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Going Beyond The Challenge | Ravishankar User Journey

Ravi Shankar transformationWhat would life be without challenges? Challenges can either make us or break us and quite honestly, without a challenge, we would never grow. When life throws what seems like an insurmountable challenge at you, what do you do? Faced with a similar hurdle, Ravishankar Balasubramanian, 43, from Coimbatore decided to take control of his life, challenged himself and took a huge leap towards a healthier lifestyle.

The Challenge

Like most of us, Ravishankar led an active life throughout his school and college days. He used to play Volleyball but as time passed, he fell into a sedentary lifestyle due to work and other commitments. He was at an alarming 118kg. Deep down he knew he couldn’t live like this.

After consulting a doctor, he got to know that he had excess bad fats and needed medication to reduce it. This is when Ravishankar told his doctor that he doesn’t want to rely on medication. He challenged the doctor that he would lose weight naturally in 2 months. And so, his journey began!

Defying the Odds

Ravishankar immediately took to walking. He believed that with an obese body, one cannot perform many exercises. His initial goal became to lose the extra kilos. Through walking alone, he was able to shed 15kg. He knew this wasn’t enough and had to lose more weight. This is when he decided to get some help.

Enter GOQii

Around October 2018, Ravishankar began looking for a fitness tracker to measure his daily steps and activities. Initially, he was confused between the Mi Band and GOQii. Considering the pros and cons of both, he settled on GOQii because of the personalized live coaching feature. He hasn’t regretted his choice since!

Healthy Habits and Transformation

After taking stock of his goals, his GOQii Coach suggested that he continue walking and jogging. His GOQii Coach also introduced him to a few exercises he could practice. In addition, she asked him to start with pre and post workout meals. Initially, Ravishankar was unaware of its importance but decided to trust his coach. Now, it is a regular part of his day.

His coach guided him on his eating habits. He was strictly asked to avoid junk food and go for good proteins. She explained in detail as to why he should follow these habits. This motivated him to be consistent with them.

His sleeping habits improved a lot after inputs from his coach. He started drinking buttermilk with dinner and hot milk before bed. When Ravishankar traveled abroad for work, his coach was sure to follow up regularly by asking him to send pictures of his plate to know what and how much he was eating. She also ensured that he followed the habits she had set for him.

His GOQii Coach suggested workouts to improve his running style and to recover from injuries. Now, he runs a minimum of 30km a day. He does this by running 2.5 hours in the morning and at night after work, he goes for a walk, followed by jogging and running. He plans to run a marathon next year and is training vigorously to achieve this goal.

Inspiration and Active Sunday Champion

Today, Ravishankar Balasubramanian weighs around 80kg and is motivating people around him to do the same! He is an Active Sunday Champion and heads the sessions in Coimbatore. He guides his participants and is a continuous source of inspiration for them.

India Steps Challenge

Within two weeks of the challenge starting, Ravishankar had already referred 100 members and increased his daily cap to 36,000 steps. Without losing a beat, he began walking and clocking in 36k steps and more on a daily basis. He is one of the first few individuals to claim the OnePlus 6T as a reward in the India Steps Challenge.

Ravishankar’s journey to weight loss and his determination to dive further into health and fitness is a source of inspiration for us all. From something as simple as walking, he has transformed his life for the better. Now, he has a dedicated team that walks, runs and exercises with him. Through walking alone, he has started a collective movement!

He believes that if he can do it, so can you!

What Did Ravishankar’s GOQii Coach Have to Say About Him?

“In his health journey to reduce weight and belly fat, we decided to stick to a routine of structured workout cardio, strength training and lifestyle modification with a focus on  balanced food, sound sleep and managing stress in a positive way.

When he approached me with the willingness to participate in the India Steps Challenge, I was was very happy to see his excitement and zest towards it. We formulated a pattern where he could train, take part in the challenge and at the same time stay injury and stress free too.

With a constant monitoring of his workout, nutrition and sleeping pattern, today, he has achieved his target and a healthier lifestyle at the same time. I wish him a very happy and healthy life forever.”

