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Planks: The Quick and Easy Way to Stay Fit!

Benefits of Planks

With everyone’s busy schedule, even squeezing in a 15 minute workout seems like a stretch. Quite honestly, we all want to be fit, lose weight, gain muscle, reduce belly fat or increase stamina and so on, but very rarely find the time to do it. In such a scenario, it is necessary to think about which workouts consume less time but are more effective. There are many exercises that you can perform at any time, anywhere and with no equipment. One such workout is Planks.

Planks strengthen your mid-section, upper-body and lower-body muscles along with the front of your body. It also strengthens the inner core muscles that support your joints. At a time, it works on all your core muscles. It can also help you improve posture, balance and overall fitness.

How To Hold A Plank

  • Lie face down with forearms on the floor and hands clasped
  • Extend your legs behind the body and rise up on the toes
  • Keeping your back straight, tighten the core and hold the position for 30-60 seconds (or as long as you can)

Plank Variations and How to Perform Them

There are different variations for the plank which are a little difficult to perform. Let’s explore them!

  1. Side Plank: Roll to the side and come up on one foot and elbow. Make sure your hips are lifted and the core is engaged. Hang tight for 30-60 seconds (or as long as you can)
  2. Reverse Plank: Start by sitting on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Place your palms on the floor, below your shoulders, squeeze your buttocks and thighs, and then push your body up into a reverse plank position. Alternatively, you can begin by placing your elbows rather than your hands on the floor, for a less dramatic lift. Keep your body in a straight diagonal line from your shoulders to heels. Ensure that your hips are in line
  3. Dynamic Prone Plank: Starting with a standard plank position, raise the hips as high as they can go and then lower them back down. Continue this movement for as long as possible. Make sure the Back stays straight and the hips don’t droop.
  4. Plank to Push-Up: Starting in a plank position, place down one hand at a time to lift up into a push-up position, with the back straight and the core engaged. Then, move one arm at a time back into the plank position (forearms on the ground). Repeat alternating the arm that makes the first move
  5. Jumping Jack Planks: There are planks, and then there are planks with pop! Start in a traditional plank (shoulders over the wrists and the body in one straight line) but keep your feet together. Then, simply do jumping jacks with the legs, moving them out to the sides, then back together. Aim for 12-15 hops (out and in is one)

Fun Fact: Just by holding a plank for 30 secs a day, you can make your core stronger. It also helps you lose fat!

One word of caution is being careful when performing planks. Overdoing it could lead to injury. This is important if you have back pain or an injury. If you’re trying it for the first time, get into it slowly and gradually till you can hold the plank for longer duration. The duration can be increased with  practice.

Points to Remember

  • Keep breathing while doing the Plank. In essence, don’t hold your breath
  • Ensure that your hips, head or shoulders do not drop
  • Don’t place your hands very close, it can create internal rotation and instability in your shoulder joint
  • Try to hold the Plank in a proper position for a short duration rather than holding it in a wrong position for a longer time

What do you think? Try out planks and its variations and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

For more on Fitness, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions on GOQii PRO within the GOQii App, where you can get one-on-one guidance in real time by certified fitness experts.

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Beat the Heat With Simple Lifestyle Changes!

lifestyle changes for summer

If you’re a kid, summer has to be the most awaited season for you as it spells the beginning of vacations! As an adult, there are many things you need to worry about. There are things such as dehydration, heatstroke and a few other precautions you need to maintain whether you’re indoors or outdoors.

What Happens to Your Body During Summer?

Your body undergoes so many changes in the heat. For instance:

  • Heatstroke: Puts pressure on your heart
  • Dehydration: Causes your brain to shrink, causes headaches, confusion, itchy eyes, heart palpitations and sleep issues
  • Muscle cramps and lethargy: because your body uses energy to lower your body temperature
  • Itchiness: under or around the eyes, around your body because of sweat being stuck under your skin
  • Nausea: due to the rise in body temperature
  • Low blood pressure as your heart has to work harder to supply blood to the body due to the heat.

The above issues can be fixed or avoided by adopting very simple lifestyle changes to beat the heat!

1. Hair Care

Your scalp sweats more during summer. Your hair may become frizzy and dry. While washing your hair every day might seem like a good idea, it may remove natural oils from your scalp which might result in dandruff and hair loss. You can try massaging your head to increase blood flow to your hair roots. Wash your hair every alternate day.

