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Yogesh Shah Manages Multiple Illnesses & Gets Healthy With GOQii

Yogesh Shah

Often, managing just one condition can be an insurmountable task. Imagine working your whole life, while your physical, mental and emotional health just spiral downward, while the number of pills you take keep increasing. Our Player Yogesh Shah was in such a predicament where he was dealing with multiple illnesses but managed to overcome them with help from his GOQii Coach Deepali Sharma. Here’s how Yogesh Shah wrote his own Health Story. 

Dealing With Multiple Illnesses 

Based in Ahmedabad’s Mani Nagar, Yogesh Shah is a 63 year old retired Government Employee. He said that he had a hectic schedule. “There were times when I would work from 7am to 11pm, never even having the sun’s rays hitting my body for years,” he said. 

Erratic work hours led to bad eating habits, disturbed sleep and high levels of acidity as he consumed a lot of tea. Yogesh Shah told us that this was his routine for 36 years of his work life. While he was extremely dedicated and diligent towards his work, it took a toll on his health. He suffered from multiple issues which included weight gain, diabetes, hypertension, disturbed lipid profile, chronic stress, bipolar disorder, gastric trouble, anxiety (8-10 attacks a month), palpitations and cervical pain due to a surgery he had 4 years back. 

Till 2021, he used to pop 18 tablets daily. Around Dec 2020, he was consuming 26 tablets which included medication for COVID. Despite the issues, he was positive and did not let his conditions damper his way of life.

“I realized I was not doing the right things and that this was taking a toll on my health but, I did not do anything about it,” says Yogesh Shah. The health issues started around 1992 and aggravated in 10 years. His family was worried and felt helpless about not knowing what they could do to help him.

Making A Positive Shift 

He wanted to get better, reduce weight and control his illnesses but was not sure how to go about it. Then, just before retirement, he got to know about GOQii from two young women in his office. They motivated him to go for it. Yogesh Shah purchased GOQII from Amazon in Oct 2021. Initially, he found it difficult to decipher and understand GOQii but, slowly and steadily he was able to understand how the platform works.  

He followed all the instructions given to him by his Coach Deepali Sharma. She introduced small changes which had a big impact. Over the course of time, he has been able to improve his health and control his illnesses. He says, “Initially I could not understand my coach but then slowly, I started understanding. Some of the changes she brought about made quite a difference.”  

His daily routine begins with praying, then gardening in his little kitchen garden. He follows this up with morning meditation for which he follows Coach Rounak Gajjar on GOQii Play. He also follows Coach Sheetal Tewari and Coack Bhumika Unniyal for yoga, meditation and pranayama. 

Currently, he walks about 15km on most days whereas before, he would feel breathless even after 1km. On the International Day of Yoga on June 21, he walked 21km. He says that he now wants to participate in the GOQii Trail Challenge 2022. 

“Coach Deepali has given me a lot of habits and I follow them religiously. Hence, I have been able to make a change!” he says.

What Are The Results Of Yogesh Shah’s Efforts? 

“Nothing will work unless you do. You need to work hard to achieve your goal. This is something which my Player Yogesh Shah has proven with flying colours,” says Coach Deepali Sharma. “Initially, he had multiple issues like weight gain, uncontrolled sugar levels, disturbed lipid profile, chronic stress, bipolar disorder, gastric trouble, anxiety and palpitations.

He used to feel tired after a kilometer walk and now, he is on 21km, which is equivalent to a half marathon. His HbA1c came down from 8% to 6% with almost controlled Fasting blood sugar. Episodes of anxiety dropped drastically from 10-12 episodes to almost nil now. Symptoms like shivering, headache, restlessness are completely out of our book, which were quite prominent before,” she says.

“It’s not stress that kills us but it is our reaction to it and Mr. Yogesh was outstanding in cultivating that positivity with intrinsic motivation. Stress was affecting his sleep a lot. With hard work and determination, he is now out of his anxiety medicines. We worked on setting a sleep-wake cycle as well and relaxation exercises also helped us a lot. I have seen an incredible improvement in his sleep from 2-3 hrs to an average of 5-6 hrs as of now. He is a person with a clear vision and that’s the reason we lost good weight. He is 71.25kg (latest) which was  82 kg when we started. This was achieved by keeping post sunset meals light, adding healthy snacks and carb control,” says Coach Deepali Sharma. 

As of now, Yogesh Shah’s medication has been reduced to 13 pills. You can view Yogesh’s entire journey as he speaks to our Founder & CEO Vishal Gondal on an episode of GOQii Health Stories.

