Last Blog- Blogging

This is my final blog, not sure if it's for ever, but in regards to graded blogs, this will be the last.

My views on Blogs...

Blogging is for select populations, these populations vary very widely and are quite diverse in many aspects, but they all have something in common; their love for technology and widespread communication.

I, unfortunately for the continuing of advanced communication, am not one of those people.

This blogging was somewhat fun in the sense I could basically "bitch" for a lack of a better term, to the world about my frustrations with people, honestly. It hasn't been entirely educational for my 'select' readers, but probably more so found as entertaining to some and hurtful to others (the inactive I may have been referring to as a broad populous).

Not to say that it couldn't ever be utilize in my field, it would just take a strong will for the wellness professional to want to implement it.

My advice to new bloggers is this; Be ready, be committed, or don't start. Blogging seems to be a lifestyle choice. It's somewhat useless unless you are going to have some level of commitment to your work and your entries. I'd suggest reading Will Richardson's book on Blogs, to determine what really is considered a blog vs. just random post about life.

Good luck future bloggers.

Upward,

-K

Gadgets

So the people of this class inspired me with their "students as experts" piece, to go purchase a iPod touch.

I was checking a non-immediate family members iPod touch from NYC, and they showed me a program (app) you can download called iFit. This program creates (not the best, however) programs for you to workout to, allows data entry to track and record fitness progress, and has a fairly large (200+) exercise dictionary, that explains (in minor detail) various exercises (grouped by muscle group) with pictures and text descriptions on how to properly perform them.

Just another way Apple is going Fit. It's good to see.

Still uncertain that I will use that application, but who knows. It might come in handy and save me paper having to write down all my workouts.

-K

Fitness Prevails

A short story.

People in Maine are incapable of merging onto highways. The End...

I wish.

The other day I was driving back to my apartment in Bangor, it was dark and rainy, not the ideal driving conditions, but not impossible by any stretch of the imagination. I got off at my exit, 182A from I-95S, to head West on 395. There appeared to be two vehicles stopped at the end of the on-ramp to 395. Why they were stopped, I have no clue, for the right lane was completely clear. So I stop behind the two cars, waiting for them to merge. The lane appears clear once again, we start, then stop. The driver two cars ahead is very timid of oncoming traffic. A few cars pass by...they attempt to go again, but alas, we stop without moving a foot. It's finally clear, not a car coming in the right lane, perfect time to merge. We appear to be moving, nothing should stop us now, I look to my left to check to make sure I can merge in, no cars. All of a sudden, BAM! I hid the truck in front of me. The car he was behind had stopped once again. Too late for me to catch his idiotic and unnecessary move.

Long story shorter- I totaled my car, and it's unclear when it will be replaced. Most likely within a month. Has it stopped me from maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle by having no private means of transportation? No.

So many people would use this as an excuse to not exercise. They would probably say it's too hard and inconvenient to make it to the gym or get to a wellness class of some kind. This is where dedication comes in.

I'm currently having to rely on friends and public transportation for the remained of this semester. I get up very early to catch the Bat Bus on it's first or second route to make sure I have ample amount of time to workout.

Never let troublesome situations get you down or impede on your highway to health.

C'est la vie.

Upward and Onward,

K

Digital Tools

Greetings again,

Technology Penalty; for me this could be just about anything, ha-ha. Though I'm not as savvy as I use to be (don't use it you loose it), I do keep somewhat up to date with technologies that make my life (or at least try to) easier. I would have to agree with Ed, I have a calender that I keep deadlines, meetings, events, ect on my phone, but I often forget to view it and it's a hassle inputting them. I would be much faster with a paper planner. One the flip side, I like how I don't have to waste paper and I keep much better track of my phone than I would a personal planner, so if they are on my phone, I know I have them at least.

Technologies I personally use often are of course my computer. I'm not a digital camera person, but I have the LG Dare that I use for my phone and camera when and if I need to take a picture. It also uses bluetooth so I can send pictures taken or received via my phone and wireless upload them to my laptop. I've been contemplating getting an iTouch for awhile nice, but I'm not sure how useful it would be to me. As Ed mentioned, if it's that much of a pain logging into the Internet and it can't replace a computer well, it would be of little use to me.

Technologies I would like to get, is a well designed, top of the line heart rate monitor watch. Though this may seem contradictory where as the best personal consumer HR monitors are strapped to your chest and sync with the wrist display, I would still like a device that tells the time with a second counter for when I'm lifting, and the same device for when I'm running or doing other forms of cardio to known I'm in my target range. I would est. the cost of a quality HR watch to be $300-500.

