exercises Archives

June 16, 2018 By Anusha Subramanian 3 Comments

From Crawling to completing a Half Marathon, all within 12 months

Since October 2014, Kamal from leading a very unhealthy lifestyle to turning an ace marathoner in a years time has now made fitness & running a way of life. Let’s hear it from him how he achieved his goals.

Kamal Karnatak is a busy CIO of an Indian MNC. He lives in New Delhi and works in Gurgaon. His office is a neat 43 km away and he travels by car for almost 2 hrs (One Side) -5 days a week. Just as he is passionate about his work, he is also passionate about leading a healthy lifestyle and has become a great inspiration and motivation to many of his friends to follow the same. His day starts at 5.30 am and he is out for a 6 km run at 6 am on alternate days and on weekends he runs 10 km. The days he is not running he resorts to strength training. Here is how he did it?

“I was aware of my shortcomings and kept trying to get fit. I tried several other wearables available on the market until I tried GOQii. I knew about it and decided to give it a try. I found that GOQii is entirely different from other so-called fitness bands, while other tracks various body parameters, GOQii band connects you to complete health ecosystem with real people. I got on to GOQii ecosystem in Oct 2014 and since then the one big change I have brought to my life is getting a proper routine. I exercise every day and eat five meals a day (mindful eating).”

When Kamal started using GOQii, he did not have any fixed routine for exercise. His daily routine was to travel 43 km to work in a car for 2 hrs from New Delhi to Gurgaon to and fro. Lack of any exercise, incorrect nutrition had caused indigestion and bloating. To add to these, his total cholesterol was as high as 270 and BP were 90/130 much above the normal. With the right intention to want to get healthier and fitter, he would exercise only when he had the time. He found that his normal steps per day were 3000-4000 and during weekends it used to be only 2000-3000. “I was always under the impression that I do not have enough time to exercise.”

After he got on to GOQii he was given a target of at least 10K steps per day and that for him was a difficult task to achieve. So he added walking to his routine. Soon after 8 months of being on the GOQii platform; on a daily basis he was achieving nearly 12K steps per day and that count went up to 25-30k during weekends. “My coaches helped me to achieve that over a period of time and it was such a gradual process for me that now it has become a lifestyle,” asserts Kamal.

He Crawled to Walk-Run 42 min to a Half Marathon

After two months of using GOQii and achieving his targets (Steps, Water, and Sleep) on a daily basis he was still not losing weight. So his coach asked him to start 1 min run and 2 min walk routine for 21 min. She also asked him to plan to participate in a 6K run within a year’s time, which Kamal says he laughingly ignored. “I still remember that on the cold morning of December’14 when I ran, I could barely run only for 42 seconds at a stretch on the first day and after that routine of nearly 20 min, I was quite exhausted. My foot muscles were soaring with pain and I thought that I may not be able to walk the next day. I shared the same with my coach and she said that do this for next 3 days and everything would be fine,” he says.

And surely it was all ok and after 8 months he could run for 42 min continuously. In November 2015, he completed his first half marathon (21.1 KM) in 2hrs 34 min. Now he is sure that if he continued to follow his regime he would surely be able to run 42 KM marathon by this year. While his goal was to lose weight, he achieved that as well and lost some 12 kg by now. The best part is that his other issues of high cholesterol and high BP also normalized. Running he says was never part of his goal but it happened and he is glad it did.

The plan was to go from fit to fitter

Today, Kamal’s overall fitness has improved. “With the help of my coaches, I made many permanent lifestyle changes. I also realized that health is not a project as it does not have any end date, it’s a continuous process and with the right kind of motivation anything can be achieved. I, who always used to complain that I do not have enough time for exercise, now always look for exercises/walking/running excuses,” says Kamal. “My journey continues with GOQii and I feel that it would help me to become a fitter person,” he adds.

What does Coach Kruti Jain have to say?

Kamal is a focused & a determined player. His journey has always been progressive. He wasn’t very consistent with his activities (due to other priorities) earlier. But, when he joined GOQii, it looked as if he has promised himself to not fail this time.

In spite of many hurdles, he would manage to get back to the regime. He started off with the goal of losing some weight because of which he was directed towards running.

From a simple goal of weight loss, his goal changed to running a half marathon by the end of the year and he did it. Clearly emerged a winner. He is one such player who keeps his coach on her toes. His interest & obedience makes you feel responsible & you want to help him in every possible way.

March 13, 2018 By Trishala Chopra 2 Comments

Strength training and exercises for runners

Dear marathoners/runners, I am sure this blog is going to catch your attention! Do read the article, and I would be happy to answer your questions!

Well, not just runners though! Whether you are a runner or cyclist or if you plan any endurance sport, strength training becomes very important. Everybody wants to be good at the sport they play, so this article will help give you some insights about various topics with regard to strength training.

In this blog, I shall take you through four main aspects namely….

