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क्या वेटलिफ्टिंग सिर्फ पुरुषों के लिए है? हमारी अलग राय है।

क्या वेटलिफ्टिंग सिर्फ पुरुषों के लिए है? हमारी अलग राय है।यदि एक महिला वजन उठाती है, तो क्या वह एक पुरुष की तरह सुडोल हो जाती है? क्या इससे उसका स्वरूप बदल जाएगा, एक मांसपेशियों से भरा हुआ, बाकी के लोगों की तरह जो जिम में हर भारी उपकरण को जो चाहें, उनके हाथों में आते ही हार्ड कोर वर्कआउट करने लगते हैं? बहुत कम महिलाओं की इच्छा होती है कि वे बल्की और रिप्पड हुए दिखें, लेकिन जो ऐसा नहीं करतीं, वे वज़न का उपयोग करने से बिल्कुल भी परहेज करती हैं।

असलियत में, वेटलिफ्टिंग हर किसी के लिए है। आइए इसे फंक्शनल दृष्टिकोण से देखें। महिलाओं को दरवाजे खोलने या फर्श से कुछ ऊपर उठाने के लिए पुरुषों की तरह ही मांसपेशियों की आवश्यकता होती है। जिन मांसपेशियों को काम में लिया जाता है, वे एक सी ही होती हैं। यह एक सवाल पूछने को प्रेरित करता है:

क्या वेटलिफ्टिंग सिर्फ पुरुषों के लिए होनी चाहिए?

चाहे घर में सिलेंडर उठाना हो या बॉक्स को शेल्फ पर रखना हो, शॉपिंग बैग ले जाना हो, कुर्सी या सोफा घिसकाना हो, इन कार्यों को करने के लिए मांसपेशियों और ताकत की जरूरत होती है। हालांकि ज्यादातर महिलाएं कार्डियो करना पसंद करती हैं, परन्तु उन्हें स्ट्रेंथ ट्रेनिंग और वेटलिफ्टिंग पर भी ध्यान देना चाहिए, ताकि वे इन सभी कार्यों को पुरुषों की तरह ही कुशलता से कर सकें।

क्या वेटलिफ्टिंग वास्तव में महिलाओं को भारी बनाता है?

यह एक मिथक है। ऐसे कई कारण हैं जिनकी वजह से एक महिला को उस तरह का बल्क हासिल नहीं होगा जैसा कि एक पुरुष को मिलता है। उनमें से एक पुरुष हार्मोन है जिसे टेस्टोस्टेरोन कहा जाता है। यह पुरुषों में प्राथमिक सेक्स हार्मोन है लेकिन साथ ही साथ मांसपेशियों का बढ़ाने वाला हार्मोन भी है। पुरुषों को जेनेटिकली रूप से महिलाओं की तुलना में अधिक मांसपेशियों और शारीरिक शक्ति के लिए डिज़ाइन किया गया है।

ज्यादा से ज्यादा, स्ट्रेंथ ट्रेनिंग से महिलायें को कुछ लीन मसल बढ़ने में और शरीर की अतिरिक्त चर्बी को कम करने में मदद करता है। कई महिलाओं को डर होता है कि अगर वे वजन के साथ प्रशिक्षण (ट्रेनिंग) लेंगी तो वे मर्दाना दिखेंगी लेकिन सच्चाई यह है कि महिलाएं पुरुषों की तरह मांसपेशियां नहीं बना सकती हैं क्योंकि उनके पास पर्याप्त पुरुष हार्मोन टेस्टोस्टेरोन नहीं होता है। इस हार्मोन के स्तरों में अंतर ही मुख्य कारण है जिससे वजन के साथ प्रशिक्षण के बावजूद महिलाओं को भारी मसल्स मास नहीं बनेगा और वह अपने शरीर में बल्क हासिल नहीं कर पाएंगी। वास्तव में, वे दुबली और टोंड दिखेंगी।

यह पुरुषों और महिलाओं दोनों के लिए ही सच है कि किसी भी मात्रा में मांसपेशियों के बढ़ने से फैट में कमी होता है और मांसपेशियों में कमी आने से किसी का भी वजन बढ़ जाता है।

वेटलिफ्टिंग से महिलाओं को कैसे फायदा होता है?

