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Simple Daily Rituals for Better Sleep

In our fast-paced, screen-filled world, sleep is often the first thing we sacrifice. Yet, quality rest is essential—not just for feeling energised, but for everything from immunity to blood sugar regulation and emotional wellbeing. The good news? Improving your sleep doesn’t require drastic changes—just a few mindful rituals woven into your day.

This science-backed, easy-to-follow guide will help you reset your body clock and wake up truly refreshed.

Your Morning Matters: Start the Day Right

The journey to better sleep starts the moment you wake up. Morning rituals can help align your circadian rhythm, your body’s internal clock, setting you up for better rest at night.

  • Avoid Your Phone First Thing: Give your eyes and mind a gentle start by skipping the screen for the first 20–30 minutes after waking.
  • Hydrate Before Caffeine: Begin your day with a large glass of water to rehydrate and boost your metabolism. Delay coffee or tea for at least 30–60 minutes.
  • Step Outside Into Natural Light: Spend 5–10 minutes looking towards the morning sun (never directly at it). If it’s cloudy, aim for 20–30 minutes. Morning light helps set your internal timer for melatonin release later in the day.
  • Move a Little Outdoors: Stretch or walk on the spot while soaking up the light—this simple combo reinforces your body’s natural wakefulness.

Don’t Overdress: Feeling slightly cool while outdoors can enhance the wake-up effect.

Daytime Tips to Stay on Track

  • Soak Up the Sun When You Can: Natural daylight boosts Vitamin D and supports sleep-wake cycles.
  • Nap Smart: A short nap (20–30 minutes) is fine, but avoid anything longer than 90 minutes, which can disrupt night-time sleep.

Consider Light Therapy: If you wake up before sunrise, try using a ring light or a lux light therapy lamp to simulate early daylight.

Evening Wind-Down Rituals

Evenings are your time to tell your body: “It’s time to switch off.”

  • Dim the Lights: Bright lights—especially from phones and TVs—suppress melatonin production. Aim to keep lighting low after 9 pm and avoid screen time close to bedtime.
  • Take a Warm Shower: A warm shower in the evening helps your body relax and lowers your core temperature afterwards, which encourages sleepiness.
  • Set a Bedtime Alarm: Just like you have a wake-up alarm, try setting a reminder to begin winding down for bed at the same time each night.

Supportive Supplements: Magnesium for Sleep

Magnesium is a gentle, natural relaxant that supports restful sleep, eases muscle cramps, and helps with menopause symptoms and constipation. It’s a helpful addition to your wind-down routine.

Forms of Magnesium to Consider:

  • 🛁 Epsom Salt Baths or Magnesium Spray: Great for soothing the body externally.
  • 💊 Magnesium Threonate (145mg) or Magnesium Bisglycinate (200mg): Highly absorbable and gut-friendly.
  • 🥄 Magnesium Citrate (200–300mg): Often available in powder form, though it can have a laxative effect in some.

Note: These supplements may not be available in all high-street stores—you might need to order them online.

If You Wake in the Night

Struggling to fall back asleep in the middle of the night? Try Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep) or NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest). These guided audio techniques help your body rest deeply and may offer similar benefits to actual sleep—even if you don’t doze off again.

The Gift of Rest

You don’t need to overhaul your life to sleep better. With small daily habits—like getting morning light, staying off screens late at night, or adding magnesium to your evening routine—you can build a rhythm that supports deep, restorative sleep.

Sleep isn’t a luxury. It’s a foundation for your health, energy, and happiness. So, go on—press pause, create your wind-down ritual, and let yourself rest.

#BeTheForce

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Top Stress Busting Foods For A Healthy Mind!

stress busting foodsStress is a part and parcel of life. There’s no escaping it. Everyone endures stress, and it is perfectly natural to seek some relief from it. In fact, relief is necessary because prolonged stress can lead to chronic stress, which, if left untreated, can cause heart-related issues, burn you out, and affect your mental and emotional well-being. When faced with massive stress, we turn to food, but are you eating the right kind of stress-busting foods?

