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10 Ways to Turn Quarantine Time into Quality Time

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It has been over a week of working from home, social distancing and self-isolation from the outer world! Is it getting boring for you? With another 21 days of lockdown in full effect, life might only get monotonous. Let’s break that routine. Let’s utilize this time to do something more fun, productive and refreshing!

Focusing on the positive, this lockdown might actually be a blessing in disguise for those who have been too busy with work to do anything else. With all the time you save by not traveling or not being able to invest in social gatherings, you can pursue a hobby you’ve always wanted to or do something fun!

10 Fun Things to do During Lockdown

  1. Read a Book: Are you an avid reader who would finish a novel over weekends? If busy work hours and long travel hours stopped you from doing that, now is your time to shine! Get cozy in a corner, sip some nice green tea and immerse yourself in a book you’ve wanted to read. If you want to begin reading, try Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain or Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.  
  2. Rearrange the Wardrobe: This is every mom’s dream come true! Clean the shelves, rearrange clothes and once this lockdown is over, you can even donate the ones you don’t need. Organize your cupboard now that you have the time.
  3. Workout at Home: With the work from home mandate, closed gyms and lockdown, we’re spending more time sitting than being active. Now is the best time for home workouts. If you’re not motivated to workout, then you can join the 30 Day Quarantine Burn Challenge on GOQii and earn some exciting rewards while getting fit! All you need to do is tune in to workout videos on GOQii Play for 30 days. There’s more info in the GOQii App.  
  4. Learn a New Hobby: Each one of us has always wanted to learn something or the other which could be painting, dancing, boxing, playing an instrument, cooking or may be as small as a headstand. You have all the time to explore these wonderful creative activities now! Utilise this bonus time to enhance your creativity skills.
  5. Grow Some Greens: Gardening is not only environment friendly but also a great stress buster. Go on and grow some organic vegetables to relish the nutrition at its best. If you want to begin growing your own microgreens, join Coach Arooshi Garg on GOQii Play as she has classes which are specific to growing microgreens!
  6. Sanitize Your Home: It is not only the hands that need sanitizing but everything that you touch as well. Wear your gloves and reach on to every corner of the house that you usually miss on due to lack of time. You can use a dettol spray to kill the germs around.
  7. Watch your Favourite Series: It’s time to catch up on the list of shows/movies you always wanted to watch. We do not suggest binge watching and eating as that can harm your health but planning your tasks everyday and having the entertainment slot for 30 minutes can be manageable.
  8. Plan Virtual Meets: Family and friends are always important. Social distancing needs to be followed strictly but we still can connect with our people over the phone, video calls, skype, etc. Make the most of the technology we have.
  9. Quality Time with Your Family: The busy routine of office and work at times keeps us away from family chit chats. Now you can sit together, talk to each other and recollect old memories. You have more time to spend with your spouse, eat food with your kids and play in the house with your siblings. If you have a pet, you can feed, groom and bathe him/her! This would boost your inner happiness for sure.
  10. Mediate: Stress levels are definitely high with the fear of increasing cases in our country. Be patient and calm. Indulge in some nice deep breathing sessions before sleep or practice Pranayama. It will help you stay positive and take decisions responsibly during emergencies. Join meditation and yoga sessions on GOQii Play for a better experience!

These are just a few ways in which you can utilize and make the most of this 21 day lockdown! Do you have some other activities planned? How are you spending your days? Let us know in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

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5 Simple Exercises You Can Do At Home

simple exercisesAmid the Coronavirus pandemic, social distancing and self-quarantine are in full swing. With everyone locking themselves up indoors, The activity levels have seen a considerable drop. Social distancing has resulted in a 51% drop in step count in the first 15 days of march 2020 according to a recent real time data study of 5 lakh users using GOQii Trackers. This drop in percentage is only likely to increase in the coming days as the fear of spread of this deadly virus is only increasing by the day. However, don’t let the lockdown make you fall into the recesses of a sedentary lifestyle. Get back up and get active at home with these 5 simple exercises!

