Healthy Lifestyle

  • Gamifying Fitness Works: Doing More to Be Less

    How do you make it easier to find opportunities to be healthier in our busy lifestyles?

    Lots of people say health and fitness are important to them.  Too often, that is an aspiration rather than a resolution. 

     

    A Healthy Equation.

     

    The key is burning more calories than you consume.  Yes, that is obvious … but isn't easy.

    How do you measure your real caloric intake, and accurately track the calories you burn?

    Image representing Fitbit as depicted in Crunc...Image via CrunchBase

     

    I found a tool that helps.  It is called Fitbit; and it tracks your sleep patterns, eating habits and activity to help you become healthier.

    It also wirelessly syncs that information with your computer, and presents it to you in a way that lets you compete to reach your goals and out-do your friends.  Yes, fitness has gone social.

     

    Gamification is getting a lot of press recently. Apparently, it works.

    Competition often brings out the best in people. There is a part of me that it doesn't believe it. Experientially, however, it's clear that I'm more likely to take action in competitive situations. 

    In a way, you can  think of the Fitbit as a game where the challenge is to get at least 10,000 steps per day (and you can also get bonuses and brownie points for doing other healthy things).

    The tracking and reporting component add enough competition to change behavior.

    For example, there is a certain venture capitalist who is consistently kicking my ass by generating much higher numbers than I do. In addition, there is a short and portly industry analyst (old enough to be my father) who somehow took more steps than I did last week. These things cause me to get out of my chair and exercise.  It has become so persistent that I've started parking farther away just to add to my count.

    The proof is in the results. Here's a graph showing my weight over the past two months.

     

    110822 Fitbit Weight Loss 
    The jump in the middle came from a visit to the Jersey Shore, where my will-power lost a battle to unlimited Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches and hot pretzels.

     
    You Can't Get There From Here.

    It was harder than you might guess to get started.

    I remember hearing a funny story about someone asking for directions after getting lost in a city and asking for directions. The response was "you can't get there from here." Well, it turns out that my goal of taking 10,000 steps a day was impractical; I couldn't get there from where I was. 

    In other words, even on a day when I exercised, my lifestyle didn't come close to an activity level of 10,000 steps per day.

    Last summer, I celebrated the fact that I went to the gym three times per week. On one hand, I'm sure that's an improvement from not going to the gym three times a week. On the other hand, as I measured my activity levels and steps, that's a 5,000 to 7,000 steps per day activity level. By that, I mean that 5,000 steps is average, and I might be able to get the 7,000 steps if I really pushed myself.

    As a practical matter, I couldn't get to 10,000 steps per day unless I changed something. For me, that meant jogging. And trust me, jogging was something that I didn't want to do. At a little over 240 pounds it was hard to drag my well-marbled meat suit around the park (especially in the Texas heat).

    So, after going to the gym, I would reluctantly find my way to the park to waddle the extra mile. That increased my steps; and it also took me past the tipping point where I started to lose weight. That made running easier.  Soon, I was shuffling 2 miles. Now, 4 miles is within my comfort zone.

    Again, the key is that once your activity burns more calories than you eat, weight comes off quickly.  Like I said, simple, "just not easy."

     

    Intent and Focus Help Too.

     

    The other area where the Fitbit has made a big difference is with the intent to be healthy. It's one thing to say that you will be healthy. It's another to vote with your feet and actually do healthy things.

    The Fitbit helps bring the intent to the forefront of your consciousness. That means you will think about it more often. That also means you will notice more opportunities to be more active more often. As a result of the increased activity, you will burn more calories and lead a healthier lifestyle.

    It's easy to manage what you measure. So making it easier to measure something can actually make it easier to achieve better results. That's where the Fitbit shines.

    Get one here.

    Related articles
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Gamifying Fitness Works: Doing More to Be Less

    How do you make it easier to find opportunities to be healthier in our busy lifestyles?

    Lots of people say health and fitness are important to them.  Too often, that is an aspiration rather than a resolution. 

     

    A Healthy Equation.

     

    The key is burning more calories than you consume.  Yes, that is obvious … but isn't easy.

    How do you measure your real caloric intake, and accurately track the calories you burn?

