healthy lifestyle Archives - Page 17 of 24

February 8, 2020 By GOQii Leave a Comment

How Akhil Minocha Made a Positive U-Turn!

We have always advocated that inculcating small healthy habits into your lifestyle can yield big results! There are so many stories of individuals who were fit during their childhood but as soon as they hit adulthood, their health and fitness took a turn for the worse. While most people continue living with illnesses and refuse to make changes, Akhil Minocha stepped up and turned his life around for the best!

Before Joining GOQii

Akhil Minocha, now 47, works for a corporate based out of Gurugram which requires frequent traveling. As a child, he was always lean. As he is from a Defence background, he was well involved in all kinds of sports and physical activities including horse riding. Even during his MBA days, he managed to stay lean and fit.

Akhil’s struggle with weight began right after he got married in 2001. By the time he moved to Gurugram in 2005, he was fairly obese. His entire focus during this time was work and being a complete foodie. He indulged in all sorts of unhealthy food. Frequent travels for work added to his appetite, driving him further into an unhealthy lifestyle.

Joining GOQii and Making the Change

As he had interacted with our founder and CEO Vishal Gondal during his IndiaGames days and was actively in touch with him via social media, he had joined GOQii in 2015 and had a coach assigned to him. However, due to his work and his own personal lack of interest, he did not take it seriously.

Around July 2019, everything changed for him. He was diagnosed as a pre-diabetic. Akhil Minocha was clear from the start that he did not want to start with allopathy. Instead, he opted for Ayurveda which wasn’t helping him at all. His family suggested that he switch to Allopathy before it gets worse.

All of this coincided with a change of his GOQii Coach. His new GOQii Coach was a blessing in disguise for him. She gave him an expert’s perspective on various ideas related to diet, fitness and lifestyle. He had done some studies on diet and she validated whether it was worth incorporating or not. For instance, he had started with the keto diet which clearly did not benefit him but made things worse as his LDL shot up due to increase in fat intake. His GOQii Coach discouraged him against going for such diets and rather focus on a balanced diet.

He began exercising regularly and now works out 6 times a week on an average even on his travelling days. As for his diet, he almost stopped the consumption of rice and wheat and substituted them with alternative grains such as Amaranth, Ragi, Bajra, Quinoa and sometimes a mix of any 2 of these. Recently, he modified his diet further by including greens.

He has also started including different varieties of millets. He basically changed the way his meal plate looked like – increasing the amount of salads and vegetables, increasing protein and reducing carbs. He also began eating a fruit every day along with a light dinner. Short walks after meals have become his favorite activity.

Akhil Minocha’s GOQii Coach also introduced him to intermittent fasting and asked him to follow the guidelines set by Master Coach Luke Coutinho for maximum benefit. By following this, he has cleared a lot of his misconceptions.

As of now, his vitals are in the normal range especially his HBA1C which has dropped to 5.6. Also, his postprandial blood sugar stands at 130mg/dL. He has reduced his weight from 87kg to 77kg in a period of 5 months which is remarkable. Since then, he has participated in a few marathons and has completed a 10k run.

How Akhil Minocha uses GOQii

He regularly messages his coach though he does miss updating logs. He also watches GOQii Play videos of Heena, Dr. Paramjeet and couple of other coaches as and when he finds the time. He actively buys products from the GOQii Health Store and recently ordered some supplements for himself and family which he claims to be very useful.

He firmly believes that you can make a difference if you take care of your diet and have a supportive coach to handhold you through the journey. He says you can benefit immensely from this platform if you are focused on your end goal. Akhil Minocha says GOQii is the most cost effective platform delivering value for money through its various features & services.

We hope Akhil continues on this journey to good health as you know, a healthy lifestyle is not a race, it is a marathon! Even you can make a positive U-turn in your life and change things for the better. For more inspiring stories, visit the Healthy Reads section within the GOQii App!

#LevelUp and #BeTheForce

July 4, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

How The Gamification of Fitness is Helping You!

Since childhood, playing games has always been fun. Even now, thanks to advanced technology, there are many fun and addictive games available on smartphones. There’s a game app for everyone out there! Ever wondered what happens when your favourite activity gets turned into a game?

Gamifying activities has become the latest trend, especially among health and fitness apps. The idea of competition, gratification through rewards and bragging rights motivate individuals to keep going at it and the health and fitness industry knows this all too well.

What is the Gamification of Fitness?

