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“There are no substitutions for hard work and dedication”

feeling triumphant-successfully completed 1st 100 Kms Trailwalk

Feeling Triumphant: Successfully completed the 1st 100 km Trail walk.

He was all work and no play. Priority was work and that got the better of him always. So much so that it was affecting his personal life at work and at home. As a result eating habits were erratic with no control on what was being eaten, there was no physical activity or exercising for that matter. The net result of all this was an unhealthy lifestyle that he was leading. But, a discussion with his wife made him realize that he had to make an effort to improve and get on the brighter and healthier side of life. Here is Dhawal Desai’s story in his own words.

I work in the IT industry and my focus was always more on work, meeting project deadlines. Personal life was almost zilch as I would be so exhausted when I came back from work. I was only pushing my team towards working harder and almost forgot that “Team success is a perfect blend between hard work and fun”. I realized Element of hard work was already there but no fun.

I had a serious discussion with my wife what is to be done. How could I make a change she spoke about balancing my act between work and home? And it had to start with “ME” I had to change… focus on my health and change my lifestyle. What my wife told me made sense. It was no rocket science but, I had to make that effort. The problem however was I did not know where to start and what to do?

Then one day I happened to be watching NDTV and I came across their reviews on fitness bands and all the features and how these bands can help you improve your lifestyle. I thought it was great but somewhere felt it a missing element of motivation and guidance.

I could wear the band and get all the stats but, then what do I do with those stats was the big question playing on my mind.

How do I interpret those stats and convert it into a performance or lifestyle change? I am not a fitness trainer nor a health or nutrition expert. Just increasing my step counts is not going to help me towards a healthy lifestyle. So I dropped the idea of getting a fitness band.

Few days later, I once again was going through the same program on tech on NDTV and this time around I heard about GOQii. The concept of GOQii appealed to me because it was not just another fitness tracker. The idea of having a coach connected all the dots for me. I read more about GOQii and its features and I was convinced.

An App + A coach + great eating suggestions + gradual workout sessions + motivation all of these without any impact on my work schedule was the right push I needed. I did not think twice and immediately bought myself a GOQii band and Shimpli Patil was my coach.

My coach had a call with me and I explained my lifestyle to her. In fact, even before my band arrived we started working on my issues. It took a while for the band to reach as I work in the Middle East (ME).  Till my band arrived I was interacting my coach on Skype.

Then finally, when I got the band. My health goal was to lose some pounds as I was on the borderline of obesity (I was 120 kgs) and I wanted to change my attitude towards life. I wanted to be more positive.I started my daily routine wherein I started tracking my steps as well. I had started my regular workout. My water intake had increased. Anyway, the climate here in ME makes you dehydrated.

Within a couple of weeks, I could see the difference in my personal life and professional life. I wanted to ensure I was eating a balanced diet to support my increase in physical activity, I had also noticed that I had started eating better and right.  All my in between junk snacking had stopped.

My coach helped me make adjustments to my nutrition while simultaneously kept me motivated to keep moving. As a result, I started seeing consistent results and completely fell in love with what I was doing. I had started feeling better and my team also noticed this positive change in me. Work became more fun for my team. I was not exhausted when I came home so could spend fruitful time with my family.

As I was getting my fitness level on track, one day the something impossible happened. My coach asked me if I wanted to try out 100KM Oxfam Trail walk

100 KMs in 48 hrs… now that’s something I doubted. But, again she managed to give me   the right push and motivation to register. I registered for my first 100 km trail walk to be held in Dec 2014. I was all charged up for the trail walk. My team was Skywalkers.

During the trail walk, I happened to meet Kuntal Joisher and Anusha both trained mountaineers. Kuntal was going to be climbing Mount Everest in April 2015 and Anusha was doing the trek to Everest Base Camp (EBC).  I was always in love with mountains and green forests. Meeting them was my second motivation that I needed.

While on the trail walk, the thought of going to Everest Base Camp stuck with me. I thought if I manage to complete this 100KMs within 48 hrs I am going for the EBC trek. Well, Skywalkers completed the quest within 45 hrs and I said, there you go… Everest Base Camp here I come.

