Be Fit With Biray

Monday night I was featured in a news segment reported by Keith Yaskin from Fox10 News. The segment was about video games and exercise – was it a legitimate form of physical activity? It basically answered the question most consumers want to know – “Can you lose weight by playing video games?”

I had the opportunity to play a few rounds of tennis on the Nintendo Wii with Keith (which I let him win ONLY because I thought it would be nice to give him the chance to feel victorious). I also demonstrated the ‘workout mode’ in the game Dance Dance Revolution, as well as, feature a produce called Gamercize.

Below is a recording of the segment that aired on TV (sorry for the poor quality… I was rushed for time to put it up. For a clean version, go here) Enjoy!

I hope this media only adds to the growing exposure exergaming continues to get. I imaging it helps people recognize this is not just a trend – but sign of what’s to come in the world of fitness.

I have decided to launch a new experiment. I’m calling it “Utterlicious!” and I will be using Utterli to track my delicious meals (well, I think they’re delicious although some have not shared in my enthusiasm). Every day during the month of October, I will be podcasting about the foods I eat, as well as, posting a photo of my meals. (People have visually tracked their dietary intake on Flickr before, but Flickr doesn’t have the podcasting capabilities of Utterli.)

I realize there are plenty of sites online that have robust tracking features that offer caloric breakdowns of your foods, telling you how many grams of fats, proteins, carbohydrates you are consuming. But I’m not interested in counting calories or knowing my macronutrient details. I think people are too concerned with these things and don’t take the time to listen to their bodies and enjoy the foods they eat. This is why the podcasting component is essential. When you talk about the foods you eat, you tend to really enjoy your meal – or else why would chefs take such pleasure in describing their dishes with such delicious detail! Culinary art should be appreciated!

Therefore I’m dedicating this experiment to the JOY OF EATING! That’s right, I’m going to track my food EXPERIENCE. I believe that if you enjoy the foods you eat (good or bad) that you’ll be more mindful when you eat them. And if you’re more mindful when you eat your meals, you’ll be more conscious about what you’re putting in your body. And if you’re more conscious about what you’re putting in your body, then you’ll make healthier choices (most of the time).

I’ve tracked my meals on Utterli before, but it has always been inconsistent. This time I look forward to logging with more purpose.

Will you JOIN me?

Here is how to do it:
1. An Utterli account, if you don’t have one.
2. Join the group “Utterlicious”

Here are the ‘rules’:
1. Create/Cook a meal (or order one, if you’re dining out) that you’re going to enjoy eating.
2. Take a photo of your meal and upload to Utterli. (I use my cell phone which is more discrete than taking a digital camera w/ me)
3. Call Utterli and explain your dining experience (who you’re dining with, what you plan on eating, why your meal is so utterlicious)
4. Label the contents of the meal in your Utterli description (at some point when you log in to Utterli)
5. Link your Utterli post to the ‘Utterlicious’ group so we can comment on your food choices (which is half the fun!)

Remember, this is for one month! Don’t cheat and ‘forget’ to post on those days you’re eating those french fries or drinking one too many glasses of wine… it’s about putting it ALL out there for one month – good or bad! And consciously enjoying your dining experience!

Bon Appetit!

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?

I went from being appalled to applauding in less than 24 hours!

The mayor of Chandler has called out the residents of the city to a wellness challenge. It’s the Chandler Gets Fit initiative, urging everyone to do their best to incorporate more physical activity during the day. The website lists 30 (count ‘em) THREE ZERO fun and easy activities to try. And not one of those activities is an exergame. [Where is Ernie, the exergaming evangelist to spread the word of exergaming in our city's time of need! We should have a cool way to summon you, Ernie - like a bat signal except for exergames!].

I was appalled that exergaming wasn’t on the list! So, I decided to write Mayor Dunn an email sharing my thoughts. I wrote the letter last night in an emotional state. So I decided to sleep on it before sending it this morning. The email went at 9:11am today. Here is the excerpt from my email:

Dear Mayor Boyd W. Dunn,

I am a strong advocate of programs supporting increased physical activity in our community and I was very delighted to see your ’stamp of approval’ on the Mayor’s Wellness Challenge. It is devastating to see how sedentary we have become as a society and any bit of encouragement towards being more active helps.