2. Face and Skincare

The sun’s harmful UV Rays may damage your skin resulting in brown spots, tanning and wrinkles if proper care isn’t taken. It is imperative to avoid the sun between 10 am to 2 pm as the temperature is quite high at noon. If you must venture out, use a sunscreen and appropriate protection to avoid any damage.

The best time to venture out during summer is either early in the morning or late evening as exposure to the sun is also important to strengthen bones and improve immunity as well as correcting sleep and mood.

3. Clothing

Choosing the right clothes will help you deal with the summer heat properly! Light colors are the way to go. Avoid dark colors and stick to cotton clothes or khadi which has the ability to absorb heat and cool down by itself. Avoid silk, nylon and other fabrics that absorb heat and store it.

4. Hydration

This is the key to stay healthy during summer! As mentioned above, dehydration can cause a lot of health issues. Drink at least 2-3 liters of water a day. Always have a bottle of water handy and keep sipping even if you aren’t thirsty.

You can also opt for coconut water, fresh fruit juices, sugarcane juice, herbal iced tea, buttermilk, or yoghurt. You can make your own natural drink by adding salt, a piece of jaggery, basil seeds, or mint/lemon drops to your water to replenish your body with electrolytes.

Foods That Help You Beat the Heat

  • Watermelon: When your body needs hydration, watermelon is the fruit to go to! It contains 90% water, is rich in Vitamin A and C. It helps you stay hydrated, protects your heart circulating system and acts against muscle and headaches.
  • Cucumber: acts as a natural body coolant, reducing body heat. It also helps you stay hydrated as it contains 95% water and it is rich in copper, potassium, vitamin B, C, K and Manganese.
  • Onion: One must carry an onion in a pocket to beat the summer heat. Onion acts as a body coolant by helping the body temperature cool down quickly and prevent a heat stroke. It can be consumed raw or added to a salad which can protect you from many diseases and infections. If you face nose bleeding issues during summer, inhale an onion to stop the bleeding.
  • Coconut Water: is loaded with Vitamin A, C and minerals like potassium, calcium, manganese and magnesium. It helps you stay hydrated with these essentials nutrients.
  • Basil Seeds: These small seeds have wonderful cooling effects. It improves hair and skin health and prevents diseases due to its anti-inflammation, antioxidant and antibacterial properties.
  • Yoghurt: strengthens the gut and improves immunity. 2-3 servings of yoghurt or curd can do wonders for your body. To enhance its benefits, add berries to yoghurt or consume either Lassi or buttermilk.
  • Barley Water: with a drop of lemon is an excellent summer coolant. It also cures urinary tract infection. You can either drink this cold or warm to replenish yourself with a good amount of fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Foods to Avoid During Summer

The scorching summer heat affects the digestive system severely. It’s best to avoid certain foods.

  • Junk Foods: can cause indigestion and food poisoning
  • Heaty Foods: Avoid red meats and spices such as nutmeg, chillies, ginger, pepper and cinnamon that generate too much heat
  • Dairy Foods: Skip high fat dairy foods such as cheese or ghee that might upset the stomach. Their high fat content may also result in pimples on the face.
  • Hot Beverages: Avoid tea, coffee and aerated drinks that leave you dehydrated and affect the kidneys.

Incorporate these changes and you’re all geared to beat the heat this Summer! For more summer tips, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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Why Maintaining Gut Health is Important

Maintaining Gut health
Ever heard of the phrase, “You are what you eat?” What if we were to tell you that you are not what you eat but what you digest?” It’s no surprise that almost all diseases begin in the gut. The maintenance of ‘Microflora’ (balance of good bacteria) in the gut is crucial for good health, immunity and even the prevention, healing and recovery from serious diseases like cancer.

Your intestines (gut) contain pounds of good bacteria whose job is to help with the absorption of nutrients from the food you eat. The good bacteria determines the strength of your immunity, regulates weight loss, recovery, healing, colon health, toxicity in the body and several other functions.

As per our India Fit Report, we found that ‘gut health’ is an area of key concern among users. Issues such as acidity, indigestion, constipation, and bloating have seen a steep incline since last year.

Some of the key finds include:

  • 29.6% of India has acidity issues
  • 30.10% women suffered from acidity & indigestion compared to 29.40% men
  • People from Bhubaneshwar (40.2%) and Indore (35%) suffer the most from acidity and indigestion issues
  • More doctors are actively prescribing lifestyle improvements (nutrition, exercise and sleep)

This raises many concerns about India’s health and nutrition. For a healthy lifestyle and to achieve health goals, you need to take care of your gut health first!