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Overcoming the Odds! Aliya Imran’s Journey to Fitness

overcoming the odds Aliya Imran

How many times have we come across movies or a television drama series where the protagonist defies all the odds, overcomes challenges and despite all the insurmountable hurdles, wins? We can’t ignore the obvious catharsis we feel and the emotional bonds we form with a protagonist’s journey. We can’t deny the overwhelming sense of joy we experience at their eventual success.

While we all love rooting for a beloved fictional character, we need to remember that there are real heroes out there who face their own struggles head on and emerge victorious. One such hero is none other than our GOQii Play Coach Aliya Imran.

Born in Mumbai, Aliya Imran spent some years in the city and then shifted to Vadodara. Although her schooling was normal, she did not experience a peaceful childhood. Despite her emotionally challenging circumstances, she was a healthy child. At the age of 13, Aliya was diagnosed with jaundice. It was so severe that no doctor was willing to admit her in their hospital. Stress coupled with a weak immune system triggered Vitiligo (A disease that causes the loss of skin colour in blotches) which became a permanent feature. Her Vitiligo increased and decreased with her stress levels.

She married at the age of 19, moved to Gurugram and completed her graduation. The trauma from a miscarriage at the age of 22 further aggravated her Vitiligo, causing it to spread all over her hands and face. She delivered her first child in 2009. Her weight had then increased to 79 kg. After being blessed with a second child in 2011, her weight further increased to 85 kg. Her Vitiligo issue hadn’t gotten any better.

She faced discrimination due to her Vitiligo issue. One such instance was during a pilgrimage with her family, a woman serving herself some food beside her threw the plate and walked away in disgust after looking at Aliya’s Vitiligo patches. By the end of 2013, she returned to Mumbai. At this point in time, Aliya felt completely hopeless about her weight gain issue as well as her skin condition. Something had to be done!

Becoming the Change

One fine day, she decided that she had enough! She thought to herself, “If I can’t fix Vitiligo, let me at least fix my weight!” She immediately joined a gym nearby. Not wasting a moment, she sat on the Spinning Bike and started spinning with vengeance! She didn’t have a clue about exercise or fitness and there was no one to guide her either. She just went with whatever caught her attention.

Soon enough, she began running along with working out. She performed high intensity cardio with a day’s rest, never skipped a single gym day for 3 months and managed to reduce 9 kg. Later, she returned to Gurugram, joined a college and completed an Interior Designing course. She joined a gym there as well. Obsessed with fitness, she used to do stair exercises before hitting the gym. Her family members and friends thought she had gone crazy but that didn’t stop her.

She slowly began weight training. She used to have only one meal a day without realizing that it was a fasting method. After attending one of GOQii Master Coach Luke Coutinho’s sessions, she found out that what she had been doing was Intermittent Fasting. This further encouraged her to fine tune her eating habits. She strictly avoided junk and outside foods and sought a high protein diet.

By the end of 2014, she weighed only 50 kg. She had lost 25 kg in a year without going on any crash diet. She achieved this through mindful eating and intense physical activity only. This gave a tremendous boost to her self-confidence, especially when her college and neighborhood acquaintances commented on her physique and unbelievable age.

One such instance of the boost in her confidence was when she was discriminated again for her skin condition. It was at a spa when an attendant refused to touch her. This was a similar situation as before but only this time, Aliya stood up for herself. Her confidence was sky high, never to be deterred again.

Passion, Determination and Success

Around this time, gym instructors suggested that she take up fitness as a profession. They were convinced that she would be a success considering her dedication and hunger for fitness. Taking their advice, she completed her Zumba certification in 2016 and also got a spinning license. Between 2015-2016, she achieved professional success, accolades and was sought by leading gyms in Gurugram to join them as an instructor.

Aliya Imran shifted to Mumbai in 2017. She completed a few more certifications which included Pilates Training License and Reebok Training. Aliya also completed a certification in Personal Training and Nutrition from Dubai. She opened a home studio and began taking in clients, both from India and abroad.

