fitness inspiration Archives

May 11, 2020 By Priyanka Mangla 1 Comment

6 Tricks To Help You Make Exercise A Habit

More often than not, when you’ve begun a new exercise routine to get in shape, your intentions don’t often match your actions. You begin to realize there’s a big gap between having an intention of achieving something and actually doing the work to fulfil that intention. There’s no need to beat yourself about it. There’s always a way to bridge that gap. Let’s look at a few tricks that can help you make exercise a habit!

How to Make Exercise a Habit

Set a Goal and Send a Reminder to Yourself: I wanted to exercise because I always wanted to stay fit like a soldier – this was my goal. I set a reminder on my phone for 5 AM as “Stay fit like a soldier “. This served as my morning alarm as well. Setting a goal where you remind yourself everyday will never let you sleep without ensuring that you exercised that day.
Challenge a Friend: The day you plan to start exercising, challenge your friend. I texted my friend, “hey, in the next 30 days, I am going to increase my stamina from 6/10 to 10/10 “. Believe me, your friend will never let you forget that you need to exercise daily.
Use the 21/90 Rule: This rule says that It takes 21 days to create a habit. It takes 90 days to create a lifestyle. You just don’t skip a day for 21 straight days. In these 3 weeks, exercise will become your habit. And once you are able to do it, you will continue doing it for another 90 days.
Reward Yourself With 1 Rest Day: Keep 1 day as your ”rest day “. This is important for your muscle recovery too.
Make It Pleasurable: During the lockdown, some music of your choice will do the magic. You will love your exercise without getting bored. This is actually something I do and enjoy a lot. When the circumstances will become favorable to go out, enjoy the beauty of nature, fresh morning air, the beautiful sky as the sun shines and the chirping of birds.
Take Baby Steps: Last but the most useful trick! When I started exercising, I had full “josh”, I forgot to count the sets and reps and just exercised with lots of energy. I had in mind, the more I will do, the sooner I will get the results. But the reverse happened. I had no energy for Day 2. So, this served as a lesson – doing too much, in the beginning, leads to burnout; which may lead to quitting the habit. So, the key is, start with light intensity exercises for 15-30 minutes in the beginning. Our only aim is to be regular. “One workout at a time. One day at a time. One meal at a time“ – Chalene Johnson.

Now that you’re aware of these simple tricks, let’s aim at making exercise a habit! Enjoy your exercise to enjoy the glow of good health. For training routines and home workouts, join our experts on GOQii Play.

Stay safe, stay healthy, get active and #BeTheForce!

April 13, 2020 By Madhu Soni 4 Comments

Fun Ways To Stay Fit At Home

While the major part of the world is in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, what most of us are overlooking is the impact of this period on our health. “Sitting is the new smoking” and quite rightly so! Watch your favorite shows, movie marathons, staying glued to the cellphone can all keep you occupied but can also make you mentally and physically unfit! So here are some simple and fun ways to stay fit at home!

6 Fun Ways to Stay Fit at Home

1. Plyometrics at Home
Yes! You read it right; Plyometric Exercise can be fun with all the family members. You can place 6 water bottles in a straight line with a gap of 2 feet between them. Ask all the members to form a line begin the workouts:

Do the snake walk without touching the bottles
Jump over the bottles
Jumping over the bottles again but this time turn to your right and jump and then turn to your left and jump.
Jump over the bottles and clap your hands in the air above your shoulders.
Come in the plank position such that you are in between two bottles and your body is completely on your toes and palms. Reach till the last bottle.

2. Partner Workouts

Both the partners are facing back (touching each other’s back); one partner has a bottle of water and will pass it to the other partner by just turning his waist. At the end of 60 seconds the one who has a bottle of water in their hands is the winner.
Both the partners are facing back but this time feet are shoulder distance apart and the box of popcorns will pass by bending the back and the receiving partner too has to bend down to take it.
Lie down on the floor such that both the partners are touching each other’s feet sole. Now do cycling 20 times clockwise and anti-clockwise.

3. Hula Hoop
This is favourite among children. Besides just twisting and rotating your waist, you can also do variations like a cross over the loops without touching any body part.

4. Skipping
Skipping is a great way to keep kids and grown-ups happy and engaged. You can do partner skipping, cross skipping and reverse skipping.

5. Dancing
Dancing is also a great form of workout. We live in a land of vast dance forms, so choose your pick from Bangra to Garba to Bollywood! You can have a small dance competition amongst the family members. Encourage the use of props like sticks or chairs which will need more effort.

6. Spell your name
Just spell your name and do these workouts. You can also spell days of the week.

Image courtesy @ Brightside

Hope you enjoy these fun ways to stay fit at home with your family during quarantine. Let us know your experience or your mantra to staying fit indoors, in the comments below.

For more exciting and fun home workouts, tune in to GOQii Play. Get the app here: www.goqii.com/app

Stay indoors, stay safe and #BeTheForce

December 9, 2019 By Navnee Garg Leave a Comment

5 Common Weightlifting Myths You Should Stop Believing

If you have already browsed through countless articles on the internet before taking your first step towards weightlifting, then there might be a lot of questions on your mind. More so, because of the contradicting and confusing nature of the content you get online. The most common one being that you need a gym membership for weightlifting.

In a country that’s rapidly growing, it’s time we leave these myths and series of false information behind with some facts shared by certified experts. So here, we will be sharing some common myths making the rounds on the internet about strength training.

Myth #1: Weightlifting Makes Women Bulkier

Fortunately for all the ladies out there, this is not true! The muscles in a woman’s body are different in composition than that of men. In fact, weightlifting along with a combination of cardio encourages more fat loss in women. One can begin with a minimum of 2kg and gradually increase the sets and reps along with weights.