What is an endurance sport?

Why is strength training and its importance for an endurance sport?
If strength training is important, how much is too much or how much is ideal?
Which exercises should be included in strength training protocol?

All I knew was running is endurance. I knew of more examples but what exactly is endurance I couldn’t really get through. It’s over time that I learnt what endurance training means. Endurance training uses your aerobic system as opposed to your anaerobic system.

Aerobic system:- Body uses oxygen to produces energy

Anaerobic system:- Body does not use oxygen to produce energy

So why is strength training important for any endurance sport?

I come across runners who say, “I run 5k,10k and 21k which takes a lot of energy, why should I put exact PRESSURE on my body?”

Here are 3 benefits of doing strength training from runners’ perspective!

Your pace will improve, you can run faster!

Your speed matters a lot when it comes to any marathons! What determines your speed?

Stride length
Stride Frequency

If you are a runner, it is important for you to know that stride length means how long is your step and stride frequency relates to how many steps you take per minute/second.

So the technical formula here is,

Speed= Stride length x Stride frequency.

But, what does this have to do with strength training? Well, to improve your speed/pace you have to take longer strides and of course faster strides

How to take longer strides?

Forcing your legs to the ground.

How to put more force?

For this, your legs should be strong.

How to make your legs stronger?

By doing strength training.

So, this shows that strength training is required to help runners run faster!

(2) With Strength training, your endurance will get better!

“How can strength training make endurance better? Endurance training will make endurance better right?” Well, the answer is that strength training and endurance training both are required and helps in increasing the endurance but the mechanism used is different.

Let me take you through some technicalities but in a way, you will understand. Are you aware of maximal aerobic capacity? Maximal aerobic capacity means the maximum rate of inhaling oxygen by your body during any exercise. Maximal aerobic capacity is also called as VO2max.

Your VO2max is made up of 2 components: Central and peripheral

Central component= Heart

Peripheral component= Muscle

VO2max = Q x (a – Vo2 difference)

Here is the complete breakup

Q is the Cardiac output

The cardiac output means how much blood your heart is able to pump per minute.This covers your central component

(a – Vo2 difference) where a is arteries and v is veins and this means that the difference between the oxygen in your arteries and veins.

Smaller the difference, more the endurance!

In simple words, it is the ability of your body to extract the oxygen from the blood. This covers your peripheral component

The reason why I have discussed this in depth is, because endurance training works on the central component which is the heart but the peripheral component which are the muscles is ignored. To get the maximum endurance it is important for your peripheral component to be strong and strength training here helps. High repetitions (reps) helps in pumping your peripheral component.

Hence, to improve your endurance you should do strength training.

(3) Strength training helps reduce injury risks!

Runners, I am sure you can relate to this! More kms to run, more risk of injuries! When I say injuries here I am talking about overuse injuries.

What is overuse injuries?

Your muscles, tendons and bones have a restriction to work.
When you cross that restriction, you tend to injure your muscles, tendons and bones.
Then post injury either you take a break from your routine or you do some other exercises.

Once the injury is done, we cannot do much about it but as the old adage goes- ‘Prevention is better than cure! Strength training helps in increasing the tolerance of your tissues to work which reduces the risk of overuse injuries and helps you train better,

If strength training is important, how much is too much or how much is ideal?

There are 3 main points here which everyone should understand.Strength training of runners completely depends upon,

Distance
The phase of training (current phases and upcoming phases)
Goal

Distance

Greater the distance to be covered, shorter is the strength training requirement.
For eg, if you are running for 5k you need to do more strength training then someone who runs a 21k.
Goal strength training of a runner and the adaptability of the stress is completely different from all the other sports/events
A 5K runner needs about 65% of endurance training and 35% of strength training and for a runner who is planning to run 21k needs about 80% of endurance training and 20% of strength training.

Just because the proportion of strength training is less, it does not mean that we can skip it. As discussed above, strength training is equally important too.

(2) Phase of training (current phases and upcoming phases)

Training phase depends on your competition date
For example, your endurance training is lesser when your competition is about 3 months away which is the perfect time to concentrate on strength training.
Closer the competition, higher is the endurance training.

For example,

When competition is far away then do 2-4 sets 2-3 times per week

When competition is near then do 1-2 sets 1-2 times per week

Variations in between are always accepted.

(3) Goal

Every runner has a period where there are no marathons. This is called as “off-season”. You might be running very little so this gives you a chance to recover the lost muscle during the endurance period.

Most people are of the notion that strength training is only done to gain muscle mass or get those big biceps, chest and arms but that’s not true. I have mentioned above that strength training for everyone depends upon the goal they want to achieve.

Runners might be thinking that strength training will make them gain weight which will make it difficult for them to run but that’s not true at all. Protocol for runners’ strength training only depends upon their goal and not a generic plan which is followed.

