Be Fit With Biray

In an earlier post I had briefly pondered the applications of internet tools, such as Twitter, within the health and fitness industry. A few months later, a resourceful post was written on the “Spare Change” blog outlining the current extensions of Twitter for health. But today I wanted to ask a deeper question: Can Twitter be used to teach the art of mindfulness?

Jon Kabat-Zinn, a scholar in field of mindfulness, defines mindfulness as “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally, to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.” Most people shorten that down and say ‘living in the here-and-now.” For many, this concept seems abstract. It was for me at first. You see, I thought I was already ‘living in the moment’ and believed I had been paying attention.

In grad school, I took a class on the study of mindfulness. My professor, Dr. Ann Sebren, had suggested we first increase our cognitive awareness by paying attention to our thoughts more frequently. So, I did what was asked and for the next week tried focusing on my thoughts. But in doing so, I quickly became aware that I was focusing on the fact that I was focusing on my thoughts. Once I realized I was ruminating, I tried to stop. And when that didn’t work, I started questioning why I couldn’t stop this meta-thinking and soon lost my focus!

Through practice, I got better at experiencing my thoughts, being aware that I had them, and then letting them go. And now it’s an ongoing process that is still part of my conscious daily effort. But I had always wished there was a way I was introduced to mindfulness without it being such a transcendental process.

Here is where I think Twitter can come into play. If you’re introducing mindfulness to someone who has yet to fully experience it, how can you tell if what you’re teaching is helping them understand the concept? Or better yet, how do you know if they are even applying its principles? You don’t. Which is why I think using Twitter can be a metaphor for demonstrating both an understanding and the application of mindfulness.

Twitter is a platform that allows the user to selectively update their thoughts (aka “tweets”) as they are having them. It stores these ‘tweets’ on a linear timeline on the web. Each tweet is only allowed 140 characters and can be updated from the web or a cellphone, via text or voice (if you couple Twitter with Jott). Your activity (or data) can be quantified and examined using the mashup TweetStats. (Researchers should love this!)

As you can see below, I’ve included the most recent statistics for ‘Befitt’

The graphs can tell you when, to whom, and from where you’ve ‘tweeted’. For more information on what you’ve tweeted, you can simply go to your main Twitter page: http://www.Twitter.com/befitt.

Couldn’t this be the first step to quantifying mindfulness? Or perhaps make it easier to understand the mindfulness process? Can’t you define streaming consciousness via Twitter? So often I witness educators, trainers, wellness coaches suggest writing in journals or posting blog entries as a way to introduce and analyze abstract concepts to students or clients. But in my mind (no pun intended) these exercises are often outdated and pretentious.

Could there be an art of Tweetfulness. I’ll let you think about that one…

For the past several months (as part of my research for a fitness/tech article I’m writing), I’ve been exploring the various ways health and fitness professionals are using YouTube. I’ve come to find many applications that have been beneficial for both group exercise instructors and personal trainers.

One personal trainer in particular, Steve Turano from BodyPerformanceTV, has been using YouTube to educate the public on various health and fitness issues. He’s got over 180 different videos posted, covering topics from nutrition to weight training. Although informational vodcasts are common, Turano’s posts are unique in that he uses YouTube like a video-email (similar to EyeJot). People send in questions and if enough inquiries come in on a particular topic, Turano responds via YouTube. His advantage: He engages his audience directly by answering relevant questions THEY want to hear and uploads them in a timely manner (i.e. he vodcasts).

So, I contacted Turano and asked him if would be interested in trying Stickam, a live streaming video chat-room. Since I’m always looking for ways health/fitness professionals can experiment with new technologies, he was open to my request and was willing to give it a go. He quickly set up his channel and we did a few test runs live (there was a lot of echoing problems at first). He then promoted his ‘live show’ on YouTube, and did his first webcast tonight!

“I thought tonight went very well. Probably had about 15 people average and some very good questions. I believe people really appreciated it and they were interested in me presenting again next week,” he said in an email he sent to me afterwards.

Although I couldn’t stay during the entire webcast, I did stop in at the beginning to see how things were going!

He seemed to be facilitating the session quite nicely and having a great time doing it!

