Barriers to fitness Archives

October 5, 2018 By Gitanjali Bahl 5 Comments

Choose the right activity to stay fit

Who does not like to look good and fit? Everyone does. Off late you are also finding many who are conscious about wanting to be active. Many are obsessed with losing weight. All are aware that these changes will not occur overnight and hence exercising is very important.

Exercising regularly is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself. It lowers your risk of serious health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke and high blood pressure. It can also tone your figure and improve your sleep. Not only is exercise good for your body, it’s also good for your mind, mood and memory. Walking, doing household chores, climbing the stairs, playing a sport or dancing the night away are all good examples of being active.

Being physically active has other advantages such as easing depression, relieving stress and anxiety, enhancing one’s self esteem and improving one’s overall outlook towards life. You don’t have to spend long, boring hours in a gym to reap these benefits. Whatever your age, health limitations or fitness levels, you can develop an exercise program that’s fun and rewarding and fits well within your life parameters.

If you’re not ready to commit to a structured exercise program, think about physical activity as a lifestyle choice rather than a single task to check off your to-do list. Look at your daily routine and consider ways to sneak in an activity here and there. Even very small activities can add up over the course of a day.

Having said the above, making the right choice of exercise goes a long way in helping one be fit. Making some random choice of exercises can prove to become a deterrent towards you getting fit.

Let me sight few instances of wrong choice of exercises-

1) A person who is on the extreme heavy side ( Overweight) should ideally not op for running as an exercise as it requires to expend more energy and also running will put undue pressure on the joints which will lead to joint damage and injuries.

2) An osteoporotic man who is over 50 years old going to gym to lift weights. Though it is commendable that he is trying to stay active at his age but, lifting heavy weights despite osteoporosis is just straining the joints further.

Another important aspect to take care is never overdo it.

Research has shown that mild to moderate activity is enough to change your life for the better. You don’t have to sweat buckets or run a single step. Moderate activity means:

That you breathe a little heavier than normal, but are not out of breath. For example, you should be able to chat with your walking partner, but not easily sing a song.
That your body feels warmer as you move, but not overheated or very sweaty.

Therefore, making the right choice of exercise is a must.

The factors that are essential for choosing exercises:

-Purpose of exercise

-Age to perform exercises

-Weight

-Interest to exercise

-Medical condition if any

-Daily Routine to be able to spare time for exercise

-Daily Nutritional intake

Always, remember gym is not the only option for one to exercise and stay active. There are exercises that can be done at home, office or a park in the outdoors depending on your interest and purpose.

You can stay Active

-By going for a simple walk

-Brisk walking

-Yoga

-Simple strength and Stretch exercises like push-ups, planks, abdomen exercises that can be done at home

-Aerobics

-Cycling and Hiking

-Play a sport such as Badminton, Tennis, or any other sport

-Play with your kids

-Dancing

-Martial Arts

-and Running

Once you know the purpose to stay active you can automatically choose the right exercise for yourself. Consider all the factors and accordingly make a choice. Preferably if you can get a professional advice before starting on any exercise regime.

November 12, 2017 By GOQii Editor 2 Comments

“I have achieved the impossible and that is a change of attitude towards health, happiness and fitness”

“Fitness is not about being better than someone else… it’s about being better than you used to be.” – unknown
Impossible – can be broken down to I’m Possible – and this is the one thing that comes to mind when you see the progress Namitha, a GoQii player of a year has made. Once a salad dodger and a soup skipper who couldn’t care less about exercise, Namitha has seen a remarkable change in her life, having lost 24 kgs in the last 11 months.

This is her story –

“I have never been on the slim side of the scale. Right from childhood, as far as I can remember, I have been pleasantly plump and easy going. My love for food dominated my life style and I was very pleased with myself, despite hovering on the higher side of the 2 digit weight figure. My double pregnancies became a good reason to pacify myself for the increase in my weight.

Although I had tried dieting before, the weight always crept back! Further, I had issues like PCOD since 16/17 years and chronic ache in the heel.

Two years ago, work required me to move to Bangalore. My desk job, coupled with canteen food and a sedentary lifestyle increased my weight and lethargy more than ever. It was not till Februrary 2016, on my birthday, that I was confronted with the rudest shock! My weight had reached the 3 digit mark! This is when a friend of mine who had seen drastic results from being a goqii player recommended the Goqii band and encouraged me to become a player.
I was assigned Kiran, my coach for who I will be eternally grateful for. Kiran set very small targets for me in the beginning starting with the basic 10k steps. She was always available for me and I recall how much I have nagged her. Kiran’s patience and encouragement along with my perseverance has paid off.

I introduced dietary changes in my food – from slowly cutting down on the carbs (I am a rice lover!) and adding sprouts and salads, fruits and soups to my diet. I played with smaller portions. Now it amazes me to see people actually polishing off a whole plate of biryani and to think I used to do the same.

I loved the fact that Kiran was pushy but not drastically so; just the right amount of push that someone like me needed. She guided me and was so dedicated which further pushed me to do my best.

