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Choose the right activity to stay fit

fitness-trainingThe Big Question

Who doesn’t want to look good, feel energetic, and stay fit? Recently, there has been a massive shift in awareness, with more people obsessed with losing weight and staying active.

But true fitness is not an overnight transformation, and randomly forcing yourself to exercise can often backfire. Exercising regularly is one of the healthiest choices you can make—lowering your risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and high blood pressure, while easing depression and boosting self-esteem.

The problem? Many people think fitness requires spending long, boring hours in a gym. It doesn’t. Whether you view physical activity as a structured program or simply a lifestyle choice, the secret to long-term success lies in choosing the right activity for your unique body and schedule.

Quick Answer: How do you choose the right exercise?

The right exercise aligns with your purpose, age, weight, and medical background. Rather than forcing yourself into a gym, focus on mild-to-moderate activities that fit your daily routine and interest you—whether that’s brisk walking, yoga, home stretches, or playing a sport.

Why Making the “Right” Choice Matters

Making a random choice of exercise can actually become a deterrent to getting fit, and in some cases, it can cause genuine harm.

Consider these two common instances of choosing the wrong exercise:

  • The Overweight Runner: A person who is on the extreme heavy side should ideally not opt for running right away. Running requires expending more energy and places undue pressure on the joints, which can quickly lead to joint damage and injuries.
  • The Osteoporotic Weightlifter: Imagine a man over 50 with osteoporosis going to the gym to lift heavy weights. While it is commendable that he is trying to stay active, lifting heavy weights despite compromised bone density is just straining his joints and risking severe injury.

The Power of Moderate Activity (Don’t Overdo It)

You do not have to sweat buckets or run a marathon to reap the benefits of exercise. Research shows that mild to moderate activity is enough to change your life for the better.

But what exactly does “moderate activity” mean?

  • The Talk Test: You are breathing a little heavier than normal, but you are not out of breath. For example, you should be able to chat with your walking partner, but you would not easily be able to sing a song.
  • The Temperature Test: Your body feels warmer as you move, but you are not overheated or excessively sweaty.

7 Essential Factors for Choosing Your Exercise

Before jumping into a new routine, evaluate your personal parameters. The factors that are essential for choosing the right exercise include:

  1. Purpose of exercise: (Are you trying to lose weight, build strength, or improve mental health?)
  2. Age: (Different life stages require different mobility and impact levels.)
  3. Weight: (High-impact vs. low-impact needs.)
  4. Interest: (If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t stick with it.)
  5. Medical conditions: (Pre-existing joint issues, heart conditions, bone density, etc.)
  6. Daily Routine: (How much realistic time you can spare.)
  7. Nutritional Intake: (Are you fueling your body enough for the activity you are choosing?)

You Don’t Need a Gym: Ways to Stay Active

If you are not ready to commit to a structured exercise program, think about physical activity as a lifestyle choice. Look at your daily routine and sneak in small activities.

There are plenty of exercises that can be done at home, in the office, or outdoors:

  • Going for a simple or brisk walk
  • Yoga
  • Simple strength and stretch exercises (push-ups, planks, abdomen exercises at home)
  • Aerobics
  • Cycling and Hiking
  • Playing a sport such as Badminton, Tennis, etc.
  • Playing actively with your kids
  • Dancing the night away
  • Martial Arts
  • Running (if appropriate for your fitness level)

Once you understand your purpose and physical parameters, choosing the right exercise becomes automatic.

Pro Tip: Always prefer getting professional advice before starting any new exercise regime. Use the GOQii App to track your daily steps, sleep, and habits, and speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching to find the perfect fitness routine for your unique body type.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  1. Do I need to join a gym to stay fit?

No. You don’t have to spend long hours in a gym to reap the benefits of exercise. Walking, doing household chores, doing home workouts, or playing a sport are all highly effective ways to stay active.

  1. How do I know if I am exercising at a “moderate” level?

Use the talk test. During moderate activity, you should be breathing heavier than normal but still able to hold a conversation. If you can sing, you need to work harder; if you can’t speak, you are working too hard.