Recent studies have shown that ‘gamifying’ exercise can improve one’s motivation and make fitness more effective and exciting at all levels. Gamifying is done by taking a workout regime and then incorporating game mechanics, such as reward-based objectives, to increase one’s motivation and enthusiasm.

What Are Its Benefits?

Engages Brain Chemistry: Gamification is a powerful tool for engagement and works with our brain chemistry to create behavioural changes. Learning triggers a rush of dopamine, our happy hormones, so when learners enjoy the workout regime, they feel engaged and are left wanting more. But if the workout regime is boring, the ‘good feeling’ goes away. Gamification helps make your workout regime fun and interesting!
A Ton of Fun: Anyone who has played games will know that gaming is a lot of fun! The competition, objectives, accomplishments, progress, and rewards are all gamification techniques that make you enjoy the game. Certain features like your character’s level, or your XP, or even leaderboards, all add a depth of excitement to the game. For workout apps too, the sense of competition, achievements, progress and rewards all motivate the user to get fit and healthy!
The Rewards: All games, whether they are as simple as candy crush, or as complex as Fortnite, have reward-based progression. Rewards keep the players engaged and excited for what they might win. Even daily rewards leave the players waiting for the next day to win something new. Apps such as GOQii, reward the users with in-app currency i.e. GOQii Cash, for completing small tasks, creating a feeling of happiness and success within the user.
Real-World Benefits: Certain apps and games offer a range of rewards for completing tasks. A new skin for your character wouldn’t seem nearly as fun as a free rollercoaster ride or a free meal! To ensure that the user stays hooked on to the app, certain rewards start increasing in the level of excitement and can go up to rewards in the real world. These rewards are far more exciting than in-game rewards and encourage the user to keep using the app.
Epic-Meaning: Certain apps and games make their users feel like their actions matter, have an impact, and even help benefit the company mission. Will they finish the race in under a minute? Will they be able to lose a kilo in a week? These clear goals make the users feel a sense of inclusiveness, and that their actions can benefit themselves and the company. This is known as Epic-meaning. Apps use gamification features by letting their users customize their badges, or change their banners to show how their progress helps the app’s mission. Certain apps even go as far as sharing user-stories, to ensure their users that their actions are noticed and are important.

Gamification makes working out, eating healthy and leading an overall healthy life more fun, engaging and exciting.

Do you know of any apps that have gamified fitness? Share them in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

June 29, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Change Begins With a Single Step – Aniruddha Bhave User Journey

Motivation is always the key to achieving your health goals but what happens when you don’t have a health goal to begin with? What happens when there is nothing there to push you towards a healthier lifestyle? Where do you begin? For Aniruddha Bhave, the push came from the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle.

“It’s true that motivation has to come from within. However, you always need someone to lend a helping hand. This was fulfilled exceptionally well by GOQii,” says Aniruddha Bhave after his transformation with GOQii.

Sedentary Lifestyle and the Desire to Change

Before joining GOQii, Aniruddha Bhave, a banker from Mumbai, led a very sedentary lifestyle. His day included long hours of sitting in the office and extensive travelling for work. He travelled by car wherever he went and his eating timings were quite off.

His weight had increased to 79kg, he had been smoking for almost 10 years and drank alcohol occasionally. All of these habits took a steep toll on his health. He had suffered from spondylitis at the age of 32 and was diagnosed as pre-diabetic at the age of 40.

Around this time, he had no idea of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. He was oblivious about fitness, about what comprises of a healthy and an unhealthy diet. His doctor had asked him to either start with medication or healthy lifestyle modification. As exercise seemed liked a far cry to him back then, he chose medication.

He was on medication for 2 years before joining GOQii.

Making the Change!

In September 2017, one of Anirudhha Bhave’s friends introduced him to GOQii. Initially, he was extremely sceptical whether it will help or not or if it was going to be worth the time and effort. He decided to go ahead because he was looking for a tracker to track his activities.

When Aniruddha Bhave began his journey with GOQii, his primary goal was weight loss. The initial habits that his GOQii Coach set was basic walking as exercise, mindful eating and better sleep – all of which were missing from his life. He was asked to consume raw garlic on an empty stomach in the morning along with a concoction made of lemon, honey and cinnamon with warm water.

As he progressed, Aniruddha slowly switched from walking to jogging and later, he began running. His GOQii Coach was very persistent and ensured that he followed all the habits given to him diligently. When he began running in December 2017, he knew there was no turning back now!