Thank you, Steve, for being open to trying something new so we can all learn something from your experience! Good luck with your future webcasts – keep us posted on how things evolve!

I’ll be presenting another workshop on blogging called “Stop, Blog, and Roll” at Chandler Public Library at the Hamilton Branch on Wednesday, March 26th at 6:30pm. Attendance is FREE and open to the public. Enter the blogosphere and learn the healthy ways of blogging!

UPDATE: Thanks to Ted Leibler from CPL, who helped organize tonight’s events. The facilities were terrific! And thank you to Roger Williams and Melissa Richards for taking the time to stop, blog, and roll. I look forward to following your blogs!

No, it’s not a typo. I didn’t mean to write “North by Northwest” (the famous Hitchock-Cary Grant flick thriller). I meant, South by Southwest – the Austin based film-music-interactive media festival!!!  AAAAH! I’ve been wanting to attend this conference since I was a film student in college. But since leaving the ‘biz’ and developing interests in the new media technology, this year I finally get to attend the interactive portion!

My colleagues and fellow Twitter friends from Arizona will also be there… @rrodrigo, @cogdog, @iboughtamac, and @hardaway! I’m looking forward to meeting new uber-techno geeks, like me, and entertaining conversations that explore the possibilities of the future!

I will be tweeting as often as possible, so be sure to follow my feed @befitt. But I will also be tumbling live from Austin on my new Tumblr Blog (it’s like Twitter but you get to microblog with text, pictures, audio, and video!)

See y’all when I get back!

We often hear people say “you’ve got to get a blog!” Obviously blogging serves many purposes, both personally and professionally. But creating a blog is easy – otherwise Technorati would not be tracking 112 million of them. It’s maintaining a successful blog, that counts.

A few months ago, I discussed Blogging for Health & Wellness when reviewing “Top 100 Blogs in Health & Fitness”. Over the past 7-8 months, one blog in particular (which was not included on the 100 list, but should have been) has caught my attention: “Unleash the Power of Group Fitness” authored by Krista Leopold, Director of Group Fitness for several clubs in the Charleston, SC area.

This blog is unique in that the blogger caters to an audience that is least represented in the blogosphere: Group Exercise Instructors. In addition, this blog is a true illustration of how a blog can be useful in educating and elevating the professional expertise of its audience. Krista’s voice is authentic and her posts are timely. I had the chance to connect with Krista and ask her questions about her experiences as a blogger.

BFWB: When and how did you get the idea to start blogging about group exercise?
KL: It started with reading blogs. There was a point when the Internet exploded with weblogs and it was impossible to avoid them. Most of the blogs I read at first were trite and self-absorbed, like public diaries. I was frustrated that most fitness sites had minimal substance and maximum vanity. I wanted to provide value to readers that I had been unable to find. After considering the different forms my message could take, I decided to reach out to Group Fitness Instructors and provide a service that I had not found anywhere else on the web.

BFWB: Who does your blog target – the newbie or the veteran instructor?
KL: Both, but more specifically newer instructors. I remember how frightened and intimidated I was in my first days of teaching group fitness. I had many many questions but no mentors. My first Director attempted to be helpful, but she didn’t know how to teach me to bring more people in to my class — she only insisted that I did. I made lots of mistakes figuring it out on my own, so I try to be a mentor for new instructors who are in the same boat. I also try to remind veteran instructors that there are things they may have forgotten, never learned or taken for granted. I also try to provide choreography, tips and motivational cues that are usable by anyone, regardless of experience level.

BFWB: I love your blog’s mission statement “to assist instructors, whatever their experience level, at being the best they can be.” Can you expand on that?
KL: I recognize that group fitness instructors don’t teach just one medium anymore. We are yogis and spinners and dancers and steppers and body sculptors and kickboxers and more. But whatever the discipline, GFIs are also salesmen, customer service reps and personal trainers and even therapists! I try to provide a broader picture to instructors that I hope allows a vision of themselves as more than the person barking orders to students…[rather] to rethink how you as an instructor approach your class and can provide a positive learning experience.