  1. Why shouldn’t someone who is heavily overweight start with running?

Running is a high-impact exercise that places significant stress on the knees and ankles. For individuals carrying excess weight, this puts undue pressure on the joints and increases the risk of severe injuries. Low-impact activities like brisk walking or swimming are much safer starting points.

  1. What are the mental benefits of regular exercise?

Beyond physical fitness, exercise is incredibly good for your mind, mood, and memory. It has been proven to ease depression, relieve stress and anxiety, enhance self-esteem, and improve your overall outlook on life.

  1. How do I choose the right activity if I have a medical condition?

You should always factor in your medical history (like osteoporosis or heart conditions) when choosing an activity. It is highly recommended to consult a healthcare professional or a GOQii Health Coach before beginning a new fitness program to ensure it is safe for you.

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All you need to know about DENGUE

fever

How often do you come across people suffering from Dengue? Recently, I encountered many cases, promoting me to pen down some valuable information that can help you prevent and recover from Dengue.

Most of us know dengue is associated with fever, but there’s much more to understand.

The name ‘dengue’ originated from the Swahili word for “bone-breaking fever” or the Spanish phrase for “the walk of a Dandie.” The dengue virus belongs to family Flaviviridae and has four serotypes transmitted by mosquitoes of Aedesaegypti species.

In recent years, the spread of unplanned urbanization, with associated substandard housing, overcrowding, and deteriorating water, sewage and waste management systems, has created ideal conditions for increased transmission of the dengue virus in tropical urban centers.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 50 to 100 million dengue infections occur each year worldwide.

Symptoms of Dengue Fever:

Dengue causes a wide spectrum of illness, from mild asymptomatic cases to severe, fatal dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome.

Symptoms, which usually begin four to six days after infection and last for up to 10 days, may include sudden high fever, severe headaches, severe joint and muscle pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, skin rash, mild bleeding (such as bleeding nose or gums), blood pressure drops down as the circulation of blood in the vessels is also affected.

A decrease in platelet count is often observed 3 days after the fever starts.

In severe cases, the virus reproduces rapidly, affecting vital organs like the bone marrow and liver.

As the old adage goes “PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE”!!

Here are some of the preventive measures:

1) Avoid heavily populated residential areas, if possible.

2) Use mosquito repellents, vaporizing mats, and mosquito coils.

3) Wear appropriate clothing: Minimize exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks.

4) Use bed nets during sleeping and tuck them properly under the mattress.

5) Make sure window and door screens are secure and free of holes.

6) Eliminating or avoiding stagnant, standing water where the mosquitoes can reproduce are some of the effective strategies to prevent it.

7) Maintain proper Hygiene and Sanitation.

Treatment:

Dengue is a self-limiting viral disease, meaning it typically resolves on its own with adequate hydration and pain control. Severe cases may require hospitalization and intensive care. Many doctors also recommend home remedies to manage symptoms and speed recovery.

Home remedies for Dengue:

There is no specific diet for dengue, but the following home remedies can help alleviate symptoms and aid in recovery:

1) Water: This is of utmost important as extreme dehydration is very prominent in Dengue. Water can heal symptoms like headache, muscle cramps and furthermore help to eliminate toxins from the body.

2) Papaya leaf juice or Papaya leaf extract: They have an ability to increase the platelets in bone marrow. Here is the way to use them:  Wash the leaves, take out the center vein and crush leaves in a grinder with adding little bit of water and consume  every 6 hours daily.

3) Neem leaves: Steeping the leaves and drinking its brew helps to increase the platelet and WBC count thereby improving the body’s immunity.

4) Carrot Juice: Taking 2-3 spoons of carrot juice having mixed with beetroot juice twice a day helps to boost up the count of platelet count very soon.

5) Omega 3 rich foods like walnuts, flaxseeds, fish boost your immune system.

6) Fresh Fruits and Veggies typically orange juice, amla juice, and grapefruit can promote the antibody production, release the toxins, stimulates cellular repair because of Vitamin C content.

