Fitspott

Fighting Youth Obesity By Making Fitness Engaging and Interactive

Many years ago when I was managing a 24 Hour Health Club in Queens, New York, I was approached by a company that was selling health club equipment for children. The line of equipment was basically miniaturized versions of most of the pieces available for adults.

While obesity in our youth was a problem even back then, it was the first time I really heard about actual resistance equipment for children being marketed to health clubs. In an effort to compete with new health clubs opening in the area, we decided to devote 2 raqcuetball courts to creating a kids fitness program. One of the courts was devoted to the mini weight training circuit and the other court was outfitted with a bunch of gymnastic matts, trampolines, ropes and foam balls. 

Quiz- Which room do you think was completely empty after the novelty wore off? 

Answer- How many kids do you know with the patience to do 3 sets and 15 controlled reps of anything?

The lesson we learned very quickly was that kids were definitely willing to exercise and try different things as long as it was fun and interactive.

All you have to do is click on the product list of companies like  ExerGameFitness.com and you will see that we are living in a much different world from when I was managing that health club years ago. The amount of fun and interactive products that are available for the youth market is astounding.  Today, health clubs have an opportunity to customize a youth fitness program with a wide variety of really innovative products and services. 

Obviously for these programs to be successful they need to be marketed both inside and outside of the clubs. Fitspott is committed to doing it's part to promote the efforts of exergaming and active gaming companies to the right audience.

At Fitspott, we believe that social media technologies offer a great way of promoting these products directly to the eyeballs of our youth. Clearly, the continued rise in obesity levels can be tied to inactivity caused by computer usage.

So, lets take advantage of social networks, blogs, viral video and other social media technologies to show our youth that fitness can be fun.

Image Source: Exergamefitness.com

Fighting for fun, fitness and funds

Of all the fitness routines I have tried with my clients, by far their favorite is kickboxing. It is amazing to see a few of my timid and sometimes introverted clients  break out of their shell as they unleash kicks and punches on the focus mitts.

When I first decided to incorporate kickboxing into my workouts, I decided it would be a good idea to get some professional kickboxing training  myself so I could properly instruct my clients. After my first private session with kickboxing world champion Derek Panza, I was hooked. Not only was I learning the proper way to throw all the basic kicks and punches but I was also getting great workout. Fast forward about 5 years, Derek has opened a new and much bigger school , and the sport of mixed martial arts has taken the world by storm.

Mixed martial arts is a combination of many different martial art forms. What started out as a seemingly brutal street fight has evolved into a highly regulated professional sport. Many of the athletes involved with the sport have describe mixed martial arts as a physical chess match. 

The popularity of the sport received a shot in the arm with the Ultimate Fighter reality TV show. The show is going into its 8th season with fighters coming from all over the world to compete.  Many mixed martial arts schools are springing up all over the country and their have been a few spin off reality shows featuring different MMA organizations.

There is a growing movement to try and get the sport sanctioned in New York, with a goal to have fights held at Madison Square Garden and the Nassau Coliseum.

Companies such as Death Wish Gear which sponsors their own fighters, as well as selling an impressive line of merchandise, are helping to spread the word of this exciting sport. Death Wish Gear's apparel targets everyone from the octagon, the dojo, the gym, to everyday life. 

Fitspott has been speaking with Vince, one of the founders of Death Wish Gear, and it is amazing to hear how fast the sport  of mixed martial  arts is growing and being integrated into mainstream fitness programs. Fitspott will be posting regular updates on this explosive industry and the fighters/companies that are involved with it...stay tuned.

  

A Slight Development Delay But We are Back On Track!

Anybody with experience in computer programming knows that sometimes delays are inevitable, especially when it involves the development of new products. While we would have liked to been the exception to this rule, it turned out we were not.

So, the bad news is our beta users will have to wait a few more weeks before they can roll up their sleeves and start messing around with the site. This is a little unfortunate as the number of beta testers grows each day. The good news is that the delay in development has resulted in some major improvements to the functionality of the site.

Sometimes when you are too close to a project it is hard to see the forest from the trees and you can stray a little bit from the overall goal of the project...I think this was happening to us. Now that we have had an opportunity to double back and right some wrongs, we are more excited than ever about the launch of Fitspott.  There were many usability issues that were resolved as well as an improvement to some of the navigational elements of the site.

We will keep you posted on the exact launch date in a day or two...stay tuned!

