GOQii

Blog

By 14 Comments

How to Turn Household Chores Into a Workout

Household chores into workout

Taking care of the house is a never-ending job! I still remember my mother being so caught up with household chores that she never got the time to workout. One day when I got home after working out, I saw my mother doing the regular housework and an idea struck me! What if we can turn daily household chores into a workout routine?

Benefits of Turning Household Chores Into a Workout

Most people struggle with the fact that due to the lack of time, they skip working out. If you turn household chores into a workout routine, you’re killing two birds with one stone. You find your chores as well as get a good, light workout.

Like any other physical activity, housework can tone muscles if done correctly and in the right posture. It’s already proved that short bouts of relatively mild exercise can help improve your fitness levels, especially for those who do little or no physical activity or are just getting started. To top it off, this can help you break the monotony of routine and add a little bit of fun to completing chores.

Here’s How You Get Started

  1. Lunges (Vacuum Cleaning): While using the vacuum cleaner, you can walk in a lunges posture. Remember to keep your knees directly above your ankles, your back straight and your abs engaged. You will know this is working by feeling the pressure in your thighs and glutes. Lunges are a good exercise for strengthening, sculpting and building several muscles/muscle groups, including the quadriceps (or thighs), the gluteus maximus (or buttocks) and the hamstrings as well.
  2. Squats: Pick up items on the floor or tables by squatting. Keep your back straight, squat deeply by bending your knees. Hold for 15 seconds before rising up again. A Squat is an exercise that primarily trains the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks. It also works the quadriceps (vastus lateral, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius and rectus femoris), hamstrings, and strengthens the bones, ligaments as well as the insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body
  3. Make Sweeping Movements: Instead of cleaning haphazardly when scrubbing glass doors or cleaning windows, make long, sweeping movements. For instance, when you are cleaning the doors or windows, take long swipes from top to bottom, squatting (not bending) to reach the lower spots. This will give you a fantastic shoulder workout and engage your entire lower body. If you want you can also hold a small bucket of water in your other hand to increase the strength of your arms.
  4. Sweeping: While sweeping, tuck your stomach and oblique muscles in, keep your back straight and bring the bristles of the broom as far as possible and pull in.
  5. Dance on the Beat: Turn on the music system while doing household chores and dance to the music the way you want. Try to use some fast music so you’ll be encouraged to pick up your speed and break a sweat. If you’re wondering how dancing helps your health, click here.
  6. Step it up: Use a stepladder, stairs or step stool when you need to reach high areas. Try to repeat the same steps 8-10 times. Trust me, this is a really great exercise for your hamstrings, provided you keep your back straight. You can simulate your own step aerobics session this way!
  7. Loading the Washing machine: When you are loading or unloading your washing machine, just twist and move more. This movement will help to strengthen your core.
  8. Sculpt and Fold: Lifting laundry can be the toughest part of your routine. Tone your arms by holding them raised at 90° angle as you carry the laundry basket. Use the squats and lunges posture with your legs as your fold.
  9. Take a Swing. Instead of cleaning your rugs, carpets, sheet using a vacuum cleaner, take them outside, hang them up, pick up your broom and show your muscular talent! Swing away to beat out the dust and dirt. Performing this activity will help you involve more muscles than vacuuming alone and help you get some fresh air as well.
  10. Always Prefer Stairs: Instead of making one trip up and down, try to convert it into multiple trips with the clean or dirty clothes. Remember, we have a target to do more work as a workout, not less work with the help of machines!

What are you waiting for! Make your household chores something to look forward to by turning them into a workout. Try this for a week and let us know if you see any changes. Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Find more tips on exercising and workouts here. If you need help with your workouts, learn from the best by signing up for an interactive GOQii PRO class where you’ll be guided in real-time by a certified expert. Book a class now from the GOQii App.

#BeTheForce

By 11 Comments

Planks: The Quick and Easy Way to Stay Fit!

Benefits of Planks

With everyone’s busy schedule, even squeezing in a 15 minute workout seems like a stretch. Quite honestly, we all want to be fit, lose weight, gain muscle, reduce belly fat or increase stamina and so on, but very rarely find the time to do it. In such a scenario, it is necessary to think about which workouts consume less time but are more effective. There are many exercises that you can perform at any time, anywhere and with no equipment. One such workout is Planks.

Planks strengthen your mid-section, upper-body and lower-body muscles along with the front of your body. It also strengthens the inner core muscles that support your joints. At a time, it works on all your core muscles. It can also help you improve posture, balance and overall fitness.

