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5 Simple Tips to Boost Metabolism and Lose Weight

boost metabolism

Ever wondered what metabolism is and why it is so important for your health? Metabolism is the process by which the food we eat is converted into energy. Going deeper into it, every cell in our body is producing energy through the chemical process of metabolism.

At a young age, our muscle mass stores energy that can prevent unhealthy weight gain. But as we age, we lose our muscle mass, which leads to excess fat accumulation. Metabolism starts slowing down as we reach 40 up to about 5% every decade thereafter. Our challenge will be to beat the metabolic slow down which is not impossible either as long as you follow these 5 eating habits to boost metabolism.

1. Eat Your Meals on Time

Busy routines such as the early morning rush to work, busy afternoons coupled with a late dinner and unruly sleep timings throw our circadian rhythm off track. The body is balanced with our circadian rhythm and any disruption can slow the metabolism down.

Our digestive power is naturally strong during noon which is why our ancestors had lunch between 12-1pm. As the day passes and night begins, our digestion is slowed down. Eating dinner late can disturb the circadian rhythm. Many research studies have proven that disturbed circadian rhythm can impair metabolism with a raised risk of metabolic disorders and obesity. Having meals on time can address this issue.

  • Ideal breakfast time: Before 10 am
  • Ideal Lunch time: Between 12 pm – 2 pm
  • Ideal Snack time: 4 – 5 pm
  • Ideal dinner: Between 7 pm – 9 pm

2. Mindful Eating

Very often when we have to eat outside or during some special occasion, we are likely to overeat not because we are hungry but because the food looks appealing or we are distracted while eating, or we are in a bad mood.

As per research studies, mindful eating habits improved metabolism while reducing the metabolic risk factors like high blood sugar levels, low levels of HDL or high blood pressure and large waist circumference. We need to incorporate mindful eating habits in our routine. For instance:

  • Consuming food because we are hungry instead of eating out of habit
  •  Chewing food slowly and thoroughly, savouring the taste
  • Thinking about how the food with all our senses before, during and after eating can help our body and health

3. Spice up Your Metabolism

Many spices from our kitchen can be good metabolic boosters when included in our daily diet. Turmeric, Cinnamon, Jeera, Fennel, Ginger, Ajwain, Clove and Nutmeg, because of some special chemical component and their healing effect on our body, can easily jumpstart metabolism when taken in right amounts.

4. Eat Whole Grains & Protein

Including a variety of whole grains like oats, barley, rye, quinoa, ragi and bhajra, can offer us rich sources of fiber and a diet high in protein can rev up the metabolism by controlling spiking sugar levels and keep us full for a longer time. Apart from this, protein consumption can increase the metabolic rate by 15-30% by raising the thermic effect of food (TEF). Thermic effect of food is caused by the extra calories that are required by our body to digest, absorb and assimilate the food that we eat.

5. Drink Warm Water

We all know drinking plenty of water is good for the wellbeing of our body. From ancient times until recent scientific studies, it has been proven that drinking warm or hot water is one of the simplest ways to improve digestion and metabolism. Warm/hot water up to 98.6 degrees accounted for 40 per cent increase in metabolism which lasted for at least 30-40 minutes of raised metabolism after consumption of warm water. Sipping warm water throughout the day can keep your metabolism high.

Overall, making these simple changes rather than counting calories, can improve metabolism as well as boost weight loss efforts. Try incorporating them into your routine and let us know how it works!

Want more tips and tricks to boost your metabolism via exercise and nutrition? Find them here or get in touch with a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

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8 Basic Monsoon Trekking Essentials You Will Need For Your Next Climb

Monsoon Trekking EssentialsThe weather has been great and if you’re thinking about venturing outdoors for a little hike or trek in the lap of nature, it might be a good time to get to it! Whether you’re a seasoned trekker or if this is one of your first few treks, we all need a checklist before we make the climb. So what monsoon trekking essentials will you need? Let’s go over them! 