7) Eating Garlic: Chewing two cloves of garlic or drinking hot garlic vegetable soup can decrease the multiplication of viruses.

8) Eating a well- balanced diet with majorly focusing on green leafy veggies can ward off the infection.

9) Also a simple solution to the monsoon Illness is to boost up our immunity by our popularly known

“Dadjiji ka Kadha- Grandma’s home remedy concoction”. You can check out this link on how to prepare the concoction:

Homemade Remedy For Monsoon Illnesses – Decoction Syrup or Kadha Recipe

10) Most importantly REST. The more your rest, the better the production of platelets.

11)  Since it is an Infection, have cooked vegetables instead of raw.

Foods to be avoided:

First and foremost, stay away from unhealthy food like refined sugars, junk food and processed food. Having these foods can cause drop in platelet count.

Secondly, try to avoid the food which is oily, spicy and salty. I know it may spoil the taste of your mouth, but lime juice plays the trick here.

Thirdly, caffeine and alcohol should be avoided to prevent dehydration.

Lastly, avoid meat as it is difficult to digest.

So let’s prevent ourselves from Dengue before we catch hold of it! For further information or guidance, reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

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“All you want to know about knees and Knee injuries and how to fix it”: Dr Anjana Laungani

Dr Anjana Laungani

Dr. Anjana Laungani

In the last decade or so people have taken to extreme sports like Running (Marathons), Ultra Marathons, Trail Running, Cycling and High Altitude Trekking. But, most are not aware of how to take care of their body or that they should go for a full body assessment to check if all is ok before they start on an extreme activity.

They do not realise that over doing these activities does not help the body in the long run. Many do it because their friends are doing it and many do it because they think this is the only way to prove to people that they are fit, not realising that over doing such extreme sports and doing it without enough knowledge can lead to fatal injuries. One of the worst injuries that people develop is knee injuries.

How can one avoid such injuries while training? Let us understand from Dr Anjana Laungani, a renowned physiotherapist from Mumbai who consults celebrities and has her own brand of a clinic – Physio Rehab in Mumbai tell us how people develop knee injuries and what can be done to avoid and treat such injuries.

She explains that the knee is the most common joint in the body that gets injured and one must understand why that happens. It happens because knees are in between the foot, the hip and the back. Knee sorts of gets whacked around because of any problem that might be there in the foot or in the hip or in the back.

“I call the knee the middle child syndrome, you know how in the family we have an elder child, a younger child, and a middle child gets really whacked around by them and bullied. The knee is exactly treated that way,” says Dr. Anjana.

According to her when one looks at knee injury one should also look at the foot, hip and the back. Because these could actually be the cause of the knee problems. When one is participating in extreme sports, you are not just climbing or running or walking only with your knees, the knee works as a team with the foot, the hip, and the back. This is called the Lower quadrant of the body and they have to work in synchrony with each other.

All those with knee injuries should always get themselves assessed entirety looking at how is the foot alignment. For instance, if you are flat footed you will be prone to injuries. If an individual has a hip muscle which is extremely weak especially the gluteus muscle will he develop knee problems, the risk factor is very high if the individual does not have a very good core muscle that gives him the power to run. Then all he would do is jam the weight of his body into his knee. So commonly according to Dr. Anjana only 20% of people have direct knee problems but 80% have knee problems due to other issues.

It is therefore very important to get assessed and looked at by professionals especially a physiotherapist who can do what we call as a lower limb kinetic chain assessment, these evaluations will give you a very good idea on where the problem is coming from. You need to look at foot you need to look at the hip muscles you need to look at the core muscles which could probably give problems to these areas.

Dr. Anjana says it is best when people approach physiotherapist when they do not have an injury and consult for how to avoid injuries rather than go for treatment after getting themselves injured.

Physio rehab is one such clinic where one does not have to go only when in pain. She and her team work with those who wish to improve their fitness so that they can undertake physical challenges like treks, pilgrimages, adventure holidays, overseas travel etc.