Start Your Day Right With These 5 Simple Exercises

1.Push Ups: A great upper body exercise to begin your day. Start with lying down in a prone position, place your arms with your palms facing the floor shoulder width apart. Bend elbows and upper body to do a Push Up. Repeat the push ups for 8-10 reps.

2. Balancing Table Pose: This pose is perfect for improving balance, posture, concentration and memory. Start with a kneel down position, while breathing, lift your left arm and adjacent right leg parallel to the floor and exhale, hold for 30secs. Repeat with the other hand and leg. Do this for 5-7 repetitions on each side.

3. Butt-Kickers: As the name suggests, it is simply kicking your Glute (Butt) muscles. Start by standing with your feet about hip distance apart, bring your right leg behind your buttock contracting the hamstring muscles, and touch your Glutes with your right leg,  repeat the same with your left leg. Continue doing it by alternating the legs. Do it for about a minute and repeat the exercise for 3 sets.

4. Wall Sits:Start with sitting against a wall with your back supported by the wall and your feet about 2 feet apart from the wall. Sit in such a position that thighs are parallel to the ground forming a 90 degree angle. Hold the position for 60secs. Repeat for 3 sets. Great exercise for the core muscles, Glutes. Quadriceps and Hamstrings. It is a fantastic lower body workout.

5. Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation: We all know it, we all have heard about it. It is one of the most impactful and easiest full body stretches to loosen those tight muscles and to energize the body instantly.

Start with a standing position with hands in Namaskar position, bend backwards with hands still in namaskar position, breathing out, bend forward touching the toes, Breathing in, push your right leg back, as far back as possible. Bring the right knee to the floor and look up. Then while breathing take the left leg behind and form a straight line. Gently bring down your knees and let the chest, chin, hands, feet touch the floor with the hips slightly raised, then slide forward and do a Cobra pose, lift your body and bring yourself in an inverted V pose, then  bring the right knee forward in between the two hands, left knee should be on the floor and press the hips down and look up. 

After this pose, get into the standing forward bend position, and then breathing in, roll up the spine. Raise the hands up and bend backward a little bit, pushing the hips slightly outward. And finally end it with the starting position of a standing Namaste. Start off with 5 repetitions of this exercise everyday to yield benefits.

We hope this article on 5 simple exercises helps you stay fit at home. For more home workouts, tune in to fitness experts on GOQii Play. 

#BeTheForce 

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What You Should Eat After a Workout

workoutWith the recent self-quarantine due to the coronavirus in full effect, most of us have been working out at home. We understand that exercise is important to keep ourselves fit, healthy and build immunity but one thing that we need to watch out for is what we eat after a workout. Eating the right food post workout is important for several reasons.

When you exercise your muscles use glycogen as a fuel to provide you optimum energy. This results in partial depletion of glycogen from your muscles. Some of the proteins in your muscles also get broken down and depleted, especially when you do strength training. After you workout, your muscles try to replenish these stores within 30-45 minutes of workout. That is the reason why you should eat after a workout so that muscle recovery happens quicker and less wear and tear of muscles occur. This ultimately leads to muscle growth, which is our main goal.

The Right Nutrition

Not only eating but also eating the right food is important. Proteins, as discussed above, get depleted. Thereby, eating the right amount of protein (0.3-05 gm/kg body weight) just after workout gives your body the amino acids required for muscle recovery and growth.

Glycogen is used as a fuel by body therefore eating carbohydrates (1.1 – 1.5 gm/kg body weight) within 30 minutes of workout helps in glycogen re-synthesis. A combination of both carbs and proteins helps in maximizing protein and glycogen synthesis.

Don’t shy away from including some fat in your meal as well. A little bit of it will not harm your recovery. In fact, fat is required by your body to absorb all the fat soluble vitamins.

Last but not the least, you should keep yourself hydrated always. As drinking enough water will help in better recovery and next day’s performance.

What Should You Eat After a Workout?

