fitness tips Archives - Page 3 of 6

February 3, 2020 By Asmita Maredia 4 Comments

At Your Desk for 6 Hours? Try These Office Workout Options

Most individuals in desk jobs are stuck in front of their computers for 6 hours or more on a daily basis. If you don’t believe us, ask yourself some simple questions:

Out of 24 hours in a day how many hours do you sit ?
Do you feel any back or muscle pain during or at the end of the day?
Do you feel a strain in your eyes or around your forehead area?

If your answer is yes to any of the above questions, it’s time to start with some basic office workout options which will help you remain active throughout the day. It doesn’t matter if you hit the gym in the morning for an hour, when you sit in front of a computer or TV, in a car or in a meeting, you’re not moving! This will increase your risk of obesity, heart disease, etc. Continuously sitting is bad for your health!

Workouts You Can Do At Work

1. Walk: Keep an alarm for every 45 min and get up from your seat to take a 3-4 min break. You can walk till the dispenser to drink water or go to printer to get a print. Take a bio-break or just take a round in the lobby. The idea is to walk!

2. Neck Stretch: Tilt you head to the right so you feel the stretch on the left. Hold for 5 seconds. Similarly, do it on left side, front and back. Repeat this 2 times.

3. Head Rotation: Slowly rotate your head in clock wise and anti-clock wise 5 times.

4. Shoulder Shrug: Raise your shoulder to the max, take them back, squeeze gradually and relax.

5. Arms:

Sit or stand straight and place one arm across your body. Keep your arm parallel to the ground and pull your elbow towards your body.
Stand with one hand behind your neck and elbow pointing upwards, then use your other hand to pull your elbow behind.

6. Wrist/Hands:

Roll your wrist 10 times clockwise and anti-clockwise. If possible every hour or while taking on phone.
Extend fingers as far as possible and hold for 5 sec, then make a fist as tight as possible and hold for 5 sec. Repeat 5 times.

7. Back:

Place your hands on the edge of your desk and slowly push your chair back until your head is between your arms and you are looking at the floor. Feel the stretch and slowly return to normal. (Repeat 5 times)
Stand straight, raise your arms up to the ceiling, alternately extend 1 arm up to the ceiling.
Stand straight, lock your hands and extend them towards the ceiling by turning your palms upward. Slowly pull yourself back. (Repeat 5 times)

8. Legs:

While sitting on the chair, straighten each leg one at a time, gradually lower it, stop halfway and hold for a few seconds. Repeat with the other leg (Do this 5 times with each leg).
Stretch the front of your thigh by standing straight. Place one hand on the chair or desk for support, grab one of your ankles and bring it upwards to your buttocks. Remember to be in an upright position, keeping your back straight and knees parallel to each other. Hold for 10 seconds and relax. Repeat with other leg. (Repeat 5 times for each leg).
Place one feet on another chair or desk and bend forward until you feel the stretch in the back of your leg. If possible try to touch your feet. Flex your foot and then point it. Hold it for a few seconds and repeat with the other leg. (Repeat 5 times each leg).

More Office Workout Tips To Keep You Active!

Take stairs instead of the elevator – 2 at a time to maximize the burn!
Have a good posture as you work at your desk.
Sitting on an exercise ball will help your posture more.
Park away from your workplace so you have to walk farther.
When you can – stand rather than sit and walk rather than stand.

The above stretching guide is to reduce muscular stress and aches. Try doing as much as possible to get healthier. If you feel any unbearable pain while exercising, stop and seek professional help.

If you really want to get active, you can read these Lunchtime Workouts You Can Do. You can also tune in to experts on GOQii Play for more expert advice on staying fit at work!

We hope this article on Office Workout options helps you #LevelUp, get active at work and stay healthy! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

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!

November 25, 2019 By Roopa Tandur 2 Comments

Strengthening Exercises You Need to Include in Your Routine

Strengthening exercises, as the name suggests, paints a picture of big muscles and heavyweights but that’s quite far from what it actually is. Strengthening Exercises have different aspects to them depending on the goal.

Strengthening Exercises involve complex movements and work on major muscle groups as well as secondary muscle groups. Any activity that makes the muscles work harder than usual, improves muscle strength, maintains bone density and strengthens them. In addition, it also improves balance, reduces joint pain and helps one lose weight.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need costly equipment or a gym membership to practice strengthening exercises. If your body is strong, you will be able to do any of your daily chores efficiently. Let’s begin!

Few Exercises You Can Practice

If you’ve not been able to visit the gym or get your workout today, try these strengthening exercises you can easily do at home!