Top Healthy Stress Busting Foods

Don’t let relief come in the form of junk food. Instead, you can try these healthy stress-busting foods: 

  1. Asparagus: It is high in folic acid, which helps you relax. A vegetable like this, which is high in folate—a calming B-complex vitamin known to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety—also helps produce dopamine for the brain. Enjoy cooked or raw asparagus to reap the benefits of this powerful food.
  2. Avocado: Rich in healthy fat, magnesium, and fiber, avocado also contains vitamin B, which benefits your nerves and brain cells while reducing stress. It has a substance called potassium that helps by regulating your stress and blood pressure levels. Eating half an avocado daily is good for you!
  3. Almond: Vitamin B and magnesium help your body produce serotonin—a hormone that regulates mood and relieves stress—and almonds are loaded with them! So don’t be driven nuts by stress; instead, eat almonds!
  4. Spinach: It might not be on your go-to list of foods to eat when stressed, but it is necessary! The magnesium in spinach can lift your mood and keep your stress hormones in check.
  5. Coconuts: They are rich in medium-chain triglycerides, which are excellent fuel for the brain and body. The antioxidants in coconut can heal your system and protect your mind. Medium-chain triglycerides are also great for improving digestion and overall mood.
  6. Walnuts: They are known for their omega-3 content, which is very useful in fighting depression. They’re also packed with tryptophan, which indirectly increases serotonin levels. When your serotonin levels are high, you feel more relaxed, calm, and happy!
  7. Pumpkin seeds: These contain magnesium, which helps in reducing stress naturally and decreases the tension in your muscles. They also contain another mineral called zinc that keeps you cheerful always.
  8. Eggs: They have a good amount of vitamin B12, which is great for building mood. Eggs trigger the production of feel-good neurotransmitters like acetylcholine.
  9. Ghee: Homemade or pure A2 ghee is known to have medicinal properties that can heal your gut and improve digestion. Better digestion also improves your emotional state. This makes it one of the top stress-busting foods.
  10. Honey: It is packed with anti-inflammatory properties that can increase the spread of serotonin and dopamine in your brain. Some raw, organic honey can certainly make you happier
  11. Cashew Nuts: Apart from satisfying your taste buds, cashew nuts are one of the best stress-busting foods as they supply your body with a good amount of protein and zinc, which help you reduce stress and anxiety.

We hope you will incorporate these stress busting foods into your daily diet. Do you know someone who is perpetually stressed? Share this with them and help them find relief. For more articles on busting stress, check out Healthy Reads. Get these tips directly from your GOQii Coach by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here.

You can also purchase some of the above listed foods such as A2 Cow Ghee, Organic Honey, Pumpkin Seeds, Cashew Nuts and Walnuts for a discount using GOQii Cash on the GOQii Health Store within the GOQii App.  

#BeTheForce

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How You Can Manage Stress With Nutrition!

manage stressStress and nutrition have always been linked – it’s a fact that has been in existence for years. It’s no rocket science to realize that someone with a healthy and balanced diet is likely to be far less stressed than someone with a poor diet.

Stress has become a common factor in one’s life. Various factors such as pressures from home or work, some unforeseen circumstances or situations completely beyond our control that lead to stress. What’s even more common is that while stressed, people tend to eat. This involves a lot of comfort food like macaroni and cheese, pizza, and ice cream.

All these high-fat foods are usually the worst possible choices because they can make us feel lethargic and unable to deal with stress. To add to this, stress can drive up our blood pressure and raise serum cholesterol levels, wreaking havoc on our arteries and increasing risk of heart attacks.

Best solution? Low-fat, high-fiber, carbohydrate-rich meals with plenty of fruits and vegetables. They soothe us without sapping our energy and give us the nutrients we need to boost our immune system.

Which Foods Help You Manage Stress? 

  • Water: It hydrates a person, makes one more energetic and less stressed!
  • Asparagus: I know, these slender stalks are known to make your urine smell funny, but they are high in folate, which is essential for keeping your cool 
  • Avocados: These creamy fruits stress proof your body. Rich in glutathione, a substance that specifically blocks intestinal absorption of certain fats that cause oxidative damage, avocados also contain lutein, beta-carotene, Vitamin E and more folate than any other fruit. 
  • Berries: Blueberries have some of the highest levels of antioxidants known as anthocyanin and they have been linked to all kinds of positive health outcomes, including sharper cognition. But, all berries, including strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are rich in vitamin C which has been shown to be helpful in combating stress. 
  • Chocolate: besides the healthy antioxidants in this treat which push chocolate to the top of most heart-healthy food lists, Chocolate also has an undeniable link to mood but, moderation is key to it.
  • Green tea: has an amino acid called theanine. This slimming food is a brain booster as well as enhances mental performance.
  • Oatmeal: a complex carbohydrate, Oatmeal causes your brain to produce serotonin, a feel-good chemical.
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables: Vegetables have high fiber content, which is helpful in treating constipation -another long term effect of stress. Fresh fruits and vegetables provide an array of vitamins and minerals that are great for reducing stress. 
  • Fish: such as Mackerel contain Omega fatty acids, which are extremely good for the heart and can protect you from heart diseases. Fish also contains choline – a great memory booster.
  • Yogurts: provide minerals including calcium, essential to maintain well functioning nerve impulses. 
  • Herbal Products: Herbal items such as Dandelion, Chamomile, and Passion flower to name a few, relax both the body and mind.

