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February 8, 2020 By GOQii Leave a Comment

How Akhil Minocha Made a Positive U-Turn!

We have always advocated that inculcating small healthy habits into your lifestyle can yield big results! There are so many stories of individuals who were fit during their childhood but as soon as they hit adulthood, their health and fitness took a turn for the worse. While most people continue living with illnesses and refuse to make changes, Akhil Minocha stepped up and turned his life around for the best!

Before Joining GOQii

Akhil Minocha, now 47, works for a corporate based out of Gurugram which requires frequent traveling. As a child, he was always lean. As he is from a Defence background, he was well involved in all kinds of sports and physical activities including horse riding. Even during his MBA days, he managed to stay lean and fit.

Akhil’s struggle with weight began right after he got married in 2001. By the time he moved to Gurugram in 2005, he was fairly obese. His entire focus during this time was work and being a complete foodie. He indulged in all sorts of unhealthy food. Frequent travels for work added to his appetite, driving him further into an unhealthy lifestyle.

Joining GOQii and Making the Change

As he had interacted with our founder and CEO Vishal Gondal during his IndiaGames days and was actively in touch with him via social media, he had joined GOQii in 2015 and had a coach assigned to him. However, due to his work and his own personal lack of interest, he did not take it seriously.

Around July 2019, everything changed for him. He was diagnosed as a pre-diabetic. Akhil Minocha was clear from the start that he did not want to start with allopathy. Instead, he opted for Ayurveda which wasn’t helping him at all. His family suggested that he switch to Allopathy before it gets worse.

All of this coincided with a change of his GOQii Coach. His new GOQii Coach was a blessing in disguise for him. She gave him an expert’s perspective on various ideas related to diet, fitness and lifestyle. He had done some studies on diet and she validated whether it was worth incorporating or not. For instance, he had started with the keto diet which clearly did not benefit him but made things worse as his LDL shot up due to increase in fat intake. His GOQii Coach discouraged him against going for such diets and rather focus on a balanced diet.

He began exercising regularly and now works out 6 times a week on an average even on his travelling days. As for his diet, he almost stopped the consumption of rice and wheat and substituted them with alternative grains such as Amaranth, Ragi, Bajra, Quinoa and sometimes a mix of any 2 of these. Recently, he modified his diet further by including greens.

He has also started including different varieties of millets. He basically changed the way his meal plate looked like – increasing the amount of salads and vegetables, increasing protein and reducing carbs. He also began eating a fruit every day along with a light dinner. Short walks after meals have become his favorite activity.

Akhil Minocha’s GOQii Coach also introduced him to intermittent fasting and asked him to follow the guidelines set by Master Coach Luke Coutinho for maximum benefit. By following this, he has cleared a lot of his misconceptions.

As of now, his vitals are in the normal range especially his HBA1C which has dropped to 5.6. Also, his postprandial blood sugar stands at 130mg/dL. He has reduced his weight from 87kg to 77kg in a period of 5 months which is remarkable. Since then, he has participated in a few marathons and has completed a 10k run.

How Akhil Minocha uses GOQii

He regularly messages his coach though he does miss updating logs. He also watches GOQii Play videos of Heena, Dr. Paramjeet and couple of other coaches as and when he finds the time. He actively buys products from the GOQii Health Store and recently ordered some supplements for himself and family which he claims to be very useful.

He firmly believes that you can make a difference if you take care of your diet and have a supportive coach to handhold you through the journey. He says you can benefit immensely from this platform if you are focused on your end goal. Akhil Minocha says GOQii is the most cost effective platform delivering value for money through its various features & services.

We hope Akhil continues on this journey to good health as you know, a healthy lifestyle is not a race, it is a marathon! Even you can make a positive U-turn in your life and change things for the better. For more inspiring stories, visit the Healthy Reads section within the GOQii App!