    Image representing Fitbit as depicted in Crunc...Image via CrunchBase

     

    I found a tool that helps.  It is called Fitbit; and it tracks your sleep patterns, eating habits and activity to help you become healthier.

    It also wirelessly syncs that information with your computer, and presents it to you in a way that lets you compete to reach your goals and out-do your friends.  Yes, fitness has gone social.

     

    Gamification is getting a lot of press recently. Apparently, it works.

    Competition often brings out the best in people. There is a part of me that it doesn't believe it. Experientially, however, it's clear that I'm more likely to take action in competitive situations. 

    In a way, you can  think of the Fitbit as a game where the challenge is to get at least 10,000 steps per day (and you can also get bonuses and brownie points for doing other healthy things).

    The tracking and reporting component add enough competition to change behavior.

    For example, there is a certain venture capitalist who is consistently kicking my ass by generating much higher numbers than I do. In addition, there is a short and portly industry analyst (old enough to be my father) who somehow took more steps than I did last week. These things cause me to get out of my chair and exercise.  It has become so persistent that I've started parking farther away just to add to my count.

    The proof is in the results. Here's a graph showing my weight over the past two months.

     

    110822 Fitbit Weight Loss 
    The jump in the middle came from a visit to the Jersey Shore, where my will-power lost a battle to unlimited Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches and hot pretzels.

     
    You Can't Get There From Here.

    It was harder than you might guess to get started.

    I remember hearing a funny story about someone asking for directions after getting lost in a city and asking for directions. The response was "you can't get there from here." Well, it turns out that my goal of taking 10,000 steps a day was impractical; I couldn't get there from where I was. 

    In other words, even on a day when I exercised, my lifestyle didn't come close to an activity level of 10,000 steps per day.

    Last summer, I celebrated the fact that I went to the gym three times per week. On one hand, I'm sure that's an improvement from not going to the gym three times a week. On the other hand, as I measured my activity levels and steps, that's a 5,000 to 7,000 steps per day activity level. By that, I mean that 5,000 steps is average, and I might be able to get the 7,000 steps if I really pushed myself.

    As a practical matter, I couldn't get to 10,000 steps per day unless I changed something. For me, that meant jogging. And trust me, jogging was something that I didn't want to do. At a little over 240 pounds it was hard to drag my well-marbled meat suit around the park (especially in the Texas heat).

    So, after going to the gym, I would reluctantly find my way to the park to waddle the extra mile. That increased my steps; and it also took me past the tipping point where I started to lose weight. That made running easier.  Soon, I was shuffling 2 miles. Now, 4 miles is within my comfort zone.

    Again, the key is that once your activity burns more calories than you eat, weight comes off quickly.  Like I said, simple, "just not easy."

     

    Intent and Focus Help Too.

     

    The other area where the Fitbit has made a big difference is with the intent to be healthy. It's one thing to say that you will be healthy. It's another to vote with your feet and actually do healthy things.

    The Fitbit helps bring the intent to the forefront of your consciousness. That means you will think about it more often. That also means you will notice more opportunities to be more active more often. As a result of the increased activity, you will burn more calories and lead a healthier lifestyle.

    It's easy to manage what you measure. So making it easier to measure something can actually make it easier to achieve better results. That's where the Fitbit shines.

    Get one here.

    Related articles
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • A New and Simpler CPR Can Help You Save a Life

    You never know when something like this can change your life or the life of someone else?

    Every three days, more Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest than the number who died in the 9-11 attacks.

    You can lessen this recurring loss by learning Continuous Chest Compression CPR, a hands-only CPR method that doubles a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest.

    It’s easy and does not require mouth-to-mouth contact, making it more likely bystanders will try to help.

    Here is a video showing you how it works.

     

     


    Read more >>

    If YouTube is blocked by your organization, you can watch the video on the Arizona Health Sciences Center site.

    Visit the Sarver Heart Center for more information and resources on Chest-Compression-Only CPR.

     

    Related Articles
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • A New and Simpler CPR Can Help You Save a Life

    You never know when something like this can change your life or the life of someone else?

    Every three days, more Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest than the number who died in the 9-11 attacks.

    You can lessen this recurring loss by learning Continuous Chest Compression CPR, a hands-only CPR method that doubles a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest.

