user story Archives

September 18, 2021 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.

Recently, Yashas Ranganath spoke to our Founder & CEO Vishal Gondal about his recovery and journey with GOQii. You can watch the entire episode of GOQii Health Talks here:

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? Subscribe to personalized coaching now to get healthier with GOQii: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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

September 4, 2021 By GOQii 1 Comment

Deepak Sampat Lowers His HbA1c Levels With GOQii

Diabetes often seems like a death sentence for those who are inflicted by it. It means spells of numerous medications, not being able to enjoy food they once did and regular check ups that only add up to the stress of living with Diabetes. We’re here to tell you that Diabetes is not a death sentence. You can reverse your condition with positive, healthy lifestyle changes and live a fulfilling life. Don’t believe us? Ask our player Deepak Sampat.

Life Before GOQii

Deepak Sampat is a 55 year old CA and stockbroker from Mumbai. He led a fairly sedentary life till he was diagnosed with diabetes during a random health check. His fasting blood sugar was 180 and PP 343. Hba1c 9.40 with EAG (Estimated Average Glucose) of 231.88.

Till this point, he was barely active and had unhealthy eating habits. His weight was 84kg. He consulted his family doctor who prescribed medicines and diet control. He then requested his family doctor to give him 6 months’ time to control diabetes without medication (took medicines for a week).

Joining GOQii

In August 2017, he came across GOQii through the Axis Active programme. He was assigned to Coach Sudrita. His GOQii Coach suggested exercises to help him get fit and build mental strength.

Before joining GOQii in July 2017, his HbA1c was 9.4 with an EAG of 231.88 and his weight was at 84kg. Within the next 3 months, his HbA1c reduced to 6.2, EAG to 130.44 and weight was 81kg. He said that his coach motivated him to be active and mentally strong to achieve his health goals.

He was subscribed to GOQii till May 2020. Due to the pandemic induced lockdown and a back injury, he could not follow the necessary physical activities and nutrition guidelines set by his GOQii Coach. From May 2020 till January 2021, his daughter’s marriage kept him busy and he was unable to focus on the habits suggested by his GOQii Coach.

In March 2021, he tested positive for COVID-19. As a part of COVID testing, he got his blood sugar tested and his HbA1c had shot up to 7.5 and his weight had increased to 83 kg. Post COVID recovery, he joined GOQii again in March 2021 and was assigned to Coach Pragati.

With active support, motivation and habit changes, he managed to bring his HbA1c levels down to 6.2 in 2 months of joining. His weight was reduced to 78kg. His current goal is to bring his HbA1c levels below 6 and maintain it.

Deepak Sampat checks his blood glucose levels once a week and uses strips by Ascencia regularly to check his scores. He is of the clear view that while self care is important, having a GOQii Coach is equally important to guide and motivate you.

Recently, Deepak Sampat spoke to our Founder & CEO Vishal Gondal and discussed all the healthy changes he made in a session of GOQii Health Talks along with his GOQii Coach and experts from GOQii. You can watch it here:

What Does Coach Pragati Have To Say About Deepak Sampat?

“Mr. Deepak Sampat was assigned to me on 26th March 2021. When he joined GOQii, his weight was 83 kgs and HbA1c was 7.5. His health goal was to reduce weight, manage blood sugar level, to bring down HbA1c level and to stay fit and active. He was feeling low, both mentally and physically when he joined GOQii.

He was not taking any medication for Diabetes. I started making healthy changes in his lifestyle like having salad before meals, increasing his water intake, post meal walks and suggested a few habits like deep breathing, having apple cider vinegar, cinnamon powder, kawasia water, and raw flaxseeds powder.

He was not doing any cardio exercise due to back pain. He was doing light exercises like movement of legs and hands. We made a target of completing 10k steps gradually on a daily basis which helped him reduce weight. I gave him a few challenges like following a detox day every week, detox smoothies, and adding complex carbs to his meals.

By following all these healthy suggestions, he has reduced 6kg in 3 months. His mental health, along with his physical health has improved greatly. As of June 4, 2021, his weight is at 77kg, his HbA1c levels are at 6.2 and his Fasting Blood Sugar is at 102-107 mg/dl and PP at 155 mg/dl.

Deepak Sampat has had quite a journey with GOQii and believes that he wants to live a healthy and diabetes-free life! You can achieve this too by subscribing to personalized coaching by GOQii here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

For more inspiring stories, check out Healthy Reads.

#BeTheForce

August 21, 2021 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Ashima Dalela Beats Gut Health Issues and Anxiety With GOQii

You might have heard the saying, “Almost all diseases begin in the gut.” If gut health issues are left unchecked, it can get worse and affect your mental health too. Our Player Ashima Dalela suffered from gut health issues which led to severe anxiety and she visited around 15 doctors who were unable to identify the cause. But, she was able to fix the issue with simple lifestyle changes suggested by her GOQii Coach. How did she tackle her gut and anxiety issue? Let’s find out!

Life Before GOQii

Ashima Dalela is a young working professional based in Ghaziabad. For the longest time, she suffered from stomach issues and anxiety. Multiple doctors were unable to diagnose what was wrong, with some saying it was GERD and stomach infection. One doctor told her that it was IBS and her gut problem has combined with anxiety. Finally, one of the doctors she visited suggested GOQii.

Identifying the Issue & Making Lifestyle Changes

Since she onboarded, Coach Meenakshi was assigned to Ashima Dalela. Coach Meenakshi began by tackling the stomach issues and acidity. She prescribed specific foods to improve her gut health. She coupled nutrition with exercises such as asanas for the stomach, all of which slowly and steadily brought about a change.

Initially, Ashima faced some difficulty in walking. So she was tasked with completing 2k steps a day. She was also skipping meals due to her situation and her condition was only getting worse. Despite some hurdles, Ashima stuck to the habits given by her GOQii Coach. Thanks to her dedication and her GOQii Coach’s constant motivation, she was able to fix her gut health issue as well as her anxiety. She now enjoys the live sessions on the app and always browses through Healthy Reads. She also enrolls for challenges within the app.

Initially, her mother was skeptical about the coaching aspect but after seeing positive results, she is convinced that the coaching works. In fact, the entire family has adopted healthy habits. Her goal now is to stay active and gain healthy weight.

What Are Coach Meenakshi’s Thoughts About Ashima Dalela’s Journey?

When Ashima came on board, she was very nervous about her health issues. She wanted to control:

GERD with symptoms like acidity in the morning, vomiting sensation, stomach upset, burning sensation, bloating and gas after meals
Anxiety (20%, 1-2 anxiety attacks in a month because of health problems related to the gut) with symptoms like dizziness, increased heartbeat and numbness in hands and legs.

Now, her GERD has reduced by 95% without any symptoms after introducing habits like lemon water, detox water, eating slowly, adding curd, rice, kanji, etc. Anxiety levels reduced by 95% without any symptoms. Now, she can cope easily with any arguments/bad news.

She has been practicing meditation, deep breathing and is generally more positive. Ashima doesn’t feel stress and anxiety while handling physical, mental and emotionally taxing situations.

We changed to a new health goal on 15 August 2020 as she wanted to be more active in 3 months as she was unable to do any activity in the morning and evening because of work. She felt lethargic in the evening after office work. She was also facing haemorrhoid issues and irregular cycles.

She feels 85% improvement in activeness with asanas, exercise and daily walks. Her bowel movement is fine with more water and salad intake. Menstrual cycle also continues now in September with the habit of seed cycle.

We’re now working with a new health goal from 10 March, 2021 – She wants to gain weight up to 53kg (weight was 50kg on March 10). Her current weight is 51kg thanks to the added habits of eating nuts and seeds, post workout meals and employing strengthening exercises.

To take a glimpse into Ashima’s inspiring journey with GOQii, watch her GOQii Health Talk session with our Founder and CEO Vishal Gondal along with her GOQii Coach Meenakshi, Doctor Viral Thakkar and Divya Thampi here:

If you suffer from similar issues or know someone who does, share this article with them and subscribe to personalized coaching to make a positive lifestyle change today: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

August 7, 2021 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Rudresh Basavarajappa Beats Insomnia With Simple Lifestyle Changes From GOQii

Sometimes, our health issues seem overbearing and we’re unable to break free. These illnesses can cripple our ability to function normally. While some issues require medical assistance, there are some that can be fixed with simple lifestyle changes. Our player Rudresh Basavarajappa suffered from insomnia for the longest time till he found GOQii and his life changed completely.

Before GOQii

Rudresh Basvarajappa is an entrepreneur based in Bengaluru. He runs a software company that employs 200 people. He had been battling sleep issues for a long time. He would sleep only for 20 minutes to half an hour. This lack of sleep affected his personal and professional life. Along with insomnia, he was also battling the loss of an untimely death of his brother-in-law and business partner.

His insomnia issue created complications such as shivering of his hands and legs. He had gravitational Oedema. Due to gravitational oedema, he could not walk or even wear his shoes due to the pain. It affected his sleep further. Moreover, he was also smoking around 20 cigarettes a day.

He visited a doctor and after numerous tests, they could not arrive at any conclusion. He was prescribed sleeping pills. As 1 dose did not work, he had to up it to 2. This didn’t work for him either.

Making a Shift With GOQii

After trying everything possible, Rudresh Basvarajappa came across a GOQii ad in the newspaper. He was intrigued that it was a Make in India product – of which he is a fan. Since it was during the pandemic, he found the features to track SpO2, temperature and other vital parameters very useful.

Since he got the tracker, he hadn’t selected a coach for almost 2-3 months as he did not believe in coaches. In due time, he had to forcefully select a coach and opted for Coach Nishreen. Despite his earlier qualms about coaching, he says that the GOQii Coach was the best thing that happened to him. Within a month he witnessed positive results and was able to sleep properly.

He says, “The GOQii Coach is like a god to me. The Coach was very perseverant. Slowly and steadily she introduced activities and food changes. Now, I walk 10km a day and I sleep 7-8 hours a day. My sleep is regular. My wife and son who are fitness freaks also noticed these positive changes in me. Then my wife wanted my son to be on GOQii as well . But I wanted the same coach for him too. Glad that now Nishreen is both mine as well as my son’s coach.”

What Does Coach Nishreen have to say about Rudresh Basvarajappa?

Rudresh was very focused, determined and committed when he came onboard. He just had one thing in mind, that is to lead a healthy lifestyle. He joined GOQii to reduce his stress, improve sleep as he used to take 2 sleeping pills and reduce gravitational oedema – a gravity-related swelling in the lower body. He smoked 20 cigarettes everyday.

He had done all the possible tests as suggested by senior doctors but couldn’t come to a conclusion. This was adding to his stress as he couldn’t wear appropriate footwear and thus, further disturbing his sleep cycle.

After our first call we decided to make simple lifestyle changes like starting Pranayama to relax his mind, reducing the number of cigarettes as he was keen to quit smoking and some leg raise exercise to improve blood circulation. He had a passion for exercises, so he enjoyed his morning walks.

Over the span of 2 months, he could see reduction in swelling and great improvement in sleep. We were able to cross each and every milestone in his health journey up to date. He is able to sleep immediately as pranayama is a medicine for sleep, he has quit smoking and oedema in his legs is almost NIL! He’s very honest and disciplined. So he adheres to any changes and accepts them without complaint. He maintains a two way communication and shares his updates with me every day!

Recently, Rudresh Basvarajappa appeared as a guest on GOQii Health Talks and shared his journey with our Founder & CEO Vishal Gondal. You can watch the entire live session here:

For more inspiring stories, check out Healthy Reads! To get your own GOQii Coach, sign up for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce