GOQii

Blog

By 8 Comments

Mind It: Eat slowly, do not gobble down

mindful eating

I had just about done with my daily routine of a brisk walk in a park. And, I hear some noises- what is it that I hear…it was my stomach growling. Sending me hunger cues and reminding me that I should be eating something. And, yes I was so hungry that I could probably eat a horse.

I quickly walked up to the nearest café to grab some snacks so I could calm down my growling stomach. While I was awaiting my order, I started to look around the café. One of the best things to while you are alone in a café is to observe others sitting there.  What do I see?

I see this young man eating at breakneck speed. Probably he was in a hurry to just grab some food and rush out to work. While he was eating a break neck speed he was also fidgeting with his phone. Ain’t we all good at multitasking of this nature? As he was eating he also managed to engage himself in few calls. If he could do that to me it came across as he wasn’t in such a hurry as it seemed! Then I thought to myself why would somebody be eating at such a speed? Probably, just a habit I thought to myself!

This is true though. There are many people whom I know have developed these fast eating habits. They are most often in a hurry to get over and done with their food to get away from the table. Most often one develops these habits during childhood and it continues through your adulthood.

But, let me tell you that gobbling down the food quickly without realizing what just went in, does no good to your body. In fact, eating too fast could nearly double your risk of being overweight or obese. A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association shows that women aged 40-50 years who eat the quickest are more likely to be obese than slow eaters.

Once you start eating, it takes about 20 minutes for the “stop eating” signal to reach your brain. Fast eating overrides the mechanism of stimulating the satiety center in the brain. Thus, if you eat too quickly or say within 20 minutes, you tend to overfill your stomach and overeat, paving way for overweight and obesity and other related disorders.

Rather than thinking about food in terms of number of calories and nutrients, it would be more beneficial if you eat it mindfully. Eating slowly, chewing the food thoroughly, and savoring every bite of it are some important aspects of Mindful eating which contribute to your health in several ways.

Digestion: chewing well promotes the release of salivary enzymes in the mouth which in turn start off the digestion process, thus making your further digestion smoother and simple. Hence it is said that slower you eat, the faster and more efficiently you metabolize the food.

Portion control leading to weight control: Portion control is easily achieved when you slowdown your pace of eating. When you eat slowly you become aware of when you stomach gets full and you also know how much to serve yourself and when to stop. Portion size and eating speed can be well explained through the famous ‘French Paradox’ which says that despite high intake of calorie rich and fatty foods in France as compared to the US, the incidence of heart disease  and overweight is relatively low in France. It is well documented fact that the French eat much slower than the Americans thus ending up taking smaller portions. Sensible eating therefore works miraculously for the weight-watchers.

Taste and Enjoying: Eating sensibly also involves relishing your food thoroughly by feeling the flavour on your palate. Sensible eating lets you experience the textures and the aroma of the food overall, making it a wonderful experience focused more on the impression and less on the health effects of eating.

In an age which is clouded by distractions, sensible or mindful eating gets difficult for many. It requires a conscious effort on an individual’s part to make sure that he or she is eating in an environment which is less distractive. To enable yourself eat mindfully, ensure that you are away from the television, mobile phones and other devices so that the focus is completely drawn towards eating. You can have some soft music playing in the background to make the eating experience more delightful.

When you eat, JUST EAT! Be mindful and Stay Healthy.

By 3 Comments

What is Coaching, Anyway?

fitness-trainer-north-hollywood

GOQii’s mission is to provide global access to health professionals who can help you to reach your best health potential. To do that, GOQii has cultivated a community of health coaches to help you on your journey towards better health habits and (by extension) a better quality of life.

Just one thing, though….

What is a health coach?

Is it, like…a guy who is going to blow a whistle at me and tell me what to do throughout the day?

Nope.

Oh…so it’s someone who is just going to tell me what to eat and when?

Not….exactly…no.

Well – what the heck is a health coach, then?