Do you suffer from similar conditions? Did this story inspire you to make a lifestyle change? Then reach out to a GOQii Coach and subscribe for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

For more inspiring Health Stories, check out Healthy Reads. 

#BeTheForce  

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Anupa Samuel Lowers Triglycerides and Cholesterol Levels With Help From Her GOQii Coach!

Anupa SamuelWhile the lockdown was a great move to curb the spread of COVID-19, it affected the health and lifestyle of a lot of people. Those leading active lifestyles had to be homebound and this led to the development of certain ailments that affect them even today. Our player Anupa Samuel faced a similar situation where her triglycerides and cholesterol levels shot up but with the help of her GOQii Coach, she was able to reverse her condition. Here’s how her Health Story unfolded.

The Journey From Active To Inactive

Anupa Samuel is a 46 year old who lives in Mumbai with her husband and 2 children. She claimed to be a sports enthusiast, playing sports since childhood. She enjoyed playing sports such as throwball and badminton. She was quite active even before the COVID pandemic, walking almost 14km a day.

After the lockdown, Anupa Samuel was unable to participate in the activities she enjoyed. She stopped walking. “It got difficult to walk even 5k steps,” she said. Her eating habits became problematic as well as her lunch and dinner was too heavy and she began eating at odd hours. Although weight wasn’t an issue for her, her triglycerides and cholesterol levels shot up significantly. 

Choosing Diet Over Medicine 

When she figured her triglyceride and cholesterol levels were high, she made a decision to avoid medicines. “I don’t like taking medicines,” she said. She was willing to do anything apart from taking medication and wanted to solely focus on reversing her condition through diet and nutrition. 

When her husband asked his friends and colleagues if it is possible to reduce triglyceride and cholesterol levels through diet alone, they said it would be a difficult task as you need to switch your food habits and eat lots of salads, to which Anupa said, “I can do it!” 

Joining GOQii & Making A Positive Lifestyle Change 

Anupa joined GOQii on Feb 11, 2022 when her husband gave it to her as a gift. Around April, she was assigned to Coach Nikhil Sapate. “Now, he’s not just a coach but a very good friend of mine, so I’m very comfortable with him,” says Anupa about her GOQii Coach Nikhil. 

He closely monitored her habits and took into account her goal of wanting to reverse her condition through diet and nutrition alone and suggested a few changes.

These suggestions included: 

  • Start the day with apple cider vinegar with turmeric and lukewarm water for detox 
  • Drink bay leaf ginger tea in the evening
  • Eat fruits, roasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, soaked brazilian nuts, walnuts and almonds 
  • Include red rice in meals 
  • Eat heavy meals only till lunch, whereas before her lunch and dinner used to be heavy 
  • Post lunch, stick to green tea
  • For dinner, eat fruits or a bowl of salad
  • Drink more than 2L of water a day 

Apart from the changes above, Coach Nikhil also ensured that she stopped consuming brown bread. She also began indulging in activities she enjoyed doing before. Currently, she spends her time being active throughout the day by walking, playing table tennis, performing aerobics, planks, squats and badminton, etc. She varies her workout to keep it from being boring. Albeit, she tries to cover these activities within a single day. She says, “I enjoy activities so I can give as much time as needed for exercising”.  

When her father was diagnosed with prostate cancer in April, she had to do hospital visits once a month. While waiting for her father’s treatment, she found ways to keep herself active like meditating while waiting or trying to complete her steps by walking up and down the stairs of the hospital.

Within 6 months of joining GOQii Anupa is already an Elite Player. When asked about her progress, she says, “All the credit goes to my GOQii Coach. He is outstanding. Apart from him, coaches like Anushka Contractor and Mukesh Morwall have helped me a lot!” 

This can also be credited to the fact that Anupa is quite active on the GOQii App. “My kids say that I am married to GOQii only,” she said as she has a hard time when she is not close to her GOQii Tracker. 

She is a regular on GOQii Play and also joins live online classes on GOQii PRO. Her favorite coaches include Anushka Contractor, Mukesh Morwall, Rounak Gajjar, Sheetal Tewari and Alistair Fernandes as well as she enjoys dancing. 

She is also an active reader of the GOQii Blog. Her main goal right now is to improve her sleep and hydration levels. She joins the ASMR sessions on GOQii Play to improve her sleep. 