सौंदर्यशास्त्र के अलावा, अधिक ताकत होने से आप स्वतंत्र और आत्मविश्वासी महसूस करते हैं। इसके अलावा और भी कई फायदे मिलते हैं। वेटलिफ्टिंग:

  • बॉडी को टोन करता है
  • शरीर की अतिरिक्त चर्बी को कम करता है
  • पोस्चर में सुधर करता है 
  • हड्डियों और जोड़ों को मजबूत करता है
  • त्वचा की गुणवत्ता में सुधार करता है
  • नींद की गुणवत्ता बढ़ाता है
  • शक्ति और सहनशक्ति में सुधार करता है
  • तनाव कम करता है
  • ऊर्जा के स्तर को बढ़ा देता है
  • हृदय स्वास्थ्य में सुधार करता है
  • बढ़ती उम्र से लड़ता है और आपको जवां दिखने में मदद करता है

कौन इन शानदार फायदों से बचना चाहेगा! हमें उम्मीद है कि यह लेख आपकी शंकाओं को दूर करेगा और आपको आज ही वेट ट्रेनिंग आजमाने का फैसला लेने में मदद करेगा! किसी भी मदद के लिए आपको अपनी वजन प्रशिक्षण यात्रा शुरू करने की आवश्यकता हो सकती है, यहाँ GOQii के पेर्सनलिज़्ड हेल्थ कोचिंग की सदस्यता लेकर किसी विशेषज्ञ से बात करें।

फिटनेस पर और आर्टिकल्स के लिए यहां क्लिक करें। अपने विचार हमें नीचे कमेंट्स में बताएं!

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Why Climbing Stairs Is The Best Exercise!

climbing stairsYou can run a 5k but running up a flight of stairs tires you out? You can squat heavy and lunge with weights, yet walking up a couple of flights of steps makes it feel like a whole other workout? Here’s a workout that can actually challenge your body, endurance and actual strength and stamina. Climbing stairs is one of the best exercises when it comes to pure FAT BURN, strengthening the lower body, toning the butt, thighs, calves, losing inches from those love handles and belly as well as building great abs. Along with these benefits, it is the immense good it does for your lungs and Cardiovascular System.

Why Should You Choose Climbing Stairs?

  • It is totally free and just about all of us can get access to a set of stairs
  • It leverages gravity and the heavier we are, the harder we’re forced to work and the more calories we burn
  • It is a relatively intense exercise that quickly increases our heart rate and in doing so, can greatly improve our cardiovascular fitness
  • It helps strengthen and shape our most common problem areas like calves, thighs, buttocks and tummy
  • It is a very efficient way of burning maximum calories and is great for those of us with limited time to exercise
  • It can easily be mixed with other exercises like walking, skipping and weight training to maximize results. Stair climbing workouts are easy to build progression into
  • It can be done by almost anyone, regardless of fitness level
  • Because it is weight bearing, it helps build bone strength
  • It is low impact and safe for the knees, provided the correct technique is used and a pre-existing condition doesn’t exist

The way forward with exercise is quality over quantity. Too many people fix a ‘one hour’ workout in their mind and if they can’t find time for that ‘1 hour’, they just don’t do it. Aim for power workouts, 25-30 mins max, where you max out your reps, burn those muscles and really get your heart rate up. 35-40 minutes should include a great warm up and an extremely important cool down.

You can burn more calories walking/running up steps in 30 mins than a 1 hour run or walk, plus it challenges your body. Start off with a couple of flights, walk and run slowly. As you get better, run and then skip 2 steps at a time and run or walk.

In a nutshell, Walking: 

  • Burns More Calories: Stair climbing engages your body’s largest muscle groups to repeatedly lift your body weight up, step after step. Thus, using your muscles to carry your own weight is far higher to running when compared.
  • Maximizes Your Cardio Efforts: It also raises your heart rate immediately, thus, maximizing your cardio benefits
  • Increases Core Muscle Strength: Climbing stairs is a great way to amp your core muscle strength
  • Tones & Sculpts Your Body: It also engages every major muscle in your lower body — glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, abs and calves to exercise and thus tones your body better
  • Low Impact Workout: You don’t have to ideally sweat it out while climbing stairs. Just a few stairs every day will give you a good workout

Safety First: Never run down the stairs, be confident while running up and take a break when needed.

Start doing this regularly and soon, you will be running up flights of stairs, feeling fitter, younger, stronger and leaner! 

If this article helped you, let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Don’t forget to share this article with your fellow fitness enthusiasts.

You can find more articles on fitness here. If you’re stuck indoors and don’t have access to stairs, you can join our certified experts for a live, interactive GOQii PRO session where you’ll get one-on-one guidance in real time. Book a class now through the GOQii App.

#BeTheForce 

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Top 10 Basic Trekking Tips For Beginners

basic trekking tips for beginnersMonsoons = treks! There’s no other way to look at it. Most hiking trails and trekking landscapes light up with luscious greenery during this season. Maybe that’s why avid trekkers and nature lovers venture out to explore spaces when it rains. Now while trekking seems like a fun activity, a few bruises and muscle aches will be the least of your worries if you’re not prepared. So to ensure that you have a good trip to enjoy that beautiful scenery only trekking can bring, here are some basic trekking tips to help you out!

