Be Fit With Biray

Last week I was the keynote at the Major Moves in Physical Activity Conference in Birmingham, UK duing Leisure Industry Week. My presentation entitled “Do Your Eyes Flickr and Your Head Twitter When You Hear The Words Facebook and Second Life?” was about using social software (Web 2.0 tools) in the promotion of physical activity (and other health & fitness behaviors).

Statements like ‘Google it’ and ‘upload to YouTube’ is a clear indication that the web we know today is significantly different from the one ten years ago. Websites have become more user-friendly and user-centric. Online participation has turned into a cut-and-past, click-n-drag interaction. This shift from being the world’s ‘information superhighway’ to being a platform for dynamic interaction has captured the attention of more online users. And now, conversations about its relevance and application to health promotion and physical activity are becoming much more prevalent.

Despite the advancement in internet technology, what do these tools mean in the world of health and fitness? Its appeal is understandable: powerful mobile phones in the palm of your hand, addictive nature of networking on Facebook, the freedoms of the avatar lifestyle. But these things aren’t going to solve the increased incidences of cardiovascular disease, Type-II diabetes in children, and obesity rates.

Or are they?

Could our efforts online play a significant role in impacting health and wellness of a society? The long-term effects of using web 2.0 for health promotion and physical activity initiatives are inconclusive due to the fact that most of these tools are still in their infancy. However, the enthusiasm behind their potential application warrants further exploration. This may be why health organizations and fitness experts are embracing these online tools. Perhaps they are hoping to engage a greater audience, enhance their current professional efforts, and expand their field of expertise.

Today’s cutting edge technology is preparing professionals to think laterally in this next generation of health promotion and fitness programming. Carly Fiorina, ex-CEO of Hewitt-Packard, once said that “the past 25 years in technology has been a ‘warm-up’ act. What we’re entering is the main event, and by ‘main event’ I mean an era in which technology will truly transform every aspect of business, of government, of society, of life.” The question is not whether or not technology will evolve. The question is how will health professionals adopt and apply these technologies in order to determine their future evolution. Could these web-based tools be integral in those efforts to help people adopt healthier lives in the next era? I sure hope so!

Below is a glimpse of the presentation:

In case you haven’t heard - PodCampAZ is coming to, well… Arizona, of course! Mark your calendars for this 2-day new media UNconference from November 1-2, 2008. This will be my first year as an attendee and a presenter. I’m totally thrilled to be a part of this event. (I imagine it will be like a mini SXSW-interactive).

Speakers gather to discuss topics ranging in film/video, print, TV, mobile, radio, IRL, and advertising. The newest member to the media party is interactive category, which certainly creates more opportunities to feature topics on exergaming and games for health. The session I will be presenting is entitled ‘Exergaming: Health Outside the XBox’ and the description goes as follows:

“Nintendo Wii and games like Dance Dance Revolution have propelled the exergaming phenomenon forward! Exergames are video games requiring players to be physical active during game play. In this session, discover their 25-year history, the scientific research to support game play and various applications in health and fitness.”

Read up on the speakers and topics and find out more about the event here.

Be there to help people answer the hottest new media question… “What’s your source?”

Cheerio, chaps!

Tonight I will be on a plane to spend a week in the UK. I wish I could tell you it’s for a relaxing vacation, but alas, it is a professional excursion. Most of my activities will be business-related.

As many of you may or may not know, the week of September 23 - 25 is dedicated to UK’s largest events: Leisure Industry Week and Sports Development Week (aka. UK’s recreation and fitness industry). More than 10,000 people are said to attend Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre to participate in various conferences, seminars, clinics and workshops.

The conference I’ve been invited to present at is the Major Moves In Physical Activity Promotion Conference, put on by SportEx, which will focus its efforts on the use of technology. To find out more about the session I will be presenting, click here. I will be posting a summary of my session in the days to come.

I will also reconnect with fellow colleague and exergame physiologist Alasdair Thin, who came to visit me back in May of this year. He will be presenting a session after me on exergaming. As well as, Richard Coshott from Gamercize, whom I met at the Exergaming Summit this past August. He will show me how exergames have penetrated the commercial gyms and health facilities.

I look forward to getting a different perspective in the sports and leisure arena. It’ll be interesting to see the UK’s approach fitness and innovation.

In February of 2008 I posted my interview with Krista Leopold, blogger and creator of “Unleash the Power of Group Fitness. I had wanted to showcase her blog because I felt she provided a great example of using blogs to target group fitness instructors (which no one was doing effectively, at the time). Since our interview together, not only have I had the privilege to guest post on her blog, but had the pleasure of developing a professional relationship with a fellow group fitness colleague.

A few weeks ago Krista decided to interview me! I was rather surprised to be asked, actually. I’d never expected to entertain an interview about my own blog (since I was the one doing most of the interviews). But after answering her questions, I realized they challenged me to evaluate my own professional efforts and helped clarify my technological focus to another online audience.

Read the full interview as I share how my journey went from simply exercising to ‘exercising the web’!

Getting people to exercise is one thing, but getting them to adhere to a workout plan is another. EcFit (pronounced like ‘easy fit’) systems by Extracon Science promises to provide “automatic reminders and coaching by phone.” EcFit is a technology-based tracking system that helps you stick to your workouts by calling you to see that you’re meeting your monthly adherence goals. In other words, are you working out when you say you are.

The concept is simple. Select your adherence goal. Mine was completing 80% of my scheduled workouts. Then schedule your workouts on the EcFit website. Finally, select the best times you want EcFit to call you to receive the calls that help keep track of workout attendance. You can set the call (and text-message) to come BEFORE your workout so it can remind you of your upcoming appointment. Or, set the call to ring you AFTER your workout so you can confirm whether or not you’ve completed your exercise. You can also call EcFit when you’ve completed an unscheduled workout. (Check out the demo here.)