BFWB: Why don’t you think more fitness professionals – group ex instructors especially, are out there blogging?
KL: I would guess lack of time, experience, and knowledge. This is a pretty big time commitment if you intend to provide well-thought, relevant, helpful inspiration. Other instructors may also be unaware that they have experiences and information that could help others. Trusting yourself and knowing your message take time and self-evaluation. I overcame the time issue when life asked me to take a full-time corporate job that allowed me to do most of my writing on lunch breaks. Before, when I was at the gym all day, it never would have happened. I also imagine that whereas a personal trainer can see a direct marketing effect from their blogs in the form of clients, a GFI may not see where they can gain anything tangible. I began with no known benefits except for an occasional pat on the back from a commenter or email.

BFWB: What has been a rewarding benefit you have seen come from your blogging experience?
KL: The most rewarding thing is how I have improved as an instructor. I started blogging with a pretty big ego; I thought I was doing a great service and that I had enough knowledge to tell others what they were missing in their instructing. It is refreshing to say that my ego has shrunk with every post and my skills have flourished. Writing involves a humbling self-evaluation and a challenge to fight my own bad habits and laziness. I have experienced growth that I never expected and it has been a real blessing. The effects to my career have only recently begun to happen. I was asked to contribute to a book that will be published later this year and have had the opportunity to network with folks working in areas I want to pursue. While no dramatic changes or “lottery moments” have happened yet, I see many doors opening that will allow me very soon to leave my corporate shoes behind and return full-time to the fitness industry.

A big thanks goes to Krista for sharing her insights. We all can learn from her knowledge and experience (not just in group exercise, but through her blogging efforts, as well). I know she will continue to contribute to the growth of this industry and raise the bar for the group exercise profession.

This past Friday I was in southern California presenting a workshop entitled “Blogging for Health, Fitness, and Wellness Professionals.” Although the 4-hour workshop began with an overview of blogging, the main focus was in teaching how to customize and utilize blogs within the health, fitness, and wellness profession.

The workshop was held in one of San Diego’s premiere computer labs (MicroTek) where the participants had access to the internet and were able to create their blogs – live - during the presentation. Continuing education credits for ACE, AFAA, CanFitPro, and NASM were also offered.

During our group discussions, we stumbled upon a very interesting ethical question:

“Should there be a blogging code of ethics for health, fitness, and wellness blogs?”
Back when I wrote about blogging for health in an earlier post last October, I posed the question “why were only a small percentage of the bloggers listed in the Top 100 Health & Fitness Blogs actually written by certified and educated health and fitness professionals?”

The healthcare industry has taken to blogging very quickly. So much so, that they have their own annual conference (Blogging for Healthcare) and their own code of ethics “Blogging Code for Healthcare Professionals and Patients.” Read the full code of ethics here. All medical practitioners (and patients) who have been approved as healthcare bloggers, showcase their healthcare blogger ‘code of ethics’ emblem directly on their blog.

Hence the question – should a blogging code be created for the fitness & wellness industry?

Would creating a code elevate and separate the professional blogs from those blogs written by general health and fitness enthusiasts (such as those listed in the Top 100)? Could this be a way our professionals can showcase their talents and expertise within the online community? If you were your client, wouldn’t you rather read a health-fitness approved blog? And if a code did exist – what would be its standards?

As technology advances and our clients venture into digital worlds and online communities, we will have to address these questions appropriately. Are we, as an industry, prepared?

Let’s face it, it helps to be connected.

Now, the company that brings you ‘innovative desk exercises’ is offering free workouts for Facebook members. That’s right, Desk-Trainer.com has created a corresponding Facebook application that you can add right into your profile. Now you can check-up on friends and update your stats while reducing the risks of carpal tunnel!

You can select from various exercises to help release pressure in your neck, decrease low back and shoulder pain, alleviate headaches, and of course, reduce the risks for carpal tunnel. Seeing as women are “three times more likely than men to develop carpal tunnel syndrome,” according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), I thought I’d try some of the wrist strengthening exercises.

So I added the application, cleared my desk and prepared to get my sweat on.

“Imagine your wrists are sinking into a pool of dense honey,” the ominous voice says. Not sure exactly what that means, but I do what the cartoon man tells me and hope for the best. I do end up going through all the available free exercises. All were well-articulated and thorough. Surprisingly, my body felt much better for doing them.

