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“I am now more focused and there is the much-needed clarity in my health”

SWAROOP AND HIS MOM AT BKC run 10k

SWAROOP AND HIS MOM AT BKC run 10k

From being lazy and waking up at 10.30 am in the morning to crushing finish lines at various runs across the city for the last two years, he has surpassed his goals-beyond what he even thought possible! He is today a GOQii Champion and leads the Powai Chapter of GOQii Active Sunday. His mother accompanies him on Active Sundays. Here is Swarup Choghale success story, in his own words.

I was very active till I was in college. I was into a lot of adventure activities and Taekwondo. I wanted to join the army. I applied and got through the test but I failed in medical. They said I had a defective nose that was not suitable for high altitudes. But, I went and got my nose operated and tried again but, I still did not make it as they said this problem could not be rectified through a surgery. I gave up the idea of joining the army. I went ahead to do my CA and after passing out got a regular job. Once into a regular job, everything took a back seat and it only worked and work.

I seemed to have reached a personally unacceptable plateau, which I couldn’t improve on without devoting too much time to fitness in an already hectic lifestyle.

I currently am a fund accountant with a Mumbai based Hedge Fund. I work in shifts and due to this hectic work schedule my sleep and food habits were completely haywire and had taken a toll on me. I had no form of activity as I would wake up not before 10.30 am in the morning and I used to be so tired that I would laze around for a bit and then have a brunch and again leave for work. This routine continued for few years.

I was aware that I had to get back to a fitness regime to turn things around for myself and see some positive results. Unfortunately, how to achieve the necessary levels of fitness in a structured and progressive manner was something I was struggling to understand. I naturally presumed this would require a personal trainer, lots of time and money.

Then one day sometime last year, I was browsing news channels and I happened to watch Vishal Gondal’s interview on NDTV where he was talking about himself and how GOQii started.

After seeing that interview I could relate to Vishal’s story as I was also in the same state where I had a regular job, bad food habits-I ate whatever and whenever and I had no form of exercise and I was putting on weight. I didn’t realize how much my overall fitness had steadily and declined over the past few years. Then I went on the net and read more about GOQii and tried to understand what is GOQii and how it works?

After reading the introductory material, it was apparent to me that this was exactly what I needed. I needed a band to track my fitness also a personal coach or trainer who could help me keep track of my fitness at all levels. It was also clearly obvious that this was not only radically different approach from anything I had come across before.

Soon after I came across an advertisement that said if you spend Rs 1.5 lakh on your SBI Credit Card you can get a free 6 months GOQii subscription. I was quite taken by GOQii and the benefits it could provide. So I got all my family and friends and told them if they wanted to buy anything they could give me cash and I would buy it on my SBI credit card and I managed to shop for Rs 1.5 lakh in a month and I got a free 6-month subscription in May 2015. My coach is Heta Kothari and my health goal when I signed was to get into better shape. Get better waistline and hips.

I went for my first GOQii Active Sunday to Sion Fort and really liked what we did and I completely got hooked on to it. I decided I will never miss an active Sunday. I also met many similar people like me at this event who in their middle age (mid-30s and early 40s and 50s) were trying to get into fitness.

Sundays have never been better Swarup training with Goqii at Active Sunday

Sundays have never been better Swarup training with Goqii at Active Sunday

Thereafter my first big event was to enrol for the 100 km Oxfam trail walk in November 2015.  I completed the trail walk successfully. Soon after the trail walk I took to running and was consecutively running marathons. I took part in every run that came my way. I did my first 21 km than Half Marathon and prior to that the Powai Marathon 10 km run, followed by IFS BKC run.

Since getting on the GOQii platform the results have been nothing short of outstanding. Today, my day to day routine has drastically changed. I am part of a group called ‘you2can run’ so on alternate days I go for a run (6-7 km) and other days I go to the gym to work out. My workout lasts for about an hour daily. My coach has been guiding me very well.

