Wearable Tech; Beyond Bluetooth.

Someone's getting a wearable device for Christmas this year and I am optimistic it will be a starter for an active 2014 for all those lucky people.  As an early adopter of Nike's Fuel Band (and a short-term FitBit'r), I find the promise of all this biometric data from the proliferation of wearable technology to be exciting on a number of levels. Personally, the info these devices provide gives us an idea just how active we have been. Friends can compare profiles, and compete for anything from steps to calories burned. Cohorts of users can be followed, and the performance of teams tracked.  

All good stuff, and especially good if the "cool tech" can be used to help with a few not so cool population health problems like our general lack of movement, but can they do that? Do they get people off the couch, or are wearers already those who enjoy the benefits of "cardioswag"? Connecting a wearable device to our internal motivation centers takes a bit more than Bluetooth.  Wearing the gadgets is a start. Actually using them to drive personal performance is what's next. Impacting the lives of enough people for us to claim some population health benefits? Now that would be the gift that keeps on giving. 

Happy Holidays! 

PV 

Mandela Remembered

This pic is taken from the Cape of Good Hope at the tip of South Africa. It is significant to me because the post held signs pointing in multiple directions, and for me will always represent my options, because it says I can go anywhere. 

July 2010 was my first trip to the continent of Africa, and the only things on my mind were the World Cup and Nelson Mandela. What he represented as a man and a servant leader will always be beyond words, and I wanted to see parts of the country from which he had changed the world.  We tried to get to Robben Island, but the cold seas worked against us. We got a peek of it from Table Top Mountain, and I wondered how the mountain must have looked from the island so far away.   Images of the struggle from the apartheid museum and the Hector Pieterson memorial in Soweto still burn my brain, but the most enduring image was yet to come. 

We scored tickets to the FIFA World Cup Final, and it was there, from seats way in the back of the stadium at the half way line that I got what I was waiting for, a chance to see Madiba. He came onto the pitch in a wheel chair with a blanket wrapped across his legs. The minute he came on, the entire Soccer City Stadium erupted. Some 90,000 people stood to welcome him with cheers, applause, and the sound of vuvuzelas. He stayed on the pitch briefly and waved at the crowd before returning to the warmth of the stands. I'd seen him! 

We went on to watch the game between Spain and Holland. It was probably one of the worst I've seen, but it didn't matter. Sandwiched between three black and  three white South Africans we were united by the match, but in reality, we had been united by Mandela. The luxury to sit in that venue, in that country was afforded us by that man. I know people have been much closer to him than I was, but my moment with Madiba is one I will always remember, and the opportunity he gave us all through his sacrifice, compassion, and forgiveness is something we can never forget. 

The news of his passing saddens me. The memory of his courage gives me strength.  

PV

Doing it when you don't want to.

I made it through a workout this morning that I didn't want to do. I was making excuses about my hand, my lack of consistent double-unders, my disdain for doing toes-to-bar, and not looking forward to carrying a pair of 80lb DBs 100m. The pile of reasons was high, but I went, and I did my best, which is all I could ask of myself.

I can't talk about CardioSwag without living it. I know the workouts seem crazy at times, but the peace I find in making the effort is incredibly satisfying. The cost is becoming irrelevant because the gains are tangible and extend into some unexpected areas of my life. I am beginning to realize my potential across the board which is a game-changer. 

So when that voice tells you to stay in bed, or skip that session, ignore it and do your thing. Progress takes persistence.

Be well. 

PV

#GetGood

"Ok is alright, but good is better. Get good!" That's a text I sent a relative this morning.  I had been thinking about the power of love and the people in my life. Naturally, my family came to mind, and my thoughts turned to her. I asked her how she was feeling, and she said she was "ok". I asked her why she felt that way and she said she was "ok, most of the time", and had no particular reason for it.  That got me thinking.  