If you have time this week, try it for yourself. At the very least, you might get a few ideas for your next corporate stress management seminar.

Will this be the future of online training? Embedding animated workouts within our online social networking sites? Perhaps not exactly in this format, but I wouldn’t completely discount the idea.

Kix here!  Your health and fitness correspondent from Second Life.  Biray has asked me to post an update regarding latest in-world health and fitness news.

It seems many health and healthcare organizations have created a presence in our virtual bubble.  Everything from support groups for autism and AIDs, to communities on counseling and cancer.  Check out these resources by teleporting to HealthInfo Island (contact Carolina Keats for the TP).  Or if you have yet to cross over into our world – you can visit the SL-healthy wiki to learn more about the communities that have combined their virtual efforts.

Check out my latest blog post “Don’t Drink and Fly” about creating health-related messages using Second Life.  I witnessed a simulated car crash which turned out to be a creative ‘don’t-drive-drunk’ campaign.

Last, but not least – came across few more health clubs and fitness facilities in SL.  Check out my latest article “Move Your Body” in The Looking Glass, online magazine about SL.

This weekend I attended my college roommate’s wedding. The invitation read “Your presence is the only presents they request.” While I wanted to honor the couple’s request, I didn’t quite feel comfortable showing up empty-handed. After consulting my Twitter friends for ideas, I thought the best ‘no-gift’ gift would be one that would make their new world a better place. So, I made a contribution to an environmenal cause on their behalf.

As I was searching the internet for different charities, I came across a few search engines that exclusively supported health-related causes. Here’s what I mean: let’s say you search for the word ‘health’ on Google or Yahoo!, in addition to the results, you’ll find paid ads specific to health on the page somewhere. These ads help fund search engines so we can freely surf the web. Charity search engines perform the same tasks as Google and Yahoo! (often times they are powered by them) but donate generated ad revenue to a charity of choice!

A simple Google search for “charity search engines” will get you a list of various sites you can use or simply check out Top 15 Charity Search Engines. Each site varies between the cause they support (although most allow you to choose from a huge list of charities). Some range from 50-100% donations. Others limit the times you can search on their site, though most are unlimited.

I’ve been playing with a few, and have really found these to be either the most user-friendly or applicable to the health-fitness industry.

Clicks4cancer donates their ad revenue to various cancer foundations.

SearchGive helps you select charities by belief, cause, cure, or foundation. Just type in words like ‘diabetes’ or ‘wellness’ and you can usually find the charity of choice.

One of the reasons why I like GoodSearch is because you can select a charity by city/state. It’s nice to see local charities getting support within their community. Also, you can see how much money each charity has recieved from their searches. So, if you’re a non-profit looking for a fundraising opportunity, this is a great way to get listed and track your progress.

Some others I like are GreenSpider (a search engine that supports the environment) and Ripple (helping to fight poverty around the world). They seem to be more than just a search engine – they help promote a movement across the web. With corresponding Facebook groups, web apps and/or widgets to add to your blog, these help in spreading support.

If you’re like me, you’re probably online daily searching for information. Having found these resources, now we all can make our efforts online more meaningful! So go ahead – search for a cause !

Amanda Vogel is back this year with her latest book for health and fitness professionals entitled “Anatomy of an Article” – get plenty of great tips on writing for magazines, websites, blogs, newspapers, newsletters and more! If you want to focus specifically on improving your blogging skills, you can also subscribe to CopyBlogger – they always have ideas that help stimulate creative blog posts!

(Small plug) IDEA Health & Fitness Association published my first article this month! It’s always a proud moment when you see your name in print inside a real magazine – and this is my first time in a mainstream trade journal (so I’m unusually excited about it)! The article is featured in the January issue of IDEA Fitness Journal. It’s about developing the “Client-Trainer Blog” to promote health behavior change.

Kix Kayamanu has also embarked on a freelance writing career in Second Life. She was recently hired as a columnist for The Looking Glass, an online magazine covering the latest happenings inside the metaverse. Kix’s column “Shape Up” features her first article “Avatars Have Heart” where she discusses the importance of staying active in both a virtual life and real life!