The trek was all planned and I registered for it for April 2015. I trained for 3 months to be fit to go to EBC. I had to bear in mind two things the weather conditions and altitude. I was asked to hydrate myself as much and also do some strength exercises or my legs, back and shoulder. I had to carry 3 liters of water and walk on the trek.  The trail walker was a good initiation for trekking.

My second goal was to complete the EBC trek and guess what I did that as well without a hitch. My family initially was not sure or convinced that I would be able to do EBC trek but, after I completed it they could not believe their eyes.

Both, the successful completion of the 100 km Trail walk as well as the EBC trek was a great high and ego booster for me. I knew I could do a whole lot. Nothing was impossible.

Dhwal at 5190 mts ( 17,127 ft) -Enroute to EBC

Dhwal at 5190 mts ( 17,127 ft) -Enroute to EBC

Now I plan to take this further. I plan to do one Himalayan trek every year. And, I hope to keep the same spirit.

I am fit now and feeling fit as well. I am ranging around 94 kgs and my routine in the ME is to go to the gym once a day. On an average, I manage to clock 10k steps daily. My eating has improved drastically. Now I eat everything and I eat small meals.  I eat salads and fruits regularly.

If you ask what GOQii has done for me…from ‘All play and no work that made Dhawal a dull boy’, ‘Its lots of work along with play for Dhawal now.’ My life is more balanced and I want to be an example for my 2-year-old daughter.

Through my journey, I have discovered one thing and that there are no substitutions for hard work and dedication. However, there are tools that make them a little easier. My GOQii coach made my hard work fun and the all the dedication seem possible. My GOQii band has made me accountable to myself. 

What does Coach Shimpli Patil have to say about Dhawal Desai?

Dhawal has been on the GOQii ecosystem right from the time when I started my journey as a GOQii Coach. He was aiming at optimum fitness and feeling overall good about his health. We started off with some simple goals of increasing his daily water intake, having small frequent meals and hitting a good number of steps daily. We started working towards these goals and within no time, Dhawal picked these habits and embedded into his routine quite seamlessly. Later, we began with a good workout routine starting with cardio and then alternating cardio with strengthening exercises.

I could sense tremendous willingness and determination in him to achieve what he was supposed to. He got into a habit of surprising me each day with his magnificent performances.  Little did we know that we would be heading towards massive goals in the coming days?  Soon, in a few months, Dhawal geared himself for a 100 km trail walk and completed it victoriously! It was like a kick start to his phenomenal journey wherein he then enrolled himself for the incredible Everest Base Camp trek. And that wasn’t enough, he aspired to walk the 100 km trail again in 2015 and he triumphantly completed it again!

To achieve such great heights, good fitness is a must, but way beyond fitness, what one needs is the zeal and ginormous willpower, and Dhawal is a perfect illustration of it!

Dhawal with the local kids at Phakding-way back from EBC

Dhawal poses with the local kids on the way to EBC

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“It’s been a long, slow journey. And if you want to be successful, you need to change your lifestyle—that takes time”

Girish Narang

Running keeps you Healthy & Fit.

Who does not want to be healthy and fit? Everybody does. But, only a few can take the decision instantly to make the change and lead a healthier life. Girish Narang is one of those few guys who one fine day decided enough is enough and decided he needed to get fit and healthy and control his sugar levels. Here is how he did it. Let’s hear it from him…. 

I head Equities for a foreign bank. My office starts at 8.30 am and till 4 pm (when the market closes) it’s too much pressure to deal with. And after market hours, it’s time for client meetings. You invariably are clueless about when you day is likely to end.

These work hours over a period of time had taken a toll on my health. Over and above that, I have always been overweight and a foodie. 5 years ago I weighed 102 kgs. My fasting sugar levels had gone up to 330. The result of this was that I could not even walk for one Km (mile). I was so unfit and unhealthy.

