quarantine tips Archives

May 17, 2021 By Megha Mahajan 1 Comment

How To Safely Isolate Yourself At Home

With COVID-19 still spreading like wildfire and the resulting shortage of medical facilities, people have opted to self-isolate at home. Although hospitals and doctors are best to help you recover fully, here are some tips which will help you safely isolate yourself at home with your family.

Who Needs Home Isolation?

Home isolation is for someone who has tested positive or is suspected to be positive. The purpose here is to recover fully and stop the contagion. Home isolation is not an option for patients who are infected and above 65 years of age or have other comorbidities. They need to be hospitalised in isolated wards.

What Essentials Will You Need?

Apart from the basic necessities of water, food, clothing and shelter, a COVID patient needs much more during isolation. A quick list will include:

Thermometer – to keep a regular check on body temperature
Oximeter – to ensure that your reading is above 90-95%, or else you may need supplemental oxygen.
Exhaust or a table fan, working like an exhaust to draw in the fresh air and recycle the virus-laden room air.
You will also need your doctor prescribed medications and a smartphone to stay connected with the doctor and your community.

How Can You Safely Isolate Yourself?

There are a few rules to safely isolate yourself at home with your family in the adjacent room:

Recovery happens best during rest. Hence make sure to follow the circadian rhythm and have a good night’s sleep. Wake up and soak in the sunshine to get your dose of vitamin D from your room window.
Breathe deeply, do pranayama or follow the Win Hoffman breathing method to strengthen your respiratory system. Sleeping on your stomach allows your lungs to expand fully on the backside. So practice it daily for a few minutes.
Drink 2-3 litres of water to flush out the toxins from your body. Include a herbal Kadha in small quantities too. If possible, add lemon juice to it to get in Vitamin C to combat the virus.
Eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables to load up on antioxidants to fight off the inflammation. Feed the gut bacteria a healthy dose of probiotics to strengthen the immune system. Avoid non-vegetarian food and alcohol during the isolation.
Exercise, if you have the strength, to supply oxygen to every cell of your body. Confined within your room, you may just get enough space to do yoga or spot walking.

When Should You End Isolation?

Generally, 14-17 days are more than enough for home isolation. You need to make sure that you do not have any fever for at least three days before ending the isolation period. Also, it is important to get tested once again to check if you’ve fully recovered.

Staying isolated at home is a challenging task not just for you but your family too. They feel helpless as they are unable to care for you. And you might feel bogged down with solitary confinement. Nevertheless, you must ensure to follow proper sanitation methods and clean your room.

We hope this article helps you. For more, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

To get more expert advice on dealing with post-COVID recovery or general health issues, subscribe to GOQii and get in touch with your personal coach now: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu

Stay home, stay safe and #BeTheForce

April 6, 2020 By Mubasheera Chaiwala 2 Comments

Benefits of Practicing Morning Yoga at Home!

Now that you’re at home and activity levels have plummeted, it would be wise to pick up healthy habits! And nothing spells healthy better than morning yoga. There is no doubt about the benefits of ancient methods like yoga and pranayama even today.

What Do You Understand About Yoga?

What is it? Is it a form of exercise? Is it meditation? For me, yoga is a way of life. I believe the whole idea behind it is total discipline. It is physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual development. Something that is much needed during self-quarantine. It helps you balance health from a physical, mental and emotional standpoint.

Benefits of Morning Yoga

You can practice yoga in the morning and night as well, although, morning yoga is the best as it cleanses your mind and body. It energizes all day and keeps you disciplined. Let’s explore the benefits of morning yoga!

Yoga improves flexibility and posture but it’s much more effective in the morning. The fresh air helps us relax our body and make it more flexible.
We have more energy in the morning and morning yoga enhances it to last all day. Which means more intensity and focus!
Setting up a morning practice is beneficial as it creates a ritual – it sets the tone for the day. By practicing morning yoga, there are no distractions or tasks that will get in the way – so no excuses for cancelling your session in the morning.
That fresh morning air helps you deliver more oxygen to the body, breathe better and cleanses your system naturally.
It also helps your digestive system as metabolism rate is higher in the morning. It increases digestion and keeps all indigestion problems at bay.
Morning yoga boosts your brainpower and makes your brain more active to study or work.
It enhances happiness and positivity as it boosts mental clarity and relaxes you. The release of endorphins that early in the morning make your body a more physically comfortable place to live in.
Disease-fighting white blood cells in the body are able to do their best when our blood flow and lymphatic system have efficient circulation. By moving in a way that feels good first thing in the morning, we essentially ‘wake up’ all the body’s systems, which enhances the flow of circulation and gives the immune system an immediate boost. Gentle inversions like Viparita Karani, Cow Pose and Child Pose are especially effective for stimulating the immune system.
As a parent, taking time out for your own well being is difficult. Getting up early and practicing morning yoga puts your health first. Only if you are healthy, can you take care of others. A morning yoga practice is a way to know you’ve done something for yourself that day
Apart from all of the above, morning yoga regulates your sleep rhythm, balances your hormones and helps you build a healthy and consistent routine.

Asanas You Can Practice

Try these yoga poses daily in the morning to increase blood circulation, enhance and stimulate the immune system, improve body function and strengthen your cells, tissues, glands and organs! Also, these poses will help you beat stress, anxiety and depression.

Suryanamaskar – for over all body workout
Jivah Bandh – manages and relieves stress
Simha Mudra – decreases stress and prepares you to face the day by increasing your willpower.
Sheetali Pranayama – is a process which can cool the body down and give a feeling of calmness.
Bhramari Pranayama – is one of the great breathing exercises to release the mind of disturbance, anxiety or frustration and get rid of anger.
Om Recitation – excellent breathing exercises for meditation. Brings stability of mind and improves memory power
Shavasana – removes nervousness, adds a sense of presence. Very important to start our day peacefully.
Tratak Drishti – to increase concentration.
Anulom Vilom Pranayama – is the best way of balancing the Tri Dosas in our body. Our body gets ill when Tri Dosas are not in balance. Vaat, Pitta and Kaffa are known as the Tri Dosas (Tri means “three” and the meaning of dosas is impurities). All three are the cause of all diseases. So, it is important to balance them. The way to do that is to practice Anulom Vilom Pranayama regularly. It is the simplest and best way for this.
Kapalbhati Pranayama – generates heat in the system to help dissolve toxins and waste matter. It adds luster and beauty to your face and helps your skin glow!

If yoga is practiced regularly in the morning, it will help you face the day with balance and a practical approach. Ensure that you do not eat at least 2-3 hours before you begin your practice. So try morning yoga and do share your feedback and changes with us in the comments below!

To learn more about Pranayama, read this article: https://goqii.com/blog/pranayama/.

To begin your yoga practice or learn more, follow our yoga specialists on GOQii Play. Before you begin any yoga practice, do consult your doctor or physician.

Stay safe, stay indoors, be healthy and don’t forget to get active!

#BeTheForce

March 26, 2020 By Navnee Garg 2 Comments

10 Ways to Turn Quarantine Time into Quality Time

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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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

March 23, 2020 By Shaeba Shaikh 3 Comments

5 Simple Exercises You Can Do At Home

Amid 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