Here are a few tips that will help you maintain a strong and healthy gut

  • Include good fiber in your everyday routine which should include raw and cooked vegetables with 2-3 fruits
  • Add a natural probiotic like curd in your diet
  • Walk and get moving, reduce the sitting time through the day
  • Maintain good water intake to flush out toxins and even aid passage of stools to reduce constipation
  • Learn to chew your food thoroughly and not eat on the run

We hope this article gives you a better insight into gut health and how to maintain it. Do check our IndiaFit Report for more insights.

For more articles on gut health, check out Healthy Reads. For tips on how to improve your gut health, speak to a GOQii Coach now by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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Everything You Need to Know About Malaria

Malaria causes, symptoms and prevention

Malaria is a serious, life-threatening and sometimes fatal, disease spread by mosquitoes – Anopheles and caused by a parasite (Plasmodium). Five species of Plasmodium (single-celled parasites) can infect humans and cause illness:

  • Plasmodium falciparum (or P. Falciparum)
  • Plasmodium malariae (or P. Malariae)
  • Plasmodium vivax (or P. Vivax)
  • Plasmodium ovale (or P. Ovale)
  • Plasmodium knowlesi (or P. Knowlesi)

Falciparum Malaria is potentially life-threatening. Patients with severe Falciparum Malaria may develop liver and kidney failure, convulsions, and coma. Although occasionally severe, infections with P. Vivax and P. Ovale generally cause less serious illness, but the parasites can remain dormant in the liver for many months, causing a reappearance of symptoms months or even years later. Plasmodium Ovale is generally not found in India. Plasmodium Malariae is commonly found in tribals, in forests and hilly areas. P. Vivax and Plasmodium Falciparum are found in most parts of India.

Symptoms of Malaria

Malaria has a wide spectrum of symptoms. Along with high fever, shaking chills and sweating, symptoms can include headache, body aches, general weakness, nausea and vomiting. Sometimes complicated or severe malaria affects different body systems which may cause severe anemia, kidney failure, seizures, cardiovascular collapse or low blood sugar.

Modes of Transmission

Generally, it is transmitted through bites from female Anopheles mosquitoes. Besides this, there are other modes of transmission. Because the parasites that cause malaria affect red blood cells, people can also catch it from exposure to infected blood, including: From a mother to an unborn child or through blood transfusion.

Treatment of Malaria

Malaria is treated with prescription drugs to kill the parasite. The types of drugs and the duration of treatment will vary. This depends on:

  • Type of malaria parasites
  • Severity of symptoms
  • Pregnancy.

People who have malaria should drink lots of fluids. Hydration will not treat or cure it, but it will reduce side effects associated with dehydration.

Preventive Measures Against Malaria

Undeniably, the best way to treat malaria is to never catch it in the first place. Thus, avoiding contact with mosquitoes is crucial. To avoid contact use these simple yet effective ways:

  • Using Insecticide Treated Net (ITN) for sleeping can reduce contact between mosquitoes and humans.
  • Another powerful way to reduce transmission is Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) with insecticides. Once or twice in year, spraying can be done inside of housing structures.
  • Apply insect repellent to exposed skin.
  • Clothing that covers most of the exposed skin and shoes that are closed can reduce the risk of bites. Tuck in all clothing. Pants should be tucked into socks to avoid exposure around the ankles. In addition, treating clothes with insecticides can prevent bites even further.
  • Make sure that water is not allowed to stagnate in or around your house where mosquitoes breed.
  • Keep your surroundings clean.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a simple 4 letter tool to help travelers safely prepare for ventures in any corner of the world.

  1. Awareness of Risk: Before you travel, you need to be aware if the place you are heading to has a risk of Malaria.
  2. Bite prevention: Whether you are headed to a high or low-risk area, it is important that you try to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
  3. Chemoprophylaxis: In some areas where there is a risk of Malaria, it is advised that you use anti-malarial medication to reduce your risk of contracting it should you get bitten.
  4. Diagnosis: Prompt diagnosis ensures you get the right treatment when you need it and ultimately, improves your chances.

Although malaria can be a deadly disease, illness and death can usually be prevented if you are prepared for it.

Did we miss out on anything? Would you like to know more? Then subscribe for personalized health coaching and get the right guidance and information from a certified expert here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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