I tried few dieticians and other things to reduce weight but, I got limited success. I also did go to the gym and managed to lose some weight. That was not enough, though. I was on medication. I will not say that GOQii was like eureka moment for me. But, then when I got into that momentum of losing weight and trying to exercise it helped me a lot and brought about a lot of clarity in my concepts regarding fitness, diet, sleep, water etc.

Prior to GOQii, I got introduced to the pedometer and its functions through Stepathlon that was conducted in our office. It’s during this time that I started tracking steps and consciously started thinking that every step counts. The pedometer was an awareness for me. Even though you were not working out in the gym you can make a difference by bringing about some small lifestyle changes. That’s how things started for me. I was seeing some success and my sugar was getting controlled and then I decided to go in for GOQii in 2014.

I was mentally prepared that every step counts and when I was told about the GOQii concept and what it does beyond just counting steps, I realized that it is a natural extension of what a pedometer does but, with a specialized coach who is in constant dialogue with you and telling you what is to be done and how it is to be done.

The coaching factor appealed to me as there was someone constantly going to be there to keep a check on you and make you feel guilty about not being sincere towards your health and fitness.

My health goal when I got on board GOQii was to lose weight and control my sugar levels. Just as I started working towards these goals, I resolved to pay attention to my food choices and started tracking my meals as well. The step count and other numbers helped me see how far I needed to go and having access to my data and seeing how that impacted my health helped me a great deal.

Then, one day I saw my colleagues preparing to run the marathon. I found it intriguing that people are running 10km, 21 km, and 42 km. Initially, I felt these guys are crazy running so much. But, that thought stemmed from my own inabilities to be able to do something like this. I decided to just try once to do a long run. Running a marathon became my subconscious goal.

My initial plan was very simple. It was a small start. But, as I slowly started enjoying running and noticed the increase in stamina and my ability to run, I realized I could push myself further. I started training for a 10km, and that really opened things up for me.

Now, I’m running longer distances like a half marathon. 2015, I ran my first Standard Chartered half marathon and in 2016, I ran for the second time the Standard Chartered Mumbai marathon. Now it’s been 2.5 years since I have started running seriously. And, this season I will do every run that I can.

From not being able to walk even a km (mile), I feel great now about being able to do long distance runs. After having run marathons, I also for the first time pushed my limits to do the 100 km Oxfam Trailwalk in November 2015 and I completed it. This was a big high. The 100 km walk was an eye opener for me. It was no mean task to walk the 100 km that went through tough and smooth terrains. My shoes also gave away. My feet were swollen from the top and had blisters beneath. I had learnt to treat my blisters and continue my walk. And, I managed to complete the walk with my team.

When I finished the trail walk, the first question I was asked by my shoe benefactor “how did you complete it in those shoes”. It seems he was sending messages to people to stop me since those shoes would really hurt my feet, thanks to the phones not working most of the times the messages got delayed and I had already moved ahead. It was such a great moment to see somebody happier than myself for having completed the challenge.

Thanks to GOQii I have been able to do all of this. The coaching factor has helped me a great deal. Today, I am free of all medication. I just take one tablet for Sugar control. For the last one and a half years my sugar is under control. It’s is around 95-108 down from 330. My Cholesterol is under control and my weight has come down to 83 from 102 kgs and I have been maintaining it. One thing I have realised over a period is that running does not help you lose weight. Weight training helps you lose weight.

Also, you don’t become overweight overnight, and you don’t lose weight overnight either. It’s a long, slow journey. And if you want to be successful, you need to change your lifestyle—that takes time.

Now, I make sure that I workout at least thrice a week. I have also managed to pick up newer activities like outdoor cycling and Golfing. I am feeling extremely good about myself and I have become some kind of a fitness guru to my colleagues as well. My family thinks I have become more arrogant. From being the least fit person in the family to being very fit now my confidence is soaring and I feel great. It’s not an easy journey, but I can do things now I never could have done 3 years ago, and that’s a great feeling. I am continuing with GOQii.

What does Coach Vrushali Athavale have to say about him?