Ranveer Singh with Dr Anjana Laungani at PhysioRehab: Dr Anjana first worked with Ranveer Singh when he had suffered a back injury during the shoot of ‘Lootera’. Thereafter PhysioRehab once again came to his help when he shattered his right shoulder while doing a stunt for ‘Bajirao Mastani’. PhysioRehab helped him come back to fitness and perform all his action shots for the film.

Ranveer Singh with Dr Anjana Laungani at PhysioRehab: Dr Anjana first worked with Ranveer Singh when he had suffered a back injury during the shoot of ‘Lootera’. Thereafter PhysioRehab once again came to his help when he shattered his right shoulder while doing a stunt for ‘Bajirao Mastani’. PhysioRehab helped him come back to fitness and perform all his action shots for the film.

Dr. Anjana has practiced for over 25 years and put together this clinic as a vision to be able to provide quality, scientific physiotherapy services to the community which she thinks was lacking when she started. “I feel that physiotherapy needs to be approached in a more scientific manner, there has to be proper assessment, proper diagnosis and most importantly patient education. I think the patient first needs to understand what is it that is going on with them and actually give them a sense of responsibility,” she concludes.

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Decluttering And The Joy Of Giving

Decluttering2020 was a rollercoaster of a year with the pandemic, lockdown, being enclosed within 4 walls and being panic-stricken thanks to COVID-19. The battle with COVID-19 is far from over but there is a little something you can do for your soul and peace of mind in 2021 – that’s decluttering! There are many people who have faced hardships and have lost more than just their jobs. Let’s utilize the first month of 2021 with an exercise that benefits us and the underprivileged people in need as well. 

Decluttering Your House 

Are you ready to clean your closets? Clean them and take out things you no longer have a use for. You can either choose to discard, donate or give them to people who may have use for them. For such an activity to be successful and not time consuming, reorient your home by category instead of by room – clothes, kitchen utensils, toys, stationary, footwear, accessories, etc. so that it becomes easy for you to reach the right person with the right things. Believe me, we all will face some troubles but amid all that, when we give to the needy, it will make us feel good too! 

How Do You Go About Doing This? 

If you have things you don’t use anymore, consider giving them away. One of the best ways to decide is to ask yourself when you used the item last. If you are unable to recall or if it’s more than 3 years, you’re better off giving it to someone else who needs it because there’s a good chance you’re not going to use it in the future too. 

Even though you don’t want your old things anymore, it’s almost guaranteed that someone else will. There are many people in need of usable items and your donations can help. When you throw away your used items, they have no chance of reaching people who need them the most.

Also, before donating take the condition of the item into consideration as well. Only donate the items that are new, unused, or gently used. This means items which are in a good condition, clean and presentable. Do not donate items that don’t work properly, with missing parts, or are ripped, torn or stained. If you can’t use them in their current state, neither can others.

Benefits of  Decluttering

  • Decluttering teaches us how to let go and create space. Owing less helps save time and feel lighter and self actualized.
  • It exercises our decision making skills. What to keep and what to get rid of is basically solving a problem. It works our brain and gives us a sense of satisfaction.
  • Clutter can affect our brain, our ability to focus, our sleep, and our anxiety levels. While decluttering improves concentration, sleep quality, reduces stress and enhances mood.
  • Decluttering exercise will leave us delighted, our home clean and organized. There’s something deeply satisfying about being in a space that’s free of clutter and where the only thing in use has its place. We feel more relaxed and focused when we find the item we need, easily. So better to get rid of extra things and enjoy the organized, clutter-free, calm and energetic home space . 

Once Decluttered, Where Do You Donate? 

  • One can donate to a residence or to any charitable organization involved in such activities.
  • You can check with your househelp, your local cleaners and watchmen, etc. if they require any of the items you wish to discard.  
  • Involve the entire family in the process, especially the young ones. They will learn decision making, know the noble cause behind and experience the joy of giving.

We hope this article helps you declutter and donate to a good cause. You can also up your Karma on the GOQii App by walking, earning Karma Points and donating it to a charity listed within the GOQii App. Check out the Karma feature now! 

#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 […]