Reaching Higher Fitness Goals, Reaching Higher Business Goals - Step a Little Outside Your Comfort Zone

Many people are afraid to speak in public, but I actually know where my fear to speak in public came from. In fourth grade my twin brother was in a play and I was sitting in the last row with my parents...yes, we were not in the same class. My brother was about to give his two words of dialogue about George Washington but instead picked me out of the entire audience. I was successful in being able to make him laugh before he delivered his 2 word speech. After about two seconds of laughing, the crying started, and there we have it, a fear to speak in public. 

Recently I was asked to speak on a panel to members of the Architecture, Engineering and Contracting Industry about the benefits of Social Media and Blogging. Almost from the minute I agreed to particiapte, I had a pit in my stomach and regretted my decision. While I knew it was going to be a good experience, generate good exposure for Fitspott and blah, blah, blah, I was seriously thinking of backing out.

Anyway, I did not back out and actually got passed my fear after the first few words. Since the panel discussion yesterday I have been contacted by a few of the attendees, and have also been offered an interesting opportunity.

This experience has reinforced the concept in order to make progress in business you need to be willing to step a little outside of your comfort zone. One can easily make the same analogy to making progress with a fitness program. If you do not systematically increase the intensity of your workout and be willing to step a little outside of your comfort zone, your results will be limited.

As a side note, I was so nervous before my speaking engagement that I finished my run in about half the time it normally takes me. Is it possible that the answer to stepping outside your comfort zone with exercise, is to step outside of your comfort zone with businesss...and then be so nervous you do not even think about how hard you are pushing?

Calling all Personal Trainers - Are your Workout Routines Getting a Little, Well....Boring?

As a trainer of many years, I will be the first to admit that at various points throughout my career, I have been a little complacement regarding introducing new workout routines and exercise alternatives to my clients. When this happened, all it would take was one of my clients to sheepishply, or more accurately, not so sheepishly, ask me to change things up a bit and I would be humiliated into action.

For me, taking action meant researching new methods online, hitting the fitness magazines or taking courses to expand my knowlede base. In addition to my research I would also make it a point to watch the personal trainers at the various gyms my clients belonged to. Personally, I found of all of these methods, watching other trainers was the most effective as I was not only able to see the exercise itself, but also the clients reaction to the exercise. For me this was important  as I could study the form of the client, and determine if the exercise was safe. In addition it would let me determine if I would need to make adjustments to the exercise which would allow me to safely incorporate it into my client's workout.

One of the goals of Fitspott, and actually one of the initial motivators behind the concept itself was to facilitate the sharing of exercise info and workout regimens by trainers throughout the world. Utilizing communication tools such as video, audio, blog feeds, widgets, etc.,  exercise leaders will be able to find and share effective and innovative exercise methods with other exercise leaders.

The concept being that the sharing of knowledge between exercise leaders will trickle down and benefit the other segments of the platform as well.

  

Using a Heart Rate Monitor as a Motivation Tool

In laymans terms, a strong (conditioned) heart is able to pump more blood with every beat. This means that your heart doesn’t have to beat as often to get the required oxygen to your muscles, which in turn decreases your resting and exercise heart rate. As a result of training, your muscles utilize the oxygen better, meaning you can put more effort in and still maintain the same heart rate.

Source: Polar Heart Rate Monitor Website

So, how do we measure this progress while we exercise? The answer is to use a heart rate monitor. Companies such as Polar have developed a full line of heart rate monitors that can track your heart rate, number of calories burned, time of exercise session, average heart rate, max heart rate, etc. Todays heart rate monitors can also be used in conjunction with pre-programmed exercise routines developed by top coaches.

Sometimes it pays to practice what we preach. Personally, I just recently began using a heart rate monitor during my runs. I have found that since starting to use the heart rate monitor my runs have been steadily increasing in intensity. Ultimately, I have been trying to complete my runs in less time while maintaining a lower average heart rate. I am actually suprised at how effective a heart rate monitor has been for me in terms of motivation. 

Fitspott will encourage story submissions from our members about how heart rate monitors as well as other tracking tools have improved their workouts and overall fitness levels. 

  

Using Technology to Make Fitness Fun

Over the last few years there has been a growing movement to utilize advances in technology to help make fitness fun. Companies such as Ninetendo (Wii Fit), Xrkade and Expresso Fitness are just a few of the emerging companies focused on making fitness more enjoyable by immersing the user in the action.