  • Brown bread and Peanut butter
  • Egg whites and toast
  • Chocolate milkshake (Avoid sugar if you are aiming at weight loss)
  • Chicken, brown rice and veggies
  • Quinoa with plenty of veggies or like a salad
  • Sweet potato
  • Cornflakes and milk
  • Banana milkshake
  • Fruit smoothie – Fruit of your favourite choice + Yogurt
  • Salad containing seeds like chia, sunflower and flax seeds

Don’t let social isolation or self-quarantine hamper your routine! Try these foods after a good home workout to strengthen your body and your immunity. If you need guidance for home workouts or more tips to build your immunity, tune in to LIVE classes on GOQii Play.

Let’s get stronger and #BeTheForce against COVID-19 together. 

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Social Distancing & What You Need To Do!

social distancingMissing out on your daily diet of social interactions? Feeling anxious and irritated about being cooped up at home? Well, we have no choice but to adhere to the directive that has been put out in the wake of the recent widespread and rapid outbreak of the Coronavirus infection across the world, including India.

As few states and cities across India confront the rapid spread of COVID-19 cases, doctors say that the next two weeks is the mitigation phase of the outbreak. The virus has already spread into our communities, so now, the idea is to mitigate or reduce the risk and damage from the disease.

Newspapers, TV channels and social media are abuzz with updates revolving around COVID-19. Schools, colleges, gyms, clubs and religious places of worship have been shut till the end of the month. Public gatherings have been banned and most businesses have asked their employees to work from home.

In the wake of all this, the buzzword doing the rounds is Social Distancing. A phrase that has never seen mention in normal course but since the past week, it has been drilled into our heads constantly, reminding us to maintain distance from one and all. Social Distancing is going to be the key phrase that is going to remain for the next few weeks to come.

What is Social Distancing?

In simple terms, it means maintain distance or avoid contact with another individual. In the current scenario, it refers to staying away from another individual so as to avoid catching the virus yourself and to also avoid passing it on.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one should maintain at least 1 meter (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing because when someone coughs or sneezes, they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain the virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has been infected.

Lots of us might be relatively healthy or so think we are and hence feel that we might be able to withstand the rigors of an infection, but there is a concern about spreading it to vulnerable individuals and also the pressure it can put on our healthcare system if we are unable to stop the spread.

According to doctors and also directive by WHO, everyone has to practice social distancing as it helps to stop or slow the spread of infectious diseases. It means less contact between you and other people. Social distancing is critical at this point in time as COVID-19 is spreading fast and how.

It is spreading through:

  • Direct close contact with a person while they are infected or in the 24 hours before their symptoms appeared
  • Close contact with a person with a confirmed infection who coughs or sneezes
  • Touching objects or surfaces (such as door handles or tables) contaminated from a cough or sneeze from a person with confirmed infection, and then touching your mouth or face

According, to doctors staying home as much as possible, even if you believe you aren’t infected, is the type of altruistic decision that, when performed en masse, has the potential to slow the infection rate. When you maintain social distance as recommended, the harder it is for the virus to spread.

What Should One Do? 

It is all about getting back to simple actions that can help reduce the risk to you and others.

  • Staying away from people if you are sick. In the current COVID-19 scenario stay more than 1 meter from people). When at home and if you are sick, ensure you are inside your room – that is the most important thing you can do.
  • Practicing good hand and sneeze/cough hygiene
  • Washing your hands frequently with soap and water, before and after eating, and after going to the toilet
  • Cover your cough and sneeze, dispose of tissues, and use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, 
  • Regularly disinfect high touch surfaces, such as tables, kitchen floor, and tables and doorknobs
  • Increase ventilation in the home by opening windows or adjusting the air conditioning
  • Visit shops sparingly and buy more goods and services online
  • Consider whether outings and travel, both individual and family, are sensible and necessary

All these simple things if followed well during social distancing will help slow the spread of disease in the community. Think of this as an ethical and moral obligation towards our society and curb your activities, practice social distancing and substitute it with safer alternatives such as was video calls, skype, hangout meetings and calls instead of in-person meetings. Let us all work towards and support our Government and our doctors who are tirelessly working towards containing the spread of COVID-19.

For more information about the Coronavirus, building immunity and home workouts during social isolation or self-quarantine, visit GOQii Play. You can also purchase N95 Masks and sanitizers from the GOQii Health Store within the App.

#BeTheForce 

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