#LevelUp and #BeTheForce

January 25, 2020 By GOQii Leave a Comment

GOQii Trail Challenge Heroes: Pooja Behuria Achieves the Impossible

Fitness is not a race and it is true that you can’t get active overnight. It is a gradual process which takes time – something which today’s erratic work hours and busy schedules don’t offer. Pooja Behuria learned about this when she decided to take the GOQii Trail Challenge in 2019. But, that wasn’t the only thing she learned. She also realized that GOQii was more than just a company or a group of individuals trying to get fit… GOQii is a family!

Before the GOQii Trail Challenge

Like most people, the concept of fitness and a healthy lifestyle were alien to the 23-year-old Pooja Behuria from Mumbai. The banes of erratic work hours coupled with living alone in the city compelled her to live a sedentary lifestyle. But all that was about to change!

She learned about GOQii and the Trail Challenge through Genesis-BCW, an agency associated with GOQii since the past 4 months. Since then, she has been watching LIVE videos on GOQii Play.

Pooja Behuria had never been on a trek before. When the registrations for GTC began, she thought that it seemed like an adventure – considering the terrain for the trail. What drove her to register was that she saw it as a challenge as none of her friends or colleagues believed that she would be able to complete it. In fact, they were certain she wouldn’t even reach halfway. She decided to prove them wrong!

Training and Preparation

As she had never attended an endurance trail such as GTC, she browsed through the website to gain more insight into what to expect and how to prepare herself. However, due to time constraints and partly due to her own laziness, she did not begin her preparations until 20 days before the event.

If she was going to do the trail, she had to prepare! With new motivation, she made some changes in her eating habits and began doing a little bit of exercise to prepare her body. She began including more proteins, complex carbs and most importantly, drinking more water on a daily basis which she wasn’t doing until now. Pooja began drinking coconut water and eating seeds and nuts between meals instead of junk food.

On the first day when she decided to go for a walk, she covered 20km and ended up feeling sore and tired. She couldn’t move her legs for 2 days. She then realized it was a mistake and decided to gradually increase the level to get her body conditioned. She began taking short walks and using the stairs while going to the office and back home as stair climbing is good for building endurance. She still felt she wasn’t prepared enough.

Walking the Trail and Persisting

Pooja Behuria partnered with one of her office colleagues Jisha, when she began walking on the 7th morning. She and her partner were all geared and excited when the trail was flagged off at 5:30 in the morning. They managed to reach the 1st checkpoint in just 1.5 hrs. Both seemed to think it was no big deal and they should be able to complete it easily within 9-10 hrs.

As they left the 1st checkpoint, her partner started feeling unwell. Jisha had developed a fever but still persisted and continued. By the time they reached the 3rd Checkpoint, Jisha was shivering and on the verge of passing out. Before the 3rd checkpoint, she had fallen in water which only aggravated her condition. Jisha thought it was best to give up. From there on, Pooja was by herself.

But it is the GOQii Trail Challenge and we are all a family. No one is ever alone on the trail. Another participant, Girish Narang who had been walking solo became her partner for the rest of her journey. Pooja says that if it wasn’t for her new partner, she wouldn’t have completed the trail. Girish Narang kept pushing her and motivating her to continue. She was already halfway through and giving up wouldn’t make sense – is what he kept telling her.

After every decline down a mountain, when she said she couldn’t go any further, her partner motivated her to take another step. The last 10km were the hardest where every step seemed strenuous. Her legs were giving up and the pain was unbearable. All she wanted to do was sit and not move.

After 16 long hours, when she finally saw the finish line, she was filled with mixed emotions – exhilaration, shock, awe, relief and complete joy all rolled into one! She couldn’t believe her eyes! That unexplainable feeling of achieving something she thought wasn’t possible for someone like her was unparalleled.

Now, when she looks back she’s still surprised that she didn’t give up. It has filled her with a sense of pride and confidence. The trail does change you in one of the most beautiful ways. She now believes that it is all a mind game. If you persist, you can achieve the impossible.