Everyone has their own space, and for my relative "ok" is where she lives.  As long as she is happy there I probably should be content. For me though, being "ok" means something is going on to prevent me from being "good" or "great".  It might be something that happened somewhere in my interaction with people, sore muscles, or a situation I am thinking about.  The source does not matter, the feeling with which it leaves me does, and my reaction to it is even more important. 

I told my relative to "get good" because in spite of my appreciation of her mood baseline, my sense was that she was feeling flat and I wanted her to feel alive. I was a Best Buy salesman trying to get her to buy the 3D HD TV instead of the lower-resolution set.  Admittedly I do not always find myself viewing things through such bright lenses. During those times I do not want to hear much by way of motivation from anyone. Perhaps this morning, I was moved to text her because of my sixth sense telling me she was "ok" just so I could write this blog.  Whatever the reason, today, I will do my best to "get good" and stay there because I know changing how I feel about myself will change how I interact with anyone and anything entering my space. If you are not already there, "get good" with me. 

PV

CardioSwag 2013 - The Choice Is Yours!

I took a blogger break but it's good to be back.  Since I last posted I've been in France, England and Italy, and next weekend I'm heading back to Haiti.  On all my travels it's been a blessing to see new sights, experience new situations, reconnect with friends and family, and return home safely.  The other thing my travels have brought me is a better understanding of the journey I am on with respect to my personal wellness. My "cardioswag chronicle" continues to amaze me because I am constantly having opportunities to take it to another level placed in my path. 

I define cardioswag as the feeling of complete calm and composure experienced after a great workout.  Back when I was 248 pounds and started to do something about my weight, cardioswag was easy to get by walking up a few flight of stairs instead of using the elevator.  That simple, short activity would leave me winded, but pleased that I had done it. Most importantly, it made me want to do more. I remembered being a decent year-round athlete in college, and I felt capable, so I bought a bike. I used to ride it around a trail, and felt extremely cardioswagalicious doing so, that is until I saw people running on it, so I started running too.  The next level came when a friend was moving from the DC area to Philly and wanted to off-load some old weights.  I started using them, and in combination with my runs and  a significant drop in sugar intake, things started changing dramatically for me. Over three years I went from 248 lbs to just under 200 lbs.  In 2004 I ran my first half marathon, 2007 a full marathon, and 2008 another half. In the process I dropped down to 180lbs, but somewhere in there I lost the swag.  I was on a grind to make the distance, but I was not really "dialed-in", and while I was getting in better shape, I wasn't in my best shape because my mind was not  in it all the way.  I kept hitting the runs, but I did not maintain good eating habits, and I let the stress of work pile 10-15 lbs back onto my frame.  

Late in 2011 I rediscovered the motivational energy of friends who I had helped get started as "runners. I discovered tabata intervals, kettle-bells, more yoga, and burpees. I found a way to "shock" my body in a way I only felt during parts of P90X and Insanity, and I found my cardioswag returning. Now that I am 7 months into training at a CrossFit gym I am beginning to feel what it means to have greater control over my body.  The power of a clean(er) diet is evident when I pull on a pair of jeans and have to pull the belt tighter to hold them up to my 175 lb frame (body composition data coming next week). My improved posture makes the difference between a 60 second break between sets being upright and breathing deeply, versus in a heap heaving on the floor.  This cardioswag journey has led me to a place where I have more respect for treating my body in a way that has it perform better every day.  I approach a pull-up bar or loaded barbell ready to literally snap it, knowing that a personal record is seconds away.  That calm and composure is paying dividends in every part of my life, and I am grateful for the many motivators who keep me pushing physically, mentally, and spiritually.  

However you accumulate your cardioswag I want you to get it. Walking, dancing, kettle-bell swinging, yoga, hand-stand push ups in the office, as Black Sheep said, "you can get with this, you can get with that. The choice is yours!"  While I was away I trained at CrossFit facilities in Florida and London, and even did thrusters with luggage and jumped rope in my hotel room in Rome.  The journey is personal, and not always pleasant, but it should please you, so do what you like. Just like traveling to new places, it will give you experiences no one can take from you. 

Peace,

PV