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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.

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Active Rest For Muscle Building

Active Rest

Yes, you heard it right. Rest is an essential part of any training program. Even when it comes to classes or work, we recognize that a few days leave can be recharging and renewing. For athletes, this can be harder, as they may feel guilty for taking a day, a week or a month off their training plan. Whether you are training for a competition or feeling extra motivated, more is not always better. Rest days are just as important as exercise. In fact, a successful fitness regimen isn’t complete without rest days.

What is Active Rest?

In terms of Rest days, there are 2 types of rest days

  • Passive Rest
  • Active Rest

Passive rest means a day of total rest without any physical activity, whereas Active rest means including low-intensity exercise that promotes blood flow to the muscles, helping them to recover better and faster.

Active rest is the sweet spot between being idle and training intensely. The goal of Active rest is to help your body heal from exercising by reducing the likelihood of inflammation and soreness. It allows your body to recover and repair. On your Active rest day you need to be active enough to increase blood flow, but gentle enough to allow your muscles to heal. 

Benefits of Active Rest

Whenever we use our muscles for exercising, our body turns glucose into Lactic acid; this is how our muscles get the energy to perform. Once our muscles stop working, the lactic acid our body remains in our muscles and causes that dreaded post-workout soreness. Active rest helps lactic acid move out of our muscles and dissolve into our bloodstream, so it’s not around to cause us pain afterward. The increased blood flow also makes it to our joints, reducing the chance of joint and muscle inflammation. It is essential for muscle growth. Exercise creates microscopic tears in your muscle tissues. But during rest, cells called fibroblasts repair it. This helps the tissue heal and grow, resulting in stronger muscles.

Active rest is also known to improve our mood and keep us from getting the post-workout blues, while also alleviating any fatigue. Plus, it’s great for our heart since it increases our heart rate and builds endurance.

Planning an Active Rest Day

An active rest day should include a different activity from your usual workout at the gym. You shouldn’t be working at maximum effort. Rather, go slow and don’t push yourself too hard.

Examples of active recovery exercises include:

  1. Stretching: is a simple and effective way to maintain increased blood flow and relaxation.
  2. Yoga: lengthens our muscles and tendons, aids in their recovery, and helps our body develop better mobility and flexibility.
  3. Meditation: is a great way to rest and refresh your mind. If sitting still for extended periods isn’t for you, there are alternative ways of meditating that keep your body busy and your mind free, such as doing the dishes or knitting.
  4. Swimming: is a low-impact exercise that’s easy on your joints and muscles.
  5. Walking or Jogging: is one of the best forms of Active Rest. Walking or jogging at a leisurely pace can enhance blood flow and help with recovery.
  6. Cycling: at a leisurely pace is an excellent way to get in an active recovery. It is low-impact and doesn’t put pressure on the joints. One can cycle either on a stationary bike or on a bicycle outdoors.
  7. Myofascial release with a foam roller: Active rest doesn’t only include movement. One also can stretch and roll a foam roller over parts of your body and get many of the same benefits. If your muscles are sore, foam rolling can help relieve tightness, reduce inflammation, and increase your range of motion.

A Word of Caution

Active rest day exercises are generally considered safe. During active recovery, make sure you aren’t working harder than about 50 percent of your maximum effort. This will give your body the chance it needs to rest. You may find that you feel less tight, sore, and even have more energy to exercise after active recovery. If you’re injured, in pain, or very fatigued, your body may need passive recovery which means total rest.

We hope this article helps you make the most of your workout and recovery. Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

You can find more information on muscle building here. You can also get these tips and know more about Active Rest or set up your own fitness routine by speaking to a GOQii Coach. All you need to do is subscribe to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

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‘I Am And I Will’: World Cancer Day

World Cancer Day

‘Cancer’ is considered a stigma word. One forgets that Cancer is not contagious however, the human mindset for eons has believed that cancer spreads and hence, one with cancer is looked at differently or is ostracized. Believe me, Cancer is not the end of the road. There is hope for people with cancer, provided both, the patient as well as the people around the patient are willing to help each other.

This is precisely what the World Cancer Day theme ‘I Am And I Will’ addresses. The campaign which began in 2019 is an empowering call-to-action that urges personal commitment and represents the power of individual action taken now to impact the future. The campaign is built to resonate, inspire change and mobilize action long after the day has passed.

There are various ways to reduce the risk of cancer. Those with cancer need not worry as there is always hope at the end of the tunnel. Experts say that one of the best ways to reduce the risk of Cancer is by adopting a healthy lifestyle. It is said that you can reduce the risk of many common cancers such as bowel, breast, uterine, ovarian, esophagus, kidney and liver by maintaining healthy weight, eating right and making physical activity a part of your daily routine.

‘I Am And I Will’ theme indicates that as an individual or as an organization, get involved in any way you can. Because together, we can create change. What you can do is:

  • Get Personal: Create your own custom social media post with your own personal message of the commitment and share it with the world.
  • Light up the World: As an organisation or even at an Individual level, you can make a statement by lighting up a significant landmark, monument or building to be illuminated on World Cancer Day in the colours of orange and blue in your city.
  • Spread the word: By writing a blog or an article in a newspaper or a video message.
  • Join the action: Join by showing up at an event near you and volunteer.
  • Create your own Event: Inspire others by hosting your own World Cancer Day event. From flash mobs, free screenings, record breaking attempts, conferences, fundraisers to fun runs.
  • One and all can get Involved: Whoever you are- a cancer survivor, co-worker, a carer, a friend, a leader, a health worker, a teacher or a student- you have the power to take action for a cancer free world.