You can perform Squats which are a great way to improve the strength of your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, abdominals and calves. You can also perform lunges or reverse lunges which work primarily on quadriceps, the gluteus maximus, knee joints and other leg and core muscles.
When we talk about upper body, the first workout that comes to mind are pushups – which work your chest muscles, pectorals, shoulders, deltoids, back of your arms or triceps and abdominals. By adding triceps dips and pull ups, you can engage the supportive muscles of your upper body.
Planks, crunches, reverse crunches, leg raises and Russian twist are exercises which help you make your core muscles, obliques, abdominals, spinal erectors and upper back (scapular stabilizers) stronger. By strengthening your core muscles, your spine gets much stronger to bear the excessive load and to transfer the force from the lower body to the upper body and vice versa. Strong core muscles can help you function without any injuries.
Mountain Climbers and Burpees are workouts which help you train your whole body in one go. These workouts work your upper and lower body together and engage your core muscles as well. These are considered as compound workouts. Some of the muscle groups that get worked out include the spine range, hip muscles, quadriceps, calf muscles, ankle, rectus abdominis and obliques, etc.
Balancing workout – you walk, sit, stand – to do any work, you require great balance in your body. Some of the workouts you can perform to improve your balance include: standing on a single leg, balancing a stick on your fingers and walking on a single line. These balancing workouts help you prevent falls, walk safely, avoid twisting your legs, etc.
Flexibility Workout – Bhujangasana, front bending pigeon pose, glute stretch, Warrior Pose – these are some examples of the flexibility workout, which is again a major factor of your fitness level. Good flexibility has many physical benefits such as less injuries and pains. When your body muscles are loose, relaxed, and less tense, you’ll experience fewer aches and pains and the chances of developing cramps will be very less. It helps you to improve your posture as well.

Benefits of Strengthening Exercises

Makes you stronger, making it easier to perform daily chores especially when aging
Protects bone health and muscle mass by preventing loss of lean muscle mass post 30 years
Helps keep weight off by increasing resting metabolism even on the days we are not exercising
Helps better body mechanism by developing better balance, coordination and posture
Helps with lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and arthritis along with lifestyle changes
Boosts energy levels and improves mood

We hope this article helps you include strengthening exercises to your daily routine. To learn more exercises and workout routines, check out GOQii Play.

Before engaging in any physical activity or trying a workout, consult your doctor or physician.

#BeTheForce

October 28, 2019 By Saba Mirza Leave a Comment

Health Benefits of Weight Lifting You Might Not Know

Whenever I advise my players to include weight lifting in their workout regimes, their reactions range from, “It’s too complicated or difficult for me,” to “No! I don’t want to bulk up”. These are the misconceptions engraved in our minds from the glossy images of sculpted and chiseled bodies of men and women appearing in fitness websites and magazines! Apart from the fact that many of these photographs are Photoshopped or Edited, they unanimously promote the sole purpose of weight lifting as ‘body building’, which defers many people who want to actually stay fit and active, from it. Weight lifting, in essence, is not just about getting toned and sculpted! The benefits of weight lifting are numerous, ranging from improving your body composition, burning fat, strengthening your bones and joints and increasing your happiness quotient as well!

Health Benefits of Weight Lifting

Get Stronger and More Active: Weight lifting stimulates the growth and development of the slow twitching muscle fibers (type2 muscle fibers) which improves agility, endurance, and builds up your stamina and strength, thus, boosting your performance in doing activities of daily livings (ADLs).
Boosts Resting Metabolism: When the muscles are stimulated after strength training, they need to work harder to rebuild. Hence, they utilize more calories for redevelopment and growth! Muscles are metabolically active tissues which keep burning calories even during the resting phase known as the Afterburn Effect!
Strengthens Your Bones and Joints: Weight training not only strengthens your muscles and ligaments but also improves bone density. The way muscles start developing under stress, the bones also adapt by increasing deposition after consistent weight lifting. This becomes more important as one reaches the age of early 40s when we are prone to natural decline. Also, stronger ligaments and bones prevent the occurrence of injuries while performing cardio and other activities!
Lower Risk of Diabetes & Blood Sugar Levels: A study funded by the National Institute of Health has found that men who added weight lifting to their cardiovascular exercise routine had a 34% lower risk of diabetes. It’s advisable for individuals with type 2 diabetes to include weight training in their workout regime as toned muscles improve insulin sensitivity and better utilization of glucose!
Improves Heart Health: As weight lifting improves the lean muscle mass in the body, it improves blood flow to different body areas which put less pressure on arteries, thus improving cardiac muscles pumping capacity!
Improves Posture & Balance: Weight lifting strengthens your core, tones up your muscles and improves your posture. It reduces undue stress on different bones and joints, especially the shoulders, spine and hips which are more prone to injuries because of bad posture! Weight training also promotes the development of smaller muscle sets known as stabilizers. These take care of keeping you upright and helping you balance on a slippery surface or on one foot when you are reaching out to a higher shelf!
Makes You Happier: Weight training stimulates the release of endorphins in the body which are also known as the ‘feel good hormones’. They trigger the happy centers in the brain. A well-toned, lean and fit body elevates your mood and self-esteem. Weight training brings you out of your comfort zone. High intensity weight training proves the worth in persisting through uncomfortable situations – a lesson which can be applied to be successful in other aspects of life too.

How to Start Your Weight Training Journey?

The simple mantra is just ‘go ahead’. Simply enter a gym or put on a video to see how you can take your journey forward. Start with minimum weights and gradually increase. Make sure to start under the guidance of an expert to avoid injuries or wrong postures or techniques. Keep setting challenges and targets which will keep you motivated to push harder.

You can even subscribe to the GOQii App to seek guidance from your GOQii Coach or watch fitness videos, tackle myths and get the right information about weight training by interacting with experts on GOQii Play.

Push past your limits to the extent that your toughest workout now, becomes your warm up later! If you hit a wall, simply climb over it. What stops you from hitting the gym? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

#BeTheForce