Complete Change, Weight Loss and More

“Running has become my passion,” is what Aniruddha Bhave told GOQii. In fact, he had suffered muscle loss because he was running too much. His GOQii Coach then asked him to perform strength training and increase his protein intake. He began consuming Whey Protein and even tried protein bars, both of which he bought from the GOQii Health Store.

He stopped with medication 3 months after joining GOQii. Aniruddha Bhave even took the 21 Days Challenge and completed it. His current habits include running for two days – one for 15km and the other for 7-8km. On other days, he performs strength training. He has even set up a mini gym at his home for weight training as suggested by his GOQii Coach.

Within 8 months of joining GOQii, Aniruddha lost 12kg. He further reduced his weight to 64.5kg. His HbA1c level has come down from 6.5 to a normal 5.5. Whereas walking even half a km used to be a task, he can now run 10km easily.

Aniruddha now is quite active on GOQii Play. He attributes his increased motivation to coach Aliya Imran. Apart from Aliya’s classes, he also attends Marathon Expert Parwage Alam’s classes for tips on running, Mayuri Dongre’s classes for reviews on products available in the GOQii Health Store as well as Fitness Expert Shweta Kariya’s classes functional training and fitness. He even attends Medical Classes conducted by doctors for medical awareness.

Being the Force

Looking at his amazing transformation, a lot of his friends have taken a keen interest in health and fitness. His wife has also lost weight and brought her thyroid under control with help from GOQii. Aniruddha Bhave is their source of constant motivation and inspiration.

Overall, he considers GOQii to be a blessing for him. He has proven that although the first step is often difficult, but once you take it, with the right guidance and motivation, it can transform your life in unimaginable ways. Any and all change begins with a single step and when you do, there’s no turning back!

#BeTheForce

June 28, 2019 By Gitanjali Bahl Leave a Comment

5 Common Mistakes Women Make

We have always heard that women are more prone to most diseases but have you ever wondered why? Before we discuss the common mistakes that women make, take a look at this scenario…

Let’s go over the case of an average 32 year old female who has two kids, one being 5 and the other 1.5 years in age. She starts her day at 6 AM and begins preparing meals for the family. She gets her oldest child ready for school, does other chores and by the time she is free, it is 11 AM and she eats her first meal. Till her oldest child arrives back from school and till she finishes her remaining chores, she has delayed her meals, hasn’t gotten adequate rest and is fatigued.

This results in increased weight, pain in muscles, poor mental health and lack of interest in any task. This busy routine is what plagues most women in India today. It is even tougher for working women as the burden of managing work and household chores can place tremendous stress on them.

In some cases, poor health arises out of genetic composition but not always. It is also because of stress and negligence towards health.

Here Are Some of the Most Common Mistakes Women Make

1. Missing Meals, Especially Breakfast

It doesn’t matter if you’re a homemaker or an office goer, you need adequate nutrition. Most of us skip breakfast which is considered to be the most important meal of the day. Either that, or we eat late which is equally harmful. Starving the body may lead to overeating and can cause a number of problems.

2. Inadequate Nutrition

If the quantity of the meal is less, most women starve themselves and offer the meal to others or opt for the most convenient option available, despite the fact that it has no nutritional value. Both of these lead to deficiency. This is also a reason for low haemoglobin, calcium, Vitamin D and Vitamin B levels in women nowadays. Ensure that you have at least two servings of fruits and green vegetables a day.

3. Budget Management

Sometimes due to financial constraints or just to prove that they are good finance managers at home, some women deprive themselves of good and quality food, which is again wrong. Managing budget is good but depriving yourself of essential nutrients isn’t. Plan in a way that you can accommodate everything. For instance, make sprouts, paneer, curd at home which will be healthy and economical too!

4. Being Over-Organized

Some women are so busy with their schedule and are so organised, they want to finish their work first and focus on themselves later. As a result, by the end of the day, they are so exhausted that they get no time for themselves. Working is good but not at the cost of your meals and/or exercise. Fix a time for your exercise and meals and stick to it!

5. Sleep Deprivation

Due to family responsibilities, women tend to compromise sleep. Whenever there are guests over or there’s additional work, women take on the responsibility and lose out on much-needed rest. Avoid doing so at all cost! Compensate the next day. Remember that even a machine needs a break or else its efficiency gets affected.

Remember that health is wealth. To take care of the household, you first need to be healthy and fit yourself. Learn from these common mistakes women make and take a positive u-turn towards a healthier lifestyle!