(Source: www.worldcancerday.org)

We all can do our bit. I remember there is an organization in Mumbai called Ugam, a voluntary support group formed by Childhood Cancer survivors. UGAM means “To Rise” underscoring their determination to rise above all obstacles in life & be VICTORS. UGAM, based in Mumbai is the youngest unit of the oldest & most prominent NGO, The Indian Cancer Society (ICS) under its survivorship programme.

Ugam’s vision is to ensure that every childhood cancer survivor finds his/ her way to celebrate life after winning the battle with cancer. Ugam helps in self-empowerment of the survivors. It helps in fulfilling their dreams that were put on hold while they were battling this tormenting disease and the hardships of the treatment. Helping in overcoming social fears and hindrances, overcoming their physical and mental disabilities and moving ahead despite them, as well as providing educational and career related assistance and guidance.

Ugam provides a platform for them to talk about their experience and problems and help in building their confidence and self-esteem. Ugam tries and gives them a reason to lead a social and personal life in the future.
We at GOQii are advocates of healthy lifestyle and doing Karma. So let’s make a beginning!

To know more about cancer, you can tune in to our experts on GOQii Play for topics on nutrition, exercise and any medical information you may need. How do you plan on contributing to fight cancer? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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“Being Healthy & Fit is Lifelong Habit” – Prashant Pathak User Journey

user journey

His rant of just work and no play was similar to the other professionals. His quest for a healthy and fit life was often disrupted by the fact that he does not have the time nor the motivation to do anything. Prashant Pathak always had an excuse for leading an unhealthy life – he blamed his job and erratic work hours… until one day, when his wife stepped in to make him realize that he had to change. It’s been four years that he has taken to being physically active and Prashant Pathak is now running marathons and walking the healthy trail.

Prashant Pathak Tells His Story:

My typical day usually involved going to work in the morning, eating anything that was available with no proper regulation on diet. I would sometimes remain hungry for long hours. Once I got home, I would eat a heavy dinner. On days I was on travel, I would head out to work, and the rest of my day was filled with eating out and hanging out back at the hotel. As a result, I had become overweight and weighed 94kgs and was just few KGs from being obese. My BMI was 29.

I tried but could never get into a regular exercise regime. My challenge was to find time for a workout. I would look at my schedule and invariably come up with an excuse to not workout. Every time it would be a new excuse. There was an impetus and aspiration to workout but energy levels were very low with no motivation and hence, no action. One fine day back in 2015, my wife gifted me GOQii. I was surprised but it was a clear indication that I had to do something about myself.

Goal Setting, Achievement and Transformation

My first health goal when I got on the GOQii platform four years ago was weight reduction and to be energetic throughout the day. My first GOQii Coach and I set small monthly goals in the beginning that could be easily achievable. It was delivering results. My coach started me with only a 15-minute workout that was doable. I had absolutely no activity of any kind for so many years and suddenly to be able to do exercise was not an easy task. But 15 minutes I felt was good enough to begin with.

My Coach simultaneously fine-tuned my diet pattern as well. I started having pre and post workout meals. I was having 6 small meals instead of three bulky meals. Secondly, I also started eating fruits. I have stopped tea/coffee with snacks. My water intake also increased.

Clearly, in the last 6 years or so, I have not been so engaged with any kind of program for over a month. But, the GOQii program has been good. The very fact that somebody is monitoring you, makes you accountable.

My first step when I began my health journey was to form habits and build consistency, while trying to reduce weight. So, for the first two years I concentrated on these aspects. From 94kg I reduced to 87kg. I admit that it was pretty tough. Although I was committed and had focus, it was still tough sticking to working out on a regular basis and eating healthy. Slowly and steadily it started becoming easy to the point that being healthy indeed became a habit.

In the last two years, reducing further from 87kg to 73kg was not so tough. From walking 4-5 km daily, I have taken to running marathons regularly.  My exercise routine currently, as guided by Coach Parwage via his class Bhaag Marathon Bhaag on GOQii Play, is 3-2-1 Configuration. Where in 3 alternate days I run 5-10 kms, 2 days I do core strengthening exercises and other exercises such as lunges, planks sit-ups etc. 1 day I alternate between cycling and swimming and 1 day, which is usually Monday, is my rest day.

As a result of this, I am positive and feel very energetic. My overall well-being has gone up. Mentally & physically, I am stronger now. The impetus and the consistency in being healthy comes from the GOQii App and the GOQii Coach. I will never forget what my coach has taught me. She helped me get over all my cravings such as junk food and sugar.

No more do I encourage samosa parties in office. Earlier we would gorge on samosa and all that is unhealthy. Now, even if it is a party in office and a cake is being cut, I politely say no

and people are amazed at me. What makes me happy is that I have become an inspiration to many who think that they will never be able to get back on track. After seeing the progress I made they see a ray of hope for themselves.

Giving It Back Like a Champion

This is one of the key reasons I chose to be a GOQii Champion and started the Palava Chapter in the outskirts of Mumbai. The champions programme is a first-hand experience for players. Only if you believe in being healthy will you be able to motivate others. I totally believe in this concept and even if I am able to improve one person’s health I will be happy.  Giving back is what I learned from GOQii.

Giving back brings me to the concept of Karma on the GOQii Platform. The dimension of karma is an added advantage. Earlier you would sweat it out for yourself but here, you are not only sweating it out for yourself and your health but in the process are also helping somebody else who is in need, which is very enriching.

Did you find the story of Prashant Pathak to be inspiring? Would you like your story to be featured next? To write to us, please click here.

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

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