body transformation Archives

October 24, 2020 By GOQii Leave a Comment

“Don’t Ignore Your Health!” – Nirmal Bhatt Shares a Message For All Womenfolk

As a working woman, managing a professional life and a personal life can be quite challenging given the status quo that exists in our society. Sometimes, so much effort goes into looking after a household as well as crushing it in the professional field that one easily forgets to take care of themselves. Nirmal Bhatt, a 42 year old working professional from Noida faced similar challenges as she tried her best to maintain the delicate balance between her work as an Academic Coordinator at Amity University and her household.

Before Being a Part of GOQii

Since 2012, Nirmal Bhatt has been suffering from hypothyroid and hypertension. Over the years, her weight had been increasing consistently. In 2019, she weighed almost 82kg. Her TSH was 10 and her BP was 150/110. Her diet was loaded with ghee and oil, zero physical activity and every weekend involved eating out. She always felt lethargic and given her routine, she lacked any motivation to do anything for herself. But all that was about to change!

Making a Lifestyle Change With GOQii

As a part of the deal with Star Health Insurance, she got a GOQii subscription as well. Living in a joint family with her husband and 2 grown-up kids, she says one can only imagine how hectic her life was. She had avoided talking to her GOQii Coach fearing that she’d be asked to make drastic changes in her routine which would be near to impossible to achieve.

She had heard from her friends how dieting works and she undoubtedly wouldn’t be able to do any of it. Upon the brink of giving up, Nirmal decided to give GOQii a try after relentless calls from her GOQii Coach who refused to give up on her. Since taking that decision to move forward, Nirmal didn’t have to look back ever again.

Her coach explained to her how she can bring about small changes to her lifestyle and still achieve her goals. She stressed on 3 major changes which have contributed the most to her weight loss – reduced tea consumption, avoiding junk and sweets. Nirmal confessed to being a tea addict, consuming almost 7-8 cups of tea a day. Now, she has reduced to just 2 cups a day. In addition, she has also stopped consuming fried food and sweets – both of which she couldn’t resist before.

Physical activities were something she would never try before but has now become a part of her daily routine. During the 2 initial months of lockdown, she wholeheartedly gave herself up to an active lifestyle and worked out for an hour every day. Since May, when she resumed work from home, she still tries to complete her 10k steps on most days. Her secret, she says, is never sitting idle. She constantly tries to be on the move, walking, stretching as and when she can.

The other changes which were implemented by her coach include:

Intermittent fasting
Including salads in meals
Early dinner
Fixed meal time irrespective of other family members

Thanks to all the changes which she accepted, her weight has reduced to 67.5kg and her waist size has gone from 38 inches to 34 inches.

What Does Nirmal Bhatt Have To Say About Her Coach?

Nirmal Bhatt says that she can’t thank her GOQii Coach Meenakshi enough for all the cooperation, guidance and motivation she provided. During the early days, when Nirmal would get frustrated about preparing all the delicious snacks for her family and not get to eat any, Coach Meenakshi used to keep her morale high by reminding her that she has to fit into that lehenga while attending the next wedding. She used to keep nudging and pushing her constantly, giving her tips and ways to stay healthy even on days when she would absolutely want to do nothing. Owing to her positive outcome and the bond she and her coach have formed, Nirmal has renewed her subscription for a year.

“I want to tell this to all the womenfolk”, Nirmal says as she adds that, “It’s very easy to lose track of yourself while tending to your family and household responsibilities. Don’t ignore your health! You can only take care of your loved ones if you are fit. Don’t bother what others have to say about your appearance. Lose weight because you want to look and feel good. Not because your relatives or friends want you to. It’s not at all easy but it is definitely worth the effort. You can’t stop beaming when you get compliments on your transformation from friends and colleagues.”

What Does Coach Meenakshi Have to Say About Her Player?

Nirmal Bhatt was very determined,dedicated with the health goal to reduce weight and waist size when she came on board .She was suffering from thyroid, BP, bloating, emotional stress, less energetic and disturbed sleep. She wasn’t able to spare time for her health because of her busy schedule

We began with small changes like reduced tea, sweets, biscuits and added salads and early dinner along with 15 minutes of Pranayam. She lost 4.5 kg. weight with 1 inch loss in a month. We worked on stress and sleep by adding deep breathing and meditation to her routine. We followed 10 minute abs exercises along with some cardio like jumping jacks, skipping, spot jogging, plank. For dinner, we added proteins, beetroot juice, chia seeds – post which she lost 10 kg. and 2 inch loss in 4 months. Then we accepted challenges like reduced sugar, intermittent fasting and added flax seeds, green tea and virgin coconut oil in her diet – all of this with consistent 10,000 steps with strengthening exercises. She further lost 14.5kg and 4 inch loss. Her TSH level is now 6.5 which was 10.2 in 2019. BP is also under control but she takes medicines sometimes, not regularly. Nirmal is very honest about whatever she eats. The best part of Nirmal is trying to be active throughout the day to complete 10,000 steps challenge daily with any exercises.

