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November 19, 2024 By Deepanshu Sharma 4 Comments

High Intensity Interval Training and Its Benefits

HIIT and its benefitsYou’ve likely come across the term HIIT in recent years. High-Intensity Interval Training is an exercise routine that many people swear by to get optimal results! While there may be some confusion about what HIIT entails and who should do it, we’re here to clear things up!

What is High Intensity Interval Training?

HIIT, or High-Intensity Interval Training—also known as Sprint Interval Training or High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise—is a workout designed to aid in fat loss and increase stamina.

In this routine, a person performs a burst of high-intensity exercise (like sprinting for 30 seconds) followed by a short burst of active rest (like walking or jogging for 30 seconds) for a total of 4-5 minutes. You then take a minute or two of rest and repeat the same pattern with different exercises.

The main focus of this routine is continuous movement, alternating between high and low-intensity exercises. HIIT is suitable for all ages and can be done 4-5 times a week for best results.

It’s advised to start with a 1:1 ratio of high to low intensity—30 seconds of high intensity followed by 30 seconds of low intensity. As you progress, you can increase this ratio to 2:1.

Benefits of HIIT

  1. Quick Workout For Busy Individuals: HIIT workouts can range from 10 to 45 minutes, combining one or multiple exercises. It’s the perfect workout if you’re short on time but still want effective results. You can burn up to 500 calories in a 40-45 minute session, depending on the exercise and ratio chosen.
  2. Fat Loss: HIIT quickly raises your heart rate to the fat-burning zone and keeps it there, as there’s no rest. This provides excellent fat-loss results in a short period compared to traditional cardio, and the results are noticeable.
  3. Increased Endurance: This routine is highly effective for building stamina, even if you start at lower speeds. Many who practice HIIT have noticed they can run longer and faster after consistently following the routine.
  4. Improved Brain Functioning: Research conducted at various institutes has shown that following a HIIT routine for some time can lead to the following changes that enhance brain functionality:
    • Increases neuron count
    • Improves cognitive function
    • Reduces nerve stiffness and inflammation
    • Promotes new blood vessel development in the brain
  1. Better Physical Performance: Research from the University of British Columbia revealed the following benefits of HIIT compared to traditional, moderate-intensity workouts:
    • Enhanced stamina
    • Greater endurance
    • Boosted metabolism
    • Increased speed and agility
    • Higher peak power

As we can see, HIIT is more than just a popular method for fat loss; it also improves essential aspects of both mental and physical performance. You can add HIIT to your current workout or try it instead of your usual cardio routine for a week.

Here is a Quick HIIT Routine You Can Follow  

  • Jumping Jacks – 1 minute
  • Squats – 1 minute
  • Spot Running – 1 minute
  • Squats – 1 minute
  • Jumping Jacks – 1 minute

Rest for 1-2 minutes, then do 2-4 sets depending on your fitness level.

Was this article helpful? Did we miss out on any facts? Let us know in the comments below! For more on fitness and workouts, check out Healthy Reads.

To workout with an expert, you can join our live, interactive, online classes on GOQii PRO, where our certified fitness 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.

#BeTheForce 

August 29, 2024 By GOQii 8 Comments

6 Health Benefits of Playing Sports

health benefits of sportsDo you remember the days when you were active and indulged in sports. Be it a game of football or cricket in your alley or shooting 3 pointers at your college’s basketball court, running all over the place with your friends created cherished memories. If this was an integral part of your childhood, you are familiar with the health benefits of playing sports!

Sports ensures that you are active both mentally and physically. As you grow older, sometimes due to responsibilities, work, family or other reasons, we tend to give up on our favorite hobby. We have seen so many cases where a person who used to play a sport, gave up and gained weight.

In most cases, once they began playing their favorite sport once again, their body accelerated much faster than the others and they lost all the stubborn fat they couldn’t get rid of otherwise. This happens primarily because your cells have the memory of being active. Remember that it is never too late to start again! 

Sports as an extracurricular activity in school and college not only gave you a break from your studies but also helped you get healthier. How you ask? Let’s find out!