Having said the above, there are certain foods and drinks that can aggravate stress. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you should avoid some of them completely but, it is advised that you consume them in moderation.

Foods That May Trigger Stress 

  • Tea, coffee, cocoa, energy drinks: These drinks contain neuro-stimulators like caffeine and theobromine, which are proven to heighten stress. 
  • Fast foods and takeaways: contain high levels of protein, fats and carbohydrates that don’t contain vital minerals and vitamins, which in turn induce stress. 
  • Sugar: Stress causes an increase in blood glucose levels, which can in turn lead to a higher risk of developing diabetes. 
  • Soda, Alcohol, soft drinks and chocolate drinks: The high level of carbon dioxide and sugars in beverages can aggravate stress. Soft drinks need to be considered as an unnecessary addition to your diet. 

So before you go in to grab that cold aerated beverage or have a cheesy burger to relieve your stress, think twice and instead go for the healthier food options suggested above!

We hope this article helps you manage stress with nutrition! For more tips to help you manage stress better, check out Healthy Reads or ask an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health.

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Overcome Worry – The Biggest Obstacle To Weight Loss & Your Health!

Overcome worryDo you eat food peacefully or with worry on your mind? Do you exercise happily or with worry on your mind? Do you also go to bed worried? Are you low on energy through the day and only the thought of outside food or entertainment can cheer you up? Are you unable to overcome worry?

Do you accept defeat when:

  • Your weight does not budge
  • You have a restless night sleep
  • You give in to food cravings
  • Your friends around you seem to lose weight faster or look better than you

A roadside advertisement for a certain brand of motor oil read “A clean engine always delivers power”…

So will a mind, free of negative thoughts, and very positive or in other words, a clean mind will deliver power! Therefore, flush out your negative thoughts, give yourself a clean mental engine, remembering that a clean mind, can always deliver power.

Why You Need To Overcome Worry

Overcome worry - obstacle to weight lossMost of our obstacles to weight loss and health are mental in character. You might say, “mine are not mental, they are real”, perhaps so, but your attitude towards them is clearly mental. “Worry” is the most subtle and destructive of all human diseases. Through “worry”, we have the dangerous ability to manifest diseases, stress, failure, defeat, anger, frustration and depression.

Do not accept defeat so easily. When your weight does not budge, be patient and instead of giving up, be more consistent with the things you should be doing to lose weight. It took you months or years to pile on fat, what makes you think it will go in few weeks without some sacrifice and effort?

Are you being honest with yourself when it comes to your food, exercise and eating outside?

Ask yourself, if the defeat that you have accepted is because you keep comparing yourself or your body to those around you? Your friends? Your social circle? If yes, then you will never be happy with the progress you make, you will get further depressed and you will fail. Have you even seen any two actors with the same body type? How can you ever have the same body as someone else then?

Comparing ourselves with others is the most drastic mistake one can make when it comes to our health or weight. Your benchmark for progress should be you and what you did yesterday, compared to what you will do today and tomorrow. Keep getting better, getting consistent and that will get you to your goal and peace of mind.

If you struggle to sleep, filter your thoughts and your mind. Easy to say, but hard to do. However, you must make the effort if you want to sleep well again. Worry stems of our insecurity, greed, fear, low confidence, guilt and other factors. Sometimes, you have to let go and if you don’t, your health will make that decision for you.

One of the best exercises to combat insecurities is to count your blessings

overcome worry - gratitudeTake a paper and write down all the things that you have and are grateful for. This should come from your heart. When you are done with this, your problems and insecurities will suddenly seem less. When you begin to eliminate worry, your energy levels automatically increase.

You see, we have over 60,000 thoughts running through our heads everyday. So it’s difficult to focus on what we have (which is usually enough) and instead fill our minds with chaos, which in turn stems worry and negativity. This causes stress and we all know by now that stress causes disease, a weak immune system, and is the biggest – I repeat ‘THE BIGGEST’ obstacle to fat loss and sleep.

Don’t see yoga or breathing as just an exercise. Use that one hour or 45 minutes to actually reflect, count your blessings, pray or analyze the goodness in your life. It is being proved today that the best way to cure a disease or a pain, is not to focus on it, instead focus on everything else that’s going well in your life.

To reach our goal, just have faith. All religions preach this and most people fail to follow or believe in that. Use a day or a weekend in a month for you to weed out negative thoughts, detox your mind, relax your body and count your blessings. Worry is a down payment on a problem that may NEVER occur and worry has never been known to solve a problem.

We hope this article helps you stress less and overcome worry! To know more about how you can beat stress, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach for further guidance by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health.

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