Basic Trekking Tips For Beginners 

1. Walk Straight: Whether you’re climbing up or making your way down, slopes can seem to be a challenge. While surmounting this challenge, make sure that you walk upright and don’t slouch or sit and climb as it can put pressure on your knees which could make the rest of the trek difficult. 

2. Stay Hydrated: When making your way to the great outdoors, make sure you carry at least 2L of water with you. Avoid gulping the water down in one go. Instead, you should sip slowly. Carrying a sipper will help!

3. Carry An Electrolyte Mix: Sweating is only natural when you perform a strenuous activity but when you sweat, you also lose some essential electrolytes. To replenish lost electrolytes, carry some salt and sugar mixed with water. An easier option is to carry Electral or Glucose which you can mix with water. Alternatively, you can also opt for this electrolyte drink available on the GOQii Health Store. You need to be careful that you sip this and do not gulp. Remember to take 2 sips of water for every 1 sip of this energy drink.

walking poles - trekking tips4. Use Walking Poles: A walking pole can easily become your best friend on a trek. It really takes the pressure off your knees when you’re climbing down and supports you well when you’re going uphill. While it might take some time to get used to it, it’s definitely worth it!

5. Avoid Sitting Immediately: If you’ve been climbing for a while, it’s only natural to take a break. But when you do take a break, avoid sitting down immediately. It may make it difficult for you to get back up. Stand and rest for a while before you make your way again. Be mindful of the number of breaks you take as well as frequent breaks will increase tiredness.

6. Fuel Your Body: Your body needs fuel to keep going. Carrying heavy meals doesn’t make sense as you want to travel light, you can opt to carry some nuts, a nutritious trail mix or a protein bar with you. These will give you the energy to keep going. Eat them in small portions when you take a break.

footwear trekking7. Watch Your Footwear: Even if you’re keen on doing just two treks this monsoon, it’s a good idea to invest in a good pair of shoes. Some terrains can be tricky and slippery, especially during monsoons. You need shoes that offer good grip and support you well.

8. Dress Well: A trekking trail might be the worst place you would want to show off your new dress or those awesome, trendy shorts you picked from a fancy outlet. You need to cover up! Wear a Dri Fit, full sleeve shirt and pants that cover your legs. This will protect you from insects, mosquitoes and getting scraped by thorns when you move along a dense trail. You can get some amazing Dri Fit t-shirts and Joggers from the GOQii Health Store!

9. Waterproof Yourself: If you’re planning to carry an umbrella, don’t. During a monsoon trek, leaving your belongings and yourself unprotected from a sudden rain shower would not bode well for you. Try carrying a poncho which will cover most of your body as well as your backpack.

10. Communicate: If you’re with a trekking group or you’re trekking with a group of friends, if at any point you feel uneasy, make it a point to tell your trek leader or organizer. You could put your life in danger if you continue and could ruin the experience for everyone else. It’s best to mitigate issues before they get worse. Remember that communication is key in the outdoors.

Few Things To Bear In Mind Before You Begin 

  • If it is your first time trekking, start walking now! Prepare a little by taking small hikes around your vicinity. Practice on uneven trails instead of footpaths or a park because trek trails won’t be that flat. Additionally, also work on some leg based cardio and try taking the stairs as often as you can. It will help you build some stamina and endurance before your climb.
  • Travel light. Do not carry things you do not need. Fewer the electronics the better. A trek is not a place where you will find any need for a laptop or a tab. Your cellphone, a power bank and a torch, along with other essentials mentioned above will be enough. 
  • Additionally, avoid wearing your earphones when you begin your climb. You might miss out on instruction, a cry for help or any unforeseen circumstance. Keep your eyes and ears wide open and enjoy the natural sounds and vistas you’ll only get in the midst of nature.
  • If you would like to document your adventure, it’s always nice to keep a small notepad with you to jot down your experiences and also to keep a track of the details of the place like how to get there or certain markers which will help you when you visit again. 

We hope these trekking tips help you make the most of your trek! Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below! 

Find more articles on staying healthy and fit during monsoons here. If you need any help to train or build your stamina for a trek, reach out to a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

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Effects Of Different Medications On Exercise

Effects of Different Medications on Exercise Either you or somebody you know might be on some kind of long term medications! I am not talking about somebody who takes an aspirin or a paracetamol or some antipyretic. When I say long term medications, I am talking about cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar lowering drugs. When a patient usually gets on any of these drugs there are high chances that they are on them forever!

Each one of these medications has a tremendous impact on the body which comes as a blow if you’re an exercise person! Every medication has a different set of action, so here are some points for you to keep in mind.