Coaching is a relatively new vocation so far as vocations go. A purist working in an organization like the International Coaching Federation would say that coaching is:“A professional who will partner with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”

Huh?

Basically…using this definition – a coach is intended to facilitate a relationship whereby YOU make the decisions about what goals YOU want to commit to. The coach is there to help ask the right questions to help you land on the appropriate goal. The coach is there to provide insights about the patterns he/she notices about what you are doing now. Finally, the coach is there to provide accountability for you by checking in on you regularly and asking about the goals you set in motion.

They use skills like Motivational Interviewing (an evidence based approach that helps people navigate confusion and ambivalence about changes they want to make in life) as well as visualization exercises and Socratic questioning.

So..then…what is a health coach?

A Health Coach is someone who integrates the skills and techniques of coaching (motivational interviewing, socratic questioning, etc.) alongside health education (giving you information that you may not know in order to help you make habit changes that are appropriate for the kinds of results you want to have).

Your GOQii coach is a health coach. They are trained health professionals who are qualified to give you information if you need it. BUT -the philosophy we follow, here, at GOQii is as follows:

  • Most people actually already know what to do – the challenge is in implementing it. They really just need accountability
  • Health isn’t about revamping your entire nutrition plan or following complex exercise routines all at once. It’s about making sustainable changes over time that turn into life-long habits and evolve into robust health in the long-term.
  • YOU know what you need better than anyone. Our job as your coach isn’t so much to tell you what to do as it is to help you unlock your own potential.
  • Yes – occasionally, you really do need some information. You might have read an article about health that confused you. You might not be sure about the next best step. If that is the case – we can and will help you by providing options for first steps – but at the end of the day, YOU are in charge. YOU decide.

So What Will Your First Coaching Call Look Like? 

  1. First, your coach will ask you what your long-term BIG PICTURE goal looks like.
    • What do you want to see change in the next year?
    • What kinds of people do you envision spending your time with?
    • What kinds of actions do you want to be doing?
    • EXAMPLE: “I want to be able to run a marathon by the end of the year.” or “I want to lose 40 pounds by the end of the year.”
  2. Second, your coach will ask you your
    • What will that change get you that you don’t have now?
    • What is motivating you to make that change?
    • EXAMPLE: “I used to love  I felt empowered by it. And lately, I haven’t felt very empowered. I want to feel that way again.” Or “I want to lose some weight so that my knees don’t hurt as much. I am struggling to keep up with my little 3-year old. I want to be able to play and run and hide and seek right along with her. I feel like my current weight is making that challenging for me because exercise is causing me physical pain.”
  3. Third, your coach will get you to identify a check-point to try and commit to in the next month.
    • In the next month, what would indicate to you that you were moving in the right direction?
    • How far do you want to try and be toward that long term goal by the end of the month?
    • EXAMPLE: “I want to be able to run at least 2 miles without stopping.” Or – “I would really like to have lost at least a couple of pounds by the end of the month.”
  4. Fourth, your coach will help you to take that goal and frame it into actions. It’s one thing to say you want to run a marathon. But that takes practice. Sure you might want to lose weight. But both of those things are Now you need to figure out which actions you want to take to get you there!
    • What is a specific action that you can take between now and next week that will move you toward your monthly check-point?
    • How will you monitor your progress on that?
    • How might you arrange your environment to optimize your success?
    • Who will you recruit as your support for that goal?
    • How will you reward yourself every time you engage in this behavior?
    • EXAMPLE: “I will make a commitment to run 20 minutes per day at least twice this week. I’m not sure, yet, how long I can go without stopping. But I will run/walk both times and push myself as far as I am comfortable. To monitor my progress, I’ll check in with the GOQii app and check it off on the list when I have completed my task. In order to assure that I run….I will put my running clothes out the night before so that I do it first thing in the morning. I’ll keep my GOQii coach for support, and I will reward myself after my run by allowing myself a download of a song on my music device or will download a new audiobook every time I complete the weekly goal.
  5. Fifth – your coach will wind up the conversation by summarizing what you have committed to. He or she will ask if you have any questions or are in need of any resources. Perhaps you are looking for some workout videos that are free. Or maybe you are looking for a quick and easy breakfast recipe that you might look at after your run. Whatever the case, your coach can help point you in the right direction and hold you accountable. And after wrapping up, your coach will set a follow-up appointment with you for the following month.
  6. Finally – your coach will follow up with you every day during the week via text to make sure you have all that you need. If you have questions along the way, you can reach out. If you feel like you’re struggling to find the motivation, your coach can help you identify what will get you back in the game.