    It’s easy and does not require mouth-to-mouth contact, making it more likely bystanders will try to help.

    Here is a video showing you how it works.

     

     


    Read more >>

    If YouTube is blocked by your organization, you can watch the video on the Arizona Health Sciences Center site.

    Visit the Sarver Heart Center for more information and resources on Chest-Compression-Only CPR.

     

    Related Articles
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Here is a Simple Test of Attention and Focus I Bet You’ll Fail

    In my experience, managing attention is harder than it seems.

    Let's start with something easy …  Do nothing for 2 minutes. 

    Here is a link to a website that will let you try to do that.

     

    110602 Do Nothing For Two Minutes

    Focus can be pretty fragile if it isn't a conscious choice.

    OK, Let's Try Something a Little More Challenging.

    Controlling your body by doing nothing is one thing; but, controlling your mind is something else altogether.

    To get a sense about this, here is a seemingly easy challenge … simply listen to a favorite song.

    The challenge is how you can truly do that without losing focus and having other thoughts intrude (for example, without thinking about your to-do list or other songs that you like, or who you're going to meet with later in the day, etc.)?  For me, the answer was not that long.

    Sometimes it feels like modern life causes attention deficit disorder.

    Attention Deficit Can Be Dangerous If You Aren't Aware of It.

    110625 focusYet, losing focus while trading, in business, or even during a simple conversation – can have serious consequences.

    When you are not aware of your focus, I bet it wanders.  Mine does; I get distracted easily. 

    It didn't take long for me to realize that this happened to me while talking to my wife, while listening to a telephone call, even when ordering food at a restaurant. How can I lose focus on the waitress while I was ordering? Apparently, quite easily.

    How about you?  When you're listening to someone talk to you, are you really listening to them – or are you checking e-mail, texting, browsing a website, watching TV, playing a game, or thinking about what you're going to say? 

    Be honest with yourself; how often are you fully present?  For me, the answer was not nearly enough.

    Practice Mind Control.

    Try listening to one song with your full attention and focus. 

    110625 Do You QuantumThinkNow, imagine how different a conversation with someone important to you would be if you were consciously aware of your intent for them to experience being heard the whole time they were speaking to you.

    Maybe it is easier to recognize how different it is for you when someone is truly present and focused on you when you talk with them?

    If you want to explore more activities like this, pick up a copy of Dianne Collins' book "Do You QuantumThink".  It has dozens of clever ways to wake back up and operate on a higher level.

     

    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Here is a Simple Test of Attention and Focus I Bet You’ll Fail

    In my experience, managing attention is harder than it seems.

    Let's start with something easy …  Do nothing for 2 minutes. 

    Here is a link to a website that will let you try to do that.

     

    110602 Do Nothing For Two Minutes

    Focus can be pretty fragile if it isn't a conscious choice.

    OK, Let's Try Something a Little More Challenging.

    Controlling your body by doing nothing is one thing; but, controlling your mind is something else altogether.

    To get a sense about this, here is a seemingly easy challenge … simply listen to a favorite song.

    The challenge is how you can truly do that without losing focus and having other thoughts intrude (for example, without thinking about your to-do list or other songs that you like, or who you're going to meet with later in the day, etc.)?  For me, the answer was not that long.

    Sometimes it feels like modern life causes attention deficit disorder.

    Attention Deficit Can Be Dangerous If You Aren't Aware of It.

    110625 focusYet, losing focus while trading, in business, or even during a simple conversation – can have serious consequences.

    When you are not aware of your focus, I bet it wanders.  Mine does; I get distracted easily. 

    It didn't take long for me to realize that this happened to me while talking to my wife, while listening to a telephone call, even when ordering food at a restaurant. How can I lose focus on the waitress while I was ordering? Apparently, quite easily.

    How about you?  When you're listening to someone talk to you, are you really listening to them – or are you checking e-mail, texting, browsing a website, watching TV, playing a game, or thinking about what you're going to say? 

    Be honest with yourself; how often are you fully present?  For me, the answer was not nearly enough.

    Practice Mind Control.

    Try listening to one song with your full attention and focus. 

