transformation Archives - Page 2 of 7

May 9, 2020 By GOQii 1 Comment

Recover and Reclaim Your Health – Yashas Ranganath User Journey

More often than not, we find ourselves moving passively through the world revelling in all it has to offer and more. Wading way beyond moderation in the beauty of excesses till the consequences of our actions pile up. Lifestyle diseases are caused because of indulgence in unhealthy habits, something that one of our players Yashas Ranganath found out first hand. How did he manage? How did he recover? Let’s find out!

Life Before GOQii

Yashas Ranganath, an IT professional from Bangalore led quite a normal life. He used to eat, drink and do whatever he pleased, paying no attention to health and fitness. His physical activity was almost nil and he paid no attention to his lifestyle to even make a change.

In 2016, he was diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes. He was also admitted to the hospital for a severe migraine attack and put under medication for both. His health only got worse with time. In September 2018, he was hit by a stroke due to a cyst in his left brain. This left the right side of his body completely paralyzed.

Enter GOQii

Initially, Yashas Ranganath had joined GOQii in 2015 when he was exploring the market for a good fitness tracker. He chose GOQii as he was intrigued by the personal coaching feature. However, he says he completely wasted that subscription and did not take it seriously at all.

In December 2018, after 50% recovery from the paralysis, he began thinking about making lifestyle changes. He turned to GOQii and renewed his subscription. He says that his life took a complete positive turn after that!

Making a Positive Lifestyle Change

Yashas’ goal was to get all his vitals under control and completely recover from paralysis. His GOQii Coach advised him to completely stop the consumption of oil, sweets, salt, junk food and all types of processed food. He was also asked to stop eating maida and consumed bottled beverages. From a foodie, he had turned into a monk – eating to live and not living to eat. But his sole focus was recovery and he was ready to give up on everything.

His daily routine became structured in terms of eating habits, activity and sleep:

He wakes up at 4 in the morning to leave for work at 6:30 AM. He eats his breakfast and lunch at work – both are customized to his requirement.
His breakfast consists of upma, poha or idli. For Lunch, he eats 2 cups of rice with salads and vegetable curry.
Dinner consists of chapatti with a curry.
His coffee intake is limited to 1 in the evening and he eat fruits as mid meal snacks.
Under the rare occasion when he eats out, he manages to customize his food.
He exercises for 2 hours a day, doing what his physiotherapist suggests along with numerous stretches recommended by his GOQii Coach. He concludes this with 15 minutes of meditation.
He has also started cycling and performs Yog Nidra at night.

After following this routine, Yashas says that he feels no cravings at all and doesn’t even get tempted after seeing other enjoy different delicacies. He enjoys his current lifestyle modifications.

What Changes Did Yashas Ranganath Experience?

When he joined GOQii in 2018, his weight was 75kg, HBA1C was above 8 and blood pressure was 200/170. He now weighs 63kg. His vitals improved drastically too with his HBA1C at 5.4, blood sugar – fasting at 80-90 mg/dl and postprandial at 80-100 mg/dl. Blood Pressure is 130/80. He is on minimal medication, feels more active physically and positive mentally. He has also made a 90% recovery from his stroke.

“You have to get hit before your eyes are opened and then you change in ways you never thought you could,” says Yashas.

His wife and parents are overwhelmed with his recovery. He attributes the change in his lifestyle to his GOQii Coach and says her contribution has been 100%, constantly guiding him on what to eat and what not to eat. Yashas has also explored the features on the app like Play and watches videos as and when he finds time.

What Did His GOQii Coach Have to Say About Him?

“Yashas is one of the most disciplined player I have ever seen. He has been very regular in following
all the habits formulated for him. After the treatment of his stroke and during recovery, he used to suffer from episodes of hypoglycaemia in between. He used to feel dizzy and uncomfortable. Slowly, we started making him have small and frequent meals with portion control. We started millet based meals for better glycaemic index and on the side, he was doing his physiotherapy as well. All of which contributed to his lifestyle change.”

Yashas Ranganath made a positive lifestyle change, what about you? Join GOQii now to experience a healthier and fitter you! Download the app here: www.goqii.com/app

Do check out more inspiring stories in Healthy Reads and #BeTheForce

April 29, 2020 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Shreyans Ravrani Shifts From Illness to Wellness!

At the age of 38, Shreyans Ravrani led a lifestyle which wasn’t very different from the working professionals of his age group. As a Gujarati, his diet involved regular consumption of oily food and sweets, something he never realized can be detrimental to his health. He didn’t maintain portion control nor eat a balanced meal. Physical activity was almost nil and to add to it, his stress and sleep were negatively impacted due to work pressure and traveling.