Make no mistake – You are always the one in the driver’s seat. But your coach is there to be your copilot along the way. Your coach will help guide you along your journey and hold you accountable to the habits you want to put in place in order to get to the destination you ultimately want to get to.

Good luck – and Be The Force!

By 4 Comments

Know about ‘PROCESSED’ foods and its harmful effects

425-food-bad-effects-of-fast-foods

Processed foods are something we humans cannot seem to stay away from. What starts with saying “once in a while,” invariably becomes an addiction that cannot be given up easily.

Why are they so hard to refuse? First off…the term ‘Processed foods’ can be a bit ambiguous. It can encompass foods that is commercially prepared to ease their consumption. Given that vague definition…it’s important to note that not all the processed food are bad. Some foods, for example,are “processed” mechanically and are still considered “whole foods.” One good example of this would be like packed, chopped vegetables, fruits cut and packed would be another example. In their own juices are few examples.

For the purposes of this article, we are referring to foods that are industrially processedand chemically altered in a fairly significant way.

In other words, the foods we are concerned about include:

  • Instant noodles (& please keep in mind..am not just talking about maggi!!)
  • Chips such as potato chips.
  • Pretzels
  • Beverages such as soft drinks, juices
  • Fast food
  • Candies,
  • Cookies
  • Canned products such as soups and pasta
  • All ready to cook food items like ready to cook soup packets, oats, and pasta
  • Packaged mixes like cake mixes, mac & cheese, brownie mixes and different gravymixes

In other words, when I say “processed food” I’m primarily referring to those foods considered “junk food.”

But It’s Just Food. What Could Possibly be the harm in Eating Food?

It’s a fair question to ask. After all…why should we avoid them if our FDA has approvedall these products in the market and deemed them “safe” for consumption?

Well…the thing is “safe” is a relative term. The FDA has found it to be true that none of these foods will kill you on the spot but that doesn’t mean they won’t cause cumulative harm in the long term. Nor does it mean it won’t disrupt your health…

Here is why you should run away from all these devils…

A) TRANS-FATS: (http://goqii.com/blog/trans-fat-the-biggest-enemy-of-your-heart/)

This should be the single most pressing reason for you to leave all your favorite noodles and chips.. But what are Trans-Fats, anyway?

  • Trans-fats are the hydrogenated oils which after processing act as saturated fats. Have youever noticed that vegetable oils are liquid? But butter is solid? A trans-fat is a fat that began as aliquid, but by changing the chemical structure of the oil, became a hardened fat. Think…margarine.
  • They are considered as the most dangerous fats more harmful than saturated fats.
  • They increases the levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and decreases good cholesterol (HDL) thus making you more prone to heart diseases,hypertension.

SO WHY FDA IS ALLOWING THEM IN THE FOOD?

Yes, FDA has made it mandatory for all the food companies to mention trans-fat levels on their nutritional labels.But a ‘zero’ level of trans-fat doesn’t indicate that the product is completely trans-fat free.The products which contain trans-fat below 0.5g are free permitted to omit or to market it as ‘trans-fat free’,So, a product which is containing 0.4g of trans fat can claim is as ‘trans-fat’ free…But 0.4 g is a significant level to be harmful (at least cumulatively)and, moreover, we don’t stop with a single serving of these items.