In 2018, she acquired a Master Functional Training certification by ACE. Later that year, in September, she came to GOQii. She identified with the GOQii ideology that thrives on guiding and motivating people to lead a healthier lifestyle. The rest is history! Since joining GOQii Play as a coach, Aliya has had 1,734.3k views, 1,231k likes and has 183,347 players who have enrolled for her class! If that’s not amazing, then what is?

It wasn’t an easy journey to have come this far. She had to constantly maintain her weight from 2014 to 2019, improvise on her own fitness and at the same time bring variety and content to her clients. Aliya Imran attributes her success to her persistent efforts, her never-say-die attitude and the will to change without getting bogged down by limitations. She also thanks God for the tremendous support she has received from her family and her husband for motivating her.

We all face hurdles from time to time. If you have faced similar issues, know that there is always a way you can beat your circumstances and emerge as the best version of yourself!

Does this story inspire you? Are you motivated to move? Join Aliya Imran’s fun-fueled, energy-driven classes exclusively on GOQii Play. Download the app now: www.goqii.com/app

#BeTheForce

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Kartik Aggarwal’s Journey to Being Healthy

User Story

Has fitness ever taken a backseat with you? Have you ever been active in the early days of schooling but as life and work caught up, your lifestyle became more sedentary? Did junk food and aerated beverages replace delicious, home-cooked meals? While it is comforting to know that you’re not the only one, somewhere it has to stop. At some point, you need to stop and question your lifestyle choices. You need to make a lifestyle change just like our player Kartik Aggarwal did.

Life Before GOQii

Kartik Aggarwal was always into sports. Since school, he was quite active. He has even represented his school in rollerskating. After graduation, work consumed most of Kartik’s time. Fitness became an alien entity to him. Health became secondary. He began skipping meals, his water intake was low and he treated himself to carbonated drinks more than often.

How Did GOQii Help?

Kartik Aggarwal had initially joined GOQii to study the application. He wanted to understand how the interface and the fitness tracker works. As the case with all new players, Kartik was asked to set a goal. His goal was to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

He began by regularizing his meal timings. Every morning, he drank a jug full of water. He completely cut off tea and coffee. If he craves for aerated drinks, he has buttermilk or lemonade. On the fitness front, he exercises 5-6 times a week. He works out either in the gym or takes a walk in a park nearby. Kartik has begun taking the stairs and avoids elevators or escalators.

Given his busy schedule, Kartik Aggarwal manages to take short walks every hour or so. He tunes in to Ronak Gajjar’s Meditation Class on GOQii Play as that’s the only show he can squeeze into his schedule.

GOQii Active Sunday Champion

After being active on the GOQii app, Kartik Aggarwal received an email from GOQii. The email was for an Active Sunday registration. He signed up and has never looked back. Since then, Kartik has been a one-man army who regularly champions the GOQii Active Sunday sessions in Ghaziabad.

What Did Kartik Aggarwal Have To Say About His GOQii Coach?

When asked about his coach, Kartik said that his GOQii Coach has been really helpful. She persistently follows up with him to complete his habits, despite the fact that he is not active on the app due to commitments from work. Although he doesn’t even get the time to check his phone, thanks to her dedication, he has been following his habits as much as possible.

Since joining GOQii, Kartik has lost about 7 kg. He says that his lifestyle has dramatically improved, especially his eating habits, thanks to inputs from his GOQii Coach!

Kartik will be live on GOQii Play soon. Tune in to his show to know more about his journey to a healthy and active lifestyle!

#BeTheForce

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Ashwin Chitransh Never Gave Up On Being Healthy!

Ashwin C-COLLAGE

  After GOQii                       Before GOQii 

 

Sleeping during the day and working at night was his regular routine. He had no discipline in life and ate indiscreetly. He weighed 79 kg at a height of 5 ft 6 inches. He tried to lose weight by just dreaming about it and doing the bare minimum. He did not have a good workout routine so the small gym that he had created for himself at home was not utilized to its optimum. Finally, magic happened and he got into a routine. He joined a gym with a personal trainer, his diet got regularized and he is far healthier and fit that he was.

