kids health Archives

July 21, 2021 By Megna Khanna Leave a Comment

Effective Tips To Motivate Your Child To Exercise

Obesity in children has become a common occurrence. At an age when the body needs to be built in a healthy way, diseases like obesity become a risk for a healthy future. As per Indian culture, till the child comes of age, practically all the decisions of their life are taken by their parents. In such a scenario, if the parents themselves do not know the importance of a healthy lifestyle, how will they encourage their children to follow it? So, before children, parents need to be educated regarding the importance of exercise for children. As these formative years are the building blocks for a healthy lifestyle, it is important to guide and motivate your child to exercise.

How Does Exercise Help Children?

Physical activity helps children sleep better and handle physical as well as emotional challenges more effectively resulting in control/check of weight, hypertension, cholesterol, sugar and also chronic diseases like cancer and anxiety. It further improves psychological well being, self-confidence and self-esteem. Training children to exercise regularly at an early age helps them grow up to be disciplined adults.

Tips To Motivate Your Child To Exercise

The most effective way to train children to exercise is by practicing what we preach and be a role model by including regular physical activity in our own lives.

Besides arranging family picnics, hiking expeditions, morning/evening walks and other sports and games, one can also add activity by walking or riding bicycles instead of driving, using stairs instead of elevators, helping in housework and gardening.
Another effective way to encourage children to get active is by praising them for their efforts. Instead of making them compete, they should be encouraged to cooperate with others and excel in their own records, as competition with others can lead to teasing, bullying and a sense of public failure and embarrassment. Children are more sensitive than average grownups and need all the support and encouragement to try again once they fumble or fail, which is a common phenomenon in case of children. Instead of nagging or negative comments, parents should become their cheerleaders.
Children love the company of their friends; it is a good idea to encourage them to invite their like minded friends over for a game or an excursion. If a child likes a team sport, they should be encouraged for the same. But here too, the focus should be on fitness, fun and learning new skills and not on competition as this can remove the fun from the activity and many children get discouraged by it.
Exercise and activity should come as a reward after a homework well done rather than as punishment by forcing a child to run laps or do pushups after a mistake or some mischief played by them as this may backfire and the child may start hating exercise and activity.
Often children are so overburdened with homework, private tuitions, and other planned activities that they do not have time for physical activity of their own choice. So think of adding some activity of their choice as an informal fun game rather than a training session.
A variety of games and sports equipment should be left on hand, like an assortment of balls, hula-hoops, and jump ropes, etc. this can make children enjoy the games and activities for hours.
If a child is lazy, they should be given incentives like a favorite food or book for an hour’s activity on a regular basis as this could be a great motivating factor.

We hope the above suggestions help you motivate your child to exercise. As an incentive to exercise and to monitor their health, you can also gift them the GOQii Smart Vital Jr. which could be a huge motivational factor for your child to take their health seriously. With a personal coach and a pediatrician on board, you can rest assured that your child’s health is in safe hands!

For more tips of kid’s health and nutrition, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to sessions by experts on GOQii Play. For more effective tips on kid’s health, weight loss, home workouts, etc. speak directly to your GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

July 17, 2021 By Neha Sharma Leave a Comment

Healthy Recipes For Kids: Healthy Twist on Snacks & Sweets

As mentioned in the previous article of Healthy Recipes For Kids, We spoke about the aspects of healthy eating for children not being different from adults. We need the right nutrients in the right quantities. Here, we’ve got some healthy recipes for a snack and a sweet that we’re sure your child will enjoy.

Healthy Recipes For Kids

1. Healthy Mathari

What you will need:

Wheat flour – 200 gm
Roasted Gram flour – 50 gm
Amaranth seed flour – 50 gm
Semolina – 20 gm
Desi ghee – 4 tbsp
Salt – a per taste
Dry fenugreek leaves – ½ tsp
Asafetida (Hing) – 1/4th tsp
Roasted Muskmelon seeds powder – 2 tsp
Roasted Sunflower seeds powder – 2 tsp
Carom seeds – 1 tsp

Method of preparation:

Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl and add hot melted ghee. Gently mix all the ingredients until ghee spreads all over the flour.
Knead the dough with lukewarm milk to provide a soft texture
Keep it aside for half an hour.
Roll out a big chapati and cut desired shapes with a cookie cutter as it appeals to kids.
These Mathari or salted cookies can be baked or fried on a low flame.
These serve as a good snack at the evening hours with milk, juices or smoothies.