On an average, I clock 10000 steps daily and on weekends I would easily do over 20,000 steps.  I also have a trekking group with whom I go trekking on weekends.

Besides getting active, the biggest benefit that has come through because of GOQii is the impact it has had on my mental wellbeing. Today, I can handle any stressful situation very well. I am mentally better prepared now. For me, it has been a paradigm shift in my approach to fitness, nutrition, sleep etc. It’s something revolutionary that it completely changed my understanding of the subject.

On the nutrition front, I have been health conscious but did not know a whole lot of things. I did not know that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. I used to never have breakfast as I would always get up late. Now I make it a point to have breakfast daily. I got to know when to eat fruits and when not to. Have frequent but small meals. Never had salads but, now in mid-afternoon meals, I have salads.

Earlier, I would not have proper sleep because of which I would feel drowsy at work. Now that does not happen as I get at least 7 hours of sleep daily. Over the last one year of using GOQii, I have achieved my goals and also learnt a lot in the process. This year my goal is to run 21 km consistently and after that do a full marathon (42Km) and I am working towards that.

My journey has not been for too long, but certainly, GOQii has changed my attitude towards life. I have started enjoying this stage of middle age. With all the activities that I am doing, I am excited and positive. The change and the positive attitude is reflecting in my work and at home

The one person who has been happy and also inspired by me is my Mother. She is 65 years of age and she runs along with me. She has been participating in the 5 km runs and has also started going to the gym to work out.

What does coach Heta Kothari have to say about Swarup? 

Swarup has been my player since May 2015. Right from the intro call I learnt that he is someone who loves exercising and the outdoors. On and off he had been into gym workouts, taekwondo and earlier was with NCC as well. His long-term goal is to run a full marathon and improve his fitness levels. We started with working on regularizing his exercise, making it smarter (interval training) rather than extensive and then graduated to a gym routine.

Alongside, his diet needed a few tweaks which we worked on one after the other; small changes like 1) Replacing proprietary drinks with healthier nuts 2) Regular breakfast (earlier he would skip this important meals, at times) 3) Portion control (cutting down on fried stuff particularly) 4) Trying to make him eat more variety 5) Clarifying his concepts of carbs (there were myths he associated with) 6) Adding a Pre workout meal to his schedule 7) Adequately increasing his protein intake 8) Adding fibre to his meals, multigrain, veggies, salads and fruits 9) Adding 2 healthy snacks to his meal schedule All these changes he has beautifully adapted to. With regards to workouts my challenge right from the beginning was never to push him towards exercising, rather it was (and still remains) to get him into a structured and a dedicated schedule. From the first week that he came on board, he has always made it to the ACTIVE SUNDAY events.

2 months ago he wrote to me, ”Sundays never felt better, a good workout, better breakfast and best sleep!”. Treks, outdoor camping, river rafting, waterfall rappelling….he has done it all while on board with GOQii. Several months later one Sunday I messaged him “Did you make it to the Active Sunday event today?” he wrote back “ It’s ingrained in my system now, thanks for the push”…that’s when I knew we have made a lifestyle change here. Post this he has been a part of The Powai Marathon 10 Km run, The Oxfam Trailwalker Event, and he has completed The Thane Hiranandani HALF MARATHON!!!

In his own words, “I am now more focused and there is the much-needed clarity in my health.

training with Goqii2

 

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Simple tips for Lifestyle Changes

people-working-in-the-office

Today, everybody, everywhere seems to be busy.And, in the rush to make more money, the busy work life has got the worst of every individual leaving them with little or no time to think about themselves and their health.

Most people’s work in the current times either involves sitting for about 8-10 hours in one place or too much travel thereby resulting in people developing many issues such as

-Joint pains specially neck and back pain

-Irregular meal timings

-Problems like indigestion due to unhealthy eating

– Complete or partial cut off from social life

– Stress or depression

-Lack of Sleep

Hence the question on top of everybody’s mind is what do I do? Leaving the job is not a solution. In that case how do I get rid of all these problems?