Today, I am a whole new person. I took part in the 5 kms marathon on March 29th this year and this is a person who hated walking, running was a far cry. My friends and family are proud and ecstatic with my achievements. In fact, my husband joins me for my morning jogs. I realised that I don’t feel as restless during physical exertion like i used to and my recovery rate is faster than before as well. The pain in my heel has close to vanished. In fact, just yesterday, I climbed up six floors of a building. These are things I would have never imagined I would do even in my wildest dreams.
For someone who only went to the limited plus size stores, today I proudly walk into regular stores and am thrilled to be able to choose from a variety. People who see me are shocked to see the remarkable change and I keep telling every one of the benefits of being a Goqii player.

The last one year has been a memorable journey, a momentous one actually. I have achieved the impossible and that is a change of attitude towards health, happiness and fitness!

What does Coach Kiran Madari have to say about her player Namita?

Namitha is an awesome person. As a coach I am really proud of her and her achievement. Namitha was very worried before starting on GOQii as she was on the heavier side weighing 114 kg with PCOD and she wanted to lose weight, be healthy and wanted to be a girl which she was before. She was very consistent in following my advice and worked very hard to achieve her goals. We have been together in this journey. Whenever she had challenges like guest coming, festivals, illness, she used to ask me for my support and followed whatever I told her and stayed on track.

May 3, 2017 By GOQii Editor 7 Comments

GOQii ‘India Fit’ 2017 reveals alarming facts

1/3^rd Indians over 30 years suffer from Lifestyle diseases

4% people are suffering from high cholesterol, followed by 7.7% with diabetes and 6.7% with thyroid
Improper nutrition, lack of sleep and stress are adding to the fitness woes of Indians
Kolkata is the unhealthiest city with 35.7% population suffering from at least one lifestyle diseases; Bangalore is the new fitness capital of India closely followed by Mumbai and Pune on second and third spot
Average step count of Indian increases from 6680 to 7746 steps

GOQii, the health and wellness ecosystem that is striving hard to get Indians to be fit and healthy and prevent illness, has recently released it’s India fit report which reveals some hard facts. As per the GOQii India Fit’ 2017, while, the average daily step count of an individual across India is 7746 steps, a steady increase over last year’s figure of 6800 step counts, it still does not match the recommended daily step count of 10,000 steps by World Health Organization in order to lead a healthy lifestyle.

According to the report, Bengaluru and Much as moved ahead of Mumbai and is dubbed the most active city with a daily average step count of 7915. Bengaluru and Mumbai are followed by Pune. Younger population (below 35 years age bracket) in Bengaluru and Chennai is more active as compared to people in other cities.

While it is overwhelming to note that people are walking and striving to be fit, the alarming fact is that chronic lifestyle diseases are a cause for concern in the current times and the epidemic is spreading like wildfire here in India. There have been disruptive lifestyle changes in the country over the past two decades mainly due to the rapidly evolving urban economy and the Indian Middle class.

Chronic diseases (eg, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer) and injuries are the leading causes of death and disability in India, and this is only likely to increase in their contribution to the burden of diseases over the next two decades.

As per the GOQii India Fit’ 2017 report, 33% of the Indian population above 30 years of age is suffering from one or more lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, cardiac problems including high cholesterol, blood pressure, thyroid, and Cancer. Close to 9.4% people are suffering from high cholesterol followed by 7.7% suffering from diabetes and 6.76% people suffering from thyroid.

Based on data from over one lakh subscribers of GOQii both male and female from across 8 fitness conscious cities in India namely Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune, the report states that since 2015 there is a consistent increase in lifestyle diseases. As per data, a major cause for concern is high cholesterol among individuals.

It is estimated that around 130 million may suffer from lifestyle diseases such as diabetes in the next few years. Apart from these two diseases, the other prevalent chronic diseases are Cardiac ailments, hypertension, and high blood pressure. The risk factors for chronic diseases are highly prevalent among the Indian population.

Vishal Gondal, Founder, and CEO of GOQii says: “Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of chronic diseases due to the disruptive lifestyle changes in the country. Lack of exercise, erratic eating habits, increase in stress levels and poor sleep patterns are just some of the key reasons behind the increase of this epidemic’’.“

Data starting January 2016 through December 2016 was collected to determine the various fitness metrics (rest & activity) such as steps, food, water, sleep, etc. We have been very meticulous in collecting data and then deciphering it to be realistic so as to bring out near accurate results.

Another alarming fact is Kolkata has earned the tag of being the unhealthiest city in India. The majority of the population in Kolkata suffers from lifestyle diseases related to stress, cardiovascular ailments, and digestive disorders. Kolkata also tops the chart with the highest number of digestive disorders. Cities like Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad have maximum cases of obesity amongst Indians. Although awareness around the use of medication amongst people has increased, their lifestyle is still the same as there is no one to tell them the benefits of lifestyle change.

GOQii India Fit’ 2017 report indicates that an average Indian sleeps for 6.72 hours every day which is less than a healthy average of 7-9 hours daily. Lack of proper sleep is a grave concern for 31.3% population. And with age, India is sleeping lesser by the day. This coupled with the lack of exercise and increase in stress is adding to the cause of falling health levels of Indians. People in the age group of 31-60 years are the most stressed people in the country.

