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What You Should Eat After a Workout

workoutWith the recent self-quarantine due to the coronavirus in full effect, most of us have been working out at home. We understand that exercise is important to keep ourselves fit, healthy and build immunity but one thing that we need to watch out for is what we eat after a workout. Eating the right food post workout is important for several reasons.

When you exercise your muscles use glycogen as a fuel to provide you optimum energy. This results in partial depletion of glycogen from your muscles. Some of the proteins in your muscles also get broken down and depleted, especially when you do strength training. After you workout, your muscles try to replenish these stores within 30-45 minutes of workout. That is the reason why you should eat after a workout so that muscle recovery happens quicker and less wear and tear of muscles occur. This ultimately leads to muscle growth, which is our main goal.

The Right Nutrition

Not only eating but also eating the right food is important. Proteins, as discussed above, get depleted. Thereby, eating the right amount of protein (0.3-05 gm/kg body weight) just after workout gives your body the amino acids required for muscle recovery and growth.

Glycogen is used as a fuel by body therefore eating carbohydrates (1.1 – 1.5 gm/kg body weight) within 30 minutes of workout helps in glycogen re-synthesis. A combination of both carbs and proteins helps in maximizing protein and glycogen synthesis.

Don’t shy away from including some fat in your meal as well. A little bit of it will not harm your recovery. In fact, fat is required by your body to absorb all the fat soluble vitamins.

Last but not the least, you should keep yourself hydrated always. As drinking enough water will help in better recovery and next day’s performance.

What Should You Eat After a Workout?

  • Brown bread and Peanut butter
  • Egg whites and toast
  • Chocolate milkshake (Avoid sugar if you are aiming at weight loss)
  • Chicken, brown rice and veggies
  • Quinoa with plenty of veggies or like a salad
  • Sweet potato
  • Cornflakes and milk
  • Banana milkshake
  • Fruit smoothie – Fruit of your favourite choice + Yogurt
  • Salad containing seeds like chia, sunflower and flax seeds

Don’t let social isolation or self-quarantine hamper your routine! Try these foods after a good home workout to strengthen your body and your immunity. If you need guidance for home workouts or more tips to build your immunity, tune in to LIVE classes on GOQii Play.

Let’s get stronger and #BeTheForce against COVID-19 together. 

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Strengthening Exercises You Need to Include in Your Routine

strengthening exercises

Strengthening exercises, as the name suggests, paints a picture of big muscles and heavyweights but that’s quite far from what it actually is. Strengthening Exercises have different aspects to them depending on the goal.

Strengthening Exercises involve complex movements and work on major muscle groups as well as secondary muscle groups. Any activity that makes the muscles work harder than usual, improves muscle strength, maintains bone density and strengthens them. In addition, it also improves balance, reduces joint pain and helps one lose weight.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need costly equipment or a gym membership to practice strengthening exercises. If your body is strong, you will be able to do any of your daily chores efficiently. Let’s begin!

 Few Exercises You Can Practice

If you’ve not been able to visit the gym or get your workout today, try these strengthening exercises you can easily do at home!

  1. You can perform Squats which are a great way to improve the strength of your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, abdominals and calves. You can also perform lunges or reverse lunges which work primarily on quadriceps, the gluteus maximus, knee joints and other leg and core muscles.
  2. When we talk about upper body, the first workout that comes to mind are pushups – which work your chest muscles, pectorals, shoulders, deltoids, back of your arms or triceps and abdominals. By adding triceps dips and pull ups, you can engage the supportive muscles of your upper body.
  3. Planks, crunches, reverse crunches, leg raises and Russian twist are exercises which help you make your core muscles, obliques, abdominals, spinal erectors and upper back (scapular stabilizers) stronger. By strengthening your core muscles, your spine gets much stronger to bear the excessive load and to transfer the force from the lower body to the upper body and vice versa. Strong core muscles can help you function without any injuries.
  4. Mountain Climbers and Burpees are workouts which help you train your whole body in one go. These workouts work your upper and lower body together and engage your core muscles as well. These are considered as compound workouts. Some of the muscle groups that get worked out include the spine range, hip muscles, quadriceps, calf muscles, ankle, rectus abdominis and obliques, etc.  
  5. Balancing workout – you walk, sit, stand – to do any work, you require great balance in your body. Some of the workouts you can perform to improve your balance include: standing on a single leg, balancing a stick on your fingers and walking on a single line. These balancing workouts help you prevent falls, walk safely, avoid twisting your legs, etc.
  6. Flexibility Workout – Bhujangasana, front bending pigeon pose, glute stretch, Warrior Pose – these are some examples of the flexibility workout, which is again a major factor of your fitness level. Good flexibility has many physical benefits such as less injuries and pains. When your body muscles are loose, relaxed, and less tense, you’ll experience fewer aches and pains and the chances of developing cramps will be very less. It helps you to improve your posture as well.  