How often have you foundyourself opening a bag of potato chips only to find you have dug your way through half the bag?That’s well over a single serving. And that double serving will for sure make a huge impact.. Thus, even if a package says it is “free of trans fats” – check the ingredient list. Make sure it doesn’t say “hydrogenated oils” in the list. Any hydrogenated oil is a trans-fat.

WHICH FOODS CONTAIN TRANS-FATS?

You’re most likely to find them in processed foods which are either fried or processed in fat or oil. Trans-fats tend to be cheaper to make, so you’ll also find them in low-cost foods like instant noodles,chips, and ready- to- make flour mixes. Another section to keep an eye on is in the bakery. They are often put in cookies, cakes,and breads made in stores. Trans-fats can help preserve these foods longer, so it makes for a useful ingredient for those making them behind the scenes.

B) SUGAR: (http://goqii.com/blog/are-you-a-sugar-addict/). Most of the processed foods contain very high amount of sugar. In many cases, a single serving of these packaged foods contain a sugar amount that is higher than the recommended daily intake of sugar. That’s right. That one serving of cake from the store may have more than the total daily amount of sugar that you should consume.

For example. A half litreof coke contains 70g of sugar..this means you are taking in

12-14 teaspoons of sugar you are drinking in one go!!! Why should you worry about this?

Read this earlier blog on Sugary drinks: (http://goqii.com/blog/hidden-dangers-of-sugary-drinks/) Well…high amounts of sugar in our diet is linked with Diabetes, heart disease and even cancer.That’s true even if you stay lean and manage your weight.

A study published in the British Medical Journal finds that people in the habit of drinking one sugar-sweetened beverage — such as a soda or sweetened tea — every day had an 18 percent increased risk of developing the disease over a decade. That’s compared with people who steer clear of sugary beverages.

C) SODIUM: (http://goqii.com/blog/salty-facts/)

We derive our daily sodium dose from the common salt we use in our kitchen. As we all know, there are harmful side effects associated with an excess dose of sodium including hypertension,water retention, and kidney dysfunction.We should take sodium in limited amounts.

The upper safe limit to take sodium is 2200 mg/day …which we are able to get from whole food sources such as meats, beans, dairy, grains and even some vegetables.

Almost all the processed foods contain relatively high amounts of sodium. It makes sense! Doing so increases the flavor as well as the shelf life of the product. That’s great news for the company trying to sell the food…and but, as a single serving of most of these products often cover more than half of your recommended daily intake, it’s not really good news for you or for your health.

D) FIBER CONTENT: (http://goqii.com/blog/finding-health-through-fiber/) Most processed foods lose their fiber contents during all those chemical processes. Fiber makes the food harder to cook. Removing it makes their preparation easier. Again – that is great for the food industry, but it’s NOT so good for your health. They turn a profit. All you are left with are empty calories without any nutritional value.

Bottom Line:

Almost all the junk foods are devoid of any nutritional value,contain very harmful substances (or substances in higher amounts than our bodies need) making you prone to different life style diseases like hypertension,obesity,cardiac disorders and type 2 diabetes.

So stay away from them and go for real food!!

By 1 Comment

8 Foods you should include in your Pre-Workout Meal

Untitled

Most people who work out regularly are very particular about their body and fitness levels. However,one of the main questions that they constantly battle within themselves is whether to feed or fast before a workout?For your body to continue performing well, you’ve got to fuel up-and that means eating the right foods before your workout. Not eating before a workout can result in low blood sugar, which leads to fatigue.

Manuel Villacorta, R.D., author of Eating Free and Peruvian Power Foods says, “If I don’t have my pre-exercise meal, my workout isn’t the same and it feels like a waste.” “If you fuel correctly, you will work out harder,” he adds.