2. Jaggery Protein Chikki/Laddoo

What you will need:

Almonds – 50 gm
Walnuts – 50 gm
Sunflower seeds – 20 gm
Pumpkin seeds – 20 gm
Muskmelon seeds – 20 gm
Fox nuts – 50 gm
Rolled oats – 30 gm
Dates – 6-7 in number
Jaggery – 200 gm
White pepper powder – ½ tsp
Poppy seeds – 30 gm

Method of preparation

Roast all the ingredients separately without jaggery, dates & pepper powder
Make a coarse powder by adding dates
Melt jaggery on low flame. Once melted, start adding the white pepper powder
Mix all ingredients gently
Ladoos can be rolled from this mixture on slight cooling or chikki can be made by spreading the mixture on greased plate.
These high protein chikkis or ladoos can be combined with breakfast or the evening snack

Benefits of These Recipes

These matharis are rich in protein and contain seeds. Seeds are a compact source of many nutrients and generally kids don’t want to eat these seeds, so this is an easier way to get your kids to eat them.
Jaggery laddoo or chikki is a power pack compact source of many nutrients, rich in protein, iron and white pepper powder is very good for the eyes.
These snacks are much much better than the usual chips, mixtures and other unhealthy snacks.

We hope you enjoy these Healthy Recipes For Kids. Do try them out, upload your pics on social media or the GOQii Arena and tag us! For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to cooking sessions on GOQii Play.

To get more advice on recipes, nutrition and diet tips for kids, subscribe to GOQii and ask your GOQii Coach: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Eat Healthy, Stay Home, Stay Safe and #BeTheForce

July 3, 2021 By Neha Sharma Leave a Comment

Healthy Recipes For Kids: Healthy Twist On Pizza & Rolls

There is a saying that “In all this world, there is nothing so beautiful as a happy child,” by L. Frank Baum. We can define happiness in many terms but for a child, a healthy child is the happiest one. Healthy eating is very important for the overall growth and development of a child. Albeit, it is not a one off process, it has to develop from early childhood. It protects children from many chronic diseases, builds immunity and keeps them happy and healthy in the long run. Aspects of healthy eating for children are not different from adults. Both need the right nutrients in the right quantities. Keeping that in mind, here are some healthy recipes for kids with a twist!

Healthy Recipes For Kids

1. Healthy Pizza

What You Will Need For Dough:

Wheat flour – 150 gm
Boiled & mashed Spinach – 50 gm
Boiled & mashed beetroot – 50 gm
Oil – 2 tsp
Salt – ½ tsp

For dressing:

Hung curd – 50 gm
Tomato sauce – 50 gm
Mixed herbs – 1 tsp
Grated carrot – 50 gm
Chopped capsicum – 50 gm
Boiled chopped corns – 50 gm
Finely chopped pieces of Cottage cheese – 100 gm

Method of Preparation

Prepare two dough, one of spinach & other of beetroot by rolling out slightly two big & thick chapattis. These chapatis can be baked or can be cooked like normal one but partially.
Spread one layer of fresh hung curd and one layer of tomato sauce over it.
Spread all the veggies one by one in an interesting manner that appeals to kids.
Sprinkle mixed herbs, salt and some cheese on top of it.
Now this chapati pizza can be cooked/baked in a kadai or an oven for 4-5 min.
Enjoy hot with hung curd sauce or tomato sauce.

2. Tangy Protein Rolls

What You Will Need:

Overnight soaked moong dal – 100 gm
Rice Flour – 2 tsp
Boiled potato – 2 in no.
Boiled & mashed peas – 50 gm
Cottage cheese – 100 gm
Grated carrot – 100 gm
Finely chopped capsicum (all colors) – 100 gm
Finely chopped onion – 50 gm
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 6-7 in no.
Sesame seeds – 1 tsp
Dry mango powder – ½ tsp
Grated fresh coconut – 1-2 tsp
Chopped Cashew and raisins – 1 tsp
Tomato sauce – 2-3 tsp
Salt – ½ tsp
Oil – 2-3 tsp

Method of preparation:

Grind soaked moong daal to a coarse paste and add rice flour and after mixing well, keep it aside for 5-10 min.
In a pan add oil, cumin & mustard seeds, curry leaves and chopped onion. Sauté for a while till it becomes slightly pink in color.
Add all the veggies one by one, dry mango powder, salt, grated coconut, sesame seeds, chopped nuts and properly mix all the ingredients for 2-3 mins.
Roll out the veggie mixture in the form of hotdogs.
Make chilla out of moong dal mixture and put one veggie hot dog in between, apply some tomato sauce and roll out the chilla and it’s ready to curb evening hunger pangs!