Benefits of Strengthening Exercises

  • Makes you stronger, making it easier to perform daily chores especially when aging
  • Protects bone health and muscle mass by preventing loss of lean muscle mass post 30 years
  • Helps keep weight off by increasing resting metabolism even on the days we are not exercising
  • Helps better body mechanism by developing better balance, coordination and posture
  • Helps with lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and arthritis along with lifestyle changes
  • Boosts energy levels and improves mood

We hope this article helps you include strengthening exercises to your daily routine. To learn more exercises and workout routines, check out GOQii Play. 

Before engaging in any physical activity or trying a workout, consult your doctor or physician. 

#BeTheForce

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How to Turn Household Chores Into a Workout

Household chores into workout

Taking care of the house is a never-ending job! I still remember my mother being so caught up with household chores that she never got the time to workout. One day when I got home after working out, I saw my mother doing the regular housework and an idea struck me! What if we can turn daily household chores into a workout routine?

Benefits of Turning Household Chores Into a Workout

Most people struggle with the fact that due to the lack of time, they skip working out. If you turn household chores into a workout routine, you’re killing two birds with one stone. You find your chores as well as get a good, light workout.

Like any other physical activity, housework can tone muscles if done correctly and in the right posture. It’s already proved that short bouts of relatively mild exercise can help improve your fitness levels, especially for those who do little or no physical activity or are just getting started. To top it off, this can help you break the monotony of routine and add a little bit of fun to completing chores.

Here’s How You Get Started

  1. Lunges (Vacuum Cleaning): While using the vacuum cleaner, you can walk in a lunges posture. Remember to keep your knees directly above your ankles, your back straight and your abs engaged. You will know this is working by feeling the pressure in your thighs and glutes. Lunges are a good exercise for strengthening, sculpting and building several muscles/muscle groups, including the quadriceps (or thighs), the gluteus maximus (or buttocks) and the hamstrings as well.
  2. Squats: Pick up items on the floor or tables by squatting. Keep your back straight, squat deeply by bending your knees. Hold for 15 seconds before rising up again. A Squat is an exercise that primarily trains the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks. It also works the quadriceps (vastus lateral, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius and rectus femoris), hamstrings, and strengthens the bones, ligaments as well as the insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body
  3. Make Sweeping Movements: Instead of cleaning haphazardly when scrubbing glass doors or cleaning windows, make long, sweeping movements. For instance, when you are cleaning the doors or windows, take long swipes from top to bottom, squatting (not bending) to reach the lower spots. This will give you a fantastic shoulder workout and engage your entire lower body. If you want you can also hold a small bucket of water in your other hand to increase the strength of your arms.
  4. Sweeping: While sweeping, tuck your stomach and oblique muscles in, keep your back straight and bring the bristles of the broom as far as possible and pull in.
  5. Dance on the Beat: Turn on the music system while doing household chores and dance to the music the way you want. Try to use some fast music so you’ll be encouraged to pick up your speed and break a sweat. If you’re wondering how dancing helps your health, click here.
  6. Step it up: Use a stepladder, stairs or step stool when you need to reach high areas. Try to repeat the same steps 8-10 times. Trust me, this is a really great exercise for your hamstrings, provided you keep your back straight. You can simulate your own step aerobics session this way!
  7. Loading the Washing machine: When you are loading or unloading your washing machine, just twist and move more. This movement will help to strengthen your core.
  8. Sculpt and Fold: Lifting laundry can be the toughest part of your routine. Tone your arms by holding them raised at 90° angle as you carry the laundry basket. Use the squats and lunges posture with your legs as your fold.
  9. Take a Swing. Instead of cleaning your rugs, carpets, sheet using a vacuum cleaner, take them outside, hang them up, pick up your broom and show your muscular talent! Swing away to beat out the dust and dirt. Performing this activity will help you involve more muscles than vacuuming alone and help you get some fresh air as well.
  10. Always Prefer Stairs: Instead of making one trip up and down, try to convert it into multiple trips with the clean or dirty clothes. Remember, we have a target to do more work as a workout, not less work with the help of machines!