We hope this story motivates you to make a positive lifestyle change! For more inspiring stories, check out Healthy Reads. To be a part of GOQii’s preventive healthcare ecosystem, visit our website now!

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June 27, 2020 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Sandeep Vasant Shares The Secret To His Transformation

Does your work revolve around traveling and leaves you with little time to focus on your health? Sandeep Vasant, a marketing professional from Bengaluru had the exact same issue till he decided that it was time to change.

In 2016, Sandeep Vasant weighed around 89kg, his BMI was hovering around the overweight to obese category and he knew he had to change. His opportunity came when he won a GOQii band as a part of a contest.

Making the Shift

The concept of personalized coaching, a band to track his daily step count and an integrated app – all of this intrigued him and he decided to invest his time in the GOQii model. His coach guided him on how they would go about his goal to lose weight. These changes included:

Correcting food habits: Consuming fruits and vegetables while reducing junk food, tea and coffee in take. Stop late dinners
Begin basic cardio and strength training at a gym
Correct sleep pattern and avoid using the cellphone late at night

Within the first 10 days itself, Sandeep Vasant began seeing changes in himself which motivated him to be more consistent.

The challenge came when he had to incorporate these changes to his frequent traveling. His coach recommended that he pack his workout gear even while traveling so he can go for runs and workout in his hotel room as well. For food, he had to settle with what was available albeit, he had to choose healthy and maintain portion control. If he got bored with gym workouts, he switched his attention to GOQii Play coaches in the morning.

Small Changes. Big Rewards!

At the start of 2018, he had already dropped 10 kgs. If 2017 was about changing food patterns and beginning exercises, 2018 became more about his interest in marathons. He started participating in 5k runs which initially took him 45 mins to complete. He wanted to improve his timing and start training more for marathons. He decided to participate in at least one marathon each month. Turns out, he won a few medals in the course of his journey as well. He draws his inspiration to workout everyday looking at the medals he won at those events.

Staying Fit During Lockdown

When the country went into lockdown, like others, he was worried how he’d keep up with his exercise routine. He did not want to squander all the hard work he had put in till now. He decided to increase his workout time and started participating in evening Zumba sessions on GOQii Play.

He began practicing yoga – something which never interested him before but was the need of the hour. Now, he is a regular at Ronak Gajjar’s meditation sessions on GOQii Play. He says, “Meditating along with Ronak has actually helped me think positively, keeping all the negativity around the coronavirus and the economic situation at bay. I feel more grounded and peaceful even while sitting at home.”

During the past 3 months, he has not gained weight but in fact, he has lost 4kg more and now weighs 75kg. His goal is to further drop 2kg which will bring him in the normal BMI range.

What Does Sandeep Vasant Think About GOQii?

Sandeep says his coaches have constantly motivated him to be consistent, shared inputs from time to time on what he should and should not eat. Most importantly, they have structured his routine for the days he travels. He is thankful to GOQii for helping him achieve his goal.

He says that the 3 secrets to his transformation were consistency, discipline and dedication! As of now, Sandeep is making great progress. What about you? Subscribe to GOQii now and make a positive lifestyle change!

For more stories on transformation and lifestyle change, check out user stories on Healthy Reads.

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March 7, 2020 By GOQii 1 Comment

Faith, Patience and Persistence – Kumarswamy Remala User Journey

What motivates you to push past your limits and achieve your goals? What drives you to stay active mile after mile? Is it determination? Is it a poster you read that charged you up? There may be many reasons such as building confidence, wanting to be there for your family and friends, the desire to live longer and healthier – but as we all know, motivation runs out as quickly as it comes. Determination without the right guidance is meaningless. But with the right guidance, faith in your coach, patience and persistence, anything is achievable. Don’t believe us? Ask our player Kumarswamy Remala.

Life Before GOQii

Kumarswamy Remala is a 33 year old working professional from Bangalore. Since childhood, he has been a complete foodie. However, to balance it out, he used to be very active. Cricket and badminton were his favorite in college. He even kept himself active intermittently after joining a workplace. In December 2015, he suffered a back injury which put a halt to all his physical activities for a while.

To add to this, he worked in rotational shifts which moved from morning shifts to late night shifts. This worsened his eating habits as pizzas, junk food and alcohol became a staple. His sweet tooth along with a penchant for trying different recipes added to his weight gain. He went from 80kg to slowly accumulating another 20-24kg over a period of time.

Motivation to Change and Joining GOQii

His health began taking a turn for the worse. He knew he had to change but the real motivation came through when his child was born in 2017. Kumarswamy Remala realized that he could not hold his child for a long time due to his back pain or even play with him due to his weight issues. This made him feel quite unhappy about himself and he finally decided to do something about it. He did not want to miss giving a 100% to his child. It was in 2019, approximately 6 months ago that one of his colleagues introduced him to GOQii.

Kumarswamy Remala Turns His Lifestyle Around!