1. Cholesterol Medications

The most commonly used cholesterol medication is statin. The generic names of these drugs available are usually Rosuvastatin, Atorvastatin, Fluvastatin, Lovastatin, Pravastatin, Simvastatin and Pitavastatin.

Note: To check which statin is your medication, check behind the tablet. If it is not mentioned, check it on the company’s site

Effects Of Cholesterol Medications On Exercise 

Statins deplete CoEnzyme Q10 in the body, which is very important for muscles to produce energy. This will affect your strength training routine and your post strength training recovery will be slow. It might also lead to rhabdomyolysis which means muscle death – it is definitely not good.

What Can You Do?

  • The first thing which you should always try is getting off statins as soon as possible with some changes in your diet and exercise routine. You can ask your coach to help you with this! Let your doctor change your medicines and your coach can guide you with the diet and exercise routine.
  • While you are on a statin, you should always try a gradual progress. Do not rush into any kind of exercise routine. Give your body enough time to get adapted.
  • Take longer recovery time. Instead of having a 1-day gap between your strength training schedules, you can take a 2 day gap which will give your muscles more time to recover. You can do light workouts on the day when you don’t plan to do strength training.

2. Beta Blockers

This is a group of medications is used to lower high blood pressure. The most commonly used beta blockers are atenolol, bisoprolol, propranolol and metroporolol.

Note: To check which beta blocker is your medication, check behind the tablet. Salt name is always mentioned. If in case it is not mentioned, check it on the company’s website.

Effects Of Beta Blockers On Exercise

People who are on beta blockers see that their heart rate is always less no matter what form of exercise they do. Maintaining a proper heart rate during different activities is very important for having good cardiac health. People taking beta blockers witness that their heart rate after a sprint and after moderate jogging is exactly the same. In fact, this shouldn’t be the case. It has to be more while sprinting than jogging.

What Can You Do?

  • Instead of checking your heart rate for your exercise progress, start checking your exertion timing
  • If you start panting very soon, note that time. Work on your stamina and then go ahead. Beta blockers will always keep your heart rate low.

3. ACE Inhibitors

These are another set of medications which are used to lower high blood pressure. The most commonly used ACE Inhibitors are fosinopril, lisinopril, quinapril.

Note: To check which ACE Inhibitor is your medication, check behind the tablet. Salt name is always mentioned. If in case it is not mentioned, check it on the company’s website.

Effects Of ACE Inhibitors On Exercise 

There are 2 types of people – One who has high blood pressure and is not taking any medication and another one who has high blood pressure and is on either a Beta Blocker or an ACE Inhibitor.

If the person without the medication exercises, his blood pressure will come down automatically post exercise. This is called as post exercise hypotension.

This even happens with someone who is on blood pressure medication, but then it can go really very low! That’s the reason people feel dizzy, shaky, nauseous, and experience blurred vision post exercise. Sometimes, the person can faint as well.

What Can You Do? 

  • For obvious reasons, you cannot skip the medications and neither can you skip your workout but you can definitely manage it
  • For people on BP medications, you should cool down a bit longer than an average person. Instead of a 5-minute cooldown, do a 10-minute cooldown
  • Use your tracker effectively. For example, if your heart rate is 140 beats per minute- Post workout it can drop to 110 which is ok. After another minute it might fall further to 90. Hold on. Breathe it. Stretch yourself. Your targeted heart beat should be only 10% more than your RHR (Resting Heart Rate) which is around 60-70 beats per minute.

4. Blood Sugar Lowering Medications

There are different blood sugar lowering medications which affect the body in different ways. Either they increase the insulin function or remove excess sugar out through urine or they decrease the amount of carbohydrate absorption in the body.

For a non-diabetic person, while exercising, there are different hormonal fluctuations which happen. Adrenaline is released followed by a surge in cortisol levels and these hormones raise blood sugar levels. To bring this down, pancreas secretes another hormone called insulin which brings the elevated sugars down. So, the fluctuation is not seen, whereas this is not the case in people with diabetes.

Some medications can cause hypoglycemia (Blood sugars below 70) in diabetics.

What Can You Do? 

  • In this case, nothing can be done apart from monitoring
  • Check your blood sugar levels before exercising, middle of the exercise and post workout
  • Keep half a glass of fruit juice or 1 glass of milk with you always! If the sugar drops, please consume either of the two.
  • Do strength training, reduce your carbohydrates, add enough proteins to your routine and ask your doctor to reduce your medication.

If this article helped, let us know in the comments below. You can find more articles on fitness here.

If you need help or have any queries regarding the information above, drop us a comment or speak to a certified expert directly by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

As we observe World Cancer Day under the powerful theme ‘United by Unique’ (2025-2027)**, we are reminded that every individual’s journey with cancer is distinct, yet united by shared resilience, hope, and the collective fight against this disease. This theme places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the […]