Computer graphics and other active gaming technology has come along way since the PONG days of old. As important as improved graphics are to maximizing the uptake of exer-gaming, the motion capturing devices and hand held technology used to interact with these games is just as important. We have read many articles about new technolgies that are being developed to allow users to lose the hand held controllers completely. When this happens, the ability to really mimic real life sports and other fitness activites will increase significantly.

A professor at Suny Cortland, Stephen Yang, has a blog that is focused on reviewing new active gaming products and services. Stephen also researches and reports on the effectiveness of active gaming technologies ability to promote real life health benefits.

One of the goals of Fitspott is to build a dynamic exer-gamer community that will keep our entire membership up to speed on the active gaming technologies that are available. We will highlight a new  technology focused on health and fitness every week on our blog.

  

Choosing The Right Personal Trainer

In a weird way choosing the right personal trainer, especially if you will be spending time with them 2 or 3 times a week, is similar to choosing the right mate. For the relationship to last, there needs to be a healthy level of respect and you must enjoy spending time together. If personalities clash, the probability that the relationship will last over a long period of time is doubtful. 

Using the right mate as an analogy, it is not always the most obvious choice that makes for a great relationship. Actually in the case of a personal trainer/client it is more of a partnership. Both sides need to bring something to the table for goals to be achieved. The client needs to bring the desire to push themselves a little outside of their comfort zone, and the trainer needs to bring the knowledge and be tuned in to the nuances of their client in every sense of the word.

If you decide you are going to hire a trainer, whether offline or online, there are a couple of things you should look for to improve the chances you will find the right match:

1) When you first make contact with a potential trainer do they really try to understand your goals, likes, dislikes, fitness level, etc?

2) If you watch the trainer work with other clients are they attentive to form or are they busy checking out their guns in the mirror or chatting with other people?

3) Does the trainer have a wide variety of exercises and are capable of changing things  up, or do they appear to put all clients through a one size fits all "canned" workout?

4) Does the trainer spend more time talking about themselves and socializing than actually leading their clients through an exercise?

5) Does the trainer pay attention to your form and can instruct you on making the necessary corrections?

6) Does the trainer increase the intensity of your workout program in line with your exercise level? 

Most importantly, does the trainer listen to YOU? Many people have the knowledge to be great trainers, but they do not stop and listen to what their clients are saying, or even pick up important clues they are not saying.

Fitspott  will be interviewing some of the countries top trainers to find out what they view as being their most valuable asset contributing to their success. This will be a weekly feature of the Fitspott blog.

  

Music That Follows The Intensity of Your Fitness Program...and vice versa!

The R&D team at Fitspott came across an interesting new exercise device developed by Yamaha. The device called BODiBEAT is the world's first combination mp3 player/ fitness device. It plays music files like any other mp3 player, but it also monitors your heart rate (via a comfortable ear clip) and it tracks the time, distance, and pace of your run, as well as the calories that you've burned.

The unique thing about BODiBEAT is its music synchronization technology. In Free Mode, BODiBEAT follows you: it will select and play a song with a beat that matches your footsteps. If you speed up or slow down, BODiBEAT will change to a new song. In Training Mode, it's the other way around – you follow the device. You pre-program your own intervals (time or distance) based on your target – pace, heart rate, cadence (steps/beats per minute) - and BODiBEAT acts as your personal trainer. If you fall below your target, BODiBEAT will switch to a new, faster song to encourage you to speed up.  

Image and Content Source: Bodibeat website 

One of our staff members plans on purchasing a BODiBEAT unit in the next few days. We will report how well it worked and if it really helped to improve their workout. If some of the music I listen to was pumped through the headphones, I could see speeding the treadmill up to 14.0 mph. Unfortunately at that speed I will probably be embedded in the wall behind the treadmill. 

 

Promoting Health and Fitness Through Technology

As we continue inch closer to our launch, we have been speaking with many of the industry leaders representing our targeted segments. The conversations are always very spirited, and based on the feedback from these discussions, we are really on to something.

We have noticed that once someone truly understands the nuances of our platform, two things happen:                                                                                                   1) They tell us that they have not seen anybody doing what we are planning to  do                                                                                                            2) They start spewing new ideas

Internally, we continue to discuss how to leverage existing and new technologies to create a valuable and effective platform for promoting our members as well as health and fitness as a whole. There are many available technologies that while "cool" would not necessarily offer a real benefit. We will be devoting an entire team to each segment to ensure that any new technology we implement, does in fact offers a true benefit. 

We recognize that we have an opportunity to do something special and could make quite a difference in the lives of many people.  The direction of the Fitspott platform will be dictated by our members...we are very excited for this journey.