He had joined GOQii in 2017 as he found the personal coaching feature appealing but did not stick to his plans or take being healthy seriously. In June 2019, Shreyans Ravrani was diagnosed with high cholesterol and fatty liver disease. He was faced with 2 options – either live with the prospect of lifelong medication or adopt a healthier lifestyle. He chose the latter and his life changed since then.

Making Positive Changes

Shreyans Ravrani realized he had to reduce his weight. He weighed 77kg with a BMI of 29. In order to get healthy, he renewed his subscription with GOQii in July 2019 and got more serious about utilizing personal coaching. He already was consulting a dietitian and he started to validate all her suggestions and inputs with his GOQii coach.

These were the changes he incorporated:

Took sugar and fried food off his diet
His breakfast included oats or idli.
For lunch, he reduced his chapatti intake to 3 and included lots of salad and buttermilk
For dinner, he mostly had soup or a light khichdi.
He stopped snacking on processed foods and shifted to fruits, roasted chana or makhana along with green tea.
He began walking for 2km every day but that wasn’t enough to burn fat. So he began running in August. Initially he felt breathless after 350m. By November, he could run 5km a day. From a strenuous activity, his running time now became his “Me-Time”.

As a Jain, he was used to fasting which helped him control his hunger pangs even as he reduced his meal portion. He says, fasting gives you mental strength and distracts you from the thought of food, which he was able to do successfully.

Levelling Up The Game!

By November 2019, Shreyans Ravrani participated in and completed his first 10k run within 65 minutes. In December 2019, he did it again but completed it in 60 minutes. He was happy that he managed to beat his previous time so quickly.

Between July – November 2019, he had reduced 14kg. Seeing this, his coach had to ask him to cut down on his running and add some strength training routine to his workout. He ensures that he completes his quota of running by spot jogging at home even during lockdown!

He regularly participates in health challenges organized by GOQii with the GOQii App from time to time including the current 30 Day Quarantine Burn Challenge.

What Does Shreyans Ravrani Have to Say About His GOQii Coach?

Shreyans is extremely thankful to his GOQii Coach for her contribution towards his transformation. He thinks the best part is that he can ask questions as and when they arise in his mind and get them answered by an expert quickly. She is also a constant motivator, following up with his habits, progress as well as guiding him in the right direction. He feels it helps when you have someone monitoring your habits and giving you timely feedback.

What Changes Does He See in Himself?

Apart from weight loss and his vitals returning to normal, he says the complete change of mindset towards health and fitness is worth it! His entire family is now more aware and diet conscious. Every member makes sure to burn off extra calories as and when they indulge.

Do you want to make a lifestyle change as well? Download the GOQii App and subscribe now.

For more inspiring user journeys, read here: https://goqii.com/blog/category/user-stories/

#BeTheForce!

April 28, 2020 By GOQii 1 Comment

Sangeeta Jajodia goes from a Simple Housewife to a Super Woman!

They say being a housewife is a full time job, and quite rightly so. As one among many, 52 year old Sangeeta Jajodia from Mumbai, led a very busy life. Her routine revolved around tending to the needs and demands of her grown up children, cooking, cleaning and regular household chores. During her free time, she watched TV or browsed through her mobile – this is how she summed up her life before GOQii.

Apart from her daily chores and normal walks which were required, she never indulged in any physical activity. She had no restrictions on food, she would sleep late and wake up early to prepare food for her kids. All of this led to acidity, cholesterol, fatty liver and weight gain. She says that she had never been underweight nor obese.

In 2017, after a family wedding when browsing through the pics, she realized that she had gradually put on a lot of weight. She decided that she needs to lose weight. Not knowing where to start, she decided walking was the one thing she could do. Seeing her interest, her son gifted her a GOQii and with it, a key to a new life which began taking shape from January 2018.

Life after GOQii

Initially, Sangeeta Jajodia was very reluctant to follow her GOQii Coach’s instructions – even simple things such as adding a salad and fruits to her diet – something she hadn’t done before. Slowly, she began adding salads to her dinner and her lunch as well. Now, she includes them daily.

Apart from adding salads to her diet, some of the changes included:

Adding fruits in between her main meals to avoid the long gap she used to have before.
She had to exercise portion control while eating her meals.
Drinking 2 cups of green tea and cinnamon water before going to bed
Eat dinner by 8 PM
Regularize eating and sleep timings
Apple detox twice a week which includes adding a few pieces of apple and cinnamon powder to a jug full of water, leaving it overnight and consuming that water throughout the day. On these days, she avoids grains and dairy products
1 hour walk every day and does basic home workouts shared by her GOQii Coach
She takes her 10k step target seriously and walks even if she’s on vacation.