The answer is very simple … bring about a ‘Lifestyle Change’ .

Tips for Change

-Set your meal timings. Set alarms for your meals on your mobiles and laptops

-Eat a balanced diet.

-Eat fruits, Vegetables and Salads

-Have small meals after every two to three hours rather than having three large meals or skipping any meal

-Get up from your seat every one hour and walk for about 5 to 10 minutes. You could also walk and talk when you get a call instead of sitting in your seat and conversing

-Don’t cradle your phone or message your colleague if you want something walk down to their desk.

-Use the staircase instead of the elevator As much as you can. There is no better exercise that walking up and down the stairs

-If your office is at a walking distance, try to walk or buy a bicycle for the same. It cannot get better than this

-Stretch in between work whenever possible so that the muscles get relaxed

– Instead of keeping a bottle on your table every time you are thirsty, walk down to the water cooler and have water.

-During tea breaks sit with colleagues rather than having it alone

-Listen to soothing music before you sleep. Believe me you will certainly get good sleep

-Breathing exercises works well whenever you feel stressed.

Bring about these simple lifestyle changes and you will realize that life is so much better.  In case you find it difficult to bring about these changes go through the following blog http://goqii.com/blog/why-is-it-difficult-to-make-a-lifestyle-change-6-tips-to-follow/and you can follow the tips given in this so as to bring about a change within your lifestyle.

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“I learnt to listen to myself and understand my own body. I do not force myself to do anything”

2a

He has never had any fitness regime. He says he has had more ailments and has been on medication for the last 3 years. As a result of the medications his body weakened and could not fight back. He has also been subject to constant back pains. Above all this he has a sedentary work life. All day long he sits at his desk and his weight had started going up. He never cultivated any good habits nor was he aware of any. There were zero activity levels. Bottom line- he had constant health issues. But, last 5 months there has been a drastic change within Anthony Soares who has started walking the path of fitness and is more positive about life. He has managed to get his health back on track—one step at a time. Let’s hear it from him what changed him.  

I will soon turn 40 and I realised that I needed to get over a lot of issues. I need to physically be able to lead a better and healthy life in the future.

I have constantly been subject to some medical issues and been on regular medication. I was also on the heavier side and was unhappy about myself overall. I was looking for something that could help me get my basic health in place. I knew of fitness bands that help measure everything and lets you adjust your habits to get the results you want.

I started researching for the same and I was convinced to go for the MI band but unfortunately, it was out of stock. And then I stumbled upon GOQii which was slightly higher in price. I remembered a friend wearing GOQii band and I asked her for more information it. Once I understood how it works and that it came with a coach who can help you make the changes, I was convinced to go for it.  At the point when I took the band, I realised it is a good replacement for my watch.

I started with a 3 months plan. I had no goals clear in my head to achieve. I was expecting some miracle to happen with GOQii. My coach Tarun Arora then explained how I will need to change my habits and work hard to achieve my goals. She explained everything in detail to me and what I needed to do.

I started with running and interval training. Within a month of starting to run I participated in the 5 km ILFS run and hurt my knee badly.The moment I hurt myself, my coach and the doctor advised me not to run for at least a month until the pain completely vanishes. I was not very happy initially but, I realised if I followed their advice I would only get better.

Initially, when I got the band I was clueless about having any goals then I realised it was important to have a goal. My goal was to lose weight. Initially, I thought I should lose about 3-4 kilos. I have always been above 90 roughly plateauing around 94 kilos. In the last two decades, I have been maintaining my weight between 90-94.

After I came on GOQii, I have lost weight purely through right nutrition and exercise. I now weigh 87 kilos within a span of 4 months. I was last at 87 kilos when I got married 9 and a half years ago. So, I can now proudly say that I am back to my old self- looking good. I can tell the difference in myself the moment I started doing more activities. I feel so much more energetic in the morning and I am also mentally more focussed and strong all day long.

