science Specialist having studied Dairy Science, and is currently working with Amul in Gujarat. Due to the nature of his work, he remains seated before his desk for long hours. For most of his work life, he has been sedentary without any exercise regime or proper eating habits.

As he wasn’t doing any regular exercise, the bare minimum being when he walked from his home to the factory, it led to severe weight gain. “I was consistently inconsistent in pursuing a health regime. I had no medical condition or medical issues but, I was obese due to a sedentary lifestyle and irregular patterns of eating,” says Venkatrao. As he is from South India, 90% of his diet consisted of carbs.

His work also involved touring. On one of his tours with his colleagues, Venkatrao Alaparthi realised how unfit he was as he couldn’t walk much. “I was sad that I was obese,” he says. As he was tired all the time, he couldn’t enjoy the visit as much. His 8 year old daughter pointed out saying, “you have a huge stomach” and his wife also told him how inconsistent he was while trying to lose weight on his own. 

“My wife has been getting me to take care of my health for the last 10 years, and I have been inconsistent in being able to maintain a good lifestyle and my health,” says Venkatrao. 

Due to all these factors, he decided that he would have to do something about his health. While researching the best way to lead a healthy lifestyle, he came across a GOQii Ad on social media. “GOQii & Fit India were my motivation to lead a healthy life. I decided to get the band and try it out,” he said.

Making Healthier Choices To Lose Weight

Venkatrao Alaparthi joined GOQii on Jan 30, 2022. He set his goal to lose weight. At the time, he weighed 91kg. After their initial conversation, GOQii Coach Parul Massey realised that he didn’t have any severe medical conditions and was only obese. She deemed that they had to work on weight loss slowly, in a healthier manner. 

“I asked him to start with 30 minutes of normal morning walk, reduce portions of rice from his daily diet and replace it with a protein-rich diet, jeera and lemon water on an empty stomach. He started following these habits daily,” says Coach Parul Massey

During the first week, Venkatrao Alaparthi found it difficult to walk for 30 minutes even at normal pace. But, he did not lose hope and continued doing it by slowly increasing his time to 45 mins after 10 days. In a month’s time, he began noticing some difference.

His diet had changed to include lots of proteins and vegetables for fibre. He also began including eggs, sprouts, and flax seeds, etc to his breakfast. In the second month of coaching, Coach Parul added a few more habits such as having nuts and seeds. 

Did These Changes Pay Off? 

After 2 months of following these minor tweaks in habits and changing his lifestyle, he lost 5kg. After months of making changes and following the course set by his GOQii Coach Parul Massey, Venkatrao Alaparthi lost 20kg. He is quite fit and active now. He even had to change his wardrobe due to his successful weight loss journey.

Currently, he clocks in over 20k steps daily. “I could not walk 3km and today, I can easily do 10km,” says Venkatrao Alaparthi. Apart from walking, he also plays badminton 3 times a week. For yoga and strength training, he subscribes to GOQii PRO classes within the GOQii App. 

His wife and his daughter are quite happy with the change he has made to his lifestyle and the weight he has lost. His wife says, “I am happy that you are more consistent now”. Venkatrao Alaparthi has been an Elite GOQii Player for 272 days and is among the top 6% of active players. He is still going strong with an active subscription, consistent changes, and guidance from his coach, Parul Massey. 

Do you want to make a lifestyle change and reduce weight too? Speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

For more inspiring stories, check out Healthy Reads.

#BeTheForce 

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4 Effective Ways To Track Your Fitness Progress To Meet Your Goals

Track your progressYour workout goals may vary greatly – from reducing a certain amount of weight and gaining muscles, to getting a toned body, a flat stomach and/or a lot more. Here’s where measuring your progress comes in handy. If you track your fitness progress over a course of time, you can take note of significant data that you can act upon and decide the next steps towards attaining your goal. If you’re unsure or don’t know how to track your fitness progress, we’ve got you covered!

4 Ways To Track Your Fitness Progress

Tracking is really important, not only for your progress, but to keep you motivated as well. It helps you stay focused and decide the next steps of your fitness journey. Here are 4 effective ways in which you can track your fitness progress:

1. Body Composition

Body Composition measurement determines your overall body fat percentage. A healthy body composition is one that includes a lower percentage of body fat and a higher percentage of fat-free mass which includes muscles, bones and organs. Body composition can provide you with a clear idea about how much lean muscle and fat you have.

This test can be used to check whether you are gaining muscles and/or losing fat. This test can be an eye opening experience because it reveals the ratio of fat to lean muscle tissue, the percentage of fat in the body, the metabolic rate (BMR) and BMI.  It can easily be done at gyms, health clinics and so on, at a nominal price.

How much Fat is OK?

           Women                     Men
Essential Fat             10-12%                     2-4%
Athletes             14-20%                     6-13%
Fitness             21-24%                     14-17%
Acceptable              25-31%                      18-25%

2. Girth Measurement

This is a wonderful way to track fat loss! Reduction in body fat is usually represented by the inches you have lost. It is one of the easiest and home-based methods to assess your progress. You can use a standardized flexible, flat measuring tape to measure different parts of the body, including your chest (across your nipple line), neck, abdomen (at your belly button), hips (measure the widest part of your buttocks with your feet together) and your calves (widest/largest part), among others.

As per ICMR, Abdominal obesity (AO) was defined as a waist circumference (WC) ≥ 90 cm for men and ≥ 80 cm for women. Isolated generalized obesity (IGO) was defined as a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 with a waist circumference of < 90 cm in men and < 80 cm in women.