Sangeeta Jajodia Makes the Shift!

After implementing all of the small lifestyle modifications suggested by her GOQii Coach, Sangeeta Jajodia witnessed a lot of positive changes in her life. To begin with, her weight had reduced from 82kg to 73kg within a year of joining GOQii. Furthermore, her acidity was gone completely. Her cholesterol and fatty liver levels are in the normal range. Apart from this, she has participated in 4 5k runs and 1 8k run last year.

What Does Sangeeta Think About Her GOQii Coach?

Sangeeta completely trusts her GOQii Coach and follows her instructions and guidance diligently. Her coach follows up with her every day and reprimands her if she doesn’t follow a habit or cheats on her diet. What Sangeeta likes the most is that if she is in a difficult situation, her GOQii Coach modifies her habits – for instance, when Sangeeta’s mother-in-law was sick and she was stressed, her GOQii Coach asked her to start with breathing exercises and meditation which really helped her out during that time. Constant suggestions and a customized solution like this is what appeals to Sangeeta the most!

Like Sangeeta Jajodia, do you want to make a positive lifestyle change as well? Download the GOQii App and subscribe to our service now!

For more inspiring user journeys, read here: https://goqii.com/blog/category/user-stories/

#BeTheForce

March 7, 2020 By GOQii 1 Comment

Faith, Patience and Persistence – Kumarswamy Remala User Journey

What motivates you to push past your limits and achieve your goals? What drives you to stay active mile after mile? Is it determination? Is it a poster you read that charged you up? There may be many reasons such as building confidence, wanting to be there for your family and friends, the desire to live longer and healthier – but as we all know, motivation runs out as quickly as it comes. Determination without the right guidance is meaningless. But with the right guidance, faith in your coach, patience and persistence, anything is achievable. Don’t believe us? Ask our player Kumarswamy Remala.

Life Before GOQii

Kumarswamy Remala is a 33 year old working professional from Bangalore. Since childhood, he has been a complete foodie. However, to balance it out, he used to be very active. Cricket and badminton were his favorite in college. He even kept himself active intermittently after joining a workplace. In December 2015, he suffered a back injury which put a halt to all his physical activities for a while.

To add to this, he worked in rotational shifts which moved from morning shifts to late night shifts. This worsened his eating habits as pizzas, junk food and alcohol became a staple. His sweet tooth along with a penchant for trying different recipes added to his weight gain. He went from 80kg to slowly accumulating another 20-24kg over a period of time.

Motivation to Change and Joining GOQii

His health began taking a turn for the worse. He knew he had to change but the real motivation came through when his child was born in 2017. Kumarswamy Remala realized that he could not hold his child for a long time due to his back pain or even play with him due to his weight issues. This made him feel quite unhappy about himself and he finally decided to do something about it. He did not want to miss giving a 100% to his child. It was in 2019, approximately 6 months ago that one of his colleagues introduced him to GOQii.

Kumarswamy Remala Turns His Lifestyle Around!

After coming onboard GOQii, he began to strictly adhere to the habits set by his coach. His changes included:

Reducing rice intake. Although difficult, he managed to switch to less rice and began eating more salads for both meals. His plate now is 60% veggies!
Reduce the intake of sweets and consume natural sugars like dates, dark chocolate, etc.
Begin consuming plant protein powder supplements post-workout and chia seeds water to control the in-between hunger pangs.
Finish dinner before 9 during his night shift and just eat a fruit or muesli with milk if he feels hungry at night.
Drink ACV water in the morning to boost metabolism.
Get active for at least 5 days a week by working out in a gym.

Making the Shift!

Currently, Kumarswamy Remala weights 84kg. That’s a reduction of 16kg in a span of 6 months with GOQii. He says he feels really good about himself for having achieved his goal. He is able to concentrate on work better than before. In fact, he has begun pursuing his passion for badminton again as and when time permits and also enjoys spending time with his family like he couldn’t before!

He is thankful to his GOQii Coach for the inputs shared on portion control, suggestions and tips on how to eat healthy during his night shift and for sharing healthy recipes which appease the chef in him. He interacts with his coach regularly and logs his activities without fail every day. He purchases a lot of products from the GOQii Health Store, in fact, he purchases half his groceries from here. He has subscribed to GOQii Play coaches like Tufail Qureshi, Ronak Gajjar and Bhumika Uniyal for a mix of fitness and yoga.

In closing, he says that it is easy to manage your health when you have somebody guiding you at every step. He says this job is done extremely well by GOQii and all you need to do is have faith in your Coach, patience for results and be persistent in your efforts to achieve your goals!

We hope this story inspires you to get off that couch, Level Up and Get Active! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below.

#BeTheForce