Girish is a dedicated and self-motivated player. His health goal was clearly to reduce weight and bring down his sugar levels. He was very active but, his meal pattern, water intake and rest was not adequate for the amount of activity he was doing in a day. So we worked initially on the normal food guidelines like having a heavy breakfast, light lunch, dinner needs to be light as well. Also, I worked towards helping him eat smaller meals and more frequently. Water intake was not enough so got him to start drinking 3 liters of water daily. And lastly, a proper combination of cardio and weight training was a must for him. Girish worked on all these factors and we have been successful in achieving our goals.

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“If you want to exercise you can whenever and wherever. There should be no excuses”

I have accomplished it

I have accomplished it

He is young at the age of 52 and a busy top executive of a Mumbai-based Infrastructure company. But, the amazing thing about him is that he still finds time every day out of his busy schedule to go for a run and keeps himself fit wherever he is…you want to know how? Sudhir Hoshing tells us how he manages to be fit?

Fitness was never a part of my wife and my life. But, it’s in 2010 that we started taking fitness more seriously. The reason being that we realized we had put on a lot of weight. In 2009, I was weighing 92 kgs and I wanted to reduce my weight and get fit. In 2010 itself I ran my first Standard Chartered marathon. That’s how my regular fitness regime started. It’s always good when your life partner is also your partner in fitness training in the gym.

Over a period of 2 years, I also reduced my weight to 67 kgs. Then again I had put on some weight.  Today, after 5 years I run 8-10 marathons a year. My day usually begins at 4.30 am and I go running for an hour and a half or if not running then I hit the gym. I am back by 7 am and by 8.30 am I leave for work. For me, fitness is one of the main aspects of life. A fit person can bring a lot of positive vibes at work too.

I was looking for something that counts steps and calories and I found GOQii by luck. I got in touch with GOQii and over interactions I found out more about GOQii and I was convinced to go for it. I initially thought that it was just a band that would give me my steps and calorie counts. Then I found that it’s more than just counting steps and calories. It also provides for a personal coach who is in regular interaction with you about your diet and other tips on exercises and lifestyle changes etc.

In 2014, I got the band and a personal coach in and I also opted for a personal trainer from GOQii who can come home for strength training and other exercises. Initially, I did not understand much how all this worked. I thought I knew everything because since 2010 I was seriously into fitness, going to the gym and for runs etc but. I was wrong. I did not know many things and it’s through my coach that I realized so many things on diet and nutrition, sleep, water etc.

I did not have a specific goal when I came on board GOQii platform. I only wanted to reduce my weight. What is my routine currently? Well, I run 10 km on alternate days on weekdays and on weekends I run 20 km.

Currently, I am working along with my coach on Mindful Eating. Until I came on board GOQii I did not know something like Mindful Eating existed. I eat very fast. Within 2 minutes I am done with my meals. And, this my coach told me was wrong and that I am supposed to eat slowly, chew and relish the food When my coach explained to me about how I should be eating I realized my mistake.

Despite the hectic schedule that I have and that fact that I am constantly travelling I manage to run and also do my exercises. If you want to exercise you can exercise whenever and wherever. There should be no excuses.

I love the concept of GOQii. It has helped me a lot and in turn, I have inspired a whole lot of people around me. My colleagues look up to me for my fitness and now want to follow me. My son and my nephews are inspired by me and my wife has also started running marathons since last year. She did her first Thane marathon this year.

Running Together-Sudhir and his wife.

Running Together-Sudhir and his wife.

What does Coach Charmi Gogri have to say about Sudhir Hoshing?

Sudhir has always been very particular about his fitness and nutrition. One thing that was missing from his workouts was some relaxation, peace and meditation. He was always engaged with running or weight training. We set an initial goal to include some Yoga Asanas in the weekly routine, eventually, it became part of routine too. Thanks to his sincerity and obedient attitude. While I would say his meals were great (well balanced and spaced), I found a little lag in his water intake. So that became part of initial goal too.

After reviewing his progress for a while, we moved to the next step and focused on getting better sleep. Once that got sorted, we are currently working on mindful eating as he has the habit of eating very fast. So far he has been doing well with this one. Still yet to master the skill.