Myth #2: No Pain = No Gain

You’ve probably heard this a gazillion times by now! If your body hurts or your muscles are sore, then your training is working. Ideally, that’s not true. Muscle soreness is common in the beginning but can be reduced within the recovery period. But, at times, it can also be because of incorrect posture or overexertion. Rest and recovery is equally important in weightlifting or strength training. In cases of extreme soreness, you need to rest and recover.

Myth #3: Lift Light Weights to Tone Muscles

This one is commonly known as the ‘Pink Dumbbell Myth’. The fact is that lifting lighter weights for higher reps will help you increase muscular endurance and it does have a place in training routines, but that lean, defined look comes from losing body fat. So, the weight will always depend on your fitness goal, but one will need to try a variety of reps and weight ranges to achieve results.

Myth #4: Older People Should Not Lift Weights

This is completely untrue. Elders can lift weights, keeping in consideration that the weight and reps should be advised by a certified trainer. An elderly person should also keep their medical conditions, risk factors and all in mind. Most importantly, they should consult their doctor before starting any training routine!

Myth #5: You Need a Gym

That is not true! You don’t have to empty your pockets and sign up to an expensive gym or service. All you need is dedication towards your goal! Surprisingly, you can train even in a small corner of your room. Your body itself is a gym. You can start with body weight workouts to break the ice. To take it a level ahead, all you’ll need is a pair of dumbbells or barbell curls to transform your body.

These were some of the common myths I have encountered so far. How about you? Have you heard anything on these lines? Share them with us in the comments below and let’s begin busting some myths together!

For the right knowledge and to begin your weightlifting or strength training journey with an expert, check out LIVE sessions on GOQii Play.

December 2, 2019 By Roopa Tandur Leave a Comment

6 Tips and Tricks to Help You Stay Motivated

Motivation is tricky. At one moment you have it and the next it’s gone! The enthusiasm with which you started off on your goals wanes and soon you begin to realize that your inclination to work towards a goal has completely withered. We’ve all experienced this and we all know it can be difficult to stay motivated.

Motivation or the motive i.e. the needs, desires or wants within an individual which stimulates them to perform or work towards a goal pertaining to success, money, business or fitness, requires a little more than sheer enthusiasm. Let’s look at how we can stay motivated and accomplish what we set our minds to.

Factors Which Help One Stay Motivated

While discipline is a key factor, there are many other tips and tricks that can help you stay on track with your goals. Let’s look at them in detail.

1. Set Defined and Realistic Goals
Setting goals which will outstrip your current lifestyle is more likely to disappoint you. You’re setting yourself up for failure. Make sure you set goals which you really want to achieve, which is not influenced by another’s opinion and wanting. The motive is to make your goals challenging and penalize you.

For instance, a realistic goal is “I will walk for 30 minutes for 3 days a week” or “I will cover 5000 steps a day in the beginning” instead of 1000 or 10,000 steps. 1000 steps is too less to achieve as a goal and will not give results whereas 10,000 steps is too tasking to begin with. 5000 steps or walking for 30 mins for 3 days a week is more manageable.

2. Break Goals into Smaller Tasks
The biggest hurdle starts with the mind. Many start by saying, “I have no time”. The key here is to break big tasks into smaller ones. For instance, a 30 minute exercise can be divided into 3 workout sessions of 10 minutes each through the day or with 2 varieties of exercises like walking for 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes of stair exercises at work.

3. Keep It Fun and Free of Distractions
Taking new routes while walking or including a small variation in your daily exercise routine will make it more interesting. In fact, you’ll look forward to these new routes. Try not to follow too many things at a time. Stick to your routine without getting distracted with the results others have achieved using different methods. This will confuse your body and demotivate you. Each body type is different and requires different methods. So don’t get distracted and stick to the plan suggested by your Coach.

A trick you can use is to go live on social media, as the pressure itself will push you out of your couch. Getting your family members into your journey is a big time motivation, especially kids who can give you an extra boost of energy to always try a little harder.

4. Reward Yourself
Treat yourself for reaching every milestone you’ve set, despite the hurdles! Rewards need not be a big cake or fancy items. It can be as simple as a message or a new pair of skipping ropes or dumbbells. Planning a reward ahead will do the trick as each individual’s rewards are very personal and should give meaning to your journey.

5. Visualize Your Success
Having a mental picture of yourself in the next 6 months will help you stay motivated. As you can see what is possible, you work towards achieving it. Set photos of yourself, in which you think you were at your physical best, as mobile screensavers. Have a poster of your favourite stars, listen to motivational speeches and inspiring quotes that will motivate you to keep yourself going and remind you of your goals.

6. Knowing, Understanding and Challenging Your Shortcomings
Start with understanding your weak points, be it food or friends or fear of pain or weekends or anything that distracts you from achieving your goals. Plan wisely – always store healthy snacks at home and pre-plan your foods which will minimise leftovers and prevent boredom of having the same foods. Plan no food or no eating social plans with friends or choose to meet in salad counters or healthy food eateries. Any new exercise is sure to give you pains which will self-cure itself, so be prepared for it and also understand that there are no special measures to get over the pain. Learn to enjoy the sweet pain as it is going to improve your health in the long run.

Whether in a group or solo, the main motto is increasing motivation and a sense of fun and enjoyment all along the route. Consistency is important but without a bit of fun, it makes the journey troublesome. So always have a laughter session in the end or to begin the session next time.

We hope these tips help you achieve your goals! For live video sessions on motivation, tune in to GOQii Play for guidance from experts.

Stay motivated and #BeTheForce!