More Lazy People

The other day I was dropping an older friend off at a store on the coast, she doesn't drive and I thought it would be a nice gesture, call this a contraindication, but as you'll understand shortly, there is a difference between a few feet and several miles.

OKAY. So I was dropping her off at the grocery store door area, my car was running, i was temporarily parked. We were exchanging information about the various attractions in D.C. and how they come at little to no cost, so that it's beneficial for us to stay with friends we have there and receive practically free entertainment, plus the cost of food. As I'm glancing forward, I see a heavy-set woman in a Ford Focus that seemed to be at a standstill in the parking lot, facing my direction. I acknowledge this vehicle to myself, and continue talking. The car was apparently getting impatient. This all occurred within a matter of 2minutes. I noticed a handicapped sticker on her review mirror..and put two and two together that I was pretty much blocking her B-line to that spot. I did however notice that there was a empty, un-handicapped parking space adjacent to it, so I wasn't really worried, any normal person would just take the spot that's next best. After all-it's the difference of approx 3 walking feet. That was not the case with this woman. She demanded I move, which is indicated such with a pointing of her finger and a flustered look upon her face. I was beside myself. This big woman, who's only handicap seemed to be that she was obese and couldn't walk well (because she never walked in the first place enough) was so lazy that she wanted THE closest parking spot to the door, and wouldn't settle for the one right next to it.

My friend got out of my car, and I moved my car forward and left the parking lot, as I watched the lazy old lady drive into her spot, get out, and walking into the store.

We're in big trouble, World. This isn't a good sign.

Onward,
K

Winter is coming....

It's time to face the facts.

It's now below zero degrees Fahrenheit in the evening. I'm not sure if any of you are fans, but I, however, am not.

The cold seems to affect our region quite drastically. Let's look at it realistically, New England spends more of its time in the cold months than warm, half of the eastern US has a evident deficiency in Vitamin-D due to lack of available sunshine.

What does this cold weather and lack of daylight bowl down to in our industry?

Lack of effort and desire to workout.

Think about it. Most people end up working out after work, say on average, 5pm.

It's Tuesday;5PM;28degrees;Pitch black outside. The typical, non-die hard fan of working out is probably thinking "I wanna go home and sit down by the fire and eat!"

This is not an uncommon response. It's been clearly documented and a struggle to fitness professionals everywhere to motivate their clients in these type of weather conditions. Many people do not enjoy working out inside (for cardiorespiratory health). Other options? Go jogging at 5pm when you can't see your hand in front of your face? Get up in the morning when it's ten below zero out?

It's a tough challenge. Motivation is key in this field. We can prescribe exercise after exercise, routine after routine, but what it all boils down to is client motivation, and that motivation becomes increasingly more difficult during these tough winter months.

What are you ideas? What gets you motivated during these cold, dark days? What do you do to stay fit in the winter months? Please share. Inspire others. We're all hear to build and grow off each other. Good luck.

Onward,

-K

Supplements?

Greetings again,

Wanting to know what people think about various supplements, from Multi-Vs to Anabolic Steroids.

No need to limit conversation to just supplements, but why not meal replacements in general?

What's your opinion? Concerns? Recommendations? Lets let the online fitness world know how you feel and what knowledge or questions you have!

A smoothie that I regularly make and tastes great:

.5 cup ice
.5 cup fat free milk
.5 cup fat free yogurt
1 banana (cut into chunks)
.25-.5 cup of frozen fruit (mix or select kind)
1 scoop of select protein powder
2 tablespoons Benefiber

Put into blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy.

Upda.te

SO,

It's been awhile since my last blog, I'd say it's time to update.

I finished my paper that was due a few weeks ago and naturally related it to health/fitness.

I also completed the 10slide PPT that was due last week and related that to simple steps to better health, hopefully that will be a success.

Interning is going great, I'm working closely with Taylor with the fall walking program and our most recent event was a big hit. There is a public health awareness fair tomorrow from 10-2 that you all may be interested in. Taylor will be there with a booth representing HealthyU and doing BPs.

I'm also working on constructing a blog for the HealthyU Employee Wellness program. Any input on what you would like/expect to see on a Wellness blog? Anywhere from information to layout, all comments welcomed.