    110625 Do You QuantumThinkNow, imagine how different a conversation with someone important to you would be if you were consciously aware of your intent for them to experience being heard the whole time they were speaking to you.

    Maybe it is easier to recognize how different it is for you when someone is truly present and focused on you when you talk with them?

    If you want to explore more activities like this, pick up a copy of Dianne Collins' book "Do You QuantumThink".  It has dozens of clever ways to wake back up and operate on a higher level.

     

    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Does Your Health Depend On the Temperature of Where You Live?

    It was over 100 degrees, here in Texas, as my son graduated high school. 

     

    110605 Zach's Graduation 
    Our out of town guests weren't buying the "But it's 'dry' heat" line. So, much of the weekend was spent eating and searching for air-conditioning.

    Sometimes it is just too hot to trot.

    Exercise Frequency Goes Down as the Heat Goes Up.

    The Economist recently printed a chart showing that people who live in colder states exercise more than those who live in warm ones.

     

    110605 Exercise Frequency is Heavily Influenced by Temperature 
    A recent report by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declares that only 64% of Americans surveyed can be described as physically active (defined as over 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or half as much vigorous activity). Almost a quarter get no exercise at all outside the workplace.

    The report offers a breakdown of exercisers by state. In general, it seems that people who live in cold states like Alaska are more likely to get their weekly work-out than those in sunny Florida.

    The biggest outliers from this correlation are Hawaii, where 70% are energetic, and Tennessee, which has the lowest percentage of active people despite a lower average temperature than several other states.

    Related articles
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Does Your Health Depend On the Temperature of Where You Live?

    It was over 100 degrees, here in Texas, as my son graduated high school. 

     

    110605 Zach's Graduation 
    Our out of town guests weren't buying the "But it's 'dry' heat" line. So, much of the weekend was spent eating and searching for air-conditioning.

    Sometimes it is just too hot to trot.

    Exercise Frequency Goes Down as the Heat Goes Up.

    The Economist recently printed a chart showing that people who live in colder states exercise more than those who live in warm ones.

     

    110605 Exercise Frequency is Heavily Influenced by Temperature 
    A recent report by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declares that only 64% of Americans surveyed can be described as physically active (defined as over 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or half as much vigorous activity). Almost a quarter get no exercise at all outside the workplace.

    The report offers a breakdown of exercisers by state. In general, it seems that people who live in cold states like Alaska are more likely to get their weekly work-out than those in sunny Florida.

    The biggest outliers from this correlation are Hawaii, where 70% are energetic, and Tennessee, which has the lowest percentage of active people despite a lower average temperature than several other states.

    Related articles
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Great One Minute Video on the Power of Focus

    “The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire, not things we fear.”

      ~ Brian Tracy

    Focus On 1 Goal At A Time.
     
    It is graduation time, and I've had an opportunity to talk with a number of new graduates. 
    As a result, I've been thinking about what advice best helps navigate the vast opportunites as one door closes, and another opens …

    Here is a great nugget from Brian Tracy, who is a master at taking the complicated and breaking it down into simple easy steps.

    Watch "How to Focus: If You Could Achieve 1 Goal In 24 Hours".

     

    If you could only accomplish one goal, yet it would only take 24-hours to achieve, which goal would have the greatest positive impact on your life? 

    What a great question!  After you answer it, set a deadline to accomplish that goal … and (here's the important part) do something to work on it, or take you towards it, every day.

    Related articles
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Great One Minute Video on the Power of Focus

    “The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire, not things we fear.”

      ~ Brian Tracy

    Focus On 1 Goal At A Time.
     
    It is graduation time, and I've had an opportunity to talk with a number of new graduates. 
    As a result, I've been thinking about what advice best helps navigate the vast opportunites as one door closes, and another opens …

    Here is a great nugget from Brian Tracy, who is a master at taking the complicated and breaking it down into simple easy steps.

    Watch "How to Focus: If You Could Achieve 1 Goal In 24 Hours".

     

    If you could only accomplish one goal, yet it would only take 24-hours to achieve, which goal would have the greatest positive impact on your life? 

    What a great question!  After you answer it, set a deadline to accomplish that goal … and (here's the important part) do something to work on it, or take you towards it, every day.

    Related articles
    Enhanced by Zemanta