Monsoon Trekking Essentials You Will Need 

  1. Windcheater/Poncho: This accessory makes it to the top of the list for a reason. This is one of the trekking essentials you will need if you’re planning a trek during the monsoon. With the rain being unpredictable, it is imperative to keep yourself and your belongings as dry as possible. A basic poncho is a must have! Additionally, also carry a bag cover for your backpack so that all your trekking essentials are safe!  
  2. Trekking or Hiking Boots: When trekking during the monsoon, having a firm grip is everything because the terrain gets slippery and you might get severely injured if you’re not careful! Invest in a good pair of trekking or hiking boots that are sturdy enough. Practice with them on flat as well as uneven surfaces, so you break into them before your next climb. 
  3. Water Bottle or Hydra Pack: Staying hydrated on your journey is a must. You need to keep replenishing all the fluids you lose when you make a climb. Carry a minimum of 2L of water in a bottle or a hydra pack and remember to sip slowly and not gulp. 
  4. Healthy Snacks: Trekking can be a strenuous activity and your body needs fuel to perform that activity. To keep going, carry a nutritious trail mix or protein bars that will energize you along the way. You can also carry some healthy cookies! 
  5. The Right Clothes: Carry a Dri-Fit t-shirt or a full sleeved shirt. It will help absorb the sweat quicker and keep you dry. Moreso, wearing full sleeves along with trekking pants (avoid shorts) will save you from getting scratched against shrubs and bushes along the trail. Make sure you also carry a towel, an extra pair of clothes and socks in case you get wet. 
  6. Ziplock: There’s no harm in carrying gadgets you need on a trek but you must have a ziplock to keep them safe! Carry one where you can store your phone, electronics such as a portable charger and even your wallet to protect it from unexpected rainfall. 
  7. First Aid Kit: As much as we may try to avoid them, injuries might happen. Even if it is a small cut along the way. Always carry a first aid kit with cotton, bandage and a disinfectant. Make sure that a hand sanitizer is also a part of your first aid kit because hygiene comes first! 
  8. Power bank: You don’t want your phone’s battery running low during an emergency. Keep a power bank handy to ensure that your phone is charged just as much as you are!

There you have it! Carry these basic monsoon trekking essentials and you’re good to go! If you’re a beginner and new to trekking, you should also check out our previous article where we covered the Top 10 Basic Trekking Tips For Beginners. 

We hope this article helps you. Do share your thoughts in the comments below! If you need any help to train or build your stamina for a trek, reach out to a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

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Ice Therapy or Heat Therapy: Which One Should You Use?

heating-pad-heat-therapy-joint

Whether you run a marathon or go for a trek, you come back with some amount of soreness of the muscles. There’s a possibility of soreness even after a strenuous gym workout. When some of my players experience minor aches and pains, I often tell them to “drink lots of water and stretch“. Apart from drinking water and stretching, there are 2 routes which are commonly used for pain relief:

  • Cryotherapy or Ice therapy
  • Thermotherapy or Heat therapy

Which therapy you use, depends on the situation and the kind of pain/injury. Let’s go over some markers which might be useful to you.

Ice Therapy: What Happens When You Do It?

Our body has skin receptors which pick up different sensations that include touch, pressure, pain and temperature. If you look in to these skin receptors, you will find out that the body has more cold receptors than heat receptors.

When you use ice therapy or apply ice, your skin activates the cold receptors and they block the sensation of pain. After an injury, the area might be red and swollen. Applying ice will help in reducing or preventing the inflammatory response. Ice causes vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels) which reduces blood flow temporarily.

How Do You Use It? 

  • Ice packs (frozen packets): These are the best and most portable option as it will adapt and mold to the body part accordingly
  • Ice in a towel: You can also hold ice in a towel and apply it on the injury. The towel will provide additional compression
  • Using a light cloth: If you have sensitive skin, keep a barrier between the skin and ice. A thin cloth or light cotton one can help

When Should You Use Ice Therapy 

You can use ice therapy under the scenarios mentioned below:

1. If the injury is sudden and acute: Ice therapy will help in preventing swelling and will provide relief from the pain by reducing the blood flow to that area.

For example: If you sprain your ankle during a marathon, trekking or while working out in the gym, apply a pack of ice to reduce the swelling. The sooner you apply the ice, the better.

2. Soft tissue injuries: Applying ice after a strenuous workout will help in relieving the muscle soreness and aid the recovery process.

Try using ice therapy 4 times a day for 2 days. If the pain persists, you should visit your doctor or physiotherapist.

When Should You Avoid Using Ice Therapy?

“Ice is good, but not always!” Below are scenarios where ice therapy might make your situation worse.