How To Hold A Plank

  • Lie face down with forearms on the floor and hands clasped
  • Extend your legs behind the body and rise up on the toes
  • Keeping your back straight, tighten the core and hold the position for 30-60 seconds (or as long as you can)

Plank Variations and How to Perform Them

There are different variations for the plank which are a little difficult to perform. Let’s explore them!

  1. Side Plank: Roll to the side and come up on one foot and elbow. Make sure your hips are lifted and the core is engaged. Hang tight for 30-60 seconds (or as long as you can)
  2. Reverse Plank: Start by sitting on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Place your palms on the floor, below your shoulders, squeeze your buttocks and thighs, and then push your body up into a reverse plank position. Alternatively, you can begin by placing your elbows rather than your hands on the floor, for a less dramatic lift. Keep your body in a straight diagonal line from your shoulders to heels. Ensure that your hips are in line
  3. Dynamic Prone Plank: Starting with a standard plank position, raise the hips as high as they can go and then lower them back down. Continue this movement for as long as possible. Make sure the Back stays straight and the hips don’t droop.
  4. Plank to Push-Up: Starting in a plank position, place down one hand at a time to lift up into a push-up position, with the back straight and the core engaged. Then, move one arm at a time back into the plank position (forearms on the ground). Repeat alternating the arm that makes the first move
  5. Jumping Jack Planks: There are planks, and then there are planks with pop! Start in a traditional plank (shoulders over the wrists and the body in one straight line) but keep your feet together. Then, simply do jumping jacks with the legs, moving them out to the sides, then back together. Aim for 12-15 hops (out and in is one)

Fun Fact: Just by holding a plank for 30 secs a day, you can make your core stronger. It also helps you lose fat!

One word of caution is being careful when performing planks. Overdoing it could lead to injury. This is important if you have back pain or an injury. If you’re trying it for the first time, get into it slowly and gradually till you can hold the plank for longer duration. The duration can be increased with  practice.

Points to Remember

  • Keep breathing while doing the Plank. In essence, don’t hold your breath
  • Ensure that your hips, head or shoulders do not drop
  • Don’t place your hands very close, it can create internal rotation and instability in your shoulder joint
  • Try to hold the Plank in a proper position for a short duration rather than holding it in a wrong position for a longer time

What do you think? Try out planks and its variations and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

You can find more articles on fitness here. You can also join our certified experts for a live, interactive session on GOQii PRO. Book a class now from the GOQii App.

#BeTheForce

By 1 Comment

Consistency, Discipline & Dedication – Bharat Rao Shares 3 Secrets For Healthy Living!

Bharat Rao

Living a healthy life is all about maintaining balance. This includes exercise, nutrition, sleep and maintaining good mental & emotional health as well. If you’ve been hitting the gym or doing your daily walks or even eating the food you are supposed to without achieving results, there might be something that is amiss. That’s where having a coach who can guide and motivate you, really helps! To let you know how, here’s the journey of our Player Bharat Rao who went from being healthy to healthier, with help from his GOQii Coach.  

Life Before GOQii 

Bharat Rao works as a Senior Technical Lead in an IT Company. His work requires him to travel frequently. Till June 2019, his weight was 85kg but after a year, it shot up to 103kg. He did keep himself active despite his daily routine by playing badminton with a friend who eventually introduced him to GOQii. 

Making The Shift 

GOQii’s concept of Karma, personalized coaching and a tracker to monitor his step counts along with an integrated app really intrigued Bharat Rao. He decided that investing his time in GOQii would be worth his while. 

After they got on call, his GOQii Coach included changes such as correcting his food habits, introducing more fruits and vegetables while reducing junk food, tea and coffee in take as well as putting a stop to late dinners. His workout included basic cardio and strength training at home. He was asked to avoid using his cellphone late at night in hopes to correct his sleep pattern. 

Within the first month itself, Bharat Rao felt healthy! He was able to cope with the changes thanks to him being active before and was able to follow through with discipline. It got a bit challenging to incorporate these changes with his frequent traveling, but his GOQii Coach was able to help him adjust his schedule that included walking 6-7k steps a day, drinking cinnamon honey water in the morning before he began his journey. They were able to adjust eating habits too thanks to portion control. If regular walking didn’t cut it for him, he switched to GOQii Play in the mornings. 

Staying Fit During Lockdown 

With the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown in 2020, he was quite worried about how he would keep up his routine. With some advice from his GOQii Coach, he began walking more indoors, meditating for 15 mins in the morning and 45 mins at night. He also began practicing yoga. He says, “Meditating in the morning and evening 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.” 