Results Of Personalized Health Coaching With GOQii 

At the time of joining, Anupa’s triglycerides were at 345 and her total cholesterol level was at 239. Her TSH levels were at 7.33. “She was looking to bring her triglycerides and total cholesterol down with the help of natural food and no medication,” says her Coach Nikhil. “After cutting processed foods and fried items, she managed to bring her triglycerides down to 187, and cholesterol to 174, while her TSH levels dropped massively to 4.64. The levels were achieved in 3 months,” he added.

As of now, she avoids biscuits, crackers and packaged foods as well as any type of bread. She consumes air fried chicken and fish with minimum oil intake. She also completes 17k steps a day. 

“All the changes we made gave good results. She feels that her energy levels have improved and she can work the whole day without any sign of fatigue. She has gotten leaner as well. Now, to achieve her goal of improving her sleep, we’ve begun with chamomile tea,” said Coach Nikhil.

Anupa Samuel made significant changes in just a few months. You can do the same with dedication, discipline and a little bit of guidance and motivation from our experts. Sign up for GOQii’s personalised health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

For more inspiring Health Stories, check out Healthy Reads. 

#BeTheForce  

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How Lolita Lasrado Overcame Gastric Issues & Lost Weight With Help From Her GOQii Coach

Lolita Lasrado

Do you avoid eating certain kinds of food because they trigger issues like acidity, bloating, gas or some sort of discomfort? You’re not alone! Our Player Lolita Lasrado suffered from similar issues but was able to overcome them with some lifestyle modifications suggested by her GOQii Coach. Here’s how her health story unfolded.

Dealing With Stomach Issues and Weight Gain

Lolita Lasrado is a 38 year old housewife based in Mangalore. For the longest time, she suffered from gastric issues such as acidity, gas and bloating. She couldn’t eat nuts, potatoes and vegetables such as cabbage due to her gas issues. She only stuck to eating fish curry and rice.

“I had gas and bloating issues for a very very long time. I could hardly eat anything. I had to be careful of what I ate so that it does not create gas issues,” says Lolita. 

Lolita was quite athletic and had been a Shot Put thrower  but couldn’t continue after marriage. Later, she gave birth to 3 boys, which kept her too busy and occupied to think about herself or her health issues. She says, “ I am a busy mom. My time is spent looking after them.”

Taking The First Step Towards Change

Owing to 3 pregnancies and her gut issues, she gained a lot of weight. She weighed 93kg a year ago and had also developed a large tummy which she wanted to reduce, but had no solution for, till one day, her brother-in-law gifted her a GOQii Device.

Initially, she had no idea what the smart tracker and the integrated GOQii App could do but she liked the device because it helped her track her steps daily. She finally subscribed to GOQii’s personalised health coaching in October 2021.  

When she realised that there was actually a personal coach who would guide her, she decided to set a health goal – which was to reduce belly fat and get over her gastric issues. 

Her Coach Bhawna Garg understood her issues and slowly began making changes to her lifestyle. At first, small habits such as eating soaked nuts in the morning, healthy snacks in the evening and roasted jeera with a pinch of hing at bed time, were introduced. Later, ginger, turmeric and lemon tea was also added to her routine. 

“Once I started taking these I started feeling better,” says Lolita. 

Gradually, Coach Bhawna Garg introduced Lolita to portion control in her meals. Rice and wheat was cut down from meals and instead Jowar/Ragi (millet) rotis were introduced. And there was an increase in her protein intake. 

In terms of exercise, her coach asked her to perform plank exercises, starting with 10 seconds to gradually holding it for a longer time. Lolita also began walking on a daily basis, covering approximately 15k steps.

However, despite all these dietary changes, at one point her weight did not budge but she didn’t lose hope. Her Coach started her off on a detox as well as a new workout plan which consisted of strengthening exercises and avoiding rice and wheat for 15 days. This worked and her body began responding. 

What Were The Changes That Lolita Lasrado Experienced?

“When she came on board, she weighed 93kg and her waist size was 38”. She also suffered from gastric issues. The few changes in diet and a few daily habits that I created for her and ensured she followed, helped a lot. Now, her weight has reduced to 78kg and her waist is at 36”. Her acidity and bloating issues are gone for good. She has often told me she feels more energetic and healthy. Working with her has been very easy for me because she is consistent and follows each and every habit I set for her diligently,” says Coach Bhawna Garg. 

This goes to prove that despite issues and hurdles, if guided well and if one follows that guidance and sticks to their health goal, nothing is impossible! Lolita Lasrado continues to write her health story with help from her GOQii Coach and is looking forward to achieving all the health goals she has set for herself. 

