Recently, I had the great pleasure of interviewing one of my esteemed colleagues, Amy Hibbits. What’s her background and how does it relate to the content of Pulse and Signal? I’m glad you asked - Amy is a Certified Group Fitness Instructor! Among other things regarding fitness, Amy excels in motivating groups of people to get moving and get into shape, something I am a proponent of, obviously.
I’ve been recently trying to get myself back into shape (getting up at 5am to do grueling workouts really does take getting used to…) and immediately thought that Amy would be able to answer some questions that we all think about when it comes to fitness. So after catching up with the fitness guru, check out how the interview went:
» Andre: Have you always been pretty health conscious?
» Amy: No, not at all. My dad is a chef, and I grew up in the restaurant business. I had terrible eating habits and was an overweight kid. When my parents divorced and sold the restaurant, my mom and I did a 180 and developed very healthy habits – we both lost about 30-40 pounds each with diet changes and exercise.
» Andre: What urged you to begin helping others stay in shape and remain healthy?
» Amy: I remember how amazing it felt to get in shape. I felt strong and powerful – and mirrors were no longer an enemy. I want to share what I know about fitness because there is a lot of diet hype out there – pills and plans - and I’ve seen so many people spinning their wheels with plans that just doesn’t work - and they get frustrated. All in all, it’s about calories consumed and calories burned. BUT – this is a lot easier said then done. Cutting calories is tough in our society because so many of our social activities center around food. And, finding time to cook healthy meals and squeeze in exercise is hard with our busy lifestyles. Over the years, I’ve picked up a lot of tips and tools for staying in shape. I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t. I feel very lucky that I was able to turn my bad habits around. I hope that I can help others make the same changes in their lives. (Check back for future posts that discuss these healthy eating tips in detail).
» Andre: You mention exercise is important to stay healthy - what tips would you suggest to incorporate exercise into our busy lives?
» Amy: Schedule it. Put it in your planner or in your outlook calendar and your chances of making it to your workout improve dramatically. If your gym offers classes, sign up. Seeing “Cardio Kickbox” in your planner instead of “Gym” looks much more exciting. If scheduling it still isn’t enough, schedule it with someone else. If you know Joe or Mary is waiting for you – you won’t be as likely to blow it off.
Also, sneak in exercise in subtle ways. If you have specific shows that you watch, vow to always do sit ups during the commercials. If you are a book worm, read while walking on a treadmill instead of reading on your couch or bed. Taking the sedentary activities in your life and adding an element of activity doesn’t require any added time carved out of your schedule, just added effort.
» Andre: What piece of info would you like individuals to know before they start working out at the gym?
» Amy: When signing up, look for a gym that offers a one or two free personal training sessions when you join. If you can’t find one, ask how much an introductory session will be. The gym can be an intimidating place. The treadmills are easy enough to figure out, but a lot of the weight machines aren’t as straight forward.
Having a trainer by your side when using the machinery will a) ensure you get the most out of your work out b) ensure you use the machines correctly and don’t strain or tear your muscles and c) help you establish a comfort level with the gym which will increase your odds of getting there and getting in a full workout.
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Thank you so much for sharing your fitness knowledge with us, Amy! I really think that personal experience is the best resource when it comes to lifestyle changes and for those that demand change for themselves and in turn inspire others to do so, it’s a huge benefit. After speaking with Amy, I have decided that she would be a great addition to Pulse and Signal to give health living tips. Stay tuned for the official announcement!
Amy teaches a group fitness class at Verve Health & Fitness located in Arlington, Va.
Next month on October 15th, you will have the opportunity to join a multitude of other individuals in the online space to speak out on an important issue that affects us all: global poverty.
Blog Action Day is in its second year of existence and already it is drawing a huge audience. It is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Their aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.
From their site:
From the smallest online journals, to huge online magazines, to EU ministers, to professionals and amateurs, Blog Action Day is about mass participation. Anyone is free to join in on Blog Action Day and there is no limit on the number of posts, the type of posts or the direction of thoughts and opinions.
Even if you don’t have a blog, look around at the list of blogs taking part and join in on the discussion. Here at Pulse and Signal, there will definitely be a post concerning this issue. I have registered to take part. Feel free to drop by and check out what I come up with and join me in talking about global poverty.
Spread the word. Join in the conversation. Now more than ever YOUR words and thoughts matter and can be heard.
Still interested? Head on over to the Blog Action Day website for more information and materials to use to spread the word.
Check out their video too:
My good buddy Ryan over at Socialmediaworx brought this video and campaign to my attention. The Girl Effect is shaping up to be a great campaign that is helping to make the world a better place, one young person at a time.
And the reality of how quickly this video can travel across the web and share information about the campaign (like I’m doing here) is also a great example of how awareness of ideas and world changing actions are spread across the Internet. Take note of the creativity involved in the product of this form of communication. Do the words and graphics actually allow you to conjure up images? The use of videos and thought provoking imagery will be something I touch upon frequently at Pulse and Signal - this is something to always keep in mind for effective health communication in the Digital Age.
Small action employed by many people leads to big change.