She says there were participants who were twice her age and yet completed the trail in half the time she did. This hasn’t demotivated her but has only inspired her to prepare thoroughly and participate in GTC 2020. She says that though she didn’t know anybody at the trail, each and every participant she met along the way encouraged and motivated her to move ahead. It was like one big family, joining hands and motivating each other to complete the trail!

Want to know what the trail looked like? Watch the GOQii Trail Challenge 2019 Movie.

Want to share your experience at the trail. Write to us!

We look forward to seeing you for the next GOQii Trail Challenge!

#BeTheForce

January 13, 2020 By GOQii Leave a Comment

GOQii Trail Challenge Heroes: Give Up on Shankar Sabadi Giving Up!

Through adversity, there is redemption! What would life be without challenges? How would you know your limits? It is because of challenges we learn our limits, how to push past them and reach our goals. Getting demotivated is natural but with a sound mind and a strong spirit, nothing is impossible! For everyone who was a part of the GOQii Trail Challenge 2019, this was one of the most heroic tales which unfolded before us! Shankar Sabadi didn’t just complete the challenge but served as a living, breathing example of what you do when faced with adversity.

How Was the Experience Compared to 2018?

Shankar Sabadi has been an active GOQii Player since 2017. Since undergoing a transformation and making a positive lifestyle change, he has always been looking for challenges to test his limits. This was the second time that Shankar Sabadi had participated in the GOQii Trail Challenge. Although he said it was painful, and you’re about to find out why, he said it was a refreshing experience when compared to last year.

As the trail challenge was a fairly fresh concept introduced in 2018, the participants, Shankar included, didn’t know what to expect other than the fact that they had to walk 50km. He didn’t expect the mix of hiking, trekking, inclines and declines. Despite not knowing what awaited him, he completed the Trail in 2018 within 12 hours.

This year, he trained himself well for the challenge ahead by climbing stairs every day, going for mountain walks and taking normal ones as well.

Shankar Sabadi at GOQii Trail Challenge 2019

The trail began and all our participants went on route. After a group of 8 people, including Shankar Sabadi and a pacer left the 1st checkpoint, they were following the ribbons used to mark the trail. However, they missed one and took a wrong route. The path was rocky, covered with dense bushes, which made Mr. Sabadi realize that they might have taken a different route. He suggested they should return to the last ribbon.

Few of them weren’t in favour of the decision as they had walked for at least half an hour. After much discussion, the pacer confirmed that they were on the wrong route and they all decided to retrace their steps. As Shankar Sabadi turned around, he tripped on some pebbles. He quickly realized that he won’t be able to avoid the fall and instead of taking the fall on his back and hurting it, he decided to fall on his hands.

He immediately realized that he had fractured his hand…

Never Back Down! Give Up On Giving Up!

He did experience pain and his fellow walkers helped him to his feet. They noticed his arm was swollen. He just kept his hand in his pocket and asked everyone to move ahead. He didn’t want anyone to be delayed on his account.

At the next checkpoint, he asked one of the support staff to spray some pain reliever on his arm. They said a doctor will be available only at the village and offered to take him there. Shankar Sabadi was not ready to give up. He was determined to complete the trail. He said that even though his hand is fractured and hurts, his legs are okay.

Seeing his unshakeable determination, the staff made a makeshift splint out of a tree branch. One of the crepe bandages was used to tie the arm and another as a sling to rest the arm. With this arrangement, he continued on the trail. The walk was painful and the injury slowed him down but didn’t by any means stop him. He had to tread very carefully as he couldn’t use his arm to balance. All the pressure was on his left foot.

He is extremely thankful to all the fellow walkers who carried his bag, offered him water, supplements and energizers along the way (you know who you are and you guys are awesome!) Thanks to this, he only had to focus on walking.