Health Benefits Of These Recipes

These are homemade and are absolutely safe for kids.
Pizza is junk and consists of blank calories but this one is super healthy as it consists of many colorful veggies, provides vitamins & minerals and wheat flour chapati with spinach & beetroot is always a healthy option!
In spite of many sauces, if hung curd and tomato sauce is used, it is absolutely good for health.
Moong dal cheela & sesame seeds are rich in protein. Sesame seeds support bone health and when stuffed with healthy filling, there is nothing more perfect than this.
These recipes satisfy the kids’ emotional part as they are colorful and look exactly what they want from the outside.

To get more advice on recipes, nutrition and diet tips for kids, subscribe to GOQii and ask your GOQii Coach: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu

Eat Healthy, Stay Home, Stay Safe and #BeTheForce

June 5, 2021 By GOQii Leave a Comment

With The GOQii Smart Vital Junior You Can #KeepAWatch On Your Child’s Health!

Until recently, it was presumed that children would not be significantly affected by the virus. However, the second wave has changed the manner in which the virus affects people and as speculated by medical experts, the third wave of COVID-19 is likely to affect children too! This is where the GOQii Smart Vital Junior will help as a precautionary measure for parents to #KeepAWatch on the health and wellbeing of their children!

How Does The GOQii Smart Vital Junior Help?

Patients suffering from COVID-19 generally have symptoms such as low oxygen rate and high body temperature. The GOQii Smart Vital Junior tracks both – body temperature and blood oxygen levels (SpO2) to rule out these early symptoms so that care can be provided on time.

Thanks to this device, parents will be able to monitor the health of their kids via the GOQii mobile app and also use it for consulting a GOQii Coach for their kid’s specific health goals/objectives, enrolling their Kids to specialised kid’s workout sessions on GOQii Play, watching Healthy Kids diet shows on GOQii Play and consulting Paediatrician’s LIVE on GOQii Play. Special Brain and Memory games to help with cognitive functions are also available on the GOQii App to make it even more fun and engaging for the kids.

“The pandemic has been really challenging mainly for children as their way of life has been altered in more ways than one,” says our Founder & CEO Vishal Gondal. He further adds that, “In addition, the third wave is being predicted to severely affect kids, hence we took a step forward to launch a service specially designed to keep the vitals of kids in check. It will help with prompt diagnosis resulting in timely treatment while also monitoring other health related aspects like kids’ health goals, online paediatrician consultations and kids’ workout sessions. With a view to provide holistic benefits for kids’ health and wellness, we are also happy to announce our partnership with Sri Sri Tattva where kids’ immunity boosting products along with nutrition options for the whole family will be made available on GOQii Store.”

Commenting on the collaboration, Mr Arvind Varchaswi, Managing Director, Sri Sri Tattva said – “We are very happy to partner with GOQii for this wonderful initiative. This comes at the right time when scientists suggest that there can be another wave affecting the younger age group. Since thousands across the world have benefited from the clinically tested Sri Sri Tattva Immunity Kit, our team of doctors have now put together an Immunity Kit specially for children. These include products, whose efficacy has been proven through research and studies, will now be available on the GOQii store, for the benefit of its customers.”

The available products include the Morning Family nutrition pack, immunity building kits and immunity booster drops that cater to the entire family’s needs especially during a time when immunity boosting is the best way to prevent yourselves from the coronavirus infection. These products are available on the GOQii Health Store within the GOQii App.

GOQii Smart Vital Junior is designed specially for kids with a colourful display and straps that are made with materials gentle to the skin and to fit their wrists. Apart from this, the features also include:

Continuous body temperature monitoring
Continuous heart rate (HR) monitoring
Measuring blood oxygen levels (SpO2)
Sleep Tracking
18 exercise modes

…and much more!

You can order the GOQii Smart Vital Junior from the GOQii App. It is also available on online platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart. It is recommended to be used for screening purposes only. All data collected by GOQii is subjected to HIPAA, GDPR and relevant data privacy guidelines. The GOQii Smart Vital Junior is priced in India at INR 4999/-

Keep a Watch on Your Kids’ Health and help them #BeTheForce