3. Body Mass Index (BMI)

BMI is a person’s weight in kilograms (kg) divided by his or her height in meters squared. On a BMI calculator, the number you get may fall into one of these four ranges: obese, overweight, normal weight or underweight. However, this number does not consider your muscle mass vs fat mass, which means muscular individuals, can end up with a higher BMI that may place them in the obese category. So, you should use BMI just as a beginning point.

As per WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO):

Nutritional Status

BMI
18.5 Underweight
18.5–24.9 Normal weight
25.0–29.9 Pre-obesity
30.0–34.9 Obesity class I
35.0–39.9 Obesity class II
Above 40 Obesity class III

And 4th is My Favorite…

4. Selfie Zone

A full body Mirror selfie is a perfect way to measure/compare your progress from a specific time period. Nothing can be better than a visual explanation. One gets to know his/her own progress by comparing the two selfies of BEFORE and AFTER.

Reasons to Track Your Fitness Progress

  1. It allows for modifications and indicates when and where you need to make changes
  2. It lets you manage your workout regimen and time more effectively
  3. Helps to drive direction and focus to your workout program
  4. Makes it easier to attain your goal
  5. It’s quite easy to go overboard when eating your meals. But, if you have clarity about your fitness progress, it will help you decide on the right portion size
  6. Tracking your progress with regard to your workouts acts as a strong motivator that keeps reminding you of the fitness goals you wish to achieve

We hope this article helps you! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! For more on health and fitness, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to live classes on GOQii PRO, where our experts will guide you on the correct form and posture in real time while making sure that you are well motivated! You can book a class now from the GOQii App.

To get workouts and tips directly from your GOQii Coach, sign up for Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce 

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Poulomi Bhattacharya Loses Weight, Gets Active & Fit With GOQii

Poulomi BhattacharyaImagine having a good work-life balance and then a sudden change at work derails your otherwise active lifestyle. You begin gaining weight and that invites a host of other complications you would have not imagined! Our Player Poulomi Bhattacharya faced something similar. Here’s how her Health Story unfolded.

All Work and No Play

Based in Delhi, Poulomi Bhattacharya is a high flying senior hospitality professional. For the longest time she worked in the operations side of the Hotels business where she had a hectic but active life. Then, around 2005, she moved to the HR front in the Learning & Development side. This took a toll on her health in terms of gaining weight. “In Learning & Development, there is not much scope to be active,” she said. She led an inactive lifestyle and to further add to the already inactive lifestyle, was a slip disc that she suffered from.

This kind of inactive lifestyle was coupled with bad eating habits. Due to her hectic schedule, she was eating 3 meals a day at odd hours. During these years, she also traveled a lot and moved between different locations such as Goa and Bengaluru. In 2014, she began gaining weight and also developed Blood Pressure issues. She was on medication to control her BP. She suffered from menstrual issues.

In 2019, she moved back to Delhi for a new job and here, she used to travel approximately 20 days. This kind of fast-paced, on-the-go work environment gave her little scope to rectify her health issues or even be active. Her stress levels were high and thanks to the lack of a work-life balance, she decided to introduce some changes and lead a healthy lifestyle.

In Feb 2020, when she checked her weight, she weighed 71kg. She said that it’s the highest she’s hit in her life. “I realised that I had to find time to do something about it,” she said. Initially she started going to the gym and walking on the treadmill but in March 2020 when COVID struck, she was homebound. 

While she indulged in all household chores, she had developed a terrible pain in her arms. The pain was due to lack of calcium. She says her calcium absorption was less and hence, she had to take injections. Her BP was also  low and her doctor suggested that she walk for 20 minutes daily. 

Making A Lifestyle Change With GOQii

After going through all these issues, her husband began looking for a fitness tracker that could also measure BP on a continuous basis. He came across GOQii and Poulomi decided to try it out. When subscribing for personalised health coaching, her goals were simple – to lose weight, be fit and active.

Initially, she was assigned Dr Naina Sudharshan. Poulomi Bhattarcharya says, “She guided me so well that she became my best friend.” Slowly and steadily, Poulomi started following all the habits set by the coach. Getting active was one of those habits coupled with a nutritarian diet that places emphasis on fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts. Poulomi was also asked not to skip any meals.

She didn’t have a regular exercise routine but she began following live coaches on GOQii Play and GOQii Pro, and now, it has become a part of her daily life. She follows Coach Neha and Coach Anushka’s Yoga classes and they have helped her improve her mental health and strength. She also follows Coach Arooshi’s classes for tips on Nutrition.

For her pre-workout nutrition, she consumes lemon juice with chia seeds in it – as this has the ability to promote a feeling of fullness and also has great antioxidant properties. For the remainder of the day, she consumes a balanced diet that provides energy and nutrients to her body.

Meditation is something that she has introduced to her routine as well. This has helped her with her anger issues as well as helped her normalise her sleep. For meditation, she follows Coach Rounak on GOQii Play.

Some Changes Poulomi Bhattarcharya Experienced…

Since joining GOQii, Poulomi has reduced her weight to 56.4kg and her target weight now is 55kg. She said that she feels much lighter, has more energy and is more positive than she was before. She has completely stopped her Blood Pressure medication as well.

She recently spoke to our Founder & CEO Vishal Gondal on an episode of GOQii Health Stories. You can hear her speak about her entire journey in detail here: 

Her current Coach Sheena Nambiar says, “Poulomi Bhattacharya is a very committed person who really wanted to develop her health and fitness levels day by day!” 

Did this story inspire you? Do you want to manage a medical condition or simply lose weight? Let our Coaches and Experts help you make a lifestyle change. To write your own Health Story, subscribe for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

For more inspiring Health Stories, check out Healthy Reads and let us know your thoughts in the comments below! 

#BeTheForce 

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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  

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 […]