After a lot of trials and tribulations, fighting through the pain and overcoming all of it, Shankar Sabadi completed the trail in 14 hours, just 2 hours behind his last year’s finishing time. Once the challenge was over and we reached Mumbai, he left for home and visited his doctor, who diagnosed that his arm is not broken but curved due to the impact of the fall. His arm was plastered for 3 weeks. You’ll be glad to know that he is recuperating at home and taking physiotherapy sessions to increase blood circulation to that arm and strengthen it.

We often hear of heroes and it is true, not all heroes wear capes. Some heroes teach us to push forward no matter what! Shankar Sabadi exemplifies what it means to #BeTheForce! He says that since he joined GOQii, he has given up on giving up.

Where else could you have heard such a valiant tale? Where else could you feel this energy? If you’re still having doubts, let this story be your motivation to participate in the next GOQii Trail Challenge and complete it.

We’ll be sharing many more heroic stories of participants who made #LifeWorthWalking through Healthy Reads as well as GOQii Play. Do you have an awesome GTC story to share? Write to us here.

January 2, 2020 By Dr. Naina Sudarshan 4 Comments

Why You Should Eat Oranges During Winter!

As winter hits the city, we find a lot of fruit carts loaded with Oranges. The best part about oranges during winter is that they are quite nutritious and healthier for the body. You might think that during winter, the body craves warm, spicy food but there are many reasons to not ignore this tasty citrus fruit.

5 Reasons to Eat Oranges During Winter

1. Boost Immunity

Winter has a notorious reputation of causing common cold, congestion and recurrent ear infections. Oranges are rich in Phytonutrients, Vitamin C and antioxidants which boost our immunity. This way, they help prevent common cold, congestion and related ailments.

2. Good for Skin and Hair

Oranges provide about 120 per cent of daily Vitamin C value that is required by the body. Vitamin C in Oranges helps the body to produce collagen that is required to maintain healthy skin and hair. Apart from this, Vitamin A in oranges keeps the hair moisturized by increasing sebum secretion. If you want radiant skin, smooth hair, and delayed ageing, eat an orange every day. Antioxidants in oranges prevent skin damage caused by free radicals. Orange peel can be used as a face mask which is excellent for preventing and fighting acne on the face.

3. Protects Heart Health

Oranges are high in fiber, Vitamin B6, potassium and Vitamin C, which are known to improve heart health. Oranges improve iron absorption in the body and Vitamin B6 supports the production of haemoglobin. Hence, if you have iron deficiency, it’s good to intake oranges along with Iron supplements. Magnesium present in Oranges keeps the cholesterol in check.

4. Enhances Digestion

Oranges are rich in both soluble and insoluble fibers which support gut health. Soluble fibers help feed the healthy bacteria in our gut. But make sure you eat the white fibers in Oranges along with the pulp to get this benefit. Insoluble fibers draw the water into the gut to make the stool soft and easier to pass. So, oranges can prevent constipation and irritable bowel syndrome to some extent.

5. Easy Go-To-Snack

There can’t be a better fruit snack than an orange! We don’t need to cut them and they are easy to peel. Oranges are nearly fat-free and sodium-free with as low as 60 calories and can make a good mid-morning or afternoon snack at work or at home. As they are rich in fibers, they can keep you full for a longer time. So Oranges can make a great weight-loss snack as well.

Interesting Fact:

Did you know Orange peel taken internally has double the health benefits than the actual fruit part? Orange peels contain flavonoids which can protect the heart, are good for digestion, and help to prevent allergies. They are good for boosting immunity, reduce bad breath and good for skin. Save the Orange peels, boil them in water and it can be made into a chutney grinding the peels with coconut, tamarind, jaggery, red chili and salt. It tastes the best and is healthy too!

Don’t forget to snack on Oranges in winter to stay healthy! We hope this blog helps you. Want to know about more fruits? Tune in to our expert nutritionists on GOQii Play. Subscribe now and #BeTheForce.