6 Health Benefits of Playing Sports

  1. It teaches you to be patient, have a fighting spirit, and never settle for less in life.
  2. Studies show that, children who have been into sports or are blessed with super active genes are quick learners, very social, perform better at any given task, are more attentive in class and their grasping powers are much better than the others.
  3. Sports at an early age helps in life-long fitness habits.
  4. Earlier it was believed that any type of physical exertion can make a person feel more tired and less attentive. This belief was nothing more than a myth. Active people are more intellectual and perform better as compared to sedentary people.
  5. Looking at the growing occurrence of Teenage Obesity, sports can be a great and fun way to help them get back into shape.
  6. Any sport or activity will give you a dash of endorphins, reducing any kind of stress and keeping you happy!

So don’t sit back and think you’re too old for this or too old to get back to the sport you love! Wake up your inner child, grab your equipment, play a sport and encourage those around you to as well!

If you need guidance or want to pursue a sport, speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

Happy National Sports Day!

#BeTheForce

April 29, 2024 By Madhu Soni 4 Comments

Dance Your Way To Good Health on International Dance Day!

Dancing

We are all well aware that April 29 is celebrated as International Dance Day. Did you know that it is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Jean George Noverre – the creator of Modern Ballet?

If you’re wondering whether International Dance Day is just another addition to the various days that are being celebrated worldwide, then you’re in for a surprise. Dance and good health are closely knitted. You can, in fact, reap a surplus of health benefits from dancing.

From celebrations to harvest rituals, dance has always been an integral part of the human culture. In India, the legacy of dance dates back to 5000 years. The Hindu mythology speaks volumes of Lord Shiva as Natraja – the Lord of the Dance. The Divine Raslila by Lord Krishna, Radha Rani and the Gopis in Vrindavan or Lord Ganesha’s dance to express joy.

Not just in India, but in any part of the world, dancing has always been a source of delight and ecstasy. It‘s a way to express joys, sorrows and communicate emotions or a story with grace.

As it is International Dance Day, let’s take a look at various dance forms and how they can keep you healthy!

1. Ballet

This graceful dance originated during the Italian Renaissance in the 15th Century. The dance moves slowly at first and then picks up the pace to classical music with dramatic interpretation. Perhaps the main features of this dance are standing on the toes and the arms held out in an extended curve. As a result, these dancers have significant strength in their hamstrings, glutes, calves and feet. The turnout of the leg at the hip socket joint is another key element in Ballet which helps develop strong gluteal muscles. Ballet ensures posture alignment and joint flexibility. Ballet trainees are taught to engage their core to achieve alignment, balance and prevent injuries.

2. Bharatanatyam

Bharatanatyam is a classical solo Temple Dance from Southern India. The dance has impressive gesture and excellent footwork. It is based on Hindu religious themes. This dance form tones the arms, legs and the core. It also increases stamina, flexibility and balance. The steps and eye movements increase concentration and coordination skills. Rolling of the eyes is a good exercise for the eye muscles. It’s a great way to have a healthy heart and stay fit.

3. Belly Dance

The mesmerizing belly dance of the mysterious Middle East is an impressive and expressive dance form! It has admirers and followers all around the world. This dance originated in Egypt and has complex movements of the Torso. Dancing gracefully and fluidly is possible only when you have a strong core. Contrary to its name, Belly Dance also employs the larger and smaller muscles of the abdomen, pelvis, spine, neck, glutes and the upper arm.

4. Zumba

Zumba is the latest fitness craze which has swept youngsters as well as the elderly off their feet! It was accidentally invented when Albert “Beto” Perez, an aerobics instructor forgot to carry his tape and played the available Latin music and infused this dance with aerobics and Eureka! Zumba was born! It provides a great workout for the entire body, engaging each and every muscle group. It‘s a high-intensity cardio exercise which keeps metabolism high. Besides this, Zumba also increases endurance.

5. Salsa

Salsa is a dance and musical style with deep Caribbean and African roots. Although it was popular in Latin America, it has gained popularity in Europe and Asia too! Salsa is a partner dance which features a series of hip movement, twirls and other dance moves. This dance virtually engages all the major muscle groups. The glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and core area are exercised aggressively in order to perform the various step sequences.

6. Bollywood Dance

If I had to pin down the exact number of dance forms which comprise the Bollywood Dance, it would be as difficult as gauging how many shades of blue makes the sky.

Initially, Bollywood Dance was inspired by classical and folk dances of the various states in India. Over the years, Bollywood Dance has evolved. Now there are professional choreographers who have introduced Disco, Hip-Hop, Freestyle Dancing, Belly Dancing and so on.

Bollywood Dancing is a great aerobic exercise which engages the whole body. It is a fun way to tone up the body as most of the dance movements help strengthen the core and calves. And last but not the least, it’s a great stress buster.