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“I needed to be health conscious and not be on the sidelines of life”

Before & After-Natarjan

He works in the marketing department of a News Media organization and claims he has had a near sedentary lifestyle with spurts of fitness on and off. He weighed 88 kgs and was on the verge of being classified as overweight and also bordering on being diabetic. That’s when he realized he needed to be health conscious and not be on the sidelines of life….Here is Natarajan Viswanathan’s story in his own words.

I never had a fitness regime in my life. I would once in a while feel that I think I need to lose weight and I would spring into action following an exercise regime. I would remain focused, taking my resolution to lose weight seriously but soon lose interest and again go back to being laid back. I took up a gym membership for 3 years but barely hit the gym religiously, hardly making any difference to my weight or the fitness factor. Friends and family made fun of me for not being able to hold on to any fitness regime.

In December 2014, I went for a full body check-up. All the tests were normal but, I was told by the doctor that I was bordering on diabetes. I have a family history of diabetes. What the doctor said then scared me and that is when I got serious about reducing my weight and getting fit.

One evening we had a college reunion and there I got introduced to GOQii by a friend of mine. He explained how it works and what it can do for me. This discussion got me interested. But, he did have a word of caution when he said that just wearing it will not reduce your weight but one needs to make efforts to get active and reduce weight. Things just don’t happen.

Before: 

Pre-Diabetic:

  • Doctor advised reducing weight.
  • Had lost 14 kgs weight earlier but now weight had plateaued with no loss despite efforts.
  • Wants to walk 6 km per day

My journey with GOQii started in April 2015 and got Komilla Pareekh as my coach. They say that every journey needs motivation and direction. The band provided the much-needed motivation and the coach gave me the right direction. Many a time you want to do it but you either do not know how to go about it or you are plain lazy. I chose Komilla as my coach because she is a nutritionist and for my journey to a fitter life, I knew I should eat well and right.

When I got on to GOQii my health goal was to become fitter and reduce my weight. I wanted to fit into a pair of jeans I had got out of for a long long time.

I worked towards it along with my coach and am I glad to say that I have achieved my health goals. I have reduced considerably from 88 kgs I am down to 74 kgs.

My pre-diabetic condition is under control and I run 10 km now four days a week and my bigger goal is to run the Marathon in 2017.   

After:

  • Improved nutrition by focusing on high fibre, high protein and small frequent meals.
  • Introduced millets in the diet. Cut down fruits at night, added a salad to meals.
  • Worked on knees and back exercises.
  • Morning walks After Surpassed 6km goal. Starting jogging now. Weight loss and inch loss.

The good news is that I got into the pair of jeans that I wanted to get into for a long time.

Personally, how do I feel now? I feel fantastic. I have become more presentable. I never had confidence or communication issues but, I will not deny that now after having made these changes to life, my first impression in business meetings is good.

All these changes in me have also been noticed by my near and dear ones. I have been a great influencer to people around me and also got 4 others to register on GOQii.  I will certainly continue with GOQii and be motivated to be healthy and active.Another super initiative is the Karma point initiative. You can earn points and donate them to a cause you believe in. It gets you connected to your social quotient. So I have donated 4000 points to the education cause and for the Chennai floods. Great initiative. Keep it going.

What does Coach Komilla have to say about Natarajan?

When Natarajan joined GOQii, he had plateaued on his weight, despite having lost 14 kgs in past due to his will and determination. Being a borderline diabetic, he was advised by his doctor to lose a couple of more kgs to avoid medication. Also, he was nurturing a dream of walking 6 km in a single stance and to participate in a Marathon. The journey was not easy, but surelya challenging one full of hurdles- knee pain, back pain, time constraint, sweet craving, Mumbai rains …..but, he never lost the focus. Today, he runs not walks 10 km in a single stance and has lost weight and inches to settle on his healthy weight. The biggest strength of our relationshipand working was mutual trust and belief. Natarajan truthfully discussed all the challenges faced by him in working towards our goals and kept firm belief in his coach. That is the secret of our success!

 

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