Do you relate to this story? Do you want to make a positive lifestyle change too? Then subscribe for GOQii’s personalised health coaching service here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

For more inspiring health stories, check out Healthy Reads. 

#BeTheForce 

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Achal Agarwal Loses 37kg, Reverses Lifestyle Diseases & Gets Healthier With GOQii

Achal AgarwalWhen we think of weight loss, the first thing that comes to mind is to eat less and exercise. Theoretically, this is the right way to go about it. But, this is not as easy as it sounds. It requires a great level of determination and willpower. However, once the decision to succeed is made, you will achieve your goal. Roadblocks in fitness and health can come in many ways – excuses, laziness, busy etc. Today, we bring to you one such story of determination and will power from our player Achal Agarwal.   

Life Before GOQii 

Achal Agarwal, 42, based in Noida, handles operations for a large German MNC in India as its COO. Before joining GOQii, he was overweight, weighing around 121 kg. Due to being overweight, he had developed medical conditions such as Diabetes, High Lipids (Cholesterol), Stomach Problems (Acidity, constipation) and Fatty liver. His waist was 44 inches. 

“I had all sorts of issues. I was totally ignoring my health. I was doing nothing. Stress levels were high and I needed my drink daily,” says Achal. After having severe palpitations and the scare of COVID-19, he decided that he had to take care of his own health. 

Joining GOQii & Making A Lifestyle Change 

After he bought the GOQii Balance, a smart weight scale, he found a coupon code and downloaded the GOQii App. When he explored the app, he found various health services. He came across the personalized coaching service, and took it up. 

He says that the Coach’s knowledge helped him bring about necessary changes in his diet and exercise. He says that, “The Coach has been very motivating and she has been there all along trying to find out if I am doing well. GOQii has been very helpful and I think a health coach is more than enough for one to follow and get better.”

The changes brought about by Achal Agarwal’s coach included: 

  • Basic walk to complete 6k steps a day (later he began completing 15k steps daily) 
  • Increased water intake and cutting down on tea intake 
  • Avoid maida and processed foods 
  • Having multigrain roti 
  • Increasing fruit, vegetable and protein intake 
  • Stopping sugar and alcohol completely 
  • Practicing Pranayama to reduce stress 

Achal says that his best stress buster now is walking – he loves it! He even conducts his meetings at work on walks, completing 20k steps on a daily basis. He further adds that, “The journey has not been easy but it’s been fun.” He further adds that his coach has been extremely understanding and has worked out everything around his schedule. He used to do stringent workouts and the coach introduced pre and post workout meals and that helped. His GOQii Coach has been regularly advising him on dietary changes. What Achal likes the best about coaching is that it is non-intrusive.

Thanks to all the lifestyle modifications suggested by his GOQii Coach, in the last 10 months, he lost close to 37kg. His Current weight is 83.2kg and his waist size has reduced by 7 inches. His HbA1c reduced from 7.9% to 5.1%. His Cholesterol levels lowered as well as his fasting sugar. 

Achal Agarwal has now become a health mentor to a lot of his colleagues. He has been sharing tips with his employees and co-workers and many of whom have managed to get on a healthier path. A fine example of this can be seen in Sushma Mishra who has been able to lose 8kg in the last couple of months. She says, “I never expected I could also get healthy, do exercises and lose weight. But, with the small tips that Achal Sir gave, I followed them and it’s helping me. He is such an inspiration and a role model to all of us”.  He has also been recommending people to download the GOQii app and use it.

To know more about his journey, check out this session of GOQii Health Talks where he spoke to our Founder & CEO Vishal Gondal about his changes, challenges and more! 

What Does His Coach Have To Say About Achal Aggarwal?

Achal Agarwal is one such player who is very disciplined, dedicated, and maintains consistency with any habits that were suggested by me. He was always very sincere from the beginning and never missed his daily workout and healthy diet. The player came on board in Nov 2020 with medical conditions like Diabetes, High Lipids (Cholesterol), uric acid, high CRP levels, stomach problems (Acidity, constipation) and Fatty liver.

We slowly introduced small changes as mentioned above. In the last 10 months Achal’s progress has been tremendous! Apart from weight loss and his vitals returning to normal, Achal says that his complete change of mindset towards health and fitness have been amazing! 

Does Achal Agarwal’s story inspire you? Do you want to make a change? Subscribe for GOQii’s Personalized coaching now and speak to a certified GOQii Coach: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

For more inspiring stories, check out Healthy Reads. 

#BeTheForce 

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

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