Here are some Pre work out food options :

We are well aware that protein is vital for muscle growth and carbs are crucial for energy.But, certain foods are better than others for fueling up your body before you work out. After all, you use different muscles and burn out different levels of calories depending on if you’re lifting, doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) or doing cardio.

Eating clean prior will give you the pump to rip up that work out. You should ideally eat at least 1 hour before the work out. This will do three things: sustain energy, boost your performance and speed up the recovery process.

Pre-workout food needs to have carbohydrates, some protein and some fat, to get you through longer workouts by providing you with energy. It also has to be light enough so that it doesn’t weigh you down or make you lethargic.

  1. FRUITS

Fruits- mainly Banana and Apple are one of the most perfect pre workout food as they are loaded with digestible carbs, packed with minerals such as potassium and fiber which helps to maintain both nerve and muscle function. According to Dr. Louise Burke, head of Sports Nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport and coauthor of The Complete Guide to Food for Sports Performance: Peak Nutrition for Your Sport, Bananas are nature’s Power Bar. They are also linked in lowering the blood pressure, boosting the alertness, etc.The carbs from fruits break down quickly and the protein is used later to prevent the damage of muscle.

  1. PEANUT BAR

Peanut bar is a perfect pre workout snack if you’re hitting the gym straight from work/office, as these are portable and energizing yet wholesome. It provides carbs to fuel up your muscles and is rich in fiber, protein, necessary fats, etc. It will keep your stomach satisfied and the energy levels up.

  1. GREEK YOGURT

It has double the amount of protein than a regular yogurt, has fewer carbs, sodium, and sugars, making it a pre-workout supplement power house. Unless you’re lactose intolerant, it is very easy on the stomach. What you get is a mix of fast and slow digesting proteins, which provide muscle-building amino acids while you work out.  You can add fruit, whole-grain cereal or honey, for an extra kick of energy.

  1. AVOCADO

For a sustained workout, eating an avocado just a few hours prior can provide valuable and healthy fat for that energy boost when depletion of carbohydrates occur. A small avocado is enoughsince you don’t need a lot of fat. But, don’t be afraid of this kind of fat. Avocado also contains vitamins that help your body metabolize all those healthy carbs and proteins you’ve been packing away.

  1. NUTS & SEEDS

Munching nuts and seeds is the best for pre-workout nutrition as they cover all your macronutrient bases, having carbs, protein, and fat. Eating a few nuts/seeds during a sustained workout can also provide a boost of energy to keep you going during endurance activities. I personally love chia seeds, as they’re loaded with omega-3 fats for sustained energy, protein, and antioxidants. Having these just a few hours before a long, intense workout can really help in fueling up. You can even have them during sustained activity such as trekking or cycling to get a boost of energy.

  1. ALMOND BUTTER/ PEANUT BUTTER

High in protein and unsaturated fats, Almond butter and peanut butter are great for your pre-workout meal. They are minimally processed with few added sugars and also has double the cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fat. Moreover, almonds can protect against insulin resistance and prediabetes. Spread Almond/Peanut butter on a slice of wholegrain bread for a long, slow-burning energy supply.

  1. OATS

They are packed with fiber and you must be aware of why fiber is important for your diet. Slowly releasing glucose into the bloodstream without the insulin spike, and B vitamins boosts metabolic conversion, oatmeal gives you satiation and sustained energy. Steel-cut oats are the least processed as they are finely chopped. Ready-to-cook or instant oats are precooked, dried and mostly contain added sugar. So swap that instant oats pack with steel-cut oats.

  1. WHOLEGRAIN BREAD

Wholegrain bread is a very good source of carbs. And, you can top it up with honey, low fat spread like almond butter, or eggs for high quality protein supplement etc. This means it has flexible partners. If you’re to hit the gym during lunch hours, eat this about 45 minutes before you head out.

Plan your exercise for the day, add some pre-workout supplements and nosh on these foods to fuel up your body to give your best during the workout.

So, how are you fueling up today?

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 […]