  • Avoid applying ice on open wounds
  • If you are a high B.P patient, avoid ice therapy on the shoulder and near the neck region. It will raise the systolic and diastolic pressure because of decrease in blood flow
  • Do not apply ice before a workout but if your workout consist of stretches, then apply ice for healing the acute injury
  • If you have issues with blood circulation
  • If you have stiff joints, applying ice will increase the stiffness
  • If the pain becomes chronic i.e. more than 72 hours, it is not a good option as now ice is not needed to stop the blood flow
  • If you have a persistent lower back pain, ice therapy won’t work.

How Long Should You Continue With Ice Therapy?

You need to be careful about the icing duration as excess of icing might cause pain due to lack of blood flow. If you have sensitive skin, applying ice directly to the skin might not be a good option.

  • For a minor post workout injury, 15min is the most optimal time
  • To deal with acute soft tissue injury, 10min session is optimal
  • Deeper the injury, longer the icing time. For example, hamstring injury might need longer icing time then an injury on the finger

Heat Therapy: What Happens When You Do It? 

Like Ice therapy, heat therapy is also used for relieving pain and aids the healing process. When you apply heat to the injury, unlike ice therapy which first causes vasoconstriction and then vasodilation, heat therapy directly causes vasodilation which increases the blood flow to the injured part.

How Do You Use It? 

  • Whole body heat therapy: This includes steam, sauna or a jacuzzi which can be used to relax your entire body
  • Heat packs: Applying a heat pack without direct contact to the injured part is a great way to aid the healing process.

When Should You Use Heat Therapy?

  • You can use heat therapy for chronic pain. After 72 hours, once the injury has crossed the acute stage and the inflammation is reduced, heat can be giving to aid the healing process.
  • Heating can reduce your stiffness as well because it increases the blood flow to the stiff part making it more flexible.

When Should You Avoid Heat Therapy?

  • Do not apply heat to a fresh injury. This can cause increase of blood flow which can increase the inflammation.
  • Never apply heat to the places where it is swollen. Only ice should be used till the swelling reduces.

How Long Should You Continue With Heat Therapy?

  • 18-20 mins is the most optimal time for a heat therapy session. Please note that this doesn’t remain the same for all as it entirely depends on the type of heating method used.
  • It is advisable to keep a barrier between the skin and the heat pack to avoid direct contact and feel a burning sensation.
  • Comfort level is very important in heat therapy sessions. You should get optimal heat, excess of it might make you uncomfortable. 

These are the basics about Ice and Heat therapy. It should help anyone who is working out or running a marathon or goes for a trek very often. So, the next time before reaching out to any painkillers or pain relief ointments, reach out to the things mentioned in this article! But if you are not sure about your injury, it is always better to speak with your coach, doctor or any physiotherapist.

If this article helped you, let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Find more articles on fitness here.

Still not sure whether you should use ice therapy or heat therapy? Speak to one of our experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

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12 Foods You Have Been Consuming The WRONG WAY

foods

With all the sessions on GOQii Play and interactions within the app, most of us have understood “what to eat” in order to get the necessary nutrition for our body. But, have you ever wondered “how to eat”? Sounds silly? But it is not. It’s a valid question. The way we eat says a lot about how the nutrients will be best available to our body. However, it could get tricky here. While some vitamins can be destroyed during the cooking process, a little bit of heating enhances the absorption of certain nutrients.

12 Foods You’ve Been Consuming The Wrong Way

You must have also heard your coach or diet expert say that eating foods in certain combinations enhances the absorption of various nutrients. To help you out, we’ve made a list of proper ways to consume these top 12 foods and beverages!

1. Tomatoes: Cooking tomatoes makes them more nutritious and the longer you cook them, the better it is. Heat changes the “lycopene” present in them to a form our bodies can readily absorb. So you can either soup it up or cook tomatoes into pasta sauce and omelettes to benefit from its antioxidant, cancer fighting, bad cholesterol lowering properties in a full blown way.

2. Boiling Vegetables: Boiling vegetables is a no-no because water soluble vitamins like Vitamin C leach out and drain into the water. Moreover, it reduces the antioxidant content. This phenomenon is especially noticeable in Spinach. Of course, if you are going to consume the liquid when making soups, it’s a different thing. Steaming, roasting, sautéing methods of cooking result in more nutritious vegetables on your plate.

3. Going Absolutely FAT-FREE with Vegetable Juices/Salads: You can absorb more nutrients from your salads/green juices when you consume them with a wee-bit of fat because most nutrients in them are fat-soluble (Vitamin A, D, E, K). But, the type of fat can make a difference. For salads skip the mayo and instead, add cold pressed coconut oil, olive oil, avocados, egg yolks, nuts and seeds. For green juices, add a teaspoon of coconut oil for enhanced absorption.