How Does Dancing Help Your Health?

  • It is a great activity for those with cardiovascular disease as it helps increase lung capacity
  • Dance aids in boosting memory and preventing dementia as you grow older
  • It improves flexibility and helps in maintaining body balance and coordination
  • Dancing solo, with a partner or in a group is said to reduce stress. Symptoms of depression are much lower with people who sway to the rhythm
  • It is a popular way to stay fit and active. Most fitness clubs have already included dance in their fitness regime
  • It also improves one’s confidence and self-esteem

Although dance can be performed by anyone, keep a few things in mind:

  • Consult your Doctor if you have any medical conditions or obesity
  • Warm up and stretch before dancing
  • If you are a beginner, don’t push yourself too hard
  • Keep yourself well hydrated
  • Rest in between sessions

Whether you’re a busy person, multi-tasking or a senior citizen, age is just a number when you dance to the music you like! If you want to start dancing for health, tune in to some of our coaches on GOQii Pro and find a good mix of Zumba, Strong by Zumba, Aerobics and Belly Dancing! Download the GOQii app to get started.

Do you know of any other dance form that provides a multitude of health benefits? Share them with us in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

January 28, 2024 By Ranveer Allahbadia 3 Comments

Kickstart Your Fitness Journey: The First Step to a Flat Stomach and a New You

loose-belly-fat

Long before candy crush, iPads & McDonalds came into existence there was a time when apes had just evolved into an intelligent, NEW species. Apes evolved to become the apex predator. This new species could “out run” any other animal and was known to hunt down its prey by doing exactly that – Chasing it till it gives up. That’s precisely what human bodies are meant to do. In our most natural form we are built to run gigantic distances, hunt mammoths and throw weapons to kill our prey.

A child born in 10,000BC grew up hunting and climbing trees. Humans born any time after World War II are spoilt by technology, luxuries and wrong food. Fortunately for us, a sudden wave has come our way. People all over the world are embracing ‘BEING FIT’. And “being fit” is all about drifting towards our more primal selves.

Being fit isn’t as hard as people think it is. The only thing people need help with is a road map.

The one single substance keeping us away from attaining our maximum potential is sugar.

Sugar is a substance that activates the same parts of your brain that get activated by consuming addictive drugs like cocaine. But, unlike addictive drugs, you don’t buy sugar in shady lanes, you buy it in general stores. Any 10 year old can walk up to his local general store and purchase what is essentially a drug. This is why sugar is the single most dangerous food out there. It is a legal substance that can do as much harm as cigarettes or cocaine.

If you were wondering where YOUR journey in fitness should start – It should begin with Sugar. Eliminate this ENEMY and embrace a new you. Eliminating sugar from your diet can do wonders in the long term. With just this one change, I guarantee that you will drop those extra kilos and move towards that flat stomach you’ve always wanted.

When you eliminate all kinds of sugar, there are two main villains you are eliminating. Firstly liquid sugars in the form of fizzy (aerated) drinks. Secondly and more importantly – all desserts. Desserts are made of the 3 devil foods – sugar, refined carbs and unhealthy fats. And all these 3 ingredients destroy your body in different ways.

There is literally nothing worse you can put into your system than that simple dessert after dinner. In fact, for anyone who is overweight, I guarantee you it’s not the snacks between meals, the alcohol or the excess meat consumption – it’s the dessert that’s keeping them fat.

How you look depends primarily on what you eat. The kind of exercise you do will just hasten and enhance the process towards getting fit. And, for anyone with a sedentary lifestyle, remember these 5 words – ‘something is better than nothing’.

As I’ve always maintained – Fitness isn’t deadlifting a 100 kg or running marathons. Fitness is doing the smallest things to ensure that your body is better today than it was yesterday.

Do the minimal – walk around for 20 minutes every day, take the stairs instead of the lift, if you have the time then try your hand at free body movements like push-ups and sit-ups. But, above all just keep your body active.

The combination of a zero sugar diet and an active lifestyle is the key to long term health. This is the bare minimum you owe to your body. It’s about time we make our bodies do what they were created to do.

Take that first step!

We believe this article has empowered you with the fundamental steps to initiate your path towards a healthier and revitalized version of yourself. Should you find this information valuable, feel free to share your feedback in the comments section. Explore more insightful articles on holistic well-being at Healthy Reads. For personalised assistance and expert guidance, consider subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

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