Now, in theory this all sounds great. A system to keep you accountable for your workouts. But does it really improve exercise adherence? I’ve spent the past 3 weeks testing out this system and here’s what i found.

Automatic reminders: this was a very valuable feature. For me, I set most of my reminders BEFORE my workouts (especially if they were early morning ones because then the call & text-message coupled as a wake-up call, too! LOL). Although I found the reminders effective, I can’t seem to justify paying their $5 monthly fee for sending me automated reminders. (Especially when there are other free resources online, such as WakerUpper, Memo2me, or HassleMe that do pretty much the same thing.)

Virtual coach by phone: I didn’t find this to be effective for me. EcFit called me at the scheduled prompts, requiring I give feedback on my workout attendance. “Yes, I attended” or “No, I didn’t.” It gave me my progress based on my answers. “You have completed 71% of your scheduled workouts. You are not meeting your goal of 80%. If you complete the next 13 workouts you will meet your goal by September 21st.” I love collecting data and seeing the stats about my workouts. But, I’ll be honest, these stats seemed arbitrary to me. Especially when during the next scheduled call, it told me completing 2 more workouts would keep me on target. What caused this discrepancy? What was their point of reference? This didn’t motivate me, it frustrated me. But regardless of these variable results, I still wasn’t convinced that obtaining numerical statistics were the key to long-term exercise adherence. After a while, I started sending EcFit’s phone calls to voicemail. And I didn’t care if I was completing 50% or 92% of my workouts - I was just happy that I was completing my workouts.

EcFit’s system is supported by research done at Stanford University. According to the information on the EcFit brochure, the conclusion from the study found that automated calling systems were an effective, low-cost way to increase exercise in sedentary adults over 55. (Health Psychology, 2007, Nov Vol 26 (6) 718-727). I actually found and read this study. I realized that the ‘automated calling system’ or telephone-linked computer (TLC) system the research referred to had delivered counseling content consistent with that of an in-person health educator. This meant that the counseling provided via TLC included “physical activity assessment, progress evaluation, individualized problem-solving, goal-setting, feedback, and delivery of positive support and tailored advice.” Hardly equivalent to the service EcFit provides.

Effective use of technology can prove essential in health promotion and exercise adherence. We’re seeing more web-based and mobile-centric programs that are helping those who need to overcome barriers blocking their paths to healthful living. I believe EcFit is doing their part in helping people make baby steps towards committing to a health behavior. Although I had hoped for more, given the climate of the internet with its web 2.0 technologies, I walked away a bit underwhelmed.

If EcFit can accommodate the techno-savvy generation of today’s online world, I see no reason why it couldn’t be a leader in “technology-based services that enable people to make healthy changes in their lives.” But for now, I’d suggest going to Wellsphere if you want to experience some of these similar features for free!

As an adjunct faculty at a community college in the Exercise Science / P.E. department, I often wonder why students decide to enroll in a basic-level, 101 health class (of all things) at the college level. I understand its significance in elementary school (I still remember the day the nurse came to my 5th-grade class for the big ’sex talk’). Even in junior high and high school, health education is justified. (How many remember attending a multi-media production of a ‘Don’t Do Drugs’ campaign in their school auditorium?). But a basic health class in college? I’m not suggesting that a refresher course is unnecessary (we can always learn a few more facts & details). But aren’t there other interesting classes on campus that students can take from our department - like exercise science, strength & conditioning, nutrition, stress management, sports psychology - or better yet, a more active classes like yoga, dance or indoor cycling? (Last year we offered Dance Dance Revolution for college credit!)

At the beginning of every semester, I always ask my students why they’ve signed up for my class. This is not an ego thing nor a first-day ditch effort to break the ice. I ask because I truly want to know, “Why are you taking this class?”

Some students tell me they need an easy credit (these are the ones who usually drop my class when they find out I actually require participation). Most of them tell me they want to learn to be healthier, for instance, they wish to eat better. To that, I say, “Drink a lot of water, eat 5 fruits and veggies a day, and stay away from McDonald’s.” There you have it. Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t most college students know the differences between healthy behaviors and unhealthy ones. Sure, they may not spew out current stats and facts on every issue. But most know good from bad. Smoking = bad. Unprotected sex = bad. Fast food = bad. So why are they taking this entry-level class? They already know the basics.

Every semester I try and choose topics that seem relevant to the students to promote discussion about those issues. But often times I find myself learning more from (and about) my students than they seem to be learning from me. For instance, I’m surprised at the number of students who are dealing with a close relative who has had surgery for heart disease, or those who’ve lost parents and siblings to cancer. One student last semester lost her dad to cancer and was also taking her mother to chemo appointments. Another one this semester is preparing for gastric bypass. What can these students take away from my class they don’t already know?

Some students openly allude to having done drugs or drinking. It’s not uncommon to hear stories of those who directly lost a friend to drunk driving. Yet some still come hungover to class even after I’ve lectured on the unit about the effects of alcohol use. These are the students who have lived through Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings. And, those who are sexually active, risk 1 in 4 chance of contracting an STD. Times have changed. These kids know their risks. This isn’t high school anymore. So what do these students want to learn that they don’t already know?

Apparently, spewing facts and statistics about health-related topics is no longer effective anymore. If I tell them 3 out of 4 report insufficient physical activity, will they begin to be more active? If I tell them that 80% of all lung cancers are due to tobacco use - would they stop smoking? These students either come with knowledge (or know where to get it) or first-hand experiences with these health-related topics. If you were an 18 to 22 year-old student, why would you take a health class in college?

So, here I am again - first week of classes. Wondering. What is the purpose of my classes? And what can I do to make it more meaningful for those in attendance?