4. Garlic: Unlike Vitamin C, Allicin is an enzyme found in garlic that benefits from exposure to air. If you mince it and quickly throw it in a pan, you are doing it wrong! This enzyme is not activated unless the cell walls are ruptured. Crush/Press those garlic pods instead of mincing. Let it sit for 10 minutes before exposing it to heat so that your finished dish contains maximum amount. With activated Allicin, you get to benefit from its anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal , anti-viral , anti-bacterial and cholesterol lowering properties.

5. Whole Grains, Beans & Pulses: Have you ever noticed how cloudy and dull the water gets once you soak your grains, beans or pulses in it? Well, it’s because of the presence of Phytates – the compound that binds the vitamins/minerals in the food and prevents them from being absorbed by the body. Soaking them overnight releases the phytates and you get the maximum amount of iron and zinc. Not only that! Soaking them overnight in warm water and then cold for 24 hours followed by cooking them negates the effect of gas formation. So you don’t end up feeling “gassy”.

6. Flaxseeds: If you have been sprinkling a spoonful of these into your morning smoothie or onto your yogurt snack, you have been doing it wrong! Our bodies are not capable of digesting “whole” flaxseeds and excrete them as it is. In order to reap benefits from these pods, chew them properly. You can either consume them raw or immediately after slightly roasting them. Even flaxseed meal (powdered) works, but make sure its consumption is immediate.

7. Yogurt : There are 2 points to consider:

i. If you have been draining away the watery fluid floating atop your yogurt, you’re actually draining away all your whey protein. Apart form Whey, it also contains Vitamin B12, Calcium and Phosphorus. Give your yogurt a quick stir to retain all its benefits .

ii. If you think you are going to get “probiotic” benefits out of yogurt by cooking a hot dish that involves yogurt based gravy or marination, you’re not going to. Most live/active cultures (the “healthy bacteria” in them) can’t stand heat and will be destroyed in the cooking process. While you will be getting the Protein, Calcium and Vitamin D, “probiotic” benefit is something that will be missed out .

8. Carrots: Cook, then cut. Cooking whole carrots and cutting them after they are cooked keeps more nutrients intact. Carrot is one vegetable (tomato is a fruit) that is better if cooked as heat breaks down its cell walls.

9. Broccoli: If you have been boiling, frying, overcooking or even over-steaming broccoli florets, then we have some bad news for you. Too much cooking destroys the enzyme that turns a chemical called glucosinolates into cancer fighting agents. Even if you are steaming them, make sure you do it only for 2-3 minutes.

10. Strawberries: Just 1 serving of these berries takes care of half of your daily Vitamin C requirement. However, if you have been cutting your berries prior to eating them, you’re missing out on your Vitamin C. The vitamins in strawberries begin to breakdown when exposed to light and oxygen (unlike Allicin). So eat them whole and if you want to store them, deep freeze! Cool temperatures help them retain their Vitamin C.

11. Citrus Fruits: Do you throw away the lemon or orange peels? These citrus peels contain 4 times more fibre and disease fighting flavonoids than the fruit itself. If you’re thinking how you can consume the peels, here’s what you do:

  • Grate peels just like you do with cheese and store in the freezer. Use them for recipes that call for lemon ‘zest’.
  • Add peels to a pitcher of water for an effective detox.
  • Marinate your meats, cottage cheese, fish with your own citrus rub.

12. Tea: Now, we have been drinking tea more than ever. Do you enjoy your tea with milk? There’s a downside to this. Milk proteins bind with Catechin in tea, making it difficult for your body to absorb this beneficial compound. So, tea no longer turns out to be a heart healthy drink. Plus, the excess amount of sugar which some people add only makes things worse. So just sip on some nice black or herbal tea without adding anything to it!

We hope these tips help you extract the most amount of vitamins and minerals from your food. Which one of these facts left you surprised? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

To understand more about these foods and to get proper nutritional advice, speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here.

Find more articles on nutrition here.

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From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

As we observe World Cancer Day under the powerful theme ‘United by Unique’ (2025-2027)**, we are reminded that every individual’s journey with cancer is distinct, yet united by shared resilience, hope, and the collective fight against this disease. This theme places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the […]