The other habit changes that I brought about within me is to drink 2 litres of water daily and do some interval training. This was then improvised by adding proteins to my breakfast and fruits as an evening snack. Then I was introduced to having dates before my run. When I was away from running for a while due to the knee injury, my coach gave me other exercises to do. I also started on having 1 teaspoon apple cider every day.

I am a foodie and it is really difficult to break old habits. But, a lot of what I do now I am aware of it. I have also realised that anything in excess is very bad. Moderation is key I was told by my coach. I have reduced my intake on butter and cheese. At one point I used to have these so often but, now I have it occasionally. I eat mindfully when I got to a restaurant.

From doing nothing at all, I now try to work out all 7 days of the week. If that is not possible then 5 days a week is for sure. My workout includes 3 times cardio and twice a week yoga. I also give my body enough rest. You cannot play around with your body. You have to give it 7 hours sleep daily and have to give it enough nutrition and water.

Being on the GOQii platform I have learnt to train myself to do various things. There is no magic pill that is being given to you. You have to work hard. The first thing I learnt to do is listen to myself and understand my own body. I do not force myself to do anything. If I cannot run one day that day I try and do Yoga instead. I am learning.

People around me especially my family was very surprised at the change I took to. Initially, my family was not very comfortable. They wondered was is this GOQii?  They were not very positive about what I was doing and the changes I was making or had made.

They were surprised that I had started eating fruits because prior to GOQii we never had fruits regularly. But, now over a period they have gotten used to my habits and do not say anything now. They have noticed that I have reduced considerably but, they do not ask how why etc etc…However, they are not too convinced with the changes I have made.

What matters to me is how I feel? Honestly, over the last 5 months, I feel much healthier and positive. I look better, my shoulders are not drooping. The best part now is I have the strength to lift my 4-year-old son when we go to the market and I do not stress about it like I did earlier. I am glad that things that I was not able to do or were not doing earlier I am doing them now.

Thanks to GOQii, I have become very active in life. Apart from running, I have now joined for a Salsa class. I am also planning to start playing a sport. Close to 20 years of my life all I did was just study and then work. Now, at 40 I want to live my life. We live it once, whatever time has gone is gone. But, not anymore. I am glad that I have started on a couple of activities. 

What does coachTarun Arora have to say about Anthony?

Anthony is sincere, disciplined and a hardworking person who understands the importance of health. He is always ready to make healthy changes in life once he is convinced of it and then gives his 100% to achieve them. There were few visible things which needed to be changed in his routine like a correct combination of meals, an increase in protein intake which was lacking in every meal and water intake.We started with one habit at a time. The first habit was to increase water intake to 2 litres because his water intake was quite less, we have developed a habit of having 2 litres everyday. This has made a huge difference in his hunger pangs.We then moved to make sure his protein intake is sufficient enough to help him reach his goal of getting a toned body and along with this proper intake of fiber.

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Healthy options to add in Milk

saffron-infusing

There is no denying that malt based drinks are a common ‘health food drinks’ in most houses today as has been for a few decades now. There are enticing ads claiming the benefits of these health drinks and how it is nutritious for your growing child. There are ads all over in News Papers, Magazines, TV and even online.

The other day, I was watching one such TV commercial that was promoting a malt based drink. The commercial in its usual enticing style of selling the product mentioned, the malt powder when added to milk – improves the quality of the milk. I kept wondering what is in that powder that helps them improve the nutritive value of Milk.

Out of curiosity to understand more, I went through couple of food labels of malt based milk drinks, I realised that most of these powders have a cereal base (any flour including wheat flour), soy, milk powder, loads of sugar, a flavouring agent like cocoa powder, and some vitamins and minerals.

