Web 2.0 and Fitness

Knowing that I am a former coach and competitive athlete, my friend Larry asked me to assist him with a health and fitness program in 2007. Result: Larry, who was nearly 280 pounds, lost 70 pounds in 2007 and continues to stay fit and keep the weight off.

What worked for him? I turned him on to a combination of Web 2.0 fitnes tools and websites, and some good old-fashioned hard work and discipline. According to the Centers for Disease Control in the last 20 years the percent of children overweight has doubled and the percent of adolescents overweight has tripled. The center estimates that nearly 1/3 of the increase in health insurance premium is attributable to obesity and costs the U.S. over $100 billion annually (CDC, Health Affairs, 2007).

As we enter 2008 with heady health and fitness goals, we may want to log onto a few Web 2.0 fitness sites to help us stay on track. In October of 2007 -- just a few months ago -- I attended my 20th year anniversary at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As I provided my wife a tour of the campus, she noted that my name was posted on several walls and plaques for achieving fitness awards and recognition during those early years. As we enter a new year (2008), fitness goals are top of mind, so allow me to share with you a few Web 2.0 fitness sites coupled with a few tidbits I learned training and competing against Olympic athletes and from my lifetime involvement in competitive sports and eleven years of service in the U.S. military.

First, let me explain that I do not believe in diets, fads and gimmicks. My experience as an athlete and part-time coach has been that these things simply do not work over the long term and can be far more destructive than constructive. During a nearly year long business and technology project working with 24 Hour Fitness, one of the nation's largest fitness clubs, I came to know Neal Spruce. I believe Neal has one of the all-time best programs and philosophies on fitness, and I give him my highest recommendation (ApexFitness.com). Also, Neal has stayed at the cutting edge of Web 2.0 along with a few other fitness gurus. In all you do (whether fitness or finance), learn from a master -- not a hack. So let me highlight a handful of health and fitness sites that I think may serve you (or someone you care for) well in 2008 and beyond.

• BodyBugg.com. The BoddyBuggTM is an arm band that you wear just below your shoulder. It monitors your calorie burn as you go about your daily activities or your workout. You can log onto BodyBugg.com to access all of your data via a laptop, desktop, wrist watch, cell phone, Blackberry or other PDA, in order to see how well you are doing against your fitness goals. Studies have shown that people who self-monitor or are reminded with phone calls or e-mails from their personal trainers about their objectives, tend to achieve their fitness goals at a much higher rate than others. According to Larry, this arm band device and website were instrumental to helping him lose those 70 pounds in 2007.
• FitnessCoach.com (for individuals) and Fitness CoachPro.com (for personal trainers). These sites allow you to take an online health assessment, design customized exercise plans in minutes and monitor your progress online and via mobile devices. What I find most powerful about both of these sites is that they provide 3D animated images of how to properly perform exercises. Trainers can use the pro site to help others develop and monitor their exercise programs and show them how to perform movements without having to be physically in front of them.
• PEERTrainer.com. Peer pressure provides one of the all-time best ways to stay fit. According to the website, "PEERtrainer was built to help you follow through, via daily logging and peer support. It is easy to get started--you log your food, exercise, thoughts each day." Online peers help you to stay on track.
• ApexFitness.com. Fitness and nutrition go hand in hand. But more than just an online nutrition store, this site is an online community where you will get well-researched information and data on nutrition, health and fitness from industry expert, Neal Spruce as well as thousands of online colleagues from around the world.
• AnytimeFitness.com. A new breed of DIY "express clubs" are sweeping the country. These are small, no-frills clubs are located very close to your home and less costly than the "big box" mega fitness centers. Like Snap Fitness, Any Time Fitness is such a club, providing 24-hour access to over 1,000 clubs, online nutrition resources and top of the line exercise equipment The Web 2.0 play here is on the franchise ownership side. An owner of a club can monitor his or her club 24x7 with a laptop, and therefore need not be onsite full time. This reduces overhead costs, which can be passed on to members. Hi-tech video monitors, security access keys and emergency call devices provide members with safety and security, even if they choose to work out at 3 o'clock in the morning.
• Gimme20.com. This social networking fitness site allows you to find, build and share workout routines and ideas. You can also create your own blogs, groups and chat in forums to achieve mutual health and fitness goals with others.

While there are dozens of other Fitness 2.0 sites, I simply wanted to give you a flavor for the types of sites that are now available and the likely direction that more online health and nutrition sites will take in the future. Finally, as promised, here are a few tidbits that I have picked up over the past 30 years as a competitive athlete and part-time coach:

• Repetition is key. Fitness success does not come from doing something extraordinary, but from doing the simple, little things over and over again. (This is the single most important advice I can give you on health and fitness.)
• Get a checkup. Consult your physician and certified professional trainer before starting a fitness regimen .
• Work all three. Do strength, flexibility and cardio vascular work. Remember to sStretch before and after workouts.
• Keep it fun. Use your imagination; mix up your workout routine; don't confine yourself to the four walls of the gym; buddy up with a positive person.
• Do the little things every day. Take the stairs not the elevator; get up and walk and stretch a bit every hour or two; walk, bike ride or jog to the corner store vs. taking the SUV; eat an apple a day -- every day, don't miss a day of fresh fruits and veggies.
• Don't just go through the motions. It's all about intensity of workout: twenty (20) minutes of focused, hard, intense workout is better than three hour of "social workout" in which you take breaks, talk with buddies, and spend lots of time standing around "getting ready" to work.
• Alternate your workouts to allow your body to recover and muscles to rebuild (for example, upper body one day and lower body the next). Cardio is important, but strength work burns the most carbs over an extended time -- even well after you stop working out Keep nutrition simple.

In my experience and according to Harvard and the US government, there are only a few things to focus on complex carbs should make up most of your diet (fruits, vegetables, whole grains); proteins should make up a lesser part of your diet, for most of us (lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, nuts); and limit intake of saturated and trans fats, sodium and added sugars. See government's easy to ready brochure on health and nutrition: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/pdf/brochure.pdf)

Get involved with something you love to do that requires movement and do it all your life (e.g., brisk walking, golf, tennis, swimming, biking, hiking, etc.) Don't let them fool you with the gimmicks, tricks and fads; stick to the fundamentals, which require consistency, discipline and fitness knowledge. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.