wellness tips Archives

April 15, 2021 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Welcome the Summer With Sunscreen

We all know the Ozone layer is depleting, making the Sun’s harmful rays stronger than ever. It is only natural for us to take the necessary steps and protect ourselves from these rays. In this article, we will help you understand the importance of Sunscreen and why they are necessary to face Indian summers. Before we get to why you should be using sunscreen, it is also important to pick out the right product for you.

Choosing the Right Product

There are numerous brands out there which sell sunscreen. The key to choosing the right one is to know your skin type. Based on your skin type, you can opt one for oily skin, sweat-proof, etc.

You might have seen the term “SPF” on sunscreen bottles. This stands for “Sun Protection Factor”. The SPF rating determines how much protection you will receive from the sun’s UVB\UVA radiations. A SPF of 30 gives you 97% protection, and SPF of 50 gives you 98% protection and an SPF of 100 gives about 99% protection. SPF between 30-50 is good enough for Indian skin.

Reasons Why You Need Sunscreen

The summers in India are often very ruthless. The most important thing to understand is that nobody is excluded from the use of Sunscreen. People who tan easily, people who don’t, fair skinned, dark skinned, children and everybody else, should use it if you are going to be exposed to the Sun.

The UV rays from the sun are one of the major enemies of our skin! While Vitamin D is necessary, these UV rays damage our cells which results in wrinkles, dark circles, premature ageing, inflammation and acne. UV Rays can even cause skin cancer.

These are enough reasons for you to start using sunscreen. Even though sunscreen doesn’t avoid these conditions completely, it is a very important step towards protection from the sun. Remember that a higher SPF won’t have any effect on sensitive skin. To get 100% protection from the sun’s powerful rays, you will need clothes that cover your entire body, sunscreen, and a hat or something to cover your head.

How To Use It the Right Way

Take a small amount, approx a small coin size of sunscreen on your palm
Apply it gently on your face
It should look white when you apply it on your face
Apply it 15 minutes before you step out so it can be properly absorbed by your skin
You can apply it twice a day

If you are someone with any kind of allergies or other skin problems, consult a doctor. With expert advice, you can choose the right product for yourself and make the most out of it.

Now you’re all equipped to welcome summer with a smile! For more summer tips, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

#BeTheForce

August 19, 2020 By Mamta Joshi 4 Comments

A Complete Guide To The Benefits Of Oil Pulling

Immunity has become a common discussion during these pandemic-stricken times. No doubt that good immunity is the key to a healthy and disease-free body. The Ministry of Ayush has listed some immunity boosting measures for self care during the pandemic and oil pulling is one such Ayurvedic procedure.

What Is Oil Pulling?

It is an ancient Ayurvedic practice known as Kalava but not many are familiar with it. It is known to improve immunity and prevent more than thirty systemic diseases when practiced regularly. The oral cavity harbors billions of microorganisms, some of these contribute to the development of systemic diseases. In oil pulling, edible oil is swished around the mouth, continuously for 20 minutes like a mouthwash. Ayurveda believes that the tongue is connected to every organ of the body. Microbes and toxins build up in the mouth and swishing oil in the mouth for a prolonged amount of time draws out impurities from the mouth. Oil acts as a cleanser before these microbes get a chance to re-circulate and spread.

How To Do It?

It is quite simple, no side effects and involves a few steps with just 1 ingredient.

Take 1 tbsp of coconut oil.
Swish it around in the mouth, between teeth, all over the gums, tongue, towards the cheek for 20 minutes.
Spit out the oil and rinse your mouth well with water.

Caution: Oil may thicken and clog your drain so spit it in the dustbin. Children shouldn’t do it as there are chances they’ll swallow the oil.

Initially you may find it difficult to swish oil for long, so just start with 5 minutes and gradually build it up to 15–20 minutes. Coconut oil contains lauric acid which is proven to be anti-inflammatory and can kill harmful pathogens like bacteria, virus and fungi. Early morning is the best time to practice, even before drinking water. During sleep, the body detoxifies and the tongue gets coated with a white film which is full of toxins and microbes.

