fitness tips Archives

May 22, 2020 By Soni Thakur Leave a Comment

Is This The Best Time To Make A Positive Lifestyle Change?

There are a number of people who motivate themselves to make positive lifestyle changes to eat better, exercise more, practise yoga and sleep adequately. They have tried before, probably declaring another attempt as a New Year’s resolution. After working hard for a week or two that resolution was found resting in the corner due to lack of time, energy and motivation.

Making a lifestyle change is challenging especially when you want to make so many changes at a time. It takes time and requires your full commitment and dedication once you are ready to make a change.

Some Tips To Make A Positive Lifestyle Change

Make a plan you think you can stick to
Start small
Choose one behaviour change at a time
Make some friends with the same goal
Ask for expert support

As we are all in lockdown, it’s a good break from our fast-paced life. We were complaining about not getting enough time to work out, to eat healthy home-cooked food, to meditate to relieve stress and ditch that alarm clock and sleep a little more. Well, here it is!

This is the best time to make a lifestyle change and reset our biological clock back to normal by balancing all four important components of our body which are: Balanced diet, Exercise, Adequate sleep and Stress management.

We hope this article helps you make a positive lifestyle change. For motivation, healthy recipes and more, you can check out the GOQii Blog or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play for home workouts, meditation, emotional wellness, learning music, yoga and more!

Stay home, stay positive and #BeTheForce!

May 18, 2020 By Vandana Juneja Leave a Comment

Overcome Hurdles to Home Workouts

With most of us working from home and no options to go out to gyms/parks for our daily workouts, it can become challenging to stay motivated, to do regular workouts at home. No matter what your current situation, home is the best place to do a workout right now! If you are finding it difficult to set a routine, are not motivated enough, or don’t know how to keep yourself active, here some solutions to overcome the hurdles to home workouts!

Solutions to Overcome Hurdles to Home Workouts

1. Lack of Time
How many times have you thought of working out and suddenly you realise you’re running out of time and you tend to skip it altogether? Most of us are under the impression we need to exercise for at least 60-90 minutes for it to be effective. But the truth is that we can get good results with workouts like HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), even if you have 15 to 30 minutes with you. You exercise with your maximum effort for 15-20 minutes, and get better results than a moderate intensity workout that you would have done for twice as long! You’ll build a leaner, stronger physique, and your routines will always feel fresh.

It’s always better to know your schedule for the day and squeeze workouts based on that schedule. If you have online meetings/ conference calls, lined up for the day, do a workout early in the morning or late evening. If you couldn’t do that, you could probably eat lunch while you work and utilize the lunch time to do a sprint workout or HIIT session in your living room.

2. Lack of Equipment/Heavy Weights
Most of us who are used to working out at the gym do not find it fulfilling or don’t get the “kick” when not able to lift the heavy gym machinery or weights. To our surprise, you can get comparable results if you can use your own body weight correctly as we do in Yoga, pilates or simple exercises like push ups, pull ups, lunges, etc. Alternatively, if you have a set of resistance bands or even a set of water bottles, it can be effectively used for weight training as well. Use your treadmill, Static cycle or resort to spot jogging/ running, skipping etc , for your cardio workout.

3. Lack of Motivation
It is very natural to lose motivation and this can become one of your biggest hurdles to home workouts. There are days you just don’t feel like it, you’re either too tired, too bored or just want to relax. If this is happening too regularly, you need to work on developing your – Instigation Habit! These are simple habits or cues that give signals to the body that it is time for a workout. For eg- ringing of the alarm, getting into workout attire, placing your mat on the floor, etc. Stick to a fixed schedule for a few days (Monday to Friday), either first thing in the morning or in the evening and by the end of the third week, your body will automatically crave to get into action and this will keep you motivated.

It is important to keep changing your style of workout. Doing the same workout over and over becomes boring and stale for your mind and muscles. Not only do you lose motivation, you may not get the desired results as well. So look for variety, watch and follow online classes, there are so many options available, these days. Don’t forget to reward yourself from time to time but avoid indulging too much.

4. Too Many Distractions at Home
There are so many more distractions at home than there are in a gym or an outdoor environment. You’re constantly being tempted to watch television and if you start a series, you will not realise where the time has flown. You may even have to check your emails, finish household chores and all this leaves you with no energy and time to do a workout. Here is when you ought to be disciplined and exercise some self control. Do not start your day with checking your phone and switching on the TV. It’s always better to complete your workout first thing in the morning. But if you are really obsessed, you can put on your favourite show and do a cardio workout or complete a bodyweight circuit during that time. And if you have a treadmill or a stationary bike, no excuse to sit down and watch TV, keep moving on the machine!

5. Lack of Knowledge
When you train randomly, you get random results. Set a goal and work towards achieving it and if you are not too sure, seek professional advice from a fitness expert, or watch online videos/ join classes and build a roadmap to your fitness journey. The lockdown has brought the entire world together and there is nothing that you cannot gain knowledge about, be it your workout routine – Setting a goal, planning, execution, type of workouts that interest you and will suit your fitness goal.

The hurdles we create for ourselves are often the most difficult to overcome. I hope this article helps you overcome your hurdles to home workouts and you will make full use of the time you have in hand to improve your fitness levels!

If you’re confused where and how to start, tune in to our fitness experts and join their LIVE sessions on GOQii Play. You can also read more about fitness on Healthy Reads.

Stay home, stay safe, get active and #BeTheForce

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 15, 2020 By Mamta Joshi 2 Comments

Practice Yoga Indoors For Good Health During The Lockdown

With gyms, parks and usual outdoor workout spots in lockdown, it is difficult for a person to even get as much as a morning walk. So how does one meet their daily physical requirement? The best way is to do whatever workout you can do indoors. Additionally, one of the best things you can do is practice yoga indoors! Let’s look at how you can start.

7 Basic Yoga Poses You Can Do Indoors

1. Tadasana or Mountain Pose

Stand tall with feet about 10cm apart and hands on the hips
Raise arms over head and interlock the fingers. Place hands on top of the head.
Look upwards and fix the eyes at one point.
Inhale, stretch the arms with palms facing upward.
Raise the heels coming up on the toes.
Hold the pose for a few seconds.
Exhale, lower the heels and bring the hands to the top of the head.
Practice six rounds.

2. Twisting Cobra Pose or Tiryaka Bhujangasana
Twisting cobra pose makes the spine flexible and strong. It improves lung capacity, tones the abdominal muscles and improves digestion.

Lie flat on the stomach with the legs straight and feet apart.
Place the palms flat on the floor slightly below the shoulder.
Rest the forehead on the floor.
Slowly raise the head, neck and shoulder.
Straightening the elbow, raise the trunk as high as possible.
Look over the left shoulder and gaze at the heel of the right foot.
Stay for a few seconds in this pose.
Face forward again and repeat the twist on the other side without lowering the trunk.
Repeat all steps six times

3. Fish Pose or Matsyasana
Fish pose opens up and stretches the chest and the diaphragm. It’s a great way to beat stress.

Lie down on your back with legs straight. Hands beside the body. Palm facing down on the floor.
Take the hands underneath the hip and press elbows on the floor.
Lift the back and head.
Bend the head down, arch back to bring the crown on floor.
Raise the chin as high as possible and push the chest upward.
Hold this position for a few seconds.
Repeat three times.

4. Seated Forward Bend Pose or Paschimottanasana
Seated forward bend pose helps to calm the brain and relieve stress. It also soothes headache, anxiety and relieves fatigue.

Sit down with legs stretched out straight.
Raise both the hands upwards and place the palms together.
Bend slowly and touch the feet.
Gently bend the head downwards with face resting on legs and breathe slowly.
Repeat this up to 3 times and maintain the bend position longer after each round.

5. Wind Relieving Pose or Pawanmuktasana
Wind relieving pose helps in aiding digestion. It also helps in reducing belly fat and enhances blood circulation.

Lie down on the back with feet together and hands by the side of the thighs. Inhale and raise both the legs.
Exhale, hold the knee joints and bring the knees towards the chest.
Press the thighs on the abdomen with clasped hands.
Breathe in again. On exhalation, lift the head and chest upwards. Touch the knees to the chin or forehead.
Maintain the posture as long as possible. Repeat this for at least 6 times and each time increase the span of holding this position.

6. Child’s Pose or Balasana

Sit on your knees. Place your hands on the thighs and palms down.
Exhale slowly and bend forward, stretching your hands
Breathe gently. Hold the posture for 2 to 3 minutes or less as possible.
Repeat this up to 3 times maintaining the bend position slightly longer.

7. Cat-Cow Stretch Pose

Take the position of cat pose.
Lower your head and raise your back towards the ceiling.
Gently exhale and contract your abdomen. Hold the breath for 3 seconds.
Inhale while raising the head and bring your abdomen downwards.
Expand the abdomen fully and fill the lungs with the maximum amount of air.
Hold your breath for 3 seconds.
Exhale and repeat step 2 to complete one round. Repeat 3-5 rounds.

Practising simple yoga indoors can help you stay fit and healthy during this lockdown and well after it too. Do yoga preferably on an empty stomach or 3 hours post a meal. Practice these regularly to see an improvement in your health. Before you begin, do consult your doctor, physiotherapist or health expert especially if you have any health issues.

For more guidance into yoga, tune in to LIVE sessions by yoga specialists on GOQii Play. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Stay safe, stay indoors and #BeTheForce!