However, the list that was posted on the website (the one that included 30 ideas to help people be more active) was missing one popular, culturally timely activity: exergaming (video games plus exercise). Exergaming, such as playing Dance Dance Revolution or the Nintendo Wii, has been a hot topic among fitness professionals, researchers and health educators. It is a comparable alternative to traditional forms of activity, like walking, cycling and kickboxing. What most people don’t realize about exergaming is that it has the potential of being a ’stepping stone’ to other modes of activity (such as those listed in your 30). Those who may not feel comfortable participating in fitness or sports-related events may find exergames beneficial in other ways, such as building confidence and self-esteem (which can translate into other areas of life), as well as, weight-loss and increased fitness.

Please include exergaming on this list. I know it may be a small favor to ask. But simply adding ‘exergames’ helps strengthen the research that supports active video games as an accepted form of physical activity. After all, Chandler’s very own Tumbleweed Recreation Center has an entire room dedicated to exergaming.

At 9:53am (in less than an hour!), I got a response. (I was quite surprised at his quick response, actually). Here is what he wrote:

Dear Mr. Alsac,

Thank you for the e-mail and for your interest in the Wellness Challenge. You make an excellent point and we will soon add exergaming to the site as a way to stay healthy. I appreciate the input.

Sincerely,
Mayor Dunn

Did you read that?! He used exergaming and healthy in the same sentence! This must be applauded. I will have to personally shake his hand on October 18th at the “Chandler Day of Play” event when the Mayor will recognize all of those who stayed active during his challenge.

The fact that I was referred to as a ‘mister’ instead of a ‘miss or ms.’ in his email is, at this point, forgiving.

Another one for the exergaming team! [Ernie would be proud!]

Two weeks ago, I attended an exergaming summit in beautiful Portland, Maine to discuss the future of exergaming – its advantages, limitations, barriers, and applications. A big ‘thanks’ goes out Beth Bryant and Ben Sawyer from Games for Health initiative and the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation for making this retreat possible. In the two-day intensive, we launched into interesting discussions about this growing field.

For more on those in attendance and general overview of the summit, Dr. Ernie Medina wrote an excellent post on his Exergaming Evangelist blog. The results from our conversations will eventually be published in a white paper and delivered in presentations at next year’s Games for Health conference. Stay tuned.

Now that I’ve had a couple of weeks to digest the outcomes of the retreat, I wanted to revisit a question that had been on my mind prior to attending this summit.

“Do exergames belong in the gym?”

Now, obviously I’d be the first to say “YES!” without batting an eye. And, yes, I still firmly believe there is a role for exergames within the fitness community. I’m certainly not suggesting they should be excluded as an additional mode of activity or equipment in a facility. But given the culture of a club and roles of the fitness professionals who staff it, exergames are not successfully coupling within this group.

Let’s take a closer look at the roles our fitness professionals play in this environment. They are in the business of creating and designing a workout experience. Their knowledge and experience have taught them the art and science of comprehensive program design. Exergames are developed in such a way where anyone can simply plug-in and play, by-passing the element of program design. They don’t take advantage of the education and expertise that fitness professionals bring to their jobs. If fit pros wanted to integrate exergaming into their program, outside of facilitating game play or motivating the players – what else are they to do? Verbally translate the directional arrows during a session of Dance Dance Revolution?

Exergames (at least, the ones currently on the market) DO NOT complement the strengths or highlight the roles of the qualified, certified fitness professional.

I feel I can somewhat qualify this statement. In my experiences teaching DDR classes in group exercise settings (in gyms & at recreational facilities), I honestly found my role as a facilitator disappear as participants caught on to game (often within the same class period). Although the classes were well-attended, it wasn’t clear how much of this was due to my instruction. Sure, as a video gamer and exerciser I was able to generate enthusiasm for exergames (as well as provide the equipment for the class). But as a fitness professional, I couldn’t help but notice how I was curbing my traditional teaching skills and refocusing my role.

An exergame should be able to retain its unique benefits (the fun-factor, its social appeal, the built-in biofeedback mechanisms, etc.), while still taking advantage of skills a fitness professional brings to this environment (by utilizing their expertise and teaching styles). Currently, there is no reason to couple fitness pros with exergames.

So if we ever want exergames to be successful in a gym setting, we have to justify to the fitness professionals how they can benefit from delivering exergames as an alternative mode of activity. Otherwise, we’ll just have fitness professionals on one side of the gym doing their thing and exergames on the other side (stuck near childcare).