My wife and I thoroughly enjoy the Olympics - that’s just something we both get into when it comes around. Checking scores throughout the day and cheering on our country’s finest athletes, all good fun. The 2008 Beijing Olympics are particularly interesting and exciting to me because of one young man: Cullen Jones. Cullen is making waves, yes literally, in the sport of swimming by being one of a handful of African American Olympic participants. He recently, helped Team USA win gold in the 4 x 100 relay. It was an awesome display of focus, determination and athletic ability that I was all too happy to be jumping up and down and cheering for.
Then recently, Marilyn sent me the link to what Cullen is doing for young African American children and getting them to get into the sport of swimming. Now as an African American male, I’ve heard over and over the phrase that “we just don’t swim” or “you know all we do is drown!” - something along those lines. As Cullen was recently interviewed on Good Morning America, this is what he had to say about that:
You’ve gotten a whole culture to believe that swimming isn’t something that they do or they’re not, I guess, physically capable of doing,” Jones said. “We have changed that stereotype.
This made me think about how those working in the public and community health fields are continually tasked with informing individuals who may think one way about something and that way of thinking may be to their detriment. Young people who (falsely) believe they cannot contract an STD from a certain unsafe sexual practice are in danger. Commuters who don’t believe wearing a saftey belt is always important are in danger. Specific ethnic groups who believe that swimming is just “not their thing” are also in danger.
We have to begin understanding that this new age of communication, with computers and the Internet and the innovative ways in which information is passed around is a perfect way to eliminate false notions and incorrect information. For years, the Health On the Net (HON) code has been used to credit health focused websites on their correct information. If we want to change the minds of target audiences, it is imperative to understand how people are getting informed and if that information is incorrect, we need to create ways in which to change that! Cullen Jones is bold about his efforts to transform minds - he is reaching out to an audience that may never have known differently and that is the beauty of the time we are in now. It is necessary to be bold about the tools we use to change minds and inform.
It’s time to dive in.
This is a two part series in which I will be connecting the great strides that Olympic swimmer Cullen Jones is making to change stereotypes with the work of the public and community health field. Part 1 has introduced you to the swimmer, what he is doing with his foundation and how important it is to be innovative about reaching your target audience on and offline and improving knowledge. Part 2 will focus on how Cullen is a great example of improving access to a group of people who want to learn. Think access to technology and the Internet. Stay tuned.
So as you may have noticed, I have added an additional tab of information to Pulse & Signal - the Upcoming Events tab. Here I will be listing any events that may be of interest to the health and technology crowd, in hopes of raising awareness and helping to inform. The next events on the list are the CDC’s 2nd Annual National Conference on Health Communications, Marketing, and Media as well as a local event - HealthCampDC. Both of these I am very excited about!
The conference on Health Communications, Marketing and Media is taking place in Atlanta, GA this week - bringing together a multitude of health practitioners who are working and interested in the varied mediums of communications. I am personally happy that the CDC decided to put together this type of event (it’s the second one) and hoping to be able to attend next year. I also really like the theme of this year’s conference - Engage and Deliver - looking to higlight how public health can engage with the public and partners to develop and disseminate better health information and interventions to improve the health of the individuals and their communities.
Next up is HealthCampDC, one that I’ve been helping to promote through social media channels! Basically HealthCampDC will be working toward highlighting the uses of new media and various other technologies to those working in the health field. Join me and many others for a day of learning and connecting! Please find more information here at the event wiki where you can sign up for participation as well.
Stay tuned for more information on HealthCamp and other upcoming events!
Since I started blogging back in October of 2007, I have always been working toward providing relevant information to those that may come by and read. I started out with a pretty general focus, covering anything related to both health and technology, also trying to combine the two topics. I came up with some pretty good material, including a great two part interview with Troy Turner who works with high tech prosthetics for the military. I was pretty proud of that one and Troy has also invited me down to where he works so that I can get an even more in-depth look at the facilities and what he does. I am definitely going to take him up on that offer.
So this month would make it just about 11 months since I first began thinking and writing about how the health world would be transformed by technology and Web 2.0 advances. Once again, I’m pretty proud of myself for leaving the safe world of information consumption and turning to a more active role of information production. I’ve been told several times that I’m good at conducting research to find information that I need/want - it basically is just me understanding that pretty much whatever you need to learn, the information is out there, especially now that we have such a content heavy version of the Internet. The bottomline is that I love to learn new things, I’m an information nut! And what that means for Pulse and Signal is that I want to share anything I know about the Web, technology, and health to those who are interested.
With that in mind, I wanted to write about the direction that I am planning to take the blog. After spending time in the public health and health education fields while getting my undergraduate degree, I learned alot about trends and influences determining our collective health. Then as I began to expose myself to everything about social media and Web technology, I thought about how it could be used to influence the health world. Social media really brought back out my passion for improving lives through health education and communication and I saw an opportunity to rekindle the fire I had during college. And now I’ve realized
how I’m going to make those improvements - through empowering those who are already in the health field and have an interest in using these technologies to better educate and communicate with their audiences.
How is blogging helpful for health educators/communicators? (reaching a wider audience)
Are we done with PowerPoint slideshows that are overpacked with information? (You betcha)
Are we ready to embrace a new world of communicating and disseminating information? (I hope so, because it’s here and not going anywhere)
I hope you will continue to join me for some great content and engaging discussion. I will be learning along with you and hoping to make a difference by navigating through these changing and exciting times.
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