Gender wise data reveals that men across category are focused on staying active with weight training, playing sports and running apart from adding more protein in pre and post workout meals to their diet. Women, on the other hand, are focused on weight management and eating healthy. Women also prefer dance, yoga, and aerobics as part of their daily exercise.

Overall, the report recognises the fact that Indians are trying to improve their lifestyle but a lot is yet to be done. Eating right and exercising regularly is the first step in the right direction. ‘’It is encouraging to see that young Indians are increasingly focusing more on preventive health and controlling illnesses as they age. I hope that through such initiatives, we are able to motivate more people to adopt a healthy lifestyle,’’ ConcludesGondal.

April 20, 2016 By Anusha Subramanian 4 Comments

“My dream project has been to trek to EBC”

Jitu Arora with several of his Marathon medals

From running marathons and half marathons for several years and then suddenly becoming inactive, to weighing 95 kgs and not being able to walk even 10000 steps is scary isn’t it? Jitender Arora has been through this scary phase until one day when he realized being scared is doing no good to him. And rest, as they say, is history…. Let’s here from Jitender how he brought about a healthy change in himself and getting back to being his old fit self. Jitender’s story in his own words.

For almost a decade I stayed in the US and the UK till about 2011. During, my days abroad I was extremely fit. I indulged in a lot of outdoor activities and ran marathons and half marathons regularly. I had finished 3 full marathons and a dozen half marathons. My downfall started when I shifted back to India. I got huge responsibilities at work. I was looking at functions with multiple geographies and too much traveling and erratic eating habits took a toll on me. Due to lack of any physical activity, I had also cultivated a few habits that I should not have. All this led me to put on weight and my lifestyle was also very stressful. Overall, very unhealthy. I weighed 95 kgs and wasn’t even able to complete 10,000 steps in a day it used to be a very tough task.

I joined GOQii in May 2014. The band was a gift from my wife on my birthday. She watched the review by Rajeev Makhani on NDTV and thought I needed it. She was right, I definitely needed it because I was overweight and was not really into fitness.

But, to be honest I started using it seriously only when Shimpli my coach told me about the 100 Km trail walk to be held in December 2014. I thought that is a good challenge to give myself and I started training for it. I had decided I will walk and see if I can complete it. If not, it would just be about meeting few other like-minded people and that will give me an extra dose of motivation. I seriously trained for the trail walk.

I also started with yoga and strength training because I felt just cardio was not working for me and I wanted more of a complete turnaround. I got back to my running and back to running Marathons.

On the day of the trail walk, I was confident I could do this walk within 48 hours and do it in a pretty decent time. I was only hopeful because of the training, the coaching support and the device itself helped me kind of understand my goals better and I started pushing myself a little bit more in terms of being more active by changing my lifestyle, changing my eating habits, hydrating better. A lot of these small suggestions by my coach has helped a great deal in the past one and a half years.

Ever since I got back to my healthy self, I have been challenging myself to do various things. I did the 100 KM trail walk twice in two consecutive years, I have done 12-13 half marathons in last few months, I have done the devil’s circuit in Gurgaon. My next big challenge is to trek the Everest Base Camp. And, I am going this May. I have always loved the mountains. I have done a couple of small treks. I guess for every individual who loves the mountains’ their dream is always to get close to Mount Everest. So my dream project has been to trek to EBC. It’s going to be challenging for me but, more than anything I think I am going to come back more knowledgeable and fitter and perhaps be more appreciative of the nature.

I am looking forward to my EBC trek as I am going with few other GOQii players. I treat them as my second family so that’s again a comfort factor for me.

What does Coach Shimpli Patil have to say about Jitender Arora?

Jitender is one of the most vibrant and cheerful people I have ever known. He became a part of the GOQii ecosystem in the very initial days of GOQii. When I spoke to him for the first time, he expressed that he was a very active person while in the US, but lost track of any kind of physical activity once he came back to India. He was thus aiming to get back to his fitness again. We started with some simple cardio exercises and later moved on to interval training with intense core strengthening. The best aspect was even though we wouldn’t communicate every single day, he made sure he caught up with his workouts and astounded me by sharing his workout summary at the end of the week.

We also focused on his eating habits, especially his pre and post workout meals. After a few months of coming on board the GOQii platform, Jitender registered himself for the 100 km Mumbai Oxfam Trail walk, we teamed up together. At no point in time, did I see Jitu losing his motivation to complete the walk? His energy levels started dipping, his feet started giving up, his body started aching but, his willpower was strong and that kept him going and he successfully completed the trail walk.

It did not stop here. Soon after he got himself into various activities including 10 k run (TCS Bangalore), 10 Half Marathons- including Standard Chartered, One 15 KM trail Run, 100 km Mumbai Oxfam Trail walk once again, one 30 Km Road Run (Gurgaon) and one Devils Circuit (NCR 2016) and the list continues!…he is currently preparing for his big Everest Base Camp. Jitu is a great inspiration to many, and is a perfect example of how to reconnect to the disconnected path, and stay up to it!