At the end of 2020, his weight reduced to 85kg and he felt he was much healthier than before. He says that this journey was all about him repeating a routine over and over again, not giving up, staying disciplined and having good people push him further in a healthy way! He says that the 3 secrets to his transformation were consistency, discipline and dedication! 

What Does Bharat Rao Think About GOQii? 

Bharat Rao says that his coaches have constantly motivated him to be disciplined and consistent, sharing inputs from time to time about what he should eat, what exercises he should do and what he shouldn’t do. Most importantly, they have structured his routine for the days he travels. He is thankful to GOQii for helping him achieve his goal. 

His Coach, Sudrita Roy Choudhury says, “Bharat was very committed to his health goal when he came on board. He was always very sincere from the beginning and never missed his updates. Along with walking, we have also included yoga and core exercises to his routine.

We have always discussed portion size which he has maintained and has got visible results! Deep breathing helped him reduce stress – one of the important parameters to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I am convinced he will reach his goal soon. He is very active and promptly maintains two way communication via chats and calls which motivates me as well.” 

Did this story inspire you? If you want to make a positive lifestyle change like Bharat Rao, subscribe to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching.

You can also find more inspiring Health Stories here.

#BeTheForce 

By 2 Comments

Why Cycling Is One Of The Best Ways To Stay Active!

cycling

Cycling is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to get fit. In fact, it is the best way to stay active! If your workplace is at a distance of 4-5km, it’s the best mode of transport as well.

If you’ve been glued to social media, you might have realized that a lot of people have taken to cycling – either solo on in a group. If you’re new to cycling or if your city doesn’t have specific trails for it, here are some measures you should follow:

  • Wear a helmet
  • Stay to the left side of the road.
  • Ride on well–lit paved roads and if possible, bike paths. If there are no bike paths, take the service roads. 
  • Wear reflective clothing and have front and back lights
  • Use arm and hand signals to indicate turns.

Furthermore, ensure that your bike is adequately maintained. Proper clothing (t-shirt and padded shorts are recommended). You also require a proper fitting helmet, padding (optional), bike reflectors, flashers and headlights, gloves, proper shoes and eye protection.

What Are The Health Benefits of Cycling?  

Before we go on to the health benefits, it is important to understand the correct sitting posture on a cycle. Maintaining proper posture is important not only for efficiency but also to prevent any form of injuries and aches.

Cycling is easy on the joints because you put your weight on a pair of bones in the pelvis called the ischial tuberosities unlike walking, where you put your weight on your legs. It is good for anyone with joint pain or age-related stiffness.

Regular cycling can reduce the risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke. It can also improve your mood and keep your weight under control. Adults should ride at least for one hour daily. It decreases stress levels and increases muscle strength and flexibility. It also strengthens your immune system! Cycling releases endorphins, which makes you feel young at heart. Furthermore, it improves your stamina! 

It is an incredibly sociable sport. Joining a cycling club or group is an excellent way to grow your social circle and stay fit and active at the same time! 

We hope this article motivates you to take up cycling and improve your health! For more on staying active and living healthy, check out Healthy Reads or get the best tips to improve your cycling experience from a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

What’s Your Excuse?

In a world filled with excuses, Shubham's story stands as a testament to the power of perseverance, passion, and an unwavering commitment to one's dreams. His journey is a reminder that circumstances may create hurdles, but they can never define the limits of … [Read More...]

A Game Developer’s New Game: Aditya Gaikwad’s Journey to Wellness

For years, he grappled with the burden of being overweight and the subsequent aches and pains. Owing to his hectic work schedule, he never focused on his health or did anything that was healthy. Unhealthy eating, drinking, and stress became the norm. Due to the persisting pain, he decided to turn his life around. Aditya […]

Prioritizing Health: Kuntal Goswami’s Post-Pandemic Pursuit of Wellness

The COVID-19 pandemic served as a wake-up call for individuals to recognize the significance of their health and well-being. It prompted people to adopt healthier lifestyles, prioritize self-care, and be proactive in taking preventive measures to protect themselves and others. This is true for our player Kuntal Goswami, who, after the coronavirus hit India, realized […]

Reducing HbA1c from 7.2 to 6.1 | Ram Sharma Health Story

There’s nothing sweet about diabetes and we’re all well aware about that. Factors such as a poor diet, obesity, lack of exercise, improper sleeping patterns, stress and advancing age can cause diabetes. While it might seem overwhelming, diabetes is not an insurmountable affair. With proper self-care, guidance and a few lifestyle modifications, you can manage […]