These ads are so welcoming that most give in and buy the product. And, they don’t come cheap. They cost approximately Rs 300-Rs. 500 per kg. But, do we actually need to spend so much for just a cereal based powder with so much of sugar, colour and preservatives? And do they actually improve the quality of milk? How many of us know if these claims that have been made are true? Are these ‘health’ drinks truly healthy?

The ads claim that these health drinks helps absorb calcium from milk. Well, the truth is sugar hinders absorption of calcium and also depletes phosphorus. And, most of these powders contain loads of sugar.

The most common query I have come across while dealing with children, adolescence and a few adults too is they don’t like plain milk or are worried that whether plain milk would be sufficient. Hence, I have come up with few healthy options that will increase the nutritive value of milk and a few tasty options which make the milk taste better.

Healthy options

    1. Saffron: – Saffron milk is traditional milk in Indian families used only during special occasions, due to the high cost of saffron. The benefits of saffron are just as rich as the spice itself. It prevents cancer, helps in puberty in undernourished girls and helps grow healthy hair and skin. If this milk is had on a daily basis, it develops immunity, it prevents common cold and cough.

    1. Chestnut (Singhara) powder– The Potassium rich Chestnuts not only good for people with high blood pressure and heart patients but, are also very useful for pregnant women. They give a feeling of fullness hence also helps in weight loss. I enjoy adding chestnut powder during summer in my glass of milk as it gives cooling effect and prevents back pain.

    1. Turmeric: – Curcumin rich turmeric milk is one of the oldest and the best grandma’s recipes. It is the best home remedy for cold and cough. One cannot deny the benefits that turmeric milk gives as against antibiotic pills? In the west, Curcumin tablets have become a big craze and people are paying a bomb to buy and consume these tablets. On the other hand in India, turmeric is an integral ingredient in every kitchen. Let’s have yellow milk, to fight infections, body pains or just to feel fresh.

    1. Oats: – This fibre rich cereal is always suggested in my diets for people who just have milk for their breakfast. Adding on oats completes the meals by combining the good quality protein that is present in milk with high fibre carbohydrates. Adding a fruit or dry fruits to oats porridge is like a cherry on cake.

    1. Almonds and Pistachio powder: –Almond Milk (Badamdhoodh), just like saffron,also has traditional value to it. You also find these flavors in the market powders too. However, they come with lot of synthetic flavors. Instead, it takes just a few minutes to powder almonds and pistachios and the full packet of a kilo gets ready for a month’s use. The benefits of these dry fruits are known to most. They benefit people of all age group, from children to old age. The impact of it on brain and memory boosting makes it my favorite family drink.

Tasty options

  1. Dark cocoa: – Those who have been bought up with common chocolate flavoured milk find it a little tough to shift to other flavours. Hence, opting for a dark cocoa powder would be a healthy option. Dark Cocoa has a lot of antioxidants that boost cardio vascular health.

    1. Ragi – This one is my son’s favourite option as he always misunderstands it as chocolate milk. This calcium rich cereal is naturally a little sweet, and gives a perfect chocolate brown colour to the milk. Point to note- Use a small quantity (1 tsp. in 1 cup milk) of this flour as it is a thickening agent and the milk may get lumpy if used in a large quantity. Ragi porridge is a perfect drink for growing kids, pregnant women and elderly.

ragi

    1. Fruit– Milk can be an enjoyable drink at any time by preparing it as a milkshake. Those who find it boring to chew a fruit on daily basis can surely combine it with milk. For weight watchers, combine milk with fruits like watermelon, apple or kiwi whereas weight gainers can go for some high sugar fruits like mango, banana, figs etc.

    1. Dates: – Now this option is for sweet addicts who do not find any other options palatable because of lack of sweetness. They can freely use dates to sweeten their milk. This would be a very healthy post work out meal and filling snacks for young children.

You can also combine 2 options together, for eg:- A fruit/dry fruits and oats or pop in some flax seed powder in your singhara powder.

So if you find these options convenient for your daily milk dose, then dump those so called ‘Health Drink’ powders and “GO ALL NATURAL”.

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