After coming onboard GOQii, he began to strictly adhere to the habits set by his coach. His changes included:

Reducing rice intake. Although difficult, he managed to switch to less rice and began eating more salads for both meals. His plate now is 60% veggies!
Reduce the intake of sweets and consume natural sugars like dates, dark chocolate, etc.
Begin consuming plant protein powder supplements post-workout and chia seeds water to control the in-between hunger pangs.
Finish dinner before 9 during his night shift and just eat a fruit or muesli with milk if he feels hungry at night.
Drink ACV water in the morning to boost metabolism.
Get active for at least 5 days a week by working out in a gym.

Making the Shift!

Currently, Kumarswamy Remala weights 84kg. That’s a reduction of 16kg in a span of 6 months with GOQii. He says he feels really good about himself for having achieved his goal. He is able to concentrate on work better than before. In fact, he has begun pursuing his passion for badminton again as and when time permits and also enjoys spending time with his family like he couldn’t before!

He is thankful to his GOQii Coach for the inputs shared on portion control, suggestions and tips on how to eat healthy during his night shift and for sharing healthy recipes which appease the chef in him. He interacts with his coach regularly and logs his activities without fail every day. He purchases a lot of products from the GOQii Health Store, in fact, he purchases half his groceries from here. He has subscribed to GOQii Play coaches like Tufail Qureshi, Ronak Gajjar and Bhumika Uniyal for a mix of fitness and yoga.

In closing, he says that it is easy to manage your health when you have somebody guiding you at every step. He says this job is done extremely well by GOQii and all you need to do is have faith in your Coach, patience for results and be persistent in your efforts to achieve your goals!

We hope this story inspires you to get off that couch, Level Up and Get Active! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below.

#BeTheForce

December 21, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

“If I Can Do It, So Can You!” – Namrata Shukla User Journey!

If anyone out here has struggled with excess weight, then being teased about it must have been an everyday occurrence. While most people consider it harmless to pass remarks, it can be really harmful to the mental wellbeing of the person these taunts are directed at. It can completely shatter their confidence and self-esteem. Our GOQii Player Namrata Shukla experienced the same when she was growing up.

Life before GOQii

Based out of Noida, Uttar Pradesh, Namrata Shukla is 33 and works as a project manager with Orange Business Services. As a child, she was overweight, mainly because it ran in her family and it was also due to poor eating habits. Due to her experience as a child, her confidence and self-esteem were low!

She had been trying to lose weight for what seemed like forever. She used to go for walks but struggled with consistency. Her sweet tooth also seemed impossible to control. Her water intake was low, she used to skip meals or eat very late whenever she was tied up with work. All this added to a list of problems and she couldn’t find a way to solve them.

Enter GOQii

Namrata Shukla was unable to find motivation or inspiration to climb up the ladder of good health no matter where she looked. Eventually, it was her cousin, who was also a GOQii Player and benefited greatly from it, introduced her to our ecosystem.

On her cousin’s advice, she joined GOQii on September 2017 and since then, there has been no looking back! Her GOQii Coach asked her to start with 20 minute walks for 6 days a week. She was also asked to increase her water intake to 2l and cut down on sugar. Instead of sugar in her tea, she switched to jaggery.

The following month, she started with Tabata workouts on alternate days of the week and alternate days of walking. She began eating one fruit a day and included salads – something she used to hate earlier but has to include at least a few days a week.

One of the very important habits that she changed was the time she took to complete her meals. Earlier, she would gulp her food down and finish it within 5 minutes. Now, she chews her food well and takes at least 10-15mins to finish her meals. She avoids skipping meals and is as consistent as possible with meal timings.

Her coach also introduced her to intermittent fasting which helped her reduce her weight tremendously!

Embracing Changes

Her weight used to be 72kg but she succeeded in bringing down her weight to 57kg by the end of 2018. This gave a tremendous boost to her self-esteem since she was able to carry most of the outfits which she couldn’t fit into before. She was greatly appreciated by family members, friends and colleagues who applauded her transformation and helped her feel more positive about herself.

What Does Namrata Shukla Think About Her Transformation and GOQii?

Namrata says it pains her to see her neighbours go for junk food just to save themselves the trouble of cooking a healthy meal, which she feels is not very difficult. She says people don’t want to look in the direction of health and fitness. Though she indulges her sweet tooth every once in a while, she is aware of what constitutes healthy food, healthy eating habits as well as a healthy lifestyle – things she had not given much thought to earlier.

Losing weight has given her a sense of achievement which was missing from her life before. Her message to people who are struggling with weight issues, unable to stick to health goals or commit themselves is, “If I can do it, so can you!”

Her boost in confidence and positivity is something she attributes to GOQii. Now, she is able to feel good when she looks at herself in the mirror. She wanted someone to push her and that’s where GOQii came in.

She says that her GOQii Coach has been proactive and motivated her a lot. Her Coach always brought her back on track when she lost focus, keeping her head in the game. Namrata Shukla is thankful to her Coach for bringing all the positive changes in her!

We know for sure that Namrata Shukla will continue on this path of good health and will Level Up further in the year 2020! Do you plan to do the same? Do you have an inspiring story to share? Send it here!

#BeTheForce