What are you waiting for! Make your household chores something to look forward to by turning them into a workout. Try this for a week and let us know if you see any changes. Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

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Top 10 Weird Excuses We Make to Skip a Workout

TOP-10-weird-excuses-we-make-to-skip-a-WorkoutPulling someone out of bed for a workout can really be a task! In the field of health and fitness, I have come across people giving some very fickle excuses that are just not valid. This blog has been written not to help you make those excuses, but to convey the fact that these excuses are invalid. We need to get stronger and workout harder!

1. I Just Ate a Meal

I agree there should be a good 2 hour gap between your meal and workout but does this qualify as a reason to not workout? If you have just eaten your lunch, schedule your workout towards late noon or evening. But, include it in your “to-do” list. Do not skip it.

2. I am not going to wear my “brand new” shoes for a run

If you aren’t wearing them, then why did you buy them? To walk the ramp or just look at it and feel good? Unless you are heading for some mud run or splash in a mucky puddle, they are going to remain the same. Shoes are meant to get dirty. It is very important you wear the new shoes and run as you need to break into them as well.

3. I Can’t Afford a Gym

One doesn’t need to go to the gym to be fit. The roads are your playground and your coach is your motivator. Running / trekking/walking /stair climbing/youtube workout videos/GOQii Active Sundays are absolutely free and very much doable.

4. I Don’t Have the Time

This one is probably the most common excuse. A workout does not need to last for an hour. 15-20 minutes is also good enough. If that too sounds like a lot to spare for your health, then you should definitely be working out because such a thought itself is an indicator of stress. Set your priorities right! Break into some HIIT’s (High Intensity Interval Training). Have a SMART WORKOUT.

5. I Feel Sick

Now this sounds like a genuine one. A viral fever, dizziness or any condition that requires extra care are excused. But, days when you suffer from a mild headache, feel heavy, PMS or just not feel a 100%, a little exercise will actually help. Your body needs to get rid of the toxins.

6. I’m Too Tired

Next time, tell yourself, “10-15 minutes of a quick workout and I shall head home for a nap”. As a result of this you shall end up taking a nap with more satisfaction and contentment.

7. Blame My Crazy Travel Schedule

This is the time when Tabata, body-weight exercises, living-room workouts and other HIIT’s will make more sense to you. Most hotels already have the facility of an in-house gym. Avail that. Or else, take a brisk walk and explore your new surroundings. One more tip that comes handy is to book your room above the 3rd floor, so that you get a chance to climb the stairs.

8. I Worked Out Yesterday

One bite of pizza doesn’t harm you. Similarly, one day of activity is not going to help the goals you have set for yourself. We need to be consistent for at least 21 days till it becomes a habit (rest days included). It’s a lifestyle change. The old saying, ‘Tomorrow never comes’ still holds true.

9. My Buddy Did Not Turn Up

OK! This is serious! You need some serious motivation. Go solo, that’s alright. More often than not we are so dependent on our friends for any outdoor activities and this holds true for workouts as well. You can’t always wait for company to workout.  You are your own individual and cannot allow someone else to impact your fitness goals.

10.Bad Day at Work/Home

This calls for some “me” time then. Trust me, a workout will definitely make you feel better. It will refill your confidence, relieve your stress and elevate your mood. Whenever you feel like ‘it wasn’t your day’, get your favorite workout into picture and work off that tension.

Remember that the only person standing in your way is ‘YOU’. Go ahead and take a step towards a healthier lifestyle. Your body will thank you for it!

Did we miss out on anything? What are the most common excuses you have heard? Share them with us in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

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