Ashwin Chitransh’s Transformation Story In His Own Words

It all began for me in August 2017 when I took a trip to McLeodganj for a couple of days and had rich grand meals. When I came back home, I weighed close to 79 Kg at the height of 5 Feet 6 inches. I was aware that I was leading an unhealthy life but I wasn’t doing anything about it. Set up a small gym at home but hardly worked out. My routine was haywire with me sleeping during the day and working at night.  My eating habits were bad and nothing was helping me get on track. I wanted to change things for myself. This is when I was introduced to GOQii by a friend. I liked the concept of a personal coach who will motivate and push you to achieve your health goals.

I enrolled in GOQii and also joined the Gym with a personal trainer. This started my journey of transformation! On my first day at the Gym, I felt nauseous and thought I’d pass out in 15 minutes. Other guys were working out smoothly which was quite intimidating. There were so many well-built guys using heavy weights that I could not even dream of. The key, I realized, is patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Don’t compete with others, compete with yourself to achieve your goals.

Apart from a gym workout, cardio workout is important for me. Most of the fat which I had, was on my belly. I started by walking for 2 km, increasing gradually to 5 km per day, at the speed of 5  to 6 kmph. Then, a bit of my belly fat melted, I started running/jogging at 8kmph. I gradually moved to 10 kmph but reduced the distance to cover (to 1.5 km).

Currently, I work out for 30 minutes mostly focusing on the abdominal area. Slowly once the belly fat saw some reduction, I started working on 2 muscles a day.

One thing which is very important to keep in mind while undertaking any health goal is that it takes time to achieve these goals. You need understand your body and how it reacts to various strenuous exercises. You need to have patience especially when it comes to achieving weight loss goals.

Exercise alone cannot help you, diet is equally important. “There is no love sincerer than the love of food,” quoting from Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw. A lot of my misconceptions were broken. One such misconception was that if you go on a diet you have to remain hungry. Secondly, good healthy food is tasteless. But, in fact, I learned a few things:

  1. To eat healthily, you do not need to make it taste bad necessarily
  2. Quit (Avoid) unhealthy/junk/fried food

My GOQii Coach helped me make healthy food choices. My diet now includes pre and post work out meals and salads. I was never a salads guy but I eat them now. I have stopped having refined sugar since November 2017. My meals are balanced and portion size is small with multiple meals in a day, unlike my earlier three large meals.

All these small changes over time have helped me achieve my health goals. I am much fitter and healthier now. My only message to all is don’t be disheartened if your hard work does not pay initially. It takes time. You won’t see changes in a week. Just be self-motivated and keep pushing yourself. There will be days when you won’t be able to work out or you won’t be able to follow your diet. But, it’s okay! Continue with the same routine next day. When you fall, you must have the willpower to stand up again not once but multiple times. Its sheer determination and hard work that will help you achieve your goals. Did I fail during my transformation phase? Of course, I did fail, and on more than one occasion but I never gave up.

What does coach Evangelene Wankhar have to say about her player Ashwin?

Ashwin Chitransh was assigned to me in October 2017.  His goal was to lose 10-12kgs. He wanted to get active and build strength. Prior to GOQii, he had already started with gym workouts with a personal trainer and lost 3kgs. But, his concern was his food habits. When we started, he was having a heavy meal for dinner, adding few unhealthy foodstuff during the day. These were old habits which I had to gradually get him to shed. Each time he had a heavy meal and ate unhealthy food, I guided and explained to him the pros and cons. I told him choosing healthy food over unhealthy will help him achieve his goal. He agreed and started applying the tips I shared with him every day. Of course, he had few cheat meals but he has managed to make the cheat meals healthy as well. If he took something over the counter which was unhealthy, he compensated that with more activities and a healthy diet the next day. Over the last few months, he has progressed well. He has been very consistent in his workouts, healthy food habits and has been following every guideline that I share with him. I am proud to say that Ashwin has achieved his target goal of losing 12kgs and now we are in the process of building his strength and muscles since that is his next goal.

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