Observing

The other day, Tuesday the 29th of September, I was sitting in a predominately freshman populated course, PSY 101. I usually sit in the 2nd row from the front. That Tuesday happened to be a exam review for the follow Thursday (today). I witnessed a girl who mildly "freak-out" because the 'mock exams' being handed out somehow missed her and she was evidently not happy about it. However, this was a very silent episode between her and her male friend sitting beside her. The both of them did not receive the paper at the time I did. So clearly noticed that there were extras sitting on top of TA's desk, waiting for someone to pick them up. She was sitting in the very front row, no more than 6ft away from that very desk. She didn't so much as flinch. She engaged in conversation with her friend about how they should go about this dilemma. She asked him over and over; "what do I do , what do I do?" Meanwhile, the papers sit on the table, two paces away. It wasn't even like a class discussion was being held, the room was noisy, papers were still be handed out behind our rows, but she still did not move, just complained that she didn't get one to her friend while still looking at the papers sitting on the desk, then back to her friend, and so on. A constant state of mild panic, from the papers to her friend. She never moved. Minutes later, the TA came walking down the isle, toward the desk to begin going over the mock exam. Before she reached the table, the girl called to her and motioned for a paper that she was handing out. She obtained two copies, one for her and for her friend. She never had to move. They both happened to be overweight, not quite obese, but overweight.

Pathetic. Lazy. Call it what you want.


I had to sit and watch as this girl would take ZERO effort in moving out of her damn chair and picking up a paper from a desk a mer 6ft from her fingertips. Instead she just waited until the chance that the TA would walk by her...if she didn't walk past her row, I'm afraid that girl and her friend would go without the handout.

There is something very wrong with our society when I have to witness such an act.

Get out and exercise America. You're making US look bad.

Onward.

Another Blog

Before I start, I'd like to correct myself on a typo I noticed on my last post. Referring to the ACE certification, I'd like to acknowledge that it is the American Council on Exercise, not College. I was writing a variety of certifications and organizations, and I wasn't paying attention to what I was writing.

Thanks.

So...what to blog about.

I've been trying to figure out who to interview for the assignment. Still working on that. Will mostly likely have to go with someone local and not national.

I was wondering if anyone reads any certain literature (be a magazine or online publication) that has to do with fitness/health or that they get tips from and find it trust worthy. This is just a personal poll. Not looking for a source whatsoever, but find it interesting in what people read and trust.

Also, if anyone is on any 'special' diet or workout regiment, why, and how it's working out for them?

Trying to get comments going.

Onward.

Rec Center; Certifications

(1) Rec Center;

Does anyone miss when you could actually get stuff done there? Ever since the HUGE inflow of freshman, that place has been mobbed. I miss the summertime when it was easy to plan a workout and use exactly what piece of equipment and dumbbell you needed.

Does anyone use the center regularly? Reasons for not using the facility? What do you think of it as a whole vs. other fitness facilities you may have encountered in your travels? Missing anything? Share you comments.

(2) Certifications

A number of people at the Center, as far as Trainers, were certified via ACE (American College of Exercise) which you have to be at least 18 years of age and be CPR certified. To me, this is a pretty weak certifications (as well to other knowledgeable people in the field). Don't get me wrong, they don't just give them out with your license. You do have to study and work hard to pass the exam, but what are you thoughts on ACE and other certifications? (some listed below)

• ACSM-American College of Sports Med (CPT, H/F Instructor, Ex Specialist, Clinical Ex Physiologist)
• NSCA- National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA-CSCS)
• AFAA- Aerobics and Fitness Association of America
• NCCPT- National Council of Certifield Personal Trainers
• NCSF- National Council on Strength and Fitness

Just to name a few.

Clinical Experience

I have to decide which organization to start my clinical in, through Exercise Prescription and Leadership with Dr. Cyr.

I have two choices that will most benefit me in my desired career path: (1) EMMC [Eastern Maine Medical Center] and (2) Bangor Chambers of Commerce.

Both of the above have employee based fitness programs. These programs are designed to promote healthy habits and general well-being toward the employees. With a strongly suggested and incorporated fitness program in each organization, will ultimately create healthier employees, resulting in greater work output, overall satisfaction at work, and lower medical costs.

I'm leaning towards doing my clinical experience at EMMC. This is a very large facility, and I have a strong feeling that the employee fitness program will be integrated well, and highly utilized due to the nature of the facility. While most of the employees are in the health related field (MDs, CNs, PTs, ect) they already have a well rounded education about the human body and how important their health is to them.