When I talk about a goal for runners, during their offseason phase strength training can be done 3-4 times per week. Whenever the competition period comes near, strength training can be done 1-2 times per week and strength training will only be used to minimize muscle loss.

During endurance training, muscle loss is bound to happen but when you strength train the muscle loss will be reduced. The focus of adding strength training is, to only slow down the process of muscle loss or maintain muscle during the competition phase.

How does this muscle loss happen?

As I mentioned, your body has limited capacity to adapt to things. Either it can be endurance training or strength training. For an endurance athlete, adapting to endurance training is more important than strength training but a blend of both of these is important. Cardio and strength training are 2 opposite goals. While in cardio you burn muscles, strength training helps in building muscles. More endurance means more muscle loss, strength training helps in maintaining those muscles

Finally, which exercises should be included in strength training protocol?

I have been with athletes for a year now where I have seen that maximum of my athletes don’t train their legs or they avoid doing them. They often tell me that running in itself is a good exercise for legs so why should we add additional training?

Well, most of the runners have them but that’s not true. Runners have good endurance in their legs but that doesn’t mean that they are strong.

We have covered a lot of endurance and strength training. Now let me come to exercises that are important. Runners you don’t need to do lots of exercises but few major ones are important.

Focus on these lower body exercises first-

Level 1 Squats
Level 2 Lunges
Level 3 can be with deadlifts

Just as lower body exercises are a must, upper body exercises are also a must and should not be ignored. Well, your upper body counter-balances your lower body.

I am not sure if anybody has noticed but when you move your right leg ahead, your left arm goes ahead. If your upper body is not having enough strength then it can reduce the lower body force to coordinate with your upper body. Your lower body is definitely stronger than your upper body but if the imbalance increases, the performance of runners can be affected.

Focus on these upper body exercises first,

Level 1 pushups
Level 2 pull-ups
Head press

I hope this article helps you to run better! Reach out to me in case of any questions and I will be happy to help you!

March 12, 2018 By Palak Mittal 11 Comments

10 health and diet tips for Women

eating-healthy-and-exercising

March 8^th is considered International woman’s day but at GOQii we dedicate this whole month to focus on Women’s health. This month, I want you to sit back and relax and take some time out to focus on your health. I have carved out some easy-to-follow tips that will help you keep up with your health and fitness along with your diet habits.

Here are some of the health and diet tips every woman must follow to remain healthy and fit

Do not cut out any food groups from your diet

If you are dieting, do not think of cutting down on any food groups, be it carbohydrate or fat. Include lean proteins, calcium and other nutritional foods that will help your body function better. All you need to do is to ensure portion control and not go overboard, especially with unhealthy foods. Moderation is the key to a healthy you!

Load up on lots of water

Water is the one solution to all your health problems; it helps flush out the hazardous toxins produced in the body due to poor eating habits, sedentary lifestyle, et al. Drink lots of water or just add some lemon and honey to make it healthier. Not only will it help keep your body hydrated but also will leave your skin glowing.

Kick-start your day with a healthy and heavy breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day; no matter how busy or caught up you are, take out some time to indulge in a good and healthy breakfast full of proteins to keep you energized through the day.

Do not obsess over dieting

One must not obsess over dieting. It is okay to accept your body as it is; what is important is to ensure eating healthy and keeping yourself physically fit. Focus on building your stamina and engage in exercises.

Feed your skin with healthy and natural ingredients

It shouldn’t be only your overall health but also your skin that needs some attention. For once, toss your chemical-laden commercial skincare products and use natural kitchen ingredients instead. They will help you get a gleaming skin.

Do not forget to engage in at least 30 minutes of exercise

It is not just your diet that will ensure a healthy body, but also some physical activity or exercise. It is not necessary to spend two hours at the gym, but just 30 minutes of your favourite outdoor sport, gaming, running, walking, et al can help you out.

Get yourself checked every six months

In order to take care of others in the family, we neglect minute health problems we generally go through. Take some time out and get your body checked for any suspicious growth or anything that you think should be flagged before it gets too late. Go in for a comprehensive health check up once in a year.

Do not stop yourself from indulging

Keeping yourself healthy does not mean you forget munching on your favourite foods. Indulge in these foods once in a while to make yourself and your tummy happy and going. Do make sure you don’t overeat only to ruin your diet.

Stop stressing! Include bright coloured foods to up your mood and get going

Nowadays, stress has become synonymous with us humans and one cannot avoid considering the many pressures in personal and professional lives. Load up on de-stressing foods and include more bright coloured fruits and vegetables in your diet that will help liven up your mood instantly.

Avoid smoking and alcohol

While occasional drinking is fine, making it a lifestyle habit is extremely dangerous. Not only do smoking and drinking cut short your lifespan, but also make you look a lot older and dull.

Follow these basic health and diet tips to lead a positive, fit and enduring life!