Benefits Of Oil Pulling On Oral Health

Oil pulling is beneficial for oral hygiene as it reduces a number of harmful bacteria in the mouth. It is helpful for conditions like:

Bad breath
Bleeding gums
Plaque
Cavities
Oral candidiasis
Gingivitis
Reduces tooth pain
Reduces problems like dry mouth, sore throat and chapped lips
Gives whiter teeth, pink lips and gums.

Benefits To The Skin

When you oil pull, you constantly exercise your facial muscles which encourages blood flow to your face. Oil Pulling can:

Reduce wrinkles, fine lines, dry face and other signs of aging
Improve skin elasticity
Reduce double chin
Define your jawline

Apart from the above, it can call help with:

Improving gut health, metabolism, digestion and immunity
Detoxifying the mouth and body
Improving energy levels and sleep
Balancing hormones
Reducing acne, eczema, psoriasis and other skin problems
Alleviating headaches and migraine
Providing relief from stiff joints and allergies

We hope you try this ancient Ayurvedic method of detoxifying your mouth and body. Do share your experience with us. For more articles on health and wellness, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

#BeTheForce

August 17, 2020 By Palak Mittal 9 Comments

What’s More Important For Good Health: Sleep or Exercise?

Have you found yourself in a predicament where you stayed up too late, got only a few hours of sleep, woke up groggy and went half asleep to the gym? But what is actually good for you – is it sleep or exercise? Both, actually.

Sleep and exercise are key components of a healthy lifestyle. You can’t choose between sleep or exercise as you need both. Slacking on either one of them can affect the other.

What Happens When You Sleep Late and Wake Up Early?

Due to minimal sleep, your circadian rhythms shifts. This means you’re “exercising during your biological night” when you should still be sleeping and that’s counterproductive. Your muscle cells, which also have circadian rhythms, recover and perform better during your body’s biological daytime than they do during the biological night.

Obviously, working out when your whole body is awake is crucial when it comes to your muscles and getting a proper amount of sleep also helps prevent injuries during exercises. In fact, a lack of sleep can weaken your immune system (which prevents you from working out) and can also lead to weight gain and health issues like cardiovascular disease and diabetes, i.e. precisely what exercise aims to prevent. But on the flipside, regular exercise promotes more restful sleep. So, working out at the right time can actually bank you some quality shut-eye rather than curb it.

How To Sleep Better For Better Exercise?

Whether you need to set an earlier bedtime or find a different window for working out, make sure you’re not putting yourself in the position to decide between these two titan pillars of wellness. Consider revolutionizing your to-do-list routine in a way that makes you happier to achieve these goals.

Stay away from heavy and oily foods before bed for better sleep. Also, keep away from electronics an hour before you go to bed as the back-light from your cellphones can affect your sleep. Try to be as comfortable as possible, which means wear loose clothing and keep yourself warm.

Try these tips for sleeping better. In fact, you can also try breathing exercises to help you get better sleep: Click here to know more.

We hope this article has helped you and you don’t need to choose between sleep or exercise! Rest well, exercise and #BeTheForce!

Do share your thoughts in the comments below!

May 22, 2020 By Soni Thakur 4 Comments

Is This The Best Time To Make A Positive Lifestyle Change?

There are a number of people who motivate themselves to make positive lifestyle changes to eat better, exercise more, practise yoga and sleep adequately. They have tried before, probably declaring another attempt as a New Year’s resolution. After working hard for a week or two that resolution was found resting in the corner due to lack of time, energy and motivation.

Making a lifestyle change is challenging especially when you want to make so many changes at a time. It takes time and requires your full commitment and dedication once you are ready to make a change.

Some Tips To Make A Positive Lifestyle Change

Make a plan you think you can stick to
Start small
Choose one behaviour change at a time
Make some friends with the same goal
Ask for expert support

As we are all in lockdown, it’s a good break from our fast-paced life. We were complaining about not getting enough time to work out, to eat healthy home-cooked food, to meditate to relieve stress and ditch that alarm clock and sleep a little more. Well, here it is!

This is the best time to make a lifestyle change and reset our biological clock back to normal by balancing all four important components of our body which are: Balanced diet, Exercise, Adequate sleep and Stress management.

We hope this article helps you make a positive lifestyle change. For motivation, healthy recipes and more, you can check out the GOQii Blog or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play for home workouts, meditation, emotional